Queen of the South

To all those fearing or hoping that the splendidly anti-war new government in Australia would appoint a Queen-hater as Governor-General, below is an extract from the ABC 7.30 Report interview with H.E. Quentin Bryce AC, Governor-General of Australia, broadcast yesterday:

KERRY O'BRIEN: How do you see your relationship to the Queen, having had five years as Governor of Queensland.

QUENTIN BRYCE: I recently visited Her Majesty at Balmoral Castle, and she is always very warm and welcoming. I think I was down in the program for a 20-minute private conversation with her that lasted well over an hour. We talked about many things.

KERRY O'BRIEN: You are quite struck by her knowledge of Australia, I think, and interest.

QUENTIN BRYCE: Always, about how superbly briefed she is always, and, of course, her long experience. I have to say when I walk away from meeting with her, and I have had a few of them, the words that come into my mind are about service and duty.

KERRY O'BRIEN: The debate on Australia as a republic is going to surface again over the next two, three, four, years, because it's part of the Government's agenda to raise it, sequence of events. Will it matter to you one way or the other what Australia's system is for the Head of State?

QUENTIN BRYCE: I think it will matter to me. It will matter to all Australians. As I, you know, mentioned before, we are maturing and evolving society, of course our parliamentary democracy is too. Australian people will engage in debates, discussions about our constitution, as they always have. And I think we have a big responsibility to be very well informed about the evolution of the constitution.

KERRY O'BRIEN: Do you trust Australians to make the right decision about their own future in that regard, constitutional monarchy or republic?

QUENTIN BRYCE: Yes, absolutely.