Australian lawmakers on Friday paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, with some also weighing in on the republic debate, after they returned to parliament from a break taken to observe the queen’s death.An obscure and longstanding protocol in Australia bars parliament from sitting for 15 days following a British monarch’s death.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had decided to follow the protocol. Albanese has previously said he wants an Australian president to replace the British monarch as the nation’s head of state, although he has avoided getting entangled in the republic debate since the queen’s death.Each chamber of Australia’s parliament ā the Senate and the House ā was spending Friday passing condolence motions for the late monarch as well as congratulating King Charles III on his accession to the throne.Albanese said it was hard to grasp the queen was now just a memory after her seven-decade reign.āShe was a rare and reassuring constant amidst rapid change,ā Albanese said.Elizabeth visited Australia 16 times during her reign.āShe got to know us, appreciate us, embrace us, and the feeling was very much mutual,ā Albanese said.The prime minister offered his condolences to King Charles III.