Waleed Aly calls for ‘undemocratic’ Indigenous Elder to replace Queen but Carrie Bickmore disagrees

Waleed Aly has sparked debate with his co-hosts on The Project by calling on an Indigenous elder to replace Queen Elizabeth II as Australia’s head of state

The debate over monarchy and republic has flared up again in Australia as the official mourning period comes to an end after the Queen’s death two weeks ago.

As Australians commemorated National Mourning Day on Thursday, Aly suggested an alternative approach with an Indigenous elder as Australia’s future head of state rather than a monarch or president.

He argued that the monarchy is immutable, draped in history, tradition and ritual.

In short, the monarchy becomes a kind of foil for the government. It works mainly because it is undemocratic and imposes relatively little on the citizens’, says Aly.

“It’s powerful precisely because it has no real strength. The Queen was loved because she was so often silent, so often a blank canvas.’

He believes that if Australians are asked to renounce the monarch, it should be replaced with something more appropriate but magical.

“An Australian president does not offer the sense of steadfastness, history or ritual that we will replace,” Aly explained.

“If we’re going to do this, we’ll have to draw on our own resources of tradition, ceremony, and spirituality.”

He advocated that a recognized Indigenous elder be appointed as our head of state for life, which is already… is rooted in a long history and culture brimming with ceremonies.

“One of the great things about some Indigenous ceremonies like Welcome to Country is that they are often informal,” Aly added.

‘This extraordinary blend of ceremony and informality captures something unique and charming about the Australian character.’

“We could even name our elderly uncle or aunt, and when our aunt dies, deep rituals of mourning would already exist, ready for us to embrace as a nation.”

Co-host Carrie Bickmore disagreed that it’s about the consistency of the monarchy.

“We’ve had a queen for 70 years, so all words of dignity and consistency are about her for a lot of people,” she said.

Georgie Tunny added: It’s an interesting concept to just have something that doesn’t need precedent right now.

‘I have my doubts about whether such a thing can be apolitical. I don’t think a head of state can’t be political.

Aly admitted that his proposal is not foolproof.

“It’s up for debate, I don’t necessarily present it as a solution,” he said.

“But I think there’s something that can be worked on. It literally popped into my mind one night, thinking ‘there’s something out there that needs to be preserved’.