Australia likely to stick with royals says ex politician

Australia will not become a republic during the reign of King Charles , according to a former minister for foreign affairs. Julie Bishop, who was deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 to 2018, argued that Australians were unable to agree on what would replace the monarchy, reports state.The former Curtin MP, who was a delegate to the 1998 constitutional convention to decide if Australia should become a republic, argued that there was still no consensus even 23 years after the 1999 referendum when voters opted for the status quo.She told 9Honey: “I don’t actually think the question of Australia being a republic is attached to the British monarch as such, it’s actually the political system (a constitutional monarchy), and the Australian people have shown that they are loath to change if no good reason is demonstrated – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”I was quite involved in the last time we had a referendum on this topic in 1998/1999 and there was so much disagreement as to what would replace a constitutional monarchy – a direct elect president, a president elected by the Parliament – there was just no agreement.”So unless there’s a model that the majority of Australians and a majority of states agree upon, we’ll continue with the system we have.” King Charles at a function at Buckingham Palace earlier this week (Image: Getty Images ) Jule Bishop with the the then Prince of Wales in 2018 (Image: Getty Images )Earlier this year Prime Minister Anthony Albanese started planning for a new referendum on whether Australia should be become a republic.However following the death of Queen Elizabeth II he said that the issue would be postponed until after the next election in approximately three years.This gesture is intended as a sign of respect for the late monarch.Ms Bishop is also full of praise for King Charles, who she describes as “charming” having met him a number of times when she was foreign minister.READ MORE: Kate meets little girl dressed up as princess in touching moment A monarchist campaigner in Melbourne during the 1999 referendum (Image: Getty Images )They have become so close over the years that Ms Bishop is now Chair of Prince’s Trust Australia.The former education and science minister said that she believes that he will make an excellent King.She said: “He has had a very long apprenticeship for this role.”So he brings a lifetime of experience and has obviously observed his late mother closer to hand and I’m sure he will make a very fine monarch for this country [UK] and for the other nations around the world.DON’T MISS: Prince Harry consumed by ‘green-eyed monster’ as attention shifts [REVEAL] QUIZ: Can you pass the UK citizenship test Meghan struggled with? [INSIGHT] Kate greets adoring royal fans lined up to meet her in Scarborough [SPOTLIGHT] “He is curious, intelligent, intensely interested in current affairs and is very easy to converse with. I find him charming.”I’ve met him during Prince’s Trust week at Highgrove and at St. James Palace and of course now as King Charles he will continue as the president and founder of the Prince’s Trust globally.”In 2017 the pair “spent a whole day together” travelling to Vanuatu in 2017 while the then Prince of Wales was in Australia for the Commonwealth Games.