CHARLIE MCKILLOP, HOST: Well, there is no doubt that the British love a bit of pomp and ceremony, and the Coronation of a monarch is not something that comes along every day. In fact, this is the first time in 70 years this ceremony has been performed. And little wonder there are crowds of people already starting to set up camp near Buckingham Palace in London. Six days out, King Charles and Camilla will travel from the palace to Westminster Abbey in a golden coach on Saturday along a stretch of road known as The Mall. And if you have had a chance to meet King Charles, I've been asking the question. 1300 801 222 or on the text line 0487 993 222.He was only here just the other day. Back in 2018, he visited Far North Queensland as part of a tour of the state.
I'd love you to share your memories, insights, particularly if you were able to get up close and personal with the man who would become King. 0487 993 222 is my text number. I guess, even if you're not a royalist and public opinion polls would show that many, many of you are not, it's a significant event, since this is the first time since 1953 that we've seen the Coronation of a British monarch. What will it mean for Australia? Well, a man who is well positioned to tell us that is the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Patrick Gorman, who is joining you on Breakfast. Assistant Minister. Good morning.
PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Charlie. And good morning to your listeners.
MCKILLOP: Some of our listeners might not have even known that the Prime Minister had an Assistant Minister. Does that keep you busy?
GORMAN: He does keep me busy. It's an absolute pleasure working with Prime Minister Albanese, making sure that we keep everything running as smoothly as possible. It's obviously a busy time for the Government with the Prime Minister on his way to London right now for this Coronation event. And, yes, I have the privilege of being his Assistant Minister, supporting him and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in a wide range of tasks, including talking to the listeners of ABC Far North.
MCKILLOP: And we're grateful for your time. This is, for most, a once-in-a-lifetime event. There are some listeners, I'm sure, who would remember the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. But what are you expecting from the King's Coronation?
GORMAN: Well, you're right, Charlie, it's going to be very different, even for those who do remember the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II back in 1953, in that what we're going to see this Saturday evening at 8pm Queensland time, is that we're going to see something that is a digital global event. It is probably the biggest official event of 2023, and for the first time, it will be streamed live into the lounge rooms of people across the globe. And it is, as you say, full of ceremony. But it is also quite a significant event for any Commonwealth realm country such as Australia. The King is our head of state. When I read the Constitution, you'll see that the Parliament is actually made up of the King, the Senate and the House of Representatives. So, this isn't something that is just happening on the other side of the globe. This is something that has real significance for Australia, given the constitutional system that we have chosen.
MCKILLOP: It will be live streamed into the households around the world. But will people be watching? Assistant Minister, I get the sense that after the outpouring of grief that we saw around the globe at the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, that the build up to the Coronation has been how can I say it politely, a little underwhelming?
GORMAN: Well, people will make their own decisions. Some people will tune in and watch, some will probably just see a package on the news, but it is going to be a significant event. One of the things I think is great about Australia is that while we are a constitutional monarchy, we are also a democracy and people can have an open conversation about their thoughts on these things, we embrace that. That's the nature of the Australian democracy in 2023. But I think a lot of people will tune in. I think if I look at the connection of King Charles III, no monarch has come to the Crown with knowing as much about Australia as he does. He's been here 16 times, as you mentioned before. He's been to the Far North twice. But I think if I contrast that to Queen Elizabeth II, she didn't even visit Australia until she became Queen. So, I think many Australians do have a connection with King Charles III. And if I look at some of the things that he's championed in his time as Prince, they're things that are also things that are important to Australians. I mean, we know that he's visited the Daintree Forest because of his commitment to sustainability and environmentalism. He's engaged deeply with people around work that he's done to protect the Great Barrier Reef, even involving a partnership with Disney to make sure that we're protecting some of the turtles that live in and around the reef. So, there are a range of different deep connections and I know you were calling out for your listeners to dial in and share some of their stories about when they may have met the then-Prince.
MCKILLOP: And that is right. 0487 993 222. If you are listening to the Assistant Minister, to the Prime Minister, Patrick Gorman, letting us know what is in store for us and the rest of the world when we see and witness the Coronation of King Charles III on Saturday. And he's reminding us that the King, the Prince, as he was then was visiting this part of the world as recently as 2018 for the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, which he officially opened, of course. And I understand, Minister Gorman, that he also had a secret fishing getaway as a 17 year old back in 1966. I'm not sure if anyone listening would remember that or can give me some more insights, but this is something that our own research has uncovered, but nothing better than the insights of our listeners to keep us informed. If you have an insight or a recollection, 1300 801 222. I'd love to share in the days leading up to the Coronation Ceremony 0487 993 222 is the text line, by the way. 0487 993 222. Patrick Gorman, one thing that is also a little bit different, a new element in the Coronation Ceremony is that members of the public, you and I, are going to be given the opportunity to swear allegiance to the monarch and his heirs and successors. How are you expecting this addition to the programme to be embraced by the Australian public?
GORMAN: Well, it's an invitation for people to participate. That's for every individual Australian who watches the ceremony to take part or not. That is their choice. I note that I have already sworn allegiance to the King. We swear allegiance to the monarch when we are sworn in as Members of Parliament. As I outlined before, it's an integral part of our Constitution. And I notice that the first person who will actually swear allegiance to King Charles III by name will be Mary Doyle, the new member for Aston, who we sworn in next week. So, we do these things in the Parliament. If people choose to do such a thing on Saturday night, that's entirely up to them. Or they might just sit down, have a nice cup of tea and watch the ceremony in silence, a good cup.
MCKILLOP: Of Earl Grey and settle in for the night. And you will have Australia flying the flag, quite literally, Minister, because Sam Kerr, Matilda's inspirational captain, will be our flag bearer at the Coronation as King Charles arrives at Westminster Abbey. This is a very apt way to help us to count down to the World Cup, which, of course, is going to be heading to Australia in a very short period of time.
GORMAN: Yes. The other big event for 2023 Women's World Cup happening here in Australia, New Zealand. We're very excited about that and it is fantastic that Sam Kerr is going to be the flag bearer, as one of the fourteen Australian representatives representing all of us at this event, and I know that we've got quite a diversity of people who have agreed to be the Australian representatives. We've got a ballet dancer, we've got Nick Cave, singer, we've got comedian Adam Hills, we've got general practitioner Daniel Nour. A fantastic group of people who I think will show the real diversity and strength of the Australian people at this ceremony on Saturday night.
MCKILLOP: Thank you very much for setting the scene for us. Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Patrick Gorman.
GORMAN: Thank you, Charlie.