Aussies Are Flooding Politicians With Requests for Free Queen Portraits, but Time Is Running Out

Since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, an odd dilemma has emerged. Aussie citizens are flocking to federal MPs, asking for portraits of the late Queen.

If your first response to that is, “why?” You wouldn’t be alone. That was my reaction, too. But as many are learning, it is a little-known fact that Aussies are entitled to get a free portrait of the reigning monarch if they wish to. Vice brought this to the attention of the masses back in 2018, but over the years, it appears many forgot they had this (sort of odd) option available to them.

Now, with King Charles III stepping up to the throne, new portraits will soon be on their way, and so, Aussies are desperate to get their hands on the last remaining portraits of the Queen before they run out.

Per reporting from SBS’ The Feed, there is a selection of ‘nationhood material’ available for citizens to take home, and these items are updated each time the Royal portraits get a do-over.

Presently, “The Australian Government is awaiting the release of an official Portrait of His Majesty King Charles III,” a spokesperson from the Department of Finance told The Feed.

How do I get my hands on a portrait of the Queen?

If you’re only learning of the portrait freebie now, let me warn you that there are a whole lot of people looking to nab a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right now. Be prepared for the chance that your local MP may not be able to source you one.

However, all you need to do is call or email your local MP and ask. You can search for contact details according to postcode here.

According to The Feed, some MPs have shared they are out of stock and warn that folks may need to contact other Senators or MPs to source a portrait.

We’ve been getting a few people emailing, calling & coming into our offices for a portrait of the Queen. While we’d love to help, we don’t have any portraits to give out. The ‘electorate office’ being spoken about in news reports like this one is not an AEC office. pic.twitter.com/dL3rnaIs5X

— AEC ✏️ (@AusElectoralCom) September 15, 2022

If you’d like to check out what the Queen’s portrait looks like, here is a digital version for ya.

And if you’re wondering why we have the option to ask for a pic of the Queen at all, the reason is simply that the Parliamentary Entitlements Act 1990 states that MPs are required to provide Australian flags as well as printed material related to national symbols – the reigning monarch included.

Aside from the portrait of the Queen, the list of Nationhood material also includes booklets on the flags of Australia, booklets on Australia’s national symbols and compact discs and DVD recordings of the Australian national anthem – so if you have a burning desire for any of those, reach out to your local MP, too.