Peter FitzSimons, the chairman of Australia’s republican movement, said Australia had belonged to the British empire but the historic ties between the nations had become less relevant because “Great Britain barely exists anymore”.

“It’s one thing for the monarchists to say ‘we should be staying so very closely aligned to Great Britain’ … but how do you feel about staying so closely aligned to little Britain?” he told ABC Radio.

"From the moment that Brexit came through, social media came alive, with people saying 'this is ridiculous, let us be our own people, let us get away from this'.”

Mr FitzSimons, a journalist and writer who previously played for the Australian rugby team, said if Australia abandoned the British monarchy it would be a unifying moment of national pride rather than a “divisive and horrible campaign as was Brexit”.