“Ultimately, When Australia Became a Republic succeeds foremost by reframing the conversation. Instead of asking whether Australia should become a republic, Anatolitis asks why we continue to act as if we have not already chosen republicanism at repeated points in our history. By centering First Nations sovereignty and exposing the mechanisms that have stalled democratic progress, she offers a book that warrants wide readership and close engagement. There are moments pitched more as provocation than conclusion, and some proposals are presented at a high level, yet the cumulative argument shifts how the debate is conducted. Whether recounting James Scullin’s battle with King George V or Senator Lidia Thorpe’s disruption of Charles III, Anatolitis shows that the tension between democratic assertion and monarchical constraint has long shaped Australian politics. Her vision of a republic grounded in truth-telling and Indigenous sovereignty may exceed what current politics will easily permit, but by showing how often Australians have chosen democracy over deference, she makes that vision feel both necessary and within reach.”

>>> Read on in Honi Soit for Marc Paniza’s 25 November 2025 review