Parliament has been suspended for the next two weeks following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. It means that independent Zoe Daniel’s motion for a media diversity inquiry and anti-corruption legislation won’t be introduced to Parliament next week, with everything on hold until the next sitting week on October 25 (which is when the budget drops).
Some have levelled criticism at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for the suspension, with disability advocates en route to Canberra ahead of meetings next week, but the pause isn’t up to him. How Parliament deals with the queen’s death is set down by Buckingham Palace.
Here’s what we can expect in the coming days — and how Parliament reacted last time the monarch died.
What we know
The news of the queen’s death broke overnight in Australia. Albanese delivered a televised statement shortly before 6am. The day of the queen’s death is known as D-Day, which took place yesterday in the UK, while today is D+1. It’s undecided whether Australia will run one day behind.
Crowds gathered this morning in Parliament House as Albanese officially signed the condolence book. Floral tributes are being accepted in the forecourt and the Palace has encouraged people to donate money to charity. Australians have been invited to send condolence messages online, which will be sent to the Palace, with some displayed at the National Library of Australia and other institutions.
Flags — both the national and Aboriginal flag — are flying at half-mast for the next 10 days, and tonight at 5pm members of the defence force will hold a 96-gun salute (one shot for each year of the queen’s life) in front of Parliament House. At 10am tomorrow at the Queen’s Terrace there’ll be a wreath-laying, with members, senators and diplomats likely to receive an invite.
Sunday is proclamation day — the Executive Council, made up of yet-to-be-announced ministers, will meet early in the morning, and at midday Albanese will recommend to the governor-general that King Charles becomes king (a moot point, given he’s already king). This is likely to be held in the Great Hall given the rainy weather. Flags will be up full-mast during the day and lowered again at dusk.
Our coins will change from 2023 with King Charles’ face instead of the queen’s, but no plans have been made to change notes or passports yet. All currency will remain valid regardless of whose face is on it.
What we don’t know
There’s been no news yet about when the queen’s funeral will be held (though it traditionally takes place 10 days after the monarch’s passing). Albanese, his partner Jodie Haydon, Acting High Commissioner Lynette Wood and Governor-General David Hurley will travel to London sometime next week to meet with King Charles and visit the queen’s coffin, which will be shown on a raised platform in the middle of Westminster Hall ahead of the funeral.
There will be a national day of mourning, but there’s no news yet on when that will be, or whether it will be a public holiday. There are no requirements for the period of mourning — so sports games, pubs and businesses can continue as normal if they wish.
It’s undecided whether extra sitting days will be announced to make up for the lost week and whether the sitting calendar will change.
Deaths of monarchs prior
Queen Elizabeth II’s father, King George VI, passed away on February 6, 1952, just days before Elizabeth, then a princess, was set to touch down in Australia from Kenya for a royal tour. He had been ill for several years, undergoing surgery to remove a lung. While the Palace never explained the surgery, it’s suspected it was due to cancer following his decades of smoking.
Australia found out around 9pm AEST with a statement given by then prime minister Robert Menzies to the House of Representatives shortly after. Menzies made a brief speech, his voice breaking as he adjourned Parliament to the next day so that members “can express [our] feelings as those feelings should be expressed”.
The past three monarchs’ deaths — including King George V’s in 1936 and King Edward VII in 1910 — garnered huge responses from the public. Sports games and public transport stopped as soon as the news reached our shores, while public buildings, hotels and churches were draped with black material. Shops displayed portraits of the king decorated with paper and silk in black or purple, the royal colour, while uniformed officers were directed to wear black crepe armbands on their left arm.
It’s not clear if the public will respond quite as dramatically this time — already Greens Leader Adam Bandt is calling for Australia to become a republic.
These responses are insane. Our parliament has important work to do.
Pace GR, this really does show how idiotic it is that we still have a British monarch reigning over us.
Do you think that if our deceased Head of State was not a monarch the event would pass unmarked?
SSR, there are options between “unmarked” and a 15 day stopwork!!!
Agree. And what’s happening with the ABC and the other TV channels? There’s non-stop weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth for the next two days. Look, I’m sorry the old girl has gone, but it’s getting mawkish.
It’s certainly getting repetitive. And I have no idea why they have to duplicate it all on both their main channels.
I just streamed El Chapo earlier, so I guess I’m grateful!
Bandt is an opportunist completely lacking in judgement and respect.
No doubt Bandt is hoping for a backlash, calculating he can stir up a fuss that will gain attention to the profit of him and his party. Classy move.
RIP, sorry etc. But the first thing I thought was, now we should be a monarchy. Why are we always told not to address an issue at precisely the moment we should. Floods, bushfires, etc. Although Charles is pro- environment and nothing against him at all, in fact, I’m sure he would understand. Then we can get rid of the Governor General as well.
And did anyone ask the First Nations peoples first if they would like their flag at half mast, or is it presumed for them by the powers that be, the monarchy and the prime minister? That just says it all. I am more concerned about a race that has been destroyed in every way than upsetting the Royals, who are increasingly viewed as redundant and overpaid rorters. Maybe now we will find out how much money she had, since she changed the law so she didn’t have to tell anyone. Bless her though, I’d be rapt with 94 innings.
We are uhappy with what our system has delivered over the past decade. But before we change it we should understand what we are doing, and how any change will actually improve things. Seems to me most of our problems are to do with values, or the lack of them.
I agree that timing is perhaps insensitive, but Bandt is probably expressing what many Australians have been thinking for some time. It certainly was my first thought as the news was not unexpected after the announcement of “under medical care” plus calling in the family.
I find it astounding that the palace still has power to dictate what we must now do…. Especially suspension of parliament????
We should have already been a republic had it not been for Howard manipulating the republic question to ensure its failure.
My condolences to the royal family and the public who will be devastated by the news, but it is time Australia moved on from ties to the British Monarchy.
republicans and monarchists alike have lived their entire lives with Liz at the help, and so want mourning time.
If Bandt really wants a republic he should shut up and show the due respect. Timing and sensitivity are clearly things he doesn’t get.
If you believe a republic is the answer to our political problems, as Bandt apparently does, then fair enough to raise it at this point of change. But I think he has misjudged the moment, on a lot of fronts.
Especially, as according to my English friend, their parliament will not be taking time off and definitely not 15 days. How long does it take to sign a bloody condolence book anyway?
Apart from the inevitable local ceremonies and acknowledgements, they want and have every right to travel to the funeral in the UK, which is not going to happen for over a week.
I don’t believe the parliamentary suspension was imposed on our government.
Opportunistic, yes, but the timing may not be in error. Parliament is on hold, and several pieces of important debate and legislation with it. Our GG has rather publicly soiled the britches with Scotty and the Future Leaders program. And then there’s Charles. Liz was a stalwart, seldom flappable, always dignified. But Charles..? Personally, I think Bandt should have held his tongue for a few months until the Australian public got a good look at the new king and possibly found him wanting.
No, his timing is entirely off. Not very many people will find this endearing.
Then again Charles might turn out to be a plus.
In any case, our problem is that we have not come up with an attractive substitute arrangement so far.
Why?
It was always expected that we would retain the monarchy while Elizabet Windsor lived but that a change would happen on her death
Not the next day, however
As someone said amongst all the commentary yesterday, the system has it down to a T – the succession is immediate – no doubts, no uncertainty, no messing about. The Queen is dead, long live the King. No gap to mind.
I hope the PM has the foresight to give the GG strict instructions whilst in London. We don’t want him relying on conventions for guidance and disgracing us all on the international stage.
This is actually a major disruption. Sure, I was kinda fond of Elizabeth, what little I knew about her. But our government has just taken over at a time of unprecedented crises after a government that did sweet f.a. and had record numbers of the least sitting days to hide it. The next sessions will be all about the budget when so much else is going on. I don’t see eye to eye with Labor on everything, but at least they hit the ground running. No doubt they will be working their socks off at home.
It strikes me that one of the last things Elizabeth did was swear in an ex republican born again conservative. We live in interesting times.