10 years on, 59% want republic

MEDIA RELEASE
10 years on, 59% want republic
06 November 2009

On the 6th of November 1999 the world was a far different place.

John Howard was Prime Minister and Bill Clinton was in the White House. Most of Gen Y were still in primary school. The average wage was just $33, 341. You could buy an average suburban home in Sydney for $285,000 and in Brisbane for less than half that. There was no GST. There were no iPods, let alone iPhones. Only 25 per cent of Australian households were connected to the internet.

In 1999, the World Trade Centre was still standing.

Some things haven’t changed, though, and one of them is Australian’s passionate desire for an Australian republic.
New polling by independent polling body, UMR Research, shows that support for an Australian republic now stands at 59 per cent, up from 51 per cent in May.

This support is around the same as polling done before the 1999 republican referendum, which was held 10 years ago today. Then, partially because of disunity amongst republicans, Australia’s heart was broken when the proposal was defeated.
Today, at 11am EDST time, a delegation of republicans of all persuasions, including the heads of three major re-publican groups – the Australian Republican Movement, Real Republic and Women for an Australian Republic – will hold a ceremony to mark the passing of this important anniversary in Australia’s history.

Republicans will take baskets of wattle to Parliament House and deliver letters to the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Australian Greens to signify new unity amongst republicans and drawing on po-tent symbols of Australian nationhood.

“The baskets of wattle will be left at the Great Verandah, leading to the entrance of Parliament House by represen-tatives of several different republican groups united in a call for the nation’s political leaders to once again bring the republic issue before the Australian people,” said Major General Michael Keating, the Chair of the Australian Repub-lican Movement.

“Wattle symbolises the nation. Wattle is Australia’s national floral emblem. By bringing the baskets of wattle to the building, republicans are symbolically bringing the nation to our political leaders and asking them to show the lead-ership necessary for Australia to achieve full independence and control of its own constitutional affairs,” he said.
“By walking across the Forecourt and the traditional owner’s mosaic, the delegation is bringing together the Austra-lian community as part of the great journey of nationhood.”

“These spaces in the building design represent the land mass and its inhabitants since first settlement. In covering this ground the republican delegation is drawing on the spirit and history of our great national story – calling on our leaders to mend the nation’s broken heart and to lead Australia in achieving the final step in its constitutional jour-ney to full independence and sovereignty.”

“Once we were divided about the republic, but now republicans have joined together with a unity of purpose.”
“We all know that the Australian people want an Australian republic, but we need leaders with the courage to lead. Only then will we be able to break the apron strings and take our next step as an independent nation.”

CONTACTS:

ARM comment: Major General Mike Keating, e: chair@republic.org.au, ph: 0412 337 137
Real Republic: David Muir, ph: 0419 303 532
Media liaison: David Donovan, e: media@republic.org.au, ph: 0403 237 880
UMR Research: David Utting, e: david@davidutting.com ph: 0416 187 462