ARM MEDIA RELEASE - 4 December 2003

Bring on a plebiscite, Mr Latham

The Chair of the Australian Republican Movement, Professor John Warhurst, today welcomed new Opposition Leader Mark Latham's commitment to contributing to the republican campaign for an Australian Head of State. Mr Latham last week rated advancing the Republic issue on the public agenda as one of his four main aims.

Professor Warhurst called on Mr Latham to provide some further details about his approach. In particular, Warhurst asked Latham to commit the Australian Labor Party to a new move to hold a plebiscite for an Australian Head of State.

"Polling consistently demonstrates that a clear majority, 70%, of Australians want a republic. A ‘Newspoll’ last November reported that a majority of Australians want a referendum within five years. It’s time to give the people the second chance that they deserve now that four years have passed since the 1999 republic referendum," said Professor Warhurst

Professor Warhurst outlined the ARM's own preferred process for building an Australian Republic. "The ARM recommends a process where the Australian people decide on the shape of a future Australian republic through a three plebiscite process. One plebiscite on the threshold question of whether Australia should become a republic, a second asking Australians their preferred model and a third asking Australians to choose the title of the
Head of State. An elected Convention would then draft the model, according to the plebiscite results, to be put to the Australian people in a referendum."