Centenary of Federation
The Australian Republican Movement (ARM) joins all Australians
in celebrating the Centenary of Federation beginning on 1
January. The celebrations will be an important opportunity for
Australians to reflect and celebrate the last 100 years of the
Australian nation and look to the next step in our progress - a
Republic.
The ARM will be joining with all Australians in celebrating
the Centenary of Federation throughout the coming year. We
believe that it will provide an invaluable opportunity for
Australians to reflect on our history, consider the growth and
future of our nation and assess our constitution. The ARM will
participate in a number of events and will be organising some of
its own to highlight the relationship between the Centenary and
the campaign for a Republic.
The long process that finally led to the establishment of the
Commonwealth was motivated by the feelings and aspirations of
those living on this continent for a better future. This
encompassed many vital questions as to what had been achieved and
where Australians should go together in the future. Among these
were questions of independence and our relationship with Britain.
The drafters of the constitution resolved to maintain a strong
link with Britain and have the Queen as our Head of State,
however, the future possibilities were also acknowledged. In 1893
Edmund Barton, later to be our first Prime Minister, said:
The question as to whether this nation was to
occupy its present position in relation to the English Crown or
whether it should be an independent nation could not be settled
by half a dozen separate colonies, but it could be settled one
way or another by a united Australia.
The achievement of Federation was a great event but its
centenary celebrations are not just about the events leading to 1
Jan 1901, but are also about all of the things that Australians
have endured and achieved since then. Through two world wars, the
influx of immigration in the post war period and many social
advances since the 70's Australia has grown into a vibrant,
democratic, multicultural nation with a strong international
focus and presence. The success of the recent Sydney Olympics was
in many respects an affirmation of who we are and how we are
viewed by the rest of the world.
It is the acknowledgement of our continuing growth that is at
the core of the ARM's campaign for Australia to have its own
Head of State as soon as possible. At the time of Federation,
Australia was part of the British Empire, most Australians had a
close relationship with Britain and our constitutional
arrangements were appropriate for the times. But the reality of
what we are today is vastly different to 1901, Australians
deserve a Head of State who is unambiguously Australian.
The 1999 referendum rejected a specific proposal offered but
it did confirm that Australians do want an Australian as Head of
State. Just as the campaign for federation took some time, met
some setbacks, and involved may compromises it was in the end
successful. So to will be the campaign for an Australian Republic
with an Australian as Head of State. The establishment of an
Australian Republic is the next step in the progress of our
nation.
|
