ARM Media Statement - 26 January 2003

The Australian Republican Movement
Australia Day 2003 Statement

Professor John Warhurst, the Chair of the Australian Republican Movement,
today issued the ARM's Australia Day statement. He reminded Australians that we can rectify the gap between national pride and our political institutions by taking the next step to a republic with an Australian Head of State.

Professor Warhurst said that:

Australia Day is a day for Australians to celebrate our nation and our democracy. We are, as the federal government is currently reiterating, "a democratic people". But there is a yawning gap in our national life. Australia lacks its own Head of State. What we have is a part-time share in a British Head of State and a Governor-General who is the Queen's representative. That is not good enough.
Public support for an Australian Head of State continues to grow year after year. The ARM challenges our political parties to accede to the wishes of 95% of the Australian people (Newspoll) and work towards an Australian Head of State. As a first step political leaders should reveal their policies on a republic and announce plans to put these policies into practice in 2003.

The ARM announced three priorities for 2003:

1. A special initiative to reach out to younger Australians, the future of Australian democracy. The first target will be university students. This will be followed by high schools and TAFE networks nation-wide. This reflects changes in the composition of the ARM's new National Committee, which now has ten of its members under the age of 40.
2. To develop ideas for a simple general plebiscite on the republic by publishing a discussion paper on the best process by which we should move to a referendum.
3. It will support stronger links between republicans and members of the federal parliament through the formation of a parliamentary republican group and encourage the relevant Parliamentary Committees to investigate the republican issue.

Professor Warhurst added that "by the time of the next federal election it will be five years from the November 1999 referendum. We must start the process of moving to another referendum by then. There's no future in muddling along for years with the current second-best arrangement. Australia deserves an Australian Head of State ".

Professor Warhurst will be available for further comment on Australia Day from 12:30 - 14:30 at Lennox Gardens, Canberra ACT

Further comment:
John Warhurst, Chair, 0439 498 283
Jim Terrie, National Director, 0411 240 970