George Williams | 31 May 2008
KEVIN Rudd has come to office with ambitious plans to reform the constitution. His election commitments include referendums on fixed four-year terms for the Federal Parliament, an Australian republic, recognizing local government and restoring co-operation in federal-state relations. Further ballots may be held on taking over state hospitals and recognizing indigenous peoples in a new preamble to the constitution.
Roy Greenslade | 20 May 2008
The latest royal wedding has brought up questions from the sartorial to the photographic, but the key issue is the bride's renunciation of faith.
read more
Nick Bryant | 8 June 2008
Australia will enjoy a national holiday today in honour of the Queen's official birthday. To some Australian monarchists, it's occasion to raise a glass to a much-loved head of state. To many more, it's the happy chance to take a quick winter break, hopefully avoiding the inflated "double demerit" speeding fines and points penalties which come into effect on three-day holiday weekends.
Matthew Lybock | 9 June 2008
An early 2010 election would be the ideal time to place the Republic question on the ballot.
It would also give Rudd further ammunition against the coalition and a key distracter from other key election issues. Perhaps even the economy.
Advertiser editorial | 9 June 2008
IT IS a curiosity that the Queen was born on April 21, 1926, yet we celebrate her birthday with a public holiday in June.
The Queen is now 82 and has been Australia's formal head of state since her Coronation on June 2, 1953.
But the time is quietly, inexorably approaching when Australia must bring its formal association with the British royal family to a dignified close.
Christopher Scanlon | 10 June 2008
Illustration by John Spooner, courtesy of The Age
HAVING enjoyed yet another long weekend in honour of the Queen's birthday, I am prompted to ask why we still have this holiday. Part of the reason is probably that, from the outset, the debate about whether Australia should become a republic has had about as much substance as an issue of New Weekly. The choice has been boiled down to having one of the Windsors as our head of state, or a home-grown celebrity.
by Chris Golis | 17 June 2008
While the current Australian focus with regard to India is either on the cricket or its burgeoning software industry, there is another item worth considering - namely the Indian model for a republic. India is the world’s largest democracy with 675 million registered voters and has now been operating for 60 years. India has embraced the Westminster system, like Australia, but is a federal republic.
The Editor
THE AGE
Nepal can, why can’t we
It is expected over the next day or so that Nepal will become the latest country to convert from a monarchy to a democratic republic. This will end the monarchy's 238 year reign.
We should applaud a small country like Nepal for having the political will to remove an unelected monarch and replace him with a duly elected democratic parliament. Unfortunately this has not occurred without some bloodshed.
The Governor-General, Michael Jeffery, thinks Australia should never have a directly elected president, because he or she would argue with the prime minister and cause political instability ("Voters choosing a president is too risky, says GG", June 14-15).
Nicolas Clark
Because the role of the monarchy in our current age is nothing more than a figurehead. We need a system where the political decision making process for our people is made by our people.
Nicolas Clark (left) beside Qld Branch Councillor, Andrew Grotherr, at the 2007 Qld AGM
