ARM
Media Statement - 29 August 1999
Republicans
challenge No advocates to tell the truth
Tell
Australians why we are not good enough for Head of
State office, says ARM deputy
Those opposing an Australian
replacing the Queen at November's republic referendum
have been challenged to tell the truth to the electorate
instead of telling lies about the powers of the Prime
Minister, the flag and fantasy presidential palaces,
and tell the People why King Charles III and his children
are better than Australians and therefore more suitable
as Head of State.
Speaking at a Town Hall address in Ballarat today
(part of The Australian's series), Australian
Republican Movement deputy chair, Wendy Machin, said
monarchists and other No advocates had to "fess up."
"They
need to tell the truth to Australians about why they
really want the British monarch to remain our head
of state." She also welcomed comments by former Prime
Minister, Malcolm Fraser, supporting an Australian
head of state and Yes vote in November.
"Monarchists
now know that they cannot defeat the appeal of an
Australian as our head of state to Australian voters,"
said Ms Machin. "So, they are resorting to bogeyman
tactics to scare Australians into voting "No", when
they know very well that their arguments of constitutional
disaster in a republic are either wrong and alarmist,
or just downright dishonest.
"These
tactics are more in line with some winner-takes-all
political campaign, not a serious public discussion
of a major issue of national identity and constitutional
integrity.
"Should
this increasingly popular notion be defeated in November
and we wake to the British monarch as our head of
state for the future, I think the Australian people
will feel angry and even bitter if they perceive the
outcome was won with lies and trickery."
Ms Machin pointed to "especially silly" dishonest
comments by some No campaigners that the republic
will produce a Prime Minister with more power than
now, able to sack a President more readily than sack
his own gardener. "This is especially dishonest and
makes you wonder whether the people saying this are
just simply desperate, silly or genuinely telling
lies.
"How
can the dismissal powers proposed be so dreadful and
give the Prime Minister too much power, when they
are exactly the same powers the Prime Minister has
today, and part of a Constitution monarchists claim
is the best in the world? So which is it - too much
power for the Prime Minister or part the best system
in the world which they say should not be changed?"
Ms Machin said the real issue is - even if the No
case wants to avoid it - about a choice between an
Australian or a British monarch as head of state.
"We challenge the No case advocates to look Australians
in the eye and tell us why one of us should not be
the head of state of our own country which we love
and in which we are proud to live, work and make even
better.
"If
the No advocates are proud to have a foreigner remain
our head of state and find comfort and feel more Australian
by having Charles III as the next King of Australia,
tell us why. Own up.
"But,
don't treat us like fools by trying to scare us like
some modern day Nostradamus, predicting doom simply
because an Australian citizen may replace the Queen
as our Head of State. Tell us why an Australian can't
do the job. What is it about us that you think makes
us unfit to run our own affairs?"
Ms Machin's comments about furphies employed by the
No side to scare Australians into voting No come at
the same time as support grows for an Australian to
replace the Queen as head of state.
Support for a Yes vote in November has come in recent
weeks from Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett, Federal
Treasurer Peter Costello, former High Court Chief
Justice Sir Gerard Brennan, former Governor General
Sir Zelman Cowmen, great Australian achievers including
John Newcombe and Steve Waugh and eminent constitutional
academics Professors Greg Craven and George Winterton.
Authorised by Malcolm Turnbull, Australian
Republican Movement, 60 Park Street, Sydney NSW 2000
