CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – Australia’s new Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull indicated on Monday that he is in no hurry to sever the nation’s constitutional links to Britain by appointing an Australian president as head of state.
Turnbull led the Australian Republican Movement when the advocacy group failed at a 1999 referendum to convince Australians to replace Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.
But six days after becoming prime minister, Turnbull said he had no plans to revisit the constitutional issue.
“While I am a republican, I have to say to you that there are much more immediate issues facing me and the government than the republic, and the key ones all relate to economic growth,” Turnbull told Nine Network television.
Governor General Peter Gosgrove, the British monarch’s representative in Australia, swore in Turnbull’s 21-member Cabinet later on Monday.