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.
