Our future - what next?

Speech by Allison Henry
A Day of Celebration, Revolution And Reform: International Women's Year & Beyond, Canberra
6 August 2005

Before looking forward, I would like to first briefly look back.

While today has been all about celebrating the achievements of 1945 and 1975 I would like to highlight two constitutional milestones in Australia's history: federation in 1901 and more recently the republican referendum in 1999.

In the late nineteenth century it took more than a decade for the colonies of this land to form as one as the Commonwealth of Australia. If one examines the various conventions and meetings that took place across the country, or indeed the old photos and records, one feature becomes immediately clear: we see or hear of no Founding Mothers.

As Susan Ryan has said, "Women were effectively excluded from the decisions leading up to Federation … those making the nation and talking about it appear to be exclusively male; in their heavy three piece suits, starched collars and bushy whiskers."

To some extent the same can be said of 1999, sans bushy whiskers of course. While women were certainly involved in the referendum, and a few prominently so, it was widely acknowledged that women were comparatively lukewarm on the idea of a republic. Certainly polling leading up to the referendum, and since, demonstrates about a 10% differential in support between men and women for constitutional change. The membership of the Australian Republican Movement has long reflected this, with a male - female ratio of 60-40%.

Many reasons have been offered for why women didn't support the republican campaign in the 1990s. Susan Mitchell writing in The Australian a fortnight after the referendum summed it up like this: that blokes had told women what to do; that the campaign consisted of silly old blokes engaged in willy waving; that the republican women were nice and pretty - they were the wives of political leaders or influential men but had little in common with most women; the YES republicans had no female leaders and finally that "women smelled the blokes, their arguments and power games a mile off and weren't buying it".

Like most here, in 30 or 60 years time I hope we will be celebrating and promoting the role of Australian women in all facets of our society and particularly in the halls of power, politics and government. I particularly hope that we will be celebrating Australia's move from a constitutional monarchy to a republic, and the key role that women played in that transition.

For that vision to become a reality more women need to become more involved in the republican debate, and to play a role in shaping our future institutions.

There are three great reasons why women should get more involved.

Firstly, there are any number of gender-related issues associated with the republican debate. As Kim Rubenstein has contended, for example, the prospect of a new system for determining Australia's Head of State offers the opportunity to address the equal representation of women in that role. The Queen is Australia's Head of State but the laws of succession are such that if Elizabeth had a brother she would never have become monarch.

Secondly, we need women to get behind the move to an Australian republic if the campaign is to succeed. The 1999 referendum only went down 55-45%, and if women had supported the republic as strongly as men, it may well have succeeded. Women are the margin.

And finally, we owe it to the future women of Australia. Federation in 1901 was a very blokey affair involving the Founding Fathers. We women need to be involved in this debate so that whenever the republic is achieved, there will be plenty of founding mothers and sisters and daughters and nieces of our republic.

Acknowledging the failure of the republican movement to adequately engage with and include women during the 1999 referendum campaign, the Australian Republican Movement has established a Women's Network that is encouraging Australian women to take on a more proactive and prominent role in the Republican debate.

It is establishing links with other women's groups to disseminate information, to broaden and enhance debate and ultimately to build support for an Australian Head of State. The Women's Network has already had success in increasing women's profile and membership within the ARM and is exploring the issues women find important in relation to the republican debate.

If you're not already an ARM member or supporter I'd really encourage you to get involved with our Women's Network. And if you are involved with a women's group that would like to engage on this issue we'd love to hear from you. Even if you support the constitutional status quo I'd still encourage you to get involved in the debate. For the move to a republic to succeed, we need a people's movement, one in which women's voices from all sides of the debate are heard.

As I said earlier I hope that future generations of Australian women will be celebrating the transition to an Australian republic which involves and acknowledges the leading role of women in the debate. Most of all I hope they will be celebrating the first Australian woman as our Head of State, our President.

Allison Henry is the National Director of the Australian Republican Movement