Lawmakers in Australian state pledge allegiance to king

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Lawmakers in an Australian state have pledged their allegiance to King Charles III with some using the occasion to call for an Australian republic.Australia’s center-left Labor Party government wants an Australian president to replace the British monarch as the nation’s head of state. The death of Queen Elizabeth II last week is seen by many as an ideal opportunity for change.Lawmakers from the minor Greens party used their swearing in ceremony in the Victoria Parliament on Tuesday to advocate for an Australian head of state.Despite the protest, all four Greens lawmakers fell in with the rest in swearing or affirming their allegiance to the king, whose is head of state of Australia as well as Britain.