A battle over whether Britain's Queen Elizabeth will be directly mentioned in Australia's forthcoming vote on becoming a republic is expected to dominate Australian parliament when it returns today. Parliament has to pass legislation to set up a national vote on whether Australia becomes a republic by the end of next week if the referendum is to take place as planned on November 6th.
However, the conservative Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, an avowed monarchist, faces heated debate over the exact wording of the referendum question with republicans and opposition parties calling for the British monarch to be mentioned.
A parliamentary committee will release a report today backing such a question. Mr Howard has defended the original wording of the question, which does not refer to Queen Elizabeth, but says the government would consider the alternative proposal.
Some political analysts expect him to agree to some changes, but only because the republican movement looks like it will lose out at the national vote.
"I have a feeling that Howard will compromise on that," said Dr Malcolm Mackerras, a political analyst at the Australian Defence Force Academy.
The republicans' preferred question gives voters a direct choice between the queen and an Australian president. The national campaign director, Mr Greg Barns, said the question had to define exactly what Australians were voting for.
"There is no doubt this referendum is seriously flawed," Mr Peter Reith, minister for workplace relations in the Howard government, said on the Meet the Press television programme. Mr Reith, a republican, favours a direct election of a president and advocates a no vote in the November referendum.
Recent opinion polls show support for a republic slipping to its lowest level in six years. The referendum needs the support of a majority of Australians nationwide and in at least four of the country's six states to succeed.