"No going back on destiny's road to republic"

Rodney C. Kendall
Convenor of the Queensland Branch of the Australian Republican Movement
11 August 2003

When Major-General Michael Jeffery is sworn in as the 24th Governor-General today, he will take up an office caught in the middle of a transition that is occurring in Australia and one of which he appears to be aware.

Constitutionally, the Governor-General is the representative of the Queen in Australia, not the people. As a consequence, since 1901 there has been little public identification with the office.

In fact, of the 23 holders of the office before Jeffery, few would even be recalled by the Australian people.

Sir Isaac Isaacs (No.9, 1931-1936) would be remembered by some because he was the first Australian to occupy the office and because a battle of wills took place between Prime Minister James Scullin and King George V over the appointment of an Australian.

Sir John Kerr (No.18, 1974-1977)would be more readily known for the 1975 dismissal of the Whitlam government and his behaviour at the 1976 Melbourne Cup.

Peter Hollingworth (No.23, 2001-2003) may be remembered for the unfortunate events surrounding his resignation.

But something happened between Kerr and Hollingworth which affected Hollingworth and has affected Jeffery even before he's had a chance to stroll the grounds of his new home at Yarralumla.

In that time the office underwent - and is still undergoing - a change caused by the rising republican spirit in Australia and the actions of Sir William Deane (No.22, 1996-2001).

Following the turbulence of the Kerr tenure, Sir Zelman Cowen (No.19, 1977-1982) set about restoring respect for the office, which he did admirably. He also claimed that the role of the governor-general was to "interpret the nation to itself".

But it was Deane who very effectively undertook this interpretive role through his speeches and actions, especially throwing the wattle into the water at Interlaken during the memorial service for the young Australians killed in the canyoning disaster.

The people saw him as representing them and the nation. The Queen was effectively forgotten.

Deane's term as governor-general reflected and, in turn, enhanced the growing republican spirit in which the people welcomed the "Australianising" of their institutions and symbols. It is now more than 10 years since the oath of citizenship was changed from declaring loyalty to the Queen to declaring loyalty to Australia: "From this time forward, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey."

There is no public push to have it changed back, just as there is no suggestion that the national anthem revert to God Save the Queen.

This changing Australia that Deane represented played a part in Hollingworth's demise as he was seen as rather aloof. It also forced an extraordinary hard-sell of Hollingworth's successor.

With the announcement of the new Governor-General, much was made of Jeffery's rise from humble beginnings and his winning of the Military Cross for bravery in Vietnam. The Courier-Mail headline said, "War hero G-G vows to restore dignity".

But Jeffery himself went further: "I will endeavour to be a Governor-General of the people and for the people."

The fact that Jeffery felt it important to mention that he would be of and for the people is a response to the changed Australia and the people's expectations.

Writing in The Courier-Mail on May 7, 2003, Professor George Williams said: "Basic problems with the office relate not only to its dismissal but also to its appointment procedures. Section 2 of the Constitution states that the Governor-General is appointed by the Queen which, in effect, means appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister alone. There is no opportunity for popular involvement or consultation. This is unacceptable given that the Governor-General is now expected to speak for all Australians."

Australia today is in transition from a constitutional monarchy to a republic. Our institutions and symbols are experiencing a wattle makeover. The office of Governor-General is caught in a two-way tussle in this process. The Constitution ties it to the monarchy while the people want it to represent them. Even with a conservative taking the office today, there is no going back. Should Jeffery try to do so, he will simply make the office irrelevant in the eyes of the people until it is replaced in a republic.

The movement to a republic is unstoppable. It may be delayed but the momentum of history, which is the power of the people's wishes, will not be denied.