Australia takes massive step towards ditching the Queen as head of state, with regional leaders uniting to back the plan

'Never before have the stars of the Southern Cross been so aligned in pointing to the dawn of a new republican age for Australia', said Peter FitzSimons, chair of the Australian Republican Movement

Last November Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is a founding member of the Australian Republican Movement, met Queen Elizabeth for the first time since being elected Prime Minister two months earlier (Getty Images)

Australia has taken fresh steps to ditch the Queen as its head of state, with almost all state and territory leaders joining forces to call for the move to take place.

Peter FitzSimons, chair of the Australian Republican Movement, said the mass declaration his group had masterminded was a clear signal of the direction in which the country was headed.

"Never before have the stars of the Southern Cross been so aligned in pointing to the dawn of a new republican age for Australia," Mr FitzSimons said in a statement.

Among those who backed the plan is Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is a founding member of the Australian Republican Movement.

He declared that while his "commitment to Australia having Australian as head of state is undiminished", he believes the role should remain unchanged until Queen Elizabeth II’s death, according to Australia’s Herald Sun.

Last November Mr Turnbull met Queen Elizabeth for the first time since being elected Prime Minister two months earlier.

Although he initially claimed driving Australia towards becoming a republic is low down on a list packed with "more important" political issues, Mr Turnbull was the driving force behind a national referendum on the issue in 1999 which saw 54.8% of the country voting to keep the monarchy.

The only one of the eight state or territorial leaders not to sign the declaration was Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett.

Who or what will replace the Queen should Australia vote to become a republic has still not been decided.

Mr FitzSimons backs a so-called “minimalist” republic model where the prime minister nominates a governor-general as head of state, which Parliament then decides to either approve or reject, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

This would replace the current system where the Queen appoints a governor-general on the recommendation of the prime minister but retains her role as head of state.

Others favour a more radical move, with Australian turned into a full republic with the election of a president to the role of head of state.