Oct 272 min read

The British Monarchy and Australian National Identity

Queen Elizabeth II at State Opening 2014 — Queen Elizabeth II. Credit: Michael Garnett via Flickr

The British monarchy is one of the longest-surviving institutions in human history. To quote my favourite movie, it is history.

Through all the change and destruction that has characterised history over the past thousand years, the British monarchy has survived and adapted.

Historically, the monarchy has been very meaningful to Australians because we are historically a British people. The monarchy oversaw the British settlement of Australia; it oversaw our transition to democracy; it oversaw our quest for independence at Federation, and Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III collectively made dozens of visits to Australia since the 1950s.

Who are we as Australians anymore?

We talk vaguely about "Australian values", but that's all meaningless guff.

Our identity must be anchored to our history because our history is what has shaped us more than anything. As a historically British people, our institutions and ways of thinking have been shaped by the entirety of British institutions, which includes the monarchy.

This is why I say don't on the one hand complain that Australia is losing its identity and then start bagging out and severing ties with an institution that has historically been a major part of our identity. The continued thinning out of our heritage will only make the country weaker in its sense of identity and less able to stand against rival identities that seek to reshape/identify this country for the worse.

Finally, I will one hundred per cent concede that republicanism is also a part of Australia's heritage—albeit always a minority voice until the last few decades. But republicanism up to the 1970s at least enjoyed a strong sense of national identity and so hardly contributed to the weakening of this country. But today, in our thinned-out, multicultural, self-loathing culture, republicanism serves only to further debilitate our sense of identity, and so now is seriously detrimental.

I call on all Australians, whatever race and culture, who are deeply concerned that this country is losing its culture and its way, to re-embrace our historical ties with Britain and its monarchy as a step towards recovering our heritage and forming a substantial sense of self-identity, one based in our history and ancient institutions.

Talk of "Australian values" in itself will just lead to this country going further adrift.

Even if you don't like Charles, you can still say "God save the King!"

Do it for Australia.