Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

According to the Republican movement it is the fault of the Disloyal Brits.

Terrible, those that have lived here for some time do not want it to change !!

The Australian Republican Movement want two referendums before a referendum to choose between Republic and Monarchy.

1. A non-binding plebiscite on the threshold question of do you want Australia to become a republic with an Australian Head of State?
2. A second plebiscite on the form of a republic including the selection method (following the full development of forms of a republic, including the selection method, by experts).
3. A referendum offering a choice between adopting the form of republic approved by the second plebiscite or remaining a constitutional monarchy.

This appears to have changed from its pre-1999 policy of:

Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

As it might be easy for the causal reader to get it mixed up...."the Republic movement" quoted above is not the Australian Republican Movement? It appears to be a UK republican site just summarising some of the issues raised at the time. Is that right?

I can understand the suspicion because it is "more likely" that British people who have not taken citizenship would see the argument from a British perspective and consider it a rejection of the queen and things British. Though trying to retrospectively disenfranchise 300,000 because of that is stupid.

Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

It is not really important whether you call the head of state as president or king/queen/GG but it is important what kind of powers that head of state has. In 1975 the GG dismissed the Australian PM so the GG has large powers if need be.

I wonder how it has been described in law when the GG has the right to dismiss the government. Surely he can't do that at will, there must be some circumstances of deadlock where the only solution is to dismiss the government. If the Irish president had the power to dismiss the government she should have done just that some time ago.

Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

if the head of state (monarch/GG) is only ceremonial in practice and rarely do use their reserve powers, why not get rid of them altogether? it's less expensive for the taxpayers.

surely the high court can be given enough powers to solve constitutional deadlocks?

Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

Feasible then; so, according to UK republican site, the Australian Republican Movement stated ... Disloyal British migrants etc...

Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

Did it? I can't see that. Overall it doesn't cut to the nub of the matter anyway as it didn't happen and was a side issue to the main question.

Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

There are several aspects to the debate whether to have a president with purely a ceremonial role or a president with large powers. On one hand, presidents have their terms and can not be removed from office in the middle of the term unless they commit some crime against the constitution or are sentenced of some other serious crime. Incompetence at the job is no reason to remove the president in the middle of the term, only elections can remove the president and the next elections could be years away.

Prime Ministers can be sacked at a very short notice by Parliaments.

On the other hand, many presidents are elected by the people when as Prime MInisters become PM's because they lead the largest party in Parliament. Of course they also must win elections to lead their party as the largest party but PM's can be sacked by their parties if the party no longer elects him/her as the party-leader. Therefore it is the handful of party-activists at party-conferences which in effect elect the Prime Ministers of many countries.

Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

Your child can, if an Australian citizen, become Governor General.

The Australian monarchy is legally separate from the British monarchy and the Queen of Australia cannot - by definition - be a foreigner in Australia.

Must they?

And by the way, Australia did not become independent in 1901. In fact, there is no single Independence Day in Australia because it came about over time. Even the Statute of Westminster 1931 was not ratified by Australia until some years later.

Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

All true points but might I argue they are semantics in this context.

I obviously know my child can become GG but that is not head of state, and even that role is wrapped in loyalty to a foreign kingdom (despite the Queen of Australia title), not an Australian democratic institution.

The queen is a foreigner. Someone who visits my country less than an English backpacker is a foreigner in my eyes. She is British through and through and no legal stroke of a pen will change that. Her primary loyalty and interest is to Britain as it should be. I respect what she has done for her country and mine - I wish her no ill and she can rule the UK forever if that is what the British wish. I do not want to wipe the UK from Australia's history and it would be ridiculous to do so. I would like our close ties to remain and we should remain a member of the Commonwealth.

I know independence was a process or changing laws over a period of decades after 1901 but federation is seen as the birth of Australia as a nation so it makes no material difference to the argument for me to go into that detail.

Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

In my more cynical moments I have considered that the changes in immigration policy might be to reach a republic sooner rather than later.

Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

Not really. She is also pretty German.

Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

Do you think? Doesn't appear 1% German to me despite lineage. Though admittedly I don't see her in her private moments. :)

Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

Are you people in Australia, or in Canada, NZ or in any Commonwealth country for that matter, going to have a day off on April 29th when William and Kate get married? No? Well, I didn't think so myself either.

Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

We get a day off for the Queens birthday though. something we never had in the UK

Re: Is republic dead and buried?
 

Nothing wrong with the Irish model (which sounds no different to the Finnish model). It would make for an easy transition from here to there.

I also believe monarchy is a rotten system. However most people don't care. And then others love the whole fairytale.

My feeling is that there is a slight majority for a republic than not but most are also wary that the government can't be trusted to manage the transition or can't see the benefits of change.

The property bubble is due to burst on the 15 March 2015.