Bill Shorten has promised a plebiscite on the republic should he become prime minister after the next federal election. Unlike the failed 1999 referendum, it is likely to succeed for one simple reason: the plebiscite will not propose a republican model, merely ask whether we should become one.

Support for this principle recently dipped to 40 per cent, according to Newspoll, possibly because Prince Harry and Megan, Duchess of Sussex were in the country at the time of the survey.