This statement of the Queen’s role in Australia is taken directly from the website of the British Monarchy.
The crucial sentence is the second one: “As a constitutional monarch, The Queen acts entirely on the advice of Australian Government Ministers who are responsible to Parliament.”
Statement on the Royal Family’s website.
The Queen’s Role In Australia
When The Queen visits Australia, she speaks and acts as Queen of Australia, and not as Queen of the United Kingdom.
As a constitutional monarch, The Queen acts entirely on the advice of Australian Government Ministers who are responsible to Parliament.
The Queen is represented in Australia at the federal level by a Governor-General. He or she is appointed by The Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister of Australia and is completely independent of the British Government.
At the state level The Queen is represented by the Governors of each state who are appointed on the advice of each state Premier.
Even while based in the United Kingdom, The Queen is sensitive to her role as Queen of Australia, acknowledging issues which affect Australia through messages or congratulating Australian achievement.
In February 2006, for example, The Queen hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace for prominent Australians living in the United Kingdom.
When visiting Australia, The Queen is able to undertake some of the ceremonial roles of the Sovereign. In 1954, for example, The Queen opened Parliament in Canberra for the first time, wearing the gown she had worn for her Coronation the previous year.
The Queen supports public service through her patronage of a large number of Australian organisations. These include The Royal Humane Society of Australasia; the Partially Blinded Soldiers’ Association of Australia; the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne; the Scout Association of Australia; and the Mothers’ Union in Australia.
In addition The Queen holds a number of titles in the Australian Armed Forces, and has attended many events to honour their service in world conflicts.
In 2003, for example, The Queen acknowledged the huge debt owed to Australian servicemen and women in two world wars by opening the Australian War Memorial at Hyde Park Corner in London.
During her visits to Australia, one of The Queen’s most important roles is to visit as many areas of society as possible.
The Queen aims to recognise the achievements of the country’s different cultures and communities, from traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to the vibrant and economically flourishing cities.
The Queen’s Royal style and title in Australia is Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.
At her Coronation on 2 June 1953, The Queen swore an oath to govern the peoples of Australia and her other realms “according to their respective laws and customs.”
