ARM MEDIA RELEASE - 25 January 2004

A Big Year for Republicans in 2004

The Australian Republican Movement today issued its Australia Day statement.

Deputy Chair Anne Henderson said that “Australia Day is a time for Australians to celebrate our nation and our democracy. It is also a day to recognise that our constitutional system is flawed. We do not have our own Head of State. Rather, we share the British Queen, on the other side of the world, with a handful of other countries.

“For Australia in the twenty first century, this situation is simply not good enough. Australians deserve a Head of State from among their own, chosen by us and living here amongst us,” Ms Henderson said.

Deputy Chair Jason Li acknowledged that “2004 will be a key year for our campaign for an Australian Head of State. Not only do we have the Senate’s multipartisan Inquiry into an Australian Republic already under way, but Mark Latham’s bold and positive commitment to the republic upon his elevation to the ALP’s leadership has put the issue back on the agenda.

“Furthermore, recent polling indicates that some 57% of Australians want a referendum during 2004 to decide whether or not Australia should become a republic.* Plainly, it is time for Australians to revisit this issue,” Mr Li said.

Ms Henderson indicated that the ARM would be contributing to the Senate Inquiry with a submission reflecting its recent work on republican models and process.

“We recommend letting the Australian people decide 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. A fully elected Convention would then draft the model, according to the plebiscite results, to be put to the Australian people in a referendum,” Ms Henderson said.

Ms Henderson said that the ARM did not advocate one republican model over the others, and while it would be presenting a number of workable models to the Inquiry, the ARM maintained that it is for the Australian people to decide what kind of republic Australia should become.

Mr Li stated that the ARM was also looking forward to the commitment of Australia’s political parties to an Australian Head of State in the forthcoming federal election campaign.

* see recent Newspolls regarding attitudes to an Australian republic at http://www.newspoll.com.au/cgi-bin/display_poll_data.pl