CANBERRA, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Australia's longest-serving Treasurer has declared that the country will not become a republic for at least another generation.
Peter Costello, who served as Treasurer under former Prime Minister (PM) John Howard between 1996 and 2007, told Nine Entertainment newspapers that public support for the Australian republican movement has died.
Costello was the most senior member of Howard's government to campaign for the "yes" vote in the lead-up to the 1999 Australian republic referendum, which was defeated by a margin of 55 percent to 45.
The "yes" campaign in 1999 was led by Malcolm Turnbull, who became PM in 2016 and served until 2018.
Despite being in a position to do so, Turnbull did not call a second referendum during his time in office.
His successor, Scott Morrison, has previously said that he supported the existing system of a constitutional monarchy.
Costello said that divisions within the republican movement were the reason that the vote failed in 1999, it could be another "30 or 40" years before the question is raised again.
"We had the vote, it was a fair vote, we lost ... What sunk the vote was the disagreement over the model, with some people prepared to vote against the republic because it wasn't their preferred model," he said.
