Melbourne: Prime Minister Julia Gillard is in favour of Australia to be a republic when the reign of Queen Elizabeth II ends.
Gillard, according to media reports, said the Queen should be Australia`s final monarch, despite the nation`s "deep affection" for her.
"What I would like to see as Prime Minister is that we work our way through to an agreement on a model for the republic. I think the appropriate time for this nation to move to be a republic is when we see the monarch change," she said.
Obviously I am hoping for Queen Elizabeth that she lives a long and happy life, and having watched her mother I think there was every chance that she will, she added.
The Prime Minister said today that despite being a republican, she understood that Australians had a "deep affection" for the British monarch, who is 84.
"What I would like to see as Prime Minister is that we can work our way through to an agreement for the model of a republic," Gillard said.
PTI
