PM: Australia a republic ‘when queen dies’

AUSTRALIA should become a republic when Queen Elizabeth II dies or abdicates, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said, reviving an emotional debate just days ahead of national polls on Saturday.

PM: Australia a republic ‘when queen dies’

Gillard, whose centre-left Labour Party is in a tight race against the conservative opposition, said a new monarch would be an “appropriate” time for Australia to stop having a British head of state.

“I believe that this nation should be a republic. I also believe that this nation has got a deep affection for Queen Elizabeth,” the Welsh-born Gillard said.

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