The Gillard government is preparing to override Queensland's attempt to change British royal succession laws if the state does not fall into line with the federal approach at the Council of Australian Government's meeting this week.
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Federal government sources have said that Queensland's refusal to co-operate could raise risks for the reform. Any discrepancies in Queensland's legislation could create a different sovereign in Queensland to that in the rest of Australia or Britain, although this scenario is considered highly unlikely.
States and territory leaders are due to discuss Australia's plans to implement the changes to royal succession at COAG on Friday, the last scheduled meeting before the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first child in July.
The proposed changes - which COAG has already supported - would end the system where males automatically inherit the throne over female heirs and remove the bar on succession for a royal who marries a Catholic.
According to legal and academic opinion, the most ''constitutionally sound'' way for Australia to agree to the reforms is for the states to refer the matter to the federal government. But last December, the Queensland Premier Campbell Newman announced he would pass his own legislation, ''in accordance with our position as a separate sovereign state''.
On Wednesday, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus called on Mr Newman to abandon his plan, arguing national legislation was necessary. ''I don't want to pre-empt COAG discussions, but I find it very strange that Queensland simply refuses to accept the overwhelming weight of advice on the best way to make these basic changes,'' he said.
It is understood if Mr Newman does not drop his plans on Friday, the federal government will move to introduce and pass laws to override Queensland's legislation in the next parliamentary sittings in May.
The British bill to change the laws is before the House of Lords. The third reading, which provides a final chance to amend the bill, is due on Monday. As well as the changes to succession, the bill would limit those who needed the monarch's consent to marry to only the first six in line to the throne.
While Commonwealth countries have already agreed to the content of the British laws, they would not come into force until they had each passed similar legislation. The changes would apply retrospectively, so that any royal baby born after October 28, 2011 - the date of the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting - would be covered by the new gender rules.
On Wednesday, Queensland Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie told Fairfax Media the Newman government had introduced legislation in Queensland to deal with the succession changes. ''Our legislation is based on the COAG agreed model and is substantially similar to the UK bill,'' Mr Bleijie said.
