Australian Republicans ‘cannot grasp’ fact and ‘create falsehoods’ to give themselves credibility

The Australian Monarchist League’s Eric Abetz says the Australian Republic Movement “cannot grasp and accept” Australia’s head of state is the governor-general shows have to create “falsehoods” to give themselves credibility. Sir David Smith, a former official secretary to five governors-general, often argued Australia’s governor-general is the head of state and said the Queen is Australia’s sovereign. “Our head of state is the governor-general of Australia – he is an Australian, in Australia, full-time job. King Charles happens to be our sovereign,” Mr Abetz told Sky News Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus. “Now, Gough Whitlam himself agreed that the governor-general is Australia’s head of state, so it astounds me that the Australian Republic Movement cannot accept that … the governor-general’s powers don’t come from the monarch, but, in fact, from the Constitution, as voted for by the Australian people. “So why the Republican movement cannot grasp and accept that which is legal fact, which even Gough Whitlam acknowledges, shows the paucity of the Republican argument because they have to create falsehoods to try to give some credibility to their campaign.”