YESTERDAY ‒ Wednesday, 18 September 2013 ‒ the newly minted Australian Prime Minister Abbott returned to the past by swearing allegiance to the Queen whereas both Prime Ministers Rudd and Gillard, on taking office, swore allegiance to Australia.

Responding to this, National Director of the Australian Republican Movement, David Morris, stated:

“Our elected representatives should swear allegiance solely to Australia, rather than loyalty to someone born to rule over an Empire long gone. We call upon all elected representatives to pledge 100% loyalty to Australia.”

Prime Ministers Rudd and Gillard, on taking office, swore allegiance to Australia.

Prime Minister Abbott today followed his conservative predecessor, Prime Minister Howard, by swearing allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II at the official swearing in of the new Government in Canberra.

“This is looking backwards when Australia should be confidently facing the future”, said Mr Morris. “It’s no longer appropriate in today’s Australia to have divided loyalties. Back in the early twentieth century, Australians were still called “British subjects” and many still sang “God Save the Queen” but no more. Today our loyalty and our identity is Australian, not colonial.

“Australia should always come first for our elected representatives.

“Our nation’s values are democratic, as evidenced by the recent elections for both houses of Parliament. To have an institution sitting above our Parliament, over which a foreign family is born to rule, is out of date with our identity as an independent nation.”

The Australian Republican Movement advocates a fully and unambiguously independent Australia.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/tony-abbott-swears-australia-back-to-the-past/

Gus: like his Liberal (CONservaitive) predecessor and confidence trickster, Tony lowers the boom. He loves the queen more than the Australian people — of which 46 per cent are rat bags since they did not vote for him... Welcome 1966... Let's get the white paint out for the tyre rims.

The second part of the caption was going to be the queen saying something like: "lucky he did not try to kiss my arse" but I am prudish. Nonetheless, the new priminister of the Britich colony of Orstralya will get a pommy knighthood when the times comes for services to the oil, coal and gas industries...