ARM MEDIA RELEASE

The Republic is Back on the Agenda

The Chair of the Australian Republican Movement, Professor John Warhurst, said today that the Republic is back on the public agenda: "The unprecedented standing aside of the Governor- General further shows that the current system is broken and needs replacing."

Prof. Warhurst said that, "The unfortunate circumstances surrounding Dr Hollingworth, have reduced the position of the Queen’s representative to one subject to the personal and political imperatives of the Prime Minister. It is the Prime Minister who will decide everything. The ambiguities in our Constitution where our Head of State, the Queen, is overseas and subject to the advice of the Prime Minister have left the Governor-General, in the face of declining political and public confidence, now fully reliant on the Prime Minister’s support. This is a tragedy for our democracy and does not represent the independence and balance that is expected in our Constitution."

Prof. Warhurst went on to say, "The system is clearly broken and needs to be replaced. The resignation of the Governor-general will not fix the problem. The PM must not be allowed to merely repeat the process of exercising his personal preference without reference to anyone else. The Government and Parliament should consult the Australian people on replacing the current broken system with a republic that is democratic and transparent."

The ARM has just released a discussion paper The Process – what do you think? (available here) to investigate the options to consult the Australian people on their preferences for our Head of State before a subsequent referendum to change the Constitution.

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