Republic Talk Still Swirling
Even though it is nearly Christmas, there's still much speculation about and reviewing of events and commentary since the Queen's death, Charles' ascension to the British throne and what that might mean for Australia in the future. Frequent commentator on matters royal for the ABC, Dr Cindy McCreery, Associate Professor of History at Sydney University is interviewed for this article on ABC online. She is not 100 percent certain that there will be universal support for ARM's Australian Choice model. By early 2023, ARM had stopped spruiking Australian Choice or going straight to referendum (WfaAR: much better idea not to) and had settled for a new, more general slogan as the themes of its campaigning - Australia's Third Act: Reconciled, Independent and Truly Multicultural. This is a much more sensible approach with the right sort of language as it's going to be a long haul and there's much to be learned from how The Voice campaign progresses in 2023. ["King Charles is Australia's New Head of State. When could that change?" by Nicholas McEvoy, ABC online, 24 December 2022] WfaAR note: this article states that the Governor-General is Australia's Head of State.That is incorrect. The British monarch is our head of State, currently King Charles III.
Mouse of a Constitution Fails the Test
Reflecting on the uncomfortable, medieval words used at the proclamation of our new King at Parliament House in Canberra - see News Item of 11 September 2022 - Barry Jones is sure that we have a timid and inadequate Constitution, totally unfit for contemporary Australia. He writes, "The biggest possible change to our system in practice would be to actually apply the constitution of the Commonwealth as it was actually written (ed. in 1901). That would really frighten the horses." This law of the British parliament centres sovereignty in the UK. The office of prime minister would disappear. The Governor-General would act as commander in chief, including in the field, make all appointments and frame the budget. Laws could be vetoed or referred to Buckingham Palace at whim.....inhabitants would be described as 'subjects of the Queen'...... It does not contain any commitment to democracy or responsible government and makes no provision for a prime minister, cabinet or an opposition. Under our current Constitution, the head of state must a) be a descendant of Sophia of Hanover and b) not be a Catholic." Jones goes on to say, "Aboriginal reconciliation and the republic are inextricably linked. The monarchist cause is essentially the last expression of White Australia: its rhetoric, culture ceremonials, politics and habit of deference...It is the politics of amnesia. The republican cause is essentialy multicultural, pluralistic, independent and irreverent. However, after two decades of only muffled, even muddled, debate, the cause does not excite mass support eg in in traditional blue-collar Labor electorates." And he has an interesting take on what questions a plebiscite should ask for a renewed and rewritten constitution not just how to select a head of state. He concludes by commenting that the republic versus monarchy impasse " demonstrates a disturbing degree of infantilism - a lack of faith in our own institutions and an ingrained pessimism that if we attempted to change things, we'd muck it up" and be stuck with our mouse of a constitution. ["The constitution of a mouse" by Barry Jones, deputy chair of the 1998 Constitutional Convention, The Saturday Paper, 10-16 December 2022]. Click on the link below for a commentary on Jones' article by republic campaigner Klaas Woldring: "Wake up Australia! A new constitution, not a new war!" Pearls and Irritations online, 3 January 2023
After Queen's death and funeral rites
It has gone on for what seems a very long time but by the end of October, nearly two months after the initiating event, the Queen is fading from the headlines and retrospectives (although the documentaries and books might never end; alas that they are now all out-of-date). It's been quite a rollercoaster for republicans. First they were chastised and criticised, then urged to speak up. We lurched from ARM's views (although they were on strike for the first fortnight out of some sort of misjudged deference or fear of criticism), tweets from every perspective to Indigenous opinions. On the ABC, Stan Grant and other Indigenous journalists were upset and distressed. The Queen, in her death and funeral rites, had released the full gamut of reactions and emotions. We had Waleed Aly suggesting an Indigenous head of state with the codicil that the person be appointed for life. That seemed to be at odds with the cherished idea that the people should choose their Head of State. By mid October it was still going until finally, mid month, Paul Keating claimed that he was confident King Charles would renounce his Australian realm and leave us to our own devices. He did not say when. And then, as WfaAR had always predicted, things quietened right down and we were back to business as usual with no day-to-day sighting of the British royal family. The Queen's death had not been a catalyst for anything here let alone an Australian republic! Carry on.
New ARM National Council Announced
The election results for ARM National Council are announced. Four of the 10 elected members are women. Joining Meredith Doig, junior Vice President of the last Council are Novis Peris, Tiffany O'Keefe and Marina Go (the last-mentioned's election statement listed her as "not anti-monarchy" in a curious twist). The elected members join the four female Branch Convenors: Evelyn Santoro in NSW, Deborah Crossing (SA who is also convenor of the ARM Women's Network), Wendy Le Cornu (Tas) and Clare Martin (NT). The new Council, in place until late 2024, is led by Co-chairs Craig Foster and Nova Peris (see News item of 21 March 2023) and has a much more multicultural membership than previously.
It's All About the Titles
Seems the British aren't the only royal family with continuing intrafamily disputes over titles and honours. The Danish version is similarly afflicted (click on link below) with the minor royals being 'dispossessed' at the whim of the monarch, the Danes we know being a popular choice to replace the British as Australia's head of state should the need arise. WfaAR doesn't believe it will but noted that one of our new Head of State's first acts was to promote members of his own family to vacancies in the pecking order that occurred after the death of the Queen. The Welsh were particularly miffed that William and Kate were immediately named as Prince and Princess of Wales without their involvement while Prince Edward, the King's youngest brother and his wife Sophie were promoted to Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh apparently for services rendered to the recently departed Queen. Some, like Prince Andrew for obvious reasons, were heading out the back door of their royally provided lodgings and not happy about it. We would be well rid of these royal soap operas because they are irrelevant to our daily lives and welfare in Oz. ["Move over Brits, Danish royals in crisis after decision to strip titles" by Jon Henley, The Guardian online 8 October 2022]
An Indigenous Head of State?
Charis Chang on SBS News writes that an idea for an Indigenous Head of State to replace King Charles has sparked interest and debate. This started with Waleed Aly's idea floated on The Project:"we need to draw on our own sources of tradition, ceremony, even spirituality" he said on the show. There was a mixed reaction to the suggestion with ARM rejecting it and one Indigenous academic tweeting that it showed a lack of understanding of Aboriginal culture. Other First Nations leaders were more open to the proposal but varied in their views, some even supported having Aboriginal people appointed to assist the Governor-General and State Governors in performing certain duties - that could be done now. Most thought that the appointment of one Indigenous person to the role of head of state would be a challenge to get right, nor did a process to achieve this readily represent itself given that each nation had its own elders who did not compete with each another. There are also some pertinent comments from Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Linda Burney, on Aboriginal reactions to the Queen's death in the foot of the article. WfaAR comments: at least people in Australia are talking about how we shape our future. ["Should Australia have a First Nations head of state instead of King Charles? The idea has people talking" by Charis Chang, SBS news online, 3 October 2022]
Republic is about Where and How Power is Vested
The day after our Head of State's funeral, this Guardian article is essential reading for Australian republicans. Peter Lewis says they should not be humble or minimal: "In its lack of ambition, the Australian republican push has ended up missing the very essence of republicanism as a way of thinking". He quotes from Jamie Susskind's recently published 'The Digital Republic' - "the essence of republicanism is to oppose social structures that enable one group to exercise unaccountable power....they reject the institutions of absolute monarchy not just the flaws of particular kings...it's about where power is vested and critically how it is vested". Lewis goes on to say, "through this lens, The Voice to parliament is an exercise in republicanism; an interruption of existing power structures to give those most vulnerable to its failings direct input into decisions that affect them". WfaAR adds The Voice is a deliberate act of self-determination as it should be. Lewis adds, "the discussion about the Australian republic could and should itself be an expression of republicanism, actively engaging citizens about how they are governed" and, most insightfully, he says, "there are much bigger republican discussions to be had than whether our head of state should be called a governor-general or president and whether they should be appointed or chosen from a shortlist.....A genuine republican debate would question whether we'd benefit from continuous input into the process via deliberative democracy models, citizen juries, citizen-initiated referenda: anything to break the civic inertia of the status quo" and offers the rise of the Teals as an example of this deep desire. WfaAR thoroughly commends Lewis' approach to what our Republic should be and how it should come about - not just squabbling about different ways to select the Head of State. We thoroughly recommend the approach outlined in this article, also has some timely polling about support for the monarchy in Australia and for King Charles as the new Head of State. Republican support apparently remains tepid, however, even after Queen Elizabeth's death. ["If Australia is going to farewell the monarchy for good, let's not be humble in our republican ambitions" by Peter Lewis (pollster) in The Guardian online 20 September 2022]
Should We or Shouldn't We Talk Republic?
Indigenous lawyer and activist, always a strong supporter, Teela Reid is miffed that her appearance on a panel at the Melbourne Writers' Festival talking about the future of the monarchy, and the Republic has been cancelled in the light of the Queen's very recent death. This had been organised much earlier in the year. She believes now is exactly the time that the country - letting neither admiration for a person nor emotion get in the way - should be reconsidering its relationship with the British monarchy. We must engage in robust intellectual debate and using that means engage the Australian people she reasons and concludes that discomfort leads to change. She also comments on the Queen in her role as Australian Head of State, " It is well documented that the Queen formally met with many First Nations people. It is not lost on us that the many times she was welcomed into our communities she was met with demands to address the monarchy's outstanding issues with Indigenous peoples - yet so many of the issues remain unresolved. For much of her reign, it appeared she could have done more in excrcising her power to right the wrongs of colonial history." She crucially observes, "The Australian people have always been ahead of politicians when it comes to big law reform....There is no rule that suggests we should delay conversations of public importance because the government decides to suspend [ ed. federal] parliament for 15 days, as it has, to honour the Queen." ["Melbourne Writers Festival Should Not Have Cancelled Monarchy Debate" by Teela Reid, The Age online, 12 September 2022]
"Show Some Ambition" - Republican Speaks out
In the shadow the Queen's death, Greens Senator, Lidia Thorpe (Vic) calls on the Government to "show some ambition" by establishing a Treaty and becoming a Republic. While republican voices were being shushed or simply didn't know how to act or what to say in the light of considerable media interest, Thorpe at least had the courage of her convictions and expressed them. Those views were at odds with the impression of the nation's overwhelming grief and mourning at the death of a loved and admired Queen presented in the mainstream media, that wasn't even accurate. After a few days of wall-to-wall TV coverage, most people had had enough and were over it - this continued until the day of funeral on 19 September and a most unwelcome, disruptive, short notice public holiday for an official day of mourning on 22 September. Lidia Thorpe described the day of mourning as showing "zero regard" for Indigenous people. One thing was clear: the place of the British monarchy in Australia in 2022 wasn't the same as 1952 and the Queen's opinions on how her death should be marked and idea of her importance weren't shared by all her subjects.
Proclamation - A Right Royal Shambles
The UK proclamation ceremony witnessed by the commoners - and the acting Australian High Commissioner to London Lyn - for the first time, was immensely interesting in that it showed how power was transferred at the highest level of the British and Australian governments, no elections involved of course. This was repeated in each of Charles' 14 remaining realms. The Canberra version was heavy on black and symbolism with the Governor-General (ex-military) commanding the PM to sign the proclamation document and promising Charles "Faith and Obedience" with "Humble and Hearty affection". It really was medieval. In turn, this event was repeated in each of the six States by their Governors (the States having a direct link to the Crown through their own Constitutions) except in Victoria which had to pass a motion in its parliament. The Vics should at least be congratulated for modernising the words. The PM didn't speak during the Canberra ceremony that had had a Welcome to Country and small Indigenous dance performance tacked on to the centrepiece process. This wasn't obligatory. Canada was brisk and business-like (no Indigenous input). The Chief Herald simply stepped onto the balcony of Rideau House and read the proclamation out; New Zealand staged a respectful, fully bilingual service on the steps of its parliament in Wellington. We looked out-of-step and out-of-time culminating in a racous rendition of God Save the King - the PM already on the back foot after being repeatedly questioned about why Australia was following laborious processes over the Queen's funeral and proclamation of its new King but gave no response other than "long established protocols" when it was obvious that they hadn't been reviewed or assessed for relevance for years and probably dated back deep into to the monarchy-reverent and subservient Howard Government in the first years of the century.
Temporary Pause for the Republic Campaign?
Well, it didn't take long. While ARM announced, inexplicably, that it was ceasing all campaigning for two weeks until after the Queen's funeral (it wasn't clear that ARM was actually engaged in any campaigning at present), "royal expert" Daisy Cousens, a regular on Sky, was shrieking about turning the death and funeral into a promotion opportunity for the Republic. It takes all types, WfaAR supposes. "Vulturous behaviour"? Read her SkyNews article in full and make up your own mind!
Unthinkable and Shocking: Death of Our Head of State
Queen Elizabeth II, Australia's Head of State for 70 years dies in Scotland. The news came through from the UK at 3.30am on the morning of 9 September. Suddenly, and without warning of more than a couple of hours that something serious affecting the Queen was happening, the unmoveable roadblock to the Australian Republic was removed in an instant. Suddenly, our politicans didn't have a ready-made excuse anymore, one for which we thank both Bob Hawke and Malcolm Turnbull for its perpetration added to John Howard's personal adoration of the monarchy during his time as PM, all of which have served us so poorly. Labor hasn't been much better although some tentative steps have been taken especially after winning government in May 2022. For now, though, WfaAR as republicans are simply astonished by the fact of the Queen's passing and the outpouring of ridiculous public reverence that it unleashed with consequences in the court of public opinion for those who didn't toe the line.
Republic Outlook - A Reappraisal
The events of the last month - and encouragingly, all have happened in Australia so are home grown - indicate to WfaAR that the elements of the Republic debate and future campaigns for constitutional change are shifting significantly and will be centred on a) "sovereignty" informed by First Nations' views and, importantly, FN campaigning b) an analysis of the role and performance of our Governor-General (it's been a rocky couple of years for the current occupant of the job) as well as often controversial or salacious matters affecting the British monarchy at any given time and c) a focus on the future of our country - not squabbling about models - so more about unity less about division. The latter will be still be around (with the naysayers demanding precise details on a long list of minutiae) but will have lower importance in the overall debate and considerations. Of course, it will substantially help progress towards such a significant changeby having one or two preliminary votes (even non-binding ones) to sort out some of the details first.
King Charles' Baggage
In this amazingly timed new edition of her 2015 biography of Prince Charles, author Catherine Mayer neatly summarises Charles' long history in-waiting that will follow him, eventually, to the throne. The potential threats to the future of the British monarchy vested in Charles are neatly laid out in chronological order even if from the perspective of the British where he holds a much greater day to day presencein their consciousness. For subjects in far-away Australia, British royalty is merely constantly playing background music that we don't think much about most of the time or put much weight on when we consider our royal family. ["KIng in Waiting: Prince Charles' tortured path to the throne" by Catherine Mayer, The Observer online, 21 August 2022}
Another Spotlight on Governor-General's Actions
Now, Governor-General David Hurley has been outed as agreeing to appoint former Prime Minister Scott Morrison to multiple ministries with crucial decision-making powers. These changes to appointments occurred between 2020 and early 2022 before the federal election held in May leading to questioning about the timing. This is not unheard of, nor illegal, but it is unusual - and only came to light because of a court case about the decision Morrison took on a controversial environmental matter ahead of the election in seats where the Coalition wanted to shore up votes. Hurley signed the appointments without questioning them (correctly ie acts on Government's advice) but it appears no one in the Cabinet knew about the PM's duplicate appointments nor was any information about them published in the Government Gazette. Speculation abounded as to whether there was a deal or collusion between the Queen's representative and the Prime Minister given the narrow appointment process (Hurley was a captain's pick) and their personal friendship, Morrison having praised Hurley's strong Christian faith at the time of his appointment. More information on the link below. ["Calls for Governor-General to explain exclusion of Morrison ministries from official diary" by Nino Bucci, The Guardian online 20 August 2022]
Not the Republic Referendum
No sooner had the Garma draft wording hit the deck, the onslaught began with the demand for full details of the Voice and how it would operate. Professor Megan Davis, closely involved in the development of the final Uluru Statement in 2017 is quick to identify that the mainstream media discussion over the last few days has mimicked, consciously or subconsciously, the republic referendum of 1999. She writes, "This is not 1999. This is not the referendum on the republic which required more than 80 (ed 96) changes to the text of the Constitution. The republic and the Voice are apples and oranges. The Voice to Parliament is a single enabling provision that is both symbolic and substantive recognition.....the Republic referendum was constitutionalising a new governance structure and a head of state so that the detail, including repeal and insertion of new text, meant that the model had to be voted on. The detail was the amendment. The model was the amendment. The detail was being inserted into the Constitution....The Voice referendum is different. It is establishing a power and intentionally deferring the detail to allow First Nations people to design it....The 1999 referendum was acrimonious and adversarial and was sunk on the model. Therefore, it is now assumed uncritically that this is how referendums must proceed in Australia. In 2022, Australians have just voted for less acrimony and better governance". WfaAR comment: it will be interesting to see how well this analysis holds up and whether these purported differences are real in practice and/or can be undermined by a determined NO campaign .["What happens next for the Voice" by Megan Davis, The Saturday Paper, 6-12 August 2022 (No 411)]
"I, Sovereign Lidia Thorpe....." is Republican of the Moment
There is no doubt that Republican of the Moment is Victorian Greens Senator, Lidia Thorpe. In a defiant display on the floor of the Senate, Thorpe who has Indigenous heritage - fist in the air - marched to the Senate table and reworded the oath of allegiance (set out in The Constitution so cannot be changed) in her own likeness while labelling the Queen, our Head of State, " a coloniser". How shocking! Thorpe's perspective brought a sharp rebuke from the President, Labor's Sue Lines so she had to retake the oath with the correct wording before she was legally and properly sworn in. There was massive media coverage of this event - one woman taking on the British and Australian deferential establishment on the floor of federal Parliament in a breath-taking performative act. For full details, click on the link.["Australian Greens Senator calls the Queen a coloniser while being sworn into Parliament" by Josh Butler, The Guardian online 1 August 2022]
Draft Wording for Voice Referendum Announced
Speaking at the annual Garma Festival in the Northern Territory, the Prime Minister announces the draft wording for the Indigenous Recognition Referendum in 2023. The proposal is a nice simple Yes/No question with three simple, clear statements to be added to the Constitution. The Prime Minister is right to have accepted Pat Dodson's advice and go over the top of the Voice quagmire left by the Coalition. It is important to hold this vote. If it goes down, so be it - a loss will tell us about the state of the country's thinking and development in stark terms. So pleasing to finally see some concrete steps on a referendum since the late 1990s, long overdue.
Taking Power Away from the British Royal Family
Arrente painter, 2020 Archibald Prize winner and gifted animator, Vincent Namatjira sends up political figures, billionaires, people of influence and world leaders. He is particularly interested in our Royal Family so when he uses images of symbolic figureheads in his paintings, he gets to decide their meaning, not them. He likes to paint the Queen and Prince Charles. He says, "Painting them is influenced by the idea of taking the power away from them and putting them into my canvas....It's like I'm taking that power away from them and putting them in the comfort zone of ordinary people." But his engagement with the royals goes beyond pure satire - he has an aesthetic and sincere interest in them as artistic motifs. This really works on many levels not the least being his connection with the award of a 1953 Coronation medal to his great-grandfather, Albert Namatjira. ["Lives of Art" by Maddee Clark, The Saturday Paper, 2-6 July 2022 (No 408)]
Governor-General in Hot Water
Governor-General, David Hurley, has been criticised for using his office for commercial purposes and personal lobbying. The latest incident resulted in an apology even though the G-G claims he received no benefit for appearing in a video endorsing a builder who undertook major renovations at his private residence in Canberra. This is Hurley's third brush with vice-real protocols this year. It's almost unheard-of for the Queen's representative to be acting in this way. First, was a glamour shot of a Federal Executive Council meeting after the election had been called - that was circulated on social media by then MP, Tim Wilson, who was present at the meeting. Hurley also attracted controversy a few months ago when it was publicised that he had repeatedly lobbied the Prime Minister for funding of the largely non-operational Australian Future Leaders Foundation Ltd resulting in the award of more than $18m from the Commonwealth. The firm had allegedly gathered financial support from business leaders by using its connections. What is eyebrow-raising is the rapid response by now Government Ministers and MPs (all male) to defend the Governor-General's actions with personal character references. News Corp journalist, Samantha Maiden, however, wrote a piece headed: "Is time up for the under-fire Governor-General after a series of strange comments and gaffes reveal an embarrassing lack of judgement?" (Note: The funding for the Foundation was rescinded after the May 2022 election but the issue and role of the G-G and his Official Secretary in pursuing it was still bubbling away well into 2023)
Another Indyref for Scotland
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's First Minister, announces plans for a second referendum on independence to be held on 19 October 2023. She has vowed to take legal action to ensure a vote even if the UK Parliament does not agree. This move has been hastened and enabled by Brexit (the UK's exit from the EU) in 2016, two years after the first independence referendum went down 45-55. We will be closely following developments in this matter.
"Dropping the Queen" is for Each Commonwealth Country to Decide
Here are Prince Charles' (soon to be King Charles III and our Head of State) remarks at the official opening of CHOGM in Rwanda.
"The Commonwealth contains within it countries that have had constitutional links to my family, some that continue to do so and, increasingly, those who have had none.
I want to say clearly, as I have said before, that each member's constitutional arrangements, as republic or monarchy, is purely a matter for each country to decide. The benefit of long life brings me the experience that arrangements such as these can change calmly and without rancour."
Charles' frankness is refreshing as is his directness in addressing this issue. He seems to be much less squeamish about calling a spade a spade than we are. Naturally, it will stem from several more Caribbean nations in the Commonwealth wanting to follow the recent lead of Barbados declaring itself a republic - as the British will know following both recent royal visits for the Platinum Jubilee, not all of which were without direct expression to the visitors of the desire for such a change and the continuing attention to the effects of slavery in many Commonwealth countries, continuing ties to the Privy Council in UK etc.
It also leaves Australia, New Zealand and Canada looking very isolated as the major standouts for increasingly obvious reasons not to mention their dominant white Anglo establishments.
It didn't go without notice at home that the new Prime Minister did not attend CHOGM but was represented by his deputy - suggests a change in priorities right from the start.Good!
Now a Flag Furore
In the interegnum while the new federal Government gets into its stride, it's just the time for a set-to not only on The Voice and the Republic but now also about the flag. Driven by Indigenous Greens Senators, controversy over the Union Jack on the flag and its prominent display as a political back-drop have entered into mainstream discourse. It's a timely issue for debate as it links so closely not only to the Republic but also to how First Nations reflect on how the country represents itself on the national and international stage. The continuing presence of the Union Jack on our national flag is good reminder about and entree to the Republic issue. Indigenous people aren't the only ones wondering why their country is always represented by a Union Jack! Look at Canada's flag, now long-changed. New Zealand dropped the ball on this one in its 2016 referendum - undoubtedly now regretted.
New Female Voice on Republic
The Politics today nominates incoming Senator Jacinta Price, LNP Northern Terrritory, as "a key player in upcoming debates on The Voice, and beyond that the Republic, as a loud and proud Indigenous conservative." The new make-up of the Senate from 1 July 2022 will be interesting to see in action - and to hear, so watch this space! ["Voice Control" by Rachel Withers, The Politics, The Monthly online, 23 June 2022]
More Letters in the Sunshine Coast Daily
The letters editor in this publication has messages from Rachel Millman, Joy Goulding, Jules Walker and Eva Baker (all on Facebook) with a range of opinions on the proposed Republic. Rachel says we can't afford this: more important things to spend taxpayers' money on. Joy says the argument was over in 1999 and it will only be jobs for the boys; it's outrageous for the ALP to have a Minister for the Republic! Jules says bigger things to worry about and too costly anyway (people have no idea) while Eva thinks it's a waste of time: too costly especially changing government stationery, logos and uniforms. Seems to be a bit of a theme in this correspondence but it also serves up a few pointers for where civics effort needs to be concentrated and the issues women are likely to concern themselves with in the absence of information or details.
Small Steps to Progress the Republic
Meanwhile, over at The Australian, Gaynor Goodbody, Thurgoona, NSW says:
"Now that we have an Assistant Minister for the Republic in Matt Thistlethwaite, perhaps we can take incremental steps in that direction before any referendum, which will be a while away yet.
I suggest that we first withdraw from the Commonwealth - an anachronism whose time is past. Even prior to that, we should withdraw from participation in, or hosting of, the Commonwealth Games, widely regarded as a pointless blip between Olympic Games.
The Irish republic is often held up as a working, practical model that we could emulate, and indeed, Ireland has not suffered from the absence of Commonwealth membership.
A few small simple steps will set us on the right path and give us confidence to achieve the ultimate goal."
Memo Matt Thistlethwaite: some good ideas here for progress in stages!
Jubilee Heralds Road to a Republic?
Christina Foo of Wahroonga in Sydney writes to The Sydney Morning Herald letters editor:
"Perhaps this would be a suitable time for Australians to acknowledge that, difficult as it may be, we should be become a republic. The sight of 'heirs and spares' waving from the balcony at Buckingham Palace for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee - with men dripping in gold braid alongside pencil-thin women in skirts, hats and gloves - is a reminder that his gathering of entitled, wealthy individuals is a fantasy in a modern world. The British monarchy is no longer a suitable model for our head of state and the basis of our system of government"
Well said Christina! This letter got top billing on the letters page.
WfaAR Looks Over ARM's Republic Model
Sarah Brasch's detailed analysis of ARM's proposed "model" for the Republic, in reality a method for choosing the head of state. This may not even be a big issue by the time we get to the next referendum? WfaAR says that the model needs a lot more work to answer the many questions the proposal raises about how it would be implemented in practice. It is an imposed model. It may be ARM's "Australian Choice" but it's not the people's choice. Details are few and there is nothing in what has been published so far to address gender balance of candidates nominated for President - or how to achieve diversity among nominees. As proposed by ARM, we could end up with 11 male, white Anglo candidates and that needs to be addressed. Read our commentary on the link. We conclude by saying that there's plenty of time to have another go post election with the possibility of a vote some years away. We also note that there are 35 new members of the federal Parliament in the next term so things may have changed (see also News of 31 May about the appointment of a Minister for the Republic). Our article also covers the extensive range of commentary on ARM's model from a number of souces including Indigenous campaigners, political commentators and constitutional lawyers with links. Back to you ARM!
More Platinum Jubilee
Here's another low-key national capital event for our Head of State's 70th anniversary in the job. The National Capital Exhibition is presenting "The Queen and Me", an exhibition celebrating the many people in the crowds on her (many) visits to Canberra. The idea is to paint a picture about what interactions with QEII have meant to the residents of the capital through personal stories, treasured family photographs and momentoes of the day. Runs from 2 June to 31 December 2022 9am to 5pm but it's hard to find and even harder to access just before Commonwealth Avenue Bridge heads south over the lake at Regatta Point.
Assistant Minister for the Republic Appointed
The first Albanese Ministry contains the announcement of an Assistant Minister for the Republic. This is a big step forward for the campaign. Some have described it as the biggest advance for the Republic since the referendum and it's hard to argue with that. The appointee is Matt Thistlethwaite, MHR for Kingsford Smith in the southern suburbs of Sydney. He shares this role with other minor appointments in the Defence portfolio (some veterans were miffed). Matt Thistlethwaite has been the shadow Assistant Minister firstly for "an Australian Head of State" and later for "the Republic" since 2017 so WfaAR is confident in his taking up this role and knows that he is well across the politics and the priority that the new Government attaches to proceeding with Indigenous Recognition in the Constitution. In later comments, the new Assistant Minister said it's definitely The Voice first but indicated that Labor intended to hold a Republic referendum in either its second or third term (six to ten years away).
Changing the Constitution Isn't Impossible
Change of government and, suddenly, there's a lot of talk about referendums! This is essentially about the promised referendum on The Voice in the first term of the Albanese Labor Government but the Republic is not far behind scheduled for second or third term, or six to 10 years away. Anne Twomey says we should be more optimistic in a wide-ranging discussion about the history of change referendums in Australia since Federation and likely causes of their downfall - although they have been more likely to get up than technical fixes to the Constitution. She says that often the questions are poorly worded, or too many issues are loaded into one proposed change, subject to scaremongering (even if little truth in the claims) or vociferous NO campaigns while rightly commenting that "decades of neglect of civics has left us with a population that is insufficiently equipped to fulfil its constitutional role of updating the Constitution". She also states: " the mantra 'Don't know - Vote No' was extremely effective during the republic campaign in 1999". Read Anne's article on the link below ["Changing the Australian Constitution is not easy. But we need to stop thinking it's impossible" by Anne Twomey, Professor of Constitutional Law, Sydney University. The Conversation online, 27 May 2022]
"Referendum" Makes Election Headlines
Not, alas,The Voice or the Republic but once again s.44 qualifications to be a member of federal Parliament. Perusal of nomination forms by the ABC reveals a significant number of candidates are unlikely to be eligible if elected - fortunately, few appear to have any real chance of success. But the principle remains: the nation is long overdue for regular referendums at the federal level (the only way the national Constitution can be changed) and there are many administrative fix-ups and updates - s 44 at the head of the queue - to be attended to by voters and have been for some considerable time. Read the explanatory article on the link below including commentary from Professor George Williams. WfaAR comment: it isn't just parliamentary eligibility under s 44 that is broken, our whole system of federal government established under the Constitution in 1901 has been broken since 11 November 1975. ["Several federal election candidates may be dual citizens, ineligible under Section 44 of Constitution" by Lauren Pezet, Victor Petrovic and Patrick Bell, ABC online, 17 May 2022]
Art is Transformative
Novelist Romy Ash discusses how the Melbourne lockdowns affected her connection with the city upon hearing Deborah Cheetham's (Yorta Yorta, Yuin) "The River Sings" played at sunrise and sunset next to Birrarung (Yarra River) across a deserted Melbourne. She writes: "Art can be felt in the body and the heart, that it's transformative". That's how WfaAR feels about art, culture and our Republic. ["Planting a Vision": interview with Katrina Sedgwick, former Head of Arts for the ABC, Chief Executive of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) and soon to take up the position as Chief Executive of the Melbourne Arts Precinct by Romy Ash, The Saturday Paper, 16-22 April 2022]
Indigenous Referendum must come Before Republic Vote
Read comments by National Convenor, Sarah Brasch, on ABC online in this article rather sensationally claiming that the ALP had dropped its commitment to a Republic referendum in the first term of 3 years if it forms a government on 21 May. She says this is the right thing to do because if the Republic referendum goes first, then it will be flawed from the start. It will not be a Reconciled Republic and a huge opportunity for national healing will be lost, unnecessarily so. ["Labor no longer committed to republic vote in first term, prioritising Indigenous recognition instead" by Henry Belot, ABC online 14 April 2022 and amended on 15 April 2022]
Royal Visit Ends
Most people didn't know it had started. Princess Anne finishes what must have been one of the shortest, lowest key and most unremarkable royal visits ever especially compared with the last one by Meghan and Harry in late 2018. The official royal tour to mark our Head of State's platinum jubilee started and ended in Sydney before the Princess jetted out to Port Moresby for another short stay. It featured more travelling in historical vehicles, a ploy that got the Cambridges into much strife in the Caribbean recently. Info about the visit is available on the link below. WfaAR can't see that the country got much benefit from her presence other than realising a royal visit so close to the announcement of an election was publicity that the Government wanted to do without for fear of surfacing republican sentiment. This was well-founded. Definitely one for the diehard royal watchers and no one else. That there were no photo ops with the attention-seeking monarchist Prime Minister was thundering! ["Rural traditions and Australian way of life celebrated in royal tour" by Lucy Manly, "reporter and gossip columnist" for Sydney Morning Herald online, 9 April 2022]
Day 1 of Election Campaign has Positives for Republic
The first thing to say about the election is that if there's a change of government, Australia could well end up with a Minister - or Assistant Minister - for the Republic. What a great result that would be! The shadow ALP Minister for the Republic is Matt Thistlethwaite MP representing a seat in suburban Sydney. There could be a new joint federal parliamentary committee charged with examining continuous constitutional change as recommended by the Joint Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs after its Inquiry into Constitutional Reform and Referendums (reported December 2021). Women for an Australian Republic gave evidence to the Committe; several recommendations in our submissions were picked up.
In addition, while most republican campaigners led by WfaAR now acknowledge that the country cannot vote on a Republic without being a Reconciled - or, at least, a rapidly Reconciling - Republic, Indigenous leaders have again today called for a referendum to enshrine The Voice to Parliament in the Constitution, along with Treaty (making) and Truth (telling). After promising this, the Coalition Government 2019 to 2022 failed to deliver and little has been achieved on this matter during the 46h Parliament with the Coalition preferring to a) legislate The Voice and b) push action out of the federal jurisdiction and onto the States and Territories with little to see thus far. Read more on the link below: ["Indigenous leaders say 'it's time for a referendum' on First Nations Voice to Parliament" by Kirstie Wellauer, ABC Online, 11 April 2022)
Prince Charles is Irrelevant to Australia...
So begins Jennifer Bradley's letter to The Canberra Times. She concludes by saying, "It's more than time for Australia to become a republic". Read the full text of Jennifer's letter by clicking on the link.
Download: Letter to The Canberra Times [49KB, pdf]
People's Republic of Mallacoota
A six part reality TV show premieres on the ABC about what happens when a group of people in this 2019 bushfire ravaged small coastal town take charge of their own future and decide to plan, organise and govern themselves towards rebuilding and recovery. The official ABC blurb says this "offers a microcosm of urgent challenges that all Australians face as they seek to forge a common vision of their future from a multitude of competing claims. Does this citizen-led recovery provide a roadmap for the rest of us to follow?". It is also described as a "bold experiment in self-determination". Food for thought.
WfaAR Meets with Real Republic
WfaAR National Convenor, Sarah Brasch, talks with representatives of Real Republic (Lindsay Marshall and Peter Johnstone) in Brisbane in a very broad-ranging discussion covering stances on the Republic referendum, possibilities for moving things along if there is a change of government at the forthcoming federal election with Labor pro-republic and pro-referendum. There was also extensive discussion about the contents of the ARM's Australian Choice model published in January and ways it could be improved and expanded (see News Item of 12 January 2022). Both parties considered this to be a useful and timely meeting of minds on topics of common interest.
...and Getting Worse
More difficulties are besetting our Head of State and her family. Meghan and Harry have departed for the beaches of California and private lives making allegations of racism; favoured son Andrew, peering over his tortoise-shell half glasses and now excluded from public duties and striped of titles, is about to settle an expensive legal case using family funds over alleged sexual relations with a minor and they've got Covid including the Queen herself. Now HM is the subject of significant cover-ups over the status of her mobility. At the memorial service for Prince Philip (died 8 April 2021) in Westminster Abbey with the Caribbean reactions to the latest royal tour ringing in their ears, the large, extended family was together again in celebration of a life of service, never complaining/never explaining etc. The Queen arrived at the service accompanied by Prince Andrew and was reputed to be being spirited in away from the eyes of prying cameras so that no one could see her using a wheelchair and walking by the shortest route to take her seat in a Canada chair, whatever that is. William looked pretty pensive as things begin to fray at the edges. Meanwhile, we're bracing for a visit by the Princess Royal around Easter. If nothing else, that should have us waving our Union Jacks!
People's Republic of Western Australia
So said former Liberal Minister for Foreign Affairs and one-time PM aspirant, Julie Bishop - a strong republican - describing her escape when she launched the campaign for the Liberal member for Wentworth in Sydney ahead of the 2022 federal election. WfaAR assumes that she was referring to WA's closed borders due the pandemic, still wisely closed long after all the others had opened. See also News for 5 April 2022. Reported in the Sydney Morning Herald online, 27 March 2022.
Republican Result from Platinum Jubilee Tour of Caribbean
At the end of William and Kate's tour to a number of Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean that had the objective of marking and celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, things quickly unravelled into discussions of colonialism, slavery, reparations and open declarations of intention by Belize, The Bahamas and Jamaica to replace the Queen as their Head of State and become republics after being spurred on by the change in Barbados last November. Some even talk of leaving the Commonwealth. Heady stuff. After the departure of the next heir, St Lucia and St Vincent and The Grenadines quickly followed suit. Their are varying reports of how the tour was received following several unfortunate photo shots and the re-enactment of the Queen's trip in a vintage jeep that reeked of colonialism down to the white lace dress and hat worn by Kate (along with all the rest of the often-changed couture clobber). William's heavily gilded and decorated uniform merely looked out of place and out of time.
This is the trailing edge of Meghan Markle's influence since joining the British monarchy formally in mid 2018 - and increasing public awareness of the history of slavery and how the wealth of the English Queen is built upon the colonialism of her forebears - but it is surprisingl that things have changed so quickly. The BLM movement also continues to resonate.
This article (click on link) from The Guardian covers all the bases with that photo. [""Perfect Storm': royals misjudged Caribbean tour, say critics" by Amelia Hall and Rachel Gentleman, The Guardian online, 26 March 2022]
ARM's Shift to Direct Election is Long Overdue
WfaAR writes to The Canberra Times to add to the early commentary on ARM's "new" model for the Republic. We applaud ARM's move but think it's been rather too long coming as most others had moved on after the 1999 referendum. It is, however, a big shift for ARM, the bastion of the 2/3 parliamentary vote model, probably for one nominee or a small number put forward by the Prime Minister, a minimal model indeed and one that largely bypasses the people as they have no direct involvement in the result. Read our letter on the link below.
Download: WfaAR Letter to The Canberra Times 17 Jan 2022 [52KB, pdf]
ARM's publishes Referendum Model
After two years of discussions, polling and surveying, the Australian Republican Movement issued its new position on the vote for an Australian Head of State called the "Australian Choice" model exactly a fortnight before Australia Day on 26 January. ARM opts for direct election from a field of 11 candidates, three chosen by the federal Parliament and one chosen by each State and Territory parliament making a total of eight. By choosing election for the Head of State, ARM is now in sync with most other campaigning groups. The plan can be found on the ARM's website, linked below. It was updated on 3 April to reveal the full suite of constitutional amendments drafted by its advisory group of constitutional lawyers, three of whom were women (a notable absentee being Professor Anne Twomey - see News of 27 May 2022). For WfaAR's detailed analysis of the new ARM proposal - see News of 5 June 2022.
Platinum Jubilee Overkill
In a completely pointless move, the Prime Minister announces that a tiny, human-made mound in Lake Burley Griffin - on which the British Government's 1963 gift of The Carillon for the 50th anniversary of Canberra is sited - would be renamed Queen Elizabeth II Island instead of Aspen Island. It seems that the bureaucrats have run out of ideas since the Golden Jubilee in 2012 as it featured similar namings of minor features in the national capital. It was the start of a very muted series of Platinum Jubilee events during 2022 which most of the population seemed to have zero interest in. At least the directional signs on a major arterial road to the airport in Canberra will remind passers-by who Australia's Head of State is!
