23 June 1999

The High Court of Australia today handed down an historic and landmark ruling that the United Kingdom, for the purposes of the Australian Constitution, is a foreign power. This ruling vindicates the ARM's position for the past eight years that Australia should have an Australian citizen as its Head of State. The ramifications of this ruling are profound - for example, it means that when Parliamentarians swear allegiance to the Queen (as they are Constitutionally required to do), they are swearing allegiance to the Monarch of a foreign power. Read our full media release.

18 June 1999

Queensland's constitutional convention concluded today and recommended that all States should remove their links with the Crown if the republic referendum passes in November. The Convention resolved that Queensland would retain the office of Governor in a republic, and that the Governor would be appointed by the Premier with the agreement of the Opposition Leader. The Convention showed that the change at a national level to a republic is not problematic for the states.

14 June 1999

Republicans today extended birthday greetings to Her Majesty the Queen, but called on Australians this Queen's Birthday holiday to consider whether this should be the last such occasion in Australia. The deputy chair of the Australian Republican Movement, Wendy Machin, said: "We will all need to stand up and be counted on November 6. This Queen's Birthday weekend is a good time to decide if we still want to be celebrating the monarch's birthday - whether that be Queen Elizabeth or King Charles III - during the infant years of the next millennium, or whether we want to live in a nation in which we can celebrate that one of our own citizens is good enough to be our Head of State." Read our full media release.

10 June 1999

The Government has introduced into the House of Representatives the two Bills which will set us on our path to an Australian Head of State! The Commonwealth Attorney General, Mr Daryl Williams tabled the Constitution Alteration (Establishment Of Republic) Bill 1999 and the Presidential Nominations Committee Bill 1999. The first bill contains the constitutional amendments on which we'll vote in November, and the second Bill establishes the committee which will invite nominations for the office of President.

Mr Williams said "Whether one supports change or not, the commencement of Parliament's consideration of the republic legislation marks a milestone in Australia's constitutional history." We encourage all Australians to read the Bills at the Government's 1999 Referendum web site.