GLENN BARNDON, HOST: Well, have you given King Charles' Coronation much thought? Will you be sitting down and having a watch on Saturday evening? Well, it's been planned for a long time and it's almost here. So, let's take a look at the big historic event and while remembering the soon to be King's close association with regional WA Midwestern, Wheatbelt, Gascoyne and Murchison. Well, Patrick Gorman is the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister. Good morning to you, Minister.
PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Glenn, and good morning to your listeners.
BARNDON: Well, plenty of Budget preparation for you this week, Minister?
GORMAN: We're putting the final touches on the Budget, so we've got a few final bits to go, but most of the hard work is done.
BARNDON: Well, another big event happening is the King's Coronation and I thought I'd ring you this morning and have a little bit of a discussion about that, because you're quite keen to watch and observe what goes on.
GORMAN: I'm, like many Australians, fascinated in our system of Government and in our history. And the Coronation on Saturday the 6 May, at about 6pm West Australian time, is the first time that this event has ever happened in the age of satellite, the first time that it will be streamed live across the world. And whether you be a monarchist or republican or indifferent, the reality is that the King is our head of state. And so this is a significant moment for Australia as a Commonwealth country.
BARNDON: So, as a Westminster system, you see the to's and fro's for that system.
GORMAN: Yeah, well, what we'll see is, I think, again, regardless of what your views are on what our arrangements might be in the future, then Prince Charles visited Australia 16 times as Prince. So, as he now comes to the Coronation, no King or Queen has come to this moment knowing more about Australia and, indeed more about our part of Australia here in the West than King Charles III. And I think that's quite significant. And if I think about your region, Glenn, we know that King Charles III, as we now refer to him, has been to Cue, Coodardy, Meekatharra, Northam, Beverley, Geraldton. He has been across this state and I'm sure that will add a little something to how he chooses to lead as King.
BARNDON: And the fact is, Queen Elizabeth also visited Australia a lot. But as you say, Prince Charles, who will become King Charles, has had a real close association, even going to school on the Eastern Seaboard.
GORMAN: Yes. So, he did two semesters at John Grammar's Timbertop, and then here in WA, closer to home, in March 1979, he was in Geraldton. He'd come for an inspection to see some of the crayfish industry in action. Unfortunately, he had arrived at the same time as Cyclone Hazel and that caused some quite large logistical dramas. But one brave fisherman went out to catch a few crays so that he could see the packing of them in action. When then Prince Charles, at 30 years old, went to Beverley to officially open Avondale Discovery Farm, even he was surprised by the crowd that turned out to see him.
So, there's a long connection and many of your listeners may have seen him on one of these visits. So, it's a significant moment for the country and it does also open up an opportunity to educate people and talk with them about our Constitution and how we are structured and what we might choose to do in the future.
BARNDON: Will Australia be well-represented at a Government level when it comes to the coronation?
GORMAN: We will. The Prime Minister is attending. He said he would. The Governor-General and the Governors and Chief Administrators of the states and territories are all attending. So, we'll have former Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove stepping in to fill in as Administrator of the Commonwealth while all of our leaders abroad. It was announced just a few days ago that Sam Kerr will be the flag bearer in the official procession on behalf of Australia. So, I think, again, very well represented by Sam Kerr. I think that will be a proud moment for Australians as well, so we'll be well represented there. And in terms of what happens here in Australia, we have encouraged state and territory governments to light up significant monuments in purple. So, you'll see that across the nation. In Canberra, we will have an official 21-gun salute and a flyover on the Sunday to mark the Coronation. And I think people will just do their own thing. As I said, this is the first time that people will be able to watch this live in their lounge rooms.
You'll also see people share memories. I note that doing my research before I jumped on the phone with you, Glenn, I did read about a story of Tracy Cooper, who asked the Prince for a kiss way back in 1979 when he was in Geraldton. I don't know what Tracy is doing this Saturday, but I would love to hear we might finally find out whether she got that kiss. That is the mystery that has never been revealed or many others will have memories of these visits and I think that's just a nice thing for people to sort of reflect on moments that were significant in their life.
BARNDON: And as you say, whether you're a republican or a monarchist, it is a big world event and it has impacts across the world and particularly here in Australia. And you expect Australians to take a little bit of a time out and view what goes on?
GORMAN: Yeah, well, I think, again, whether Australians choose to tune in and watch the entire proceedings, or whether they maybe wait till a Sunday to watch the concert, or whether they just see it on the news. I think one way or another, we're talking about it. Come Saturday, you won't be able to miss it.
It is a significant international event and of course, it's coupled on with a range of other important things for Australia's interests. Our Prime Minister will meet with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom when he's in London to advance Australia's national interest. It is a major diplomatic moment as well, where we can obviously talk about all things that Australia wants to see out of the Commonwealth and beyond. And I think for Australians, again, it's sort of just a reminder that we do have these strong, lasting ties to the Commonwealth and to the United Kingdom. And that is written in the pages of our Constitution.
Even I remind people that as a Member of Parliament, we swear allegiance to the King. When you look at the Parliament, the Parliament is constructed of both the King, the Senate and the House of Representatives. It's deeply entangled in our national system of governance and now how different people feel about that. We're a democracy. Everyone can have their different views, but it is a significant moment. You can't avoid that. As a member of one of the 15 Commonwealth Realms, this is incredibly significant for Australia.
BARNDON: Well, Patrick, thank you very much for your time this morning. A little bit of time looking back, but looking forward and appreciating some of those memories of the Prince and his time in Australia and in Western Australia.
GORMAN: Thank you very much, Glenn.
BARNDON: Patrick Gorman. He's the assistant minister to the Prime Minister, giving us his thoughts this morning on King Charles III's Coronation.