Australia removes knights and dames title from honour system

The honours were reintroduced previous year by former prime minister Tony Abbott.

The news comes less than a week after Tony Abbott attempted to defend his legacy in, of all places, England, at the annual Margaret Thatcher Address.

In January, Abbott bestowed a title on Prince Philip, one of five that were awarded during the honors’ brief return.

He was ousted as leader of the centre-right Liberal Party by Turnbull in September.

Many see this move as Turnbull’s way of moving away from Tony Abbott’s regime.

“Awards in the Order of Australia are an important way of [honoring] the achievements and service of many Australians, including the unsung heroes who might not otherwise be [recognized] outside their local communities”, Turnbull’s statement read.

“The honours – they say something about our country and reflect our context as a modern nation”.

But other strategists claim Mr Turnbull needs more time to campaign on changes to Australia’s tax system, with questions about whether there is a sufficient trigger for a double dissolution election to be called.

Mr Turnbull said those already knighted will get to keep the honour.

“Our constitutional monarchy is an ongoing part of the success of modern Australia, but the return of anachronistic knights and dames was unacceptable”, he tweeted.

Australia previously scrapped the honorary titles in 1986 but they were reinstated by Mr Abbott a year ago.

These include Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, his predecessor, Dame Quentin Bryce, former NSW governor Dame Marie Bashir, former military chief Sir Angus Houston and Prince Philip.

But Mr Turnbull’s move into the leadership has buoyed the hopes of republicans eager to revisit the issue in a fresh referendum, despite his ranking of the faltering economy, not the monarchy, as his government’s top priority.

The Australian Monarchist League said it was disappointed and concerned by Monday’s development, accusing Turnbull of “republicanism by stealth”.