The Australian Republican Movement Policy
Why a Republic?
An Australian republic is about Australia’s future. It’s about our shared identity and place in the world. It will have a Constitution that reflects the sovereignty of the Australian people, so that any Australian citizen can aspire to the highest office in the land.
An Australian republic will embrace our egalitarianism and the concept of a fair go. It will honour and acknowledge our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and cherish its culture, with its timeless connection to the Australian land and sea. It will recognise our British heritage and acknowledge its gifts, including our political and legal institutions. An Australian republic will celebrate our immigrant heritage of opportunity and endeavour and its contribution to our national identity. It will unite all Australians behind an Australian Head of State.
The Framework
While much of the discussion about an Australian republic has been on selection methods for the Head of State this has overlooked the important framework that would support the final preferred selection method. The Australian Republican Movement (ARM) supports the following framework for an Australian republic.
- Australia’s Head of State to be an Australian citizen.
- Australia’s Head of State to be a non-executive Head of State and to have powers like those of the current Governor General
- All references to the Queen and the Monarchy to be removed from Australia’s Constitution and replaced with references to Australia’s Head of State.
- Australia’s Head of State to be dismissed only by a vote of the Federal Parliament, which requires asignificant majority of the Parliament.
The ARM supports the Australian people deciding on the appropriate selection method for Australia’s Head of State, and we will support that choice. The above framework will ensure that our existing parliamentary and federal system of government will continue to flourish regardless of the selection method.
The ARM has no clear preference on selection methods for our Head of State. We have listened to the people over the last decade and believe this decision must be the people’s choice. Any of the following non-exhaustive methods below would work with our proposed framework. These are methods that have featured in public debate over the last decade:
- Elected by the Australian people from a list of candidates nominated by the community.
- Elected by the Australian people from a list of candidates nominated by the Federal Parliament.
- Appointed by a two thirds majority of a joint sitting of both houses of the Federal Parliament.
- Appointed by a constitutional council of eminent Australians such as former governors and/or governors-general and High Court justices.
Other options may be considered in the lead up to a republic. The ARM will support the final selection method decided upon by the Australian people, and will campaign for it.
How to get to a republic - the Process
The ARM recommends the following process for achieving an Australian republic. Each of the steps below is to be combined with the public consultation and education necessary to ensure that Australians are fully informed and involved in this important decision about our nation's future.
- A non-binding plebiscite on the threshold question of do you want Australia to become a republic with an Australian Head of State?
- Following the full development of potential models by an expert drafting committee for public comment, a second non-binding plebiscite on which republican model should be put to a referendum.
- A referendum on an Australian Republic according to the model preferred by the Australian people voting at the second plebiscite.
Our Republic - The People's Choice
The most important aspect of all is the sovereignty of the Australian people in determining the shape of an Australian republic. The ARM offers this policy as a guide. We stand ready to work with the Australian people on this important national journey.
ENDORSED BY THE ARM NATIONAL COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 2009