An Open Letter to the Prime Minister

(Date to be inserted)

Hon Scott Morrison MP
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Dear Prime Minister

We, the undersigned, write with regard to the upcoming Platinum Jubilee celebrating Her Majesty’s 70 years on the Throne. For more than half of Australia’s existence as an independent and sovereign nation, Queen Elizabeth has been the sovereign head of state of Australia and is the person to whom you and the entire federal parliament owe faithful and true allegiance.

We very much regret that it appears from correspondence emanating from your office that your government proposes the barest minimum of celebrations to honour the Jubilee putting the excuse for so doing on Her Majesty herself because of her comments in regard to an earlier Jubilee to the effect that any festivities should be kept low-key. However, surely that comment was a suggestion and in no way a directive. In any event, not only were those comments made a decade or so ago but the onus is surely on the government to decide whether or not to properly honour this milestone in Australia’s history and is not reliant on the Queen’s selfless modesty. From recent reports more than a billion people worldwide are expected to watch the four days of Jubilee festivities in the UK in June next year: festivities in which the Queen herself will take centre stage.

The television cameras will most likely span festivities occurring in all of the Queen's Realms and we only hope that Australians will not be disappointed by any sort of miserly treatment of this festival by the Australian government. We would furthermore remind you that we are not a republic but a constitutional monarchy, by a substantial vote of the people, even though your government seems to ignore this fact.

There is much that your government could do which would not create considerable expenditure and to treat this very significant occasion with seemingly casual disregard would most certainly be considered by monarchists throughout the country to be disrespectful of Her Majesty.

We therefore formally request that your government does everything it reasonably can to honour the Queen on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee and furthermore that you desist from placing blame on Her Majesty for your government’s shortcomings in not planning adequate celebrations to date.