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NOVEMBER
6, 1999, was, for republicans, "the day that
John Howard broke the nation's heart". These
were the words my predecessor Malcolm Turnbull
used to announce that we had lost the referendum
on whether or not we would welcome the new millennium
with our own head of state. Twelve months on,
the challenge is to make sure that doesn't happen
again.
Although
we might be in becalmed waters now, the polls
still show that most Australians want a republic,
and political leaders such as Kim Beazley, Peter
Beattie and Geoff Gallop are still talking about
the issue.
Peter
Costello told ABC television's Four Corners program
earlier this year that the nation "is republican
in sentiment".
There
have been many post-mortems of why the yes camp
lost last year. But it's hard to disagree with
Beazley's three reasons why this happened. They
are: John Howard's campaign for the no case; a
totally inadequate public education campaign;
and the "politicians' republic" line
of our opponents.
One
of the primary issues for republicans is to take
each of these reasons and turn them into lessons
for the future.
On
the the first, the Prime Minister's calculated
and intense campaign against a republic, the response
is simple. It is Howard's successor, Costello
or Beazley, who will orchestrate the next charge
and they are both committed republicans.
When
it comes to public education, the reality is that
if people do not understand the change they are
being asked to sanction, then they won't do it.
The lack of civics education in this country is
fertile ground for scare tactics. The challenge
for all of us who want constitutional change is
to put our shoulders to the wheel and communicate
with the community about how our system works
and what change would mean. On this issue governments,
both federal and state, must lead.
The
last issue raised by Beazley is the most difficult.
Although it is right to say that there must be
different republican models for discussion and
even for a vote, it is here that the republicans
have the most work to do.
Last
year, those of us in the ARM spent a good deal
of our time arguing against direct electionists
such as Phil Cleary and Ted Mack, who were cynically
used by the monarchists to defeat the yes case.
It was an abject lesson in the old adage that
division is death in politics.
Beazley
and others who suggest putting various models
to a vote should not underestimate the tactics
of those opposed to change. The capacity to confuse
the electorate and run scare campaigns remains
a threat and we need to ensure that the process
is as inclusive as possible to blunt these attacks.
On
the issue of direct election, an option that has
obvious attractions in a climate where the political
process is regarded with disdain by a large segment
of the electorate, there is much work to do. Many
conservative republicans such as Costello, Malcolm
Fraser and John Fahey are opposed to direct election.
One of the reasons the yes case polled so well
in conservative electorates such as Howard's and
Tony Abbott's on Sydney's north shore is because
the model being voted on did not involve the sort
of change that many believe direct election will.
However,
the ARM has welcomed direct electionists such
as Tim Costello and Dorothy McRae-McMahon on to
our newly elected national committee, and as far
as we are concerned the slate is clean on the
models front. The aim during the next couple of
years must be to reach out to direct electionists
and accommodate the issues they raise.
At
the state level, the republic debate has some
interesting possibilities that might prove crucial
in the long term to the success of the next referendum
process.
Both
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and West Australian
Opposition Leader Geoff Gallop have flagged the
possibility of democratising the appointment of
their state's governor – at present the prerogative
of the premier, who has to get the consent of
the Queen. If state political leaders can demonstrate
the success of some form of election or selection
of the governor then, hopefully, this will make
the electorate more comfortable with similar change
at the federal level.
Finally,
one issue for Peter Costello and Beazley to consider.
Most prime ministers look for issues of substance
on which to define themselves as different from
their predecessors. For Costello and Beazley,
the republic presents such an opportunity. If
both grasp that opportunity, then the republican
movement must be united and ready to ensure that
next time the nation's heart rejoices.
Greg
Barns, who was the yes campaign director, is the
new president of the Australian Republican Movement.
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