DHAKA: The Queen’s representative in Australia has reportedly become the first serving governor-general to publicly back the country becoming a republic.

Quentin Bryce, 70, made the comments during a speech in Sydney in which she outlined a future vision for Australia.

‘Perhaps one day, one young girl or boy may even grow up to be our nation’s first head of state,’ she said, reigniting the republic debate, reports the BBC.

Australians voted against becoming a republic in a 1999 referendum.

The country is a parliamentary democracy that retains Britain’s monarch as its head of state.

In the 1999 vote, Australians opted to preserve the status quo, with Queen Elizabeth II remaining as the head of state - although the republican movement was split between those who wanted an elected president and those who preferred a parliamentary appointee.

The issue has largely fallen into the political doldrums in Australia in recent years.

BDST: 2041 HRS, NOV 23, 2013