Greeaaat. My girlfriend is Indonesian, and Australia was one of the places we wanted to go where both an Indonesian and a Canadian could get a work visa
I think you are misinterpreting the relationship.
While yes, it is turning to shit before our eyes, the Australian Government doesn't
want it to, and in true Coalition style instead of not pissing them off, they prefer to pretend everything is fine. As such we aren't going to be placing any visa restrictions any time soon, because we want to pretend we are still friends.
Should be fine.
Language evolve. A minister is not an adviser to a monarch anymore. Why keep that word? Plus, Knight sounds way more awesome than "Coll Dude of the Month". But then I come from a country where we hands out all kind of title to just about anyone. :p
I think it is a cultural thing. Over here royalty, nobility, the feudal system and anything relating to it such as knighthoods is linked to British Imperialism, the thing that bought a genocide against our native population. In practice nobody is that much against it, because it isn't actually hurting anybody, but the localized symbolism is important. Like you say, language evolves, and over here it has evolved into something not many like.
It is kind of like if Germany decided their leaders title would be 'The Führer', while it is just a word that means 'father', there is a little more too it to some people.