The passing of a motion on Irish unity by Australia's ruling Labor Party shows the internationalisation of the issue.
That's according to Kevin Meagher, author and former special adviser at the UK's Northern Ireland Office.
The motion, passed at the party's national conference, calls on the British and Irish Governments to "honour the terms of the Good Friday Agreement to allow all the people of Ireland to democratically decide their future in the spirit of freedom and justice."
The move has been welcomed by Sinn Féin.
Mr Meagher told Newstalk Breakfast the motion is a reminder of the obligations on Dublin and London.
"The Australian Labor Party held its annual conference last week so it's discussed a lot of resolutions and a lot of issues," he said.
"A lot of foreign policy questions have been raised as well and this is one of them - and it's been passed.
"It references the fact that the two governments [should] honour the terms of the Good Friday Agreement - that's a very telling phrase.
"What that means is that often this concept of a border poll is often seen as a little bit of a bolt on to to the Good Friday Agreement.
"[This] is recognising that it's absolutely fundamental to the agreement; it's baked right in there, it can't be a question that's put off forever."
'We're running out of road'
Mr Meagher believes kicking the can down the road can only last for so long.
"We are running out of road in the next few years," he said.
"This internationalisation of interest in this whole debate is really quite telling.
"This is a hard-headed, political party that is the government of Australia - this is a big and significant intervention.
"There is a reminder of the internationalisation of interest in the future of Ireland."
'By the turn of 2025'
Mr Meagher said he believes things will change soon on both sides of the border.
"I think the next five years are going to be critical - we can look at key developments even within the next 12 months," he said.
"It's likely, by the turn of 2025, that we've got new governments both in Westminster and Dublin.
"If opinion polls are to be believed, Sinn Féin clearly has been in poll position in Ireland for the last few years - similarly with the British Labour Party.
"That's a real kind of inflection point, new momentum [and] new dynamism in the relationship as well.
"You look at the [Stormont] assembly election results from 2022, you look at the local election results from May, you can start to see the electoral dynamics of the North are changing."
The Australian flag flies above the Parliament of Australia in Canberra in April 2008. Picture by: Arcaid Images / Alamy Stock PhotoMr Meagher said delaying the process for a border poll could end up in the British courts.
"We'll reach a point where, if the British government doesn't start to get control of the debate and start outlining where things go, it would be subject to legal challenge," he said.
"This is a legal obligation to call a border poll at some stage, and this reminder from Australia... is that actually this is fundamental to this agreement that we all value so much," he added.
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