True head will be leader of the pack

Article by Allison Henry
The Australian
19 November 2003

Thrilled as all Australians were that the Wallabies made the Rugby World Cup final this weekend, one must wonder whom Australia's head of state will barrack for come Saturday night. Will the Queen of England and Australia be cheering for the nation in which she lives and spends most of her time or for Australia, the nation of which she is also the constitutional monarch?

Having watched her grandchildren excitedly leaping about on Sunday night when England also made the final, one suspects that Her Majesty's loyalties will be somewhat divided.

Plainly it's a ridiculous situation, born of the constitutional fact that Australia shares its head of state with Britain and other countries. It's a quandary that frequently rears its head when the Queen and her family are torn between representing English or British interests rather than promoting Australian interests.

Time and again we've witnessed our head of state and her family supporting British cities bidding against Australian cities for international sporting events. We've watched as they've promoted British – but not Australian – culture on the international stage. And we've wondered why they've so readily acted as ambassadors for British trade but not supported Australian beef or wheat in the same markets.

Never before, though, has the predicament been so apparent. The Rugby World Cup final is here in our backyard and we have a head of state whose loyalties lie elsewhere.

There's little doubt that the Queen will be barracking for England on Saturday and, as the British monarch, that is perfectly proper. But where does that leave Australia? After all, if our own head of state can't back the Wallabies, then surely one must question the relevance of the British monarchy to contemporary Australia.

Australians deserve a head of state chosen from among their own, proudly wearing the green and gold and clearly barracking for Australia, this weekend and into the future.

While the British monarchy was perhaps relevant to this country in the past, it is no longer. An Australian republic is about our future. That way we may have an Australian holding the highest office in the land, rather than a family on the other side of the world barracking for the other team.