Leaders of the 54 member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, an organisation of mainly former British colonies, are meeting in Australian for their biennial summit.

Representing almost two billion people worldwide, the meeting of the heads of states is the main decision-making forum of the group, which it says shares "common values, a commitment to democracy, human rights" and, for most, a "common English language".

But with rising criticism that the organisation has lost commitment to its ideals, many are now questioning whether the Commonwealth still has any relevance at all.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Thomas reports from Perth.