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AFP
SYDNEY
AUSTRALIAN politicians have been inundated with"tongue in cheek"requests for portraits of Queen Elizabeth II after a writer uncovered an obscure law allowing voters to request one at taxpayers'expense.
Under the Constituents'Request Program, Australians can ask their MPs for"nationhood material"including a photo of the Queen wearing a wattle brooch -- a gift from former Australian prime minister Robert Menzies -- and a pin featuring the country's coat of arms.
The Queen is Australia's head of state as it remained a British dominion after gaining independence in 1901.
Other material on offer includes the national, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags,"nationhood documents"such as booklets on Australian flags and national symbols, and a portrait of the Duke of Edinburgh.
MPs said they had not received any requests for Queen Elizabeth portraits -- until Vice's Nicholas Lord pointed out the archaic provision in an article on Wednesday.
