Australia should become a Republic not a constitutional Monarchy

But what is a republic? A nation, where the head of state is a citizen of that country and was chosen because of their efforts and achievements, is a republic. If the head of state was chosen because of their birthright, then the system of government would be called a monarchy. Australia is a monarchy and the Queen of England is our head of state. The Governor-General is the representative of the Queen in Australia and he or she is appointed by the Prime Minister.

Australia is a monarchy because it was colonized by the British in 1778. With them, they brought their lifestyles, culture and system of government. This type of government has remained up to this day. The reason why some Australians say that we should become a republic is because they believe that we have become independent as a country and own our own name, instead of being another part of Brittan. They believe that we need a change, considering that Australia has changed greatly since 1778.

There aren’t too many difficulties for Australia becoming a republic. A big change in government as a directly elected president would require the comprehensive re-writing of the Australian constitution, clear explanation of the powers of the president, the prime minister and the parliament though. There is also the problem of the cost of replacing all currency to remove the Queen’s face from coins, but, we would have to replace all the currency when the Queen died anyway to put the new royal face on.

For:

Becoming a republic benefits businesses and the economy. International trade is becoming increasingly competitive and the way Australia positions itself as a nation is important. When the Queen travels overseas she promotes British companies and British trade, not Australian interests.

Using South Africa for an example, becoming a republic does not mean that we won’t be part of the Commonwealth. Countries like India and South Africa have are republics but remain part of the Commonwealth. If Australia becomes a republic we can still compete and host the Commonwealth games and be allied with other Commonwealth Nations.

Australia doesn’t have to change its flag if it becomes a republic. That is a completely different topic which is settled by a referendum.

The cost of a republic will be the same as the cost of a constitutional monarchy. An Australian head of state would continue to use the same offices and facilities as the Governor-General. The currency and stationary will have to be changed eventually when the Queen passes away and someone else becomes head of the Royal Family.

Against:

By electing or appointing an Australian as head of state, instead of appointing a governor-general, does not change the role. So basically, giving power to a president instead of a governor-general does not mean much for an average Australian. But we should want our children in future generations to aim to have the highest role of Australia.

By electing or appointing an Australian as head of state, instead of appointing a governor-general, does not change the role. So basically, giving power to a president instead of a governor-general does not mean much for an average Australian. But we should want our children in future generations to aim to have the highest role of Australia.

Becoming a republic will be a waste of Australian tax payer money. We will need to change our currency and stationary, hold a referendum etc. This does not justify the end result, which will be a similar form of government.

Australia would have to re-write the whole constitution to match the new democracy. This would also cost a great deal of money and time.

Our culture and lifestyles differs greatly in many parts from that of the United Kingdom, we have become our own country, which needs a head of state that at least comes from the same country, considering that the Queen doesn’t represent the average Australian these days. We need a Head of State who knows what living like an Australian is about. We need somebody that can speak for us and fully represent us; who only represents Australia and its interest. This campaign isn’t about the Queen; it’s about Australia’s future. If we were to change to a republic, it doesn’t mean that Australia will deny its English heritage. It is just the next step of evolution in Australia’s democracy.

If the republicans lost the referendum in 1999, why are they still trying to turn Australia into a republic? Well, that’s how democracy works. Federation has its ups and downs and people change their minds. A poll held two years ago shows that 30% of people voted for the Queen to remain head of the state. This shows that more and more Australians believe that we should become a republic. I think that this is the way to go. Its time for a revolution!

Bibliography:

http://www.actnow.com.au/Issues/Australian_republic_debate.aspx

http://my.integritynet.com.au/purdic/vivalarepublic.htm

http://home.alphalink.com.au/~eureka/case2.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_republicanism

http://www.republic.org.au/homepagehtml.htm

http://www.norepublic.com.au/