Queen Elizabeth II's death rekindles Australian republic debate

Many regarded Australians' respect and affection for the late Queen Elizabeth II as the biggest obstacle to the country becoming a republic with its own head of state.
 

Now, after her death and with a pro-republic Labor Party government in power, Australia's constitutional ties to the British monarchy will again be open to first-order debate for the first time since change was rejected at a 1999 referendum.
 

During her long reign, the queen connected to Australia in ways that no monarch before her had done.
 

In 1954, she became the only reigning British monarch to visit Australia. Such was her star power, an estimated 70 per cent of Australia's population turned out to see her during a punishing two-month itinerary that took her and her husband Prince Philip to 57 towns and cities spread across vast distances.
 

She visited 16 times, the final time in 2011 when she was 85.
 

Her face is the only monarch to appear on Australian money since decimal currency was introduced in 1966, when Australian dollars and cents replaced British-style pounds, shillings and pence.

Her eldest son, King Charles III, was officially proclaimed Australia's head of state Sunday by the monarch's Australian representative, Governor-General David Hurley, at a protocol-heavy ceremony at Parliament House that ended with a 21-gun salute.