Australian Ship
My bad.
Still why doe they still see the Queeen as important today?
Never understood that.
She is there to remind politicians that no matter how popular and powerful they are, they remain servants.
It isn't easy to create a stable, democratic nation - most young countries fail. When you've found a formula that has worked, you do not lightly change it.
In 1932, a socialist Premier of the state of New South Wales leading a socialist state government seized control of all government funds and placed them in the Trades Hall, to prevent the Federal government using its Constitutional powers to pay the national debt. He was stopped in this unconstitutional action by the King's representative, the Governor using the powers of the Crown to remove him from office, and replace him with a caretaker government which called (and won) and immediate general election.
In 1975, a socialist Prime Minister leading a socialist government refused to follow the conventions of the Constitution, and attempted to continue to govern after he had lost the support of the Australian people, and even though he was about to run out of money. He was stopped in this unconstitutional action by the Queen's representative, the Governor-General using the powers of the Crown to remove him from office, and replace him with a caretaker government which called (and won) and immediate general election.
This is why a lot of Australians still view the Crown as important today. Twice in our history, socialist governments have attempted to act unconstitutionally - and on both occasions, it was the powers of the Crown that ensured a peaceful solution to those Constitutional crises.
Most attempts to get rid of the Queen in Australia come from the left of politics for this reason - socialists are the ones who have been thwarted in their illegal and unconstitutional actions by the powers of the Crown.
Australia, is, as you said, an independent nation. Her Majesty is Queen as Queen of Australia - physically the same person as the Queen of the United Kingdom, but legally distinct.
Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth to be precise.
Under the 1931 Statute of Westminster, Australia has as much say over the status of the Crown as the United Kingdom does (so do Canada and New Zealand. South Africa ceased to have a say when it became a Republic). In 1936, when Edward VIII wanted to marry Wallis Simpson, he didn't just need the blessing of the His British government - but that of His governments in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. There is compelling evidence that the British government was willing to try and find a compromise - but because the Canadian and Australian governments would not, Edward was forced to abdicate. That shows how we remain independent, but still keep our ties to the Crown - the Queen, as Queen of Australia, reigns over us. But no foreign nation does.