I wanted to get the opinions of Australians and people in other countries on this matter, and considering that the U.S.A just had their elections (Yes really, no I'm not kidding, look it up!) I decided to make this thread to get YOUR opinion on the matter.
As most of you will know Australia is currently being governed by the British Monarch despite being a fully functionally independent nation, however people like me wish to change this system and turn Australia into a republic so we can finally elect a Australian citizen as head of state.
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The debate about turning Australia has been going on for decades, yet after all this time, nothing has changed, even though there are many good reasons why Australia should become a republic, let's look at a few core ones:
- Electing a Australian citizen as the true head of state:
Whilst it is true that Australia is a functionally independent nation, and the Governor General acts as a de facto head of state, under our Constitution the British monarch is the font of all legal power in Australia and our formal head of state.
In this current system no Australian will ever become the true head-of-state and we will never be able to call ourselves a true independant nation.
- The system of monarchy is inequitable and unfair:
The british Monarch is not elected by merit, hard work or talent but rather a lottery of birth, with Catholics being specifically ineligible, this is discriminatory and unfair, and shouldn't be allowed under the anti-discrimination provisions of Australian law, and hereditary monarchy is out of step with commonly accepted Australian values, yet is still the method of selection for the Australian head of state.
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Now let's look at the main ones amongst numerous arguments against a republic which are almost always based on faulty information, or are designed to reinforce people’s existing misconceptions.
- Cost:
Astronomical figures are occasionaly thrown around for how much it would cost to become a republic, while the simple truth is that the cost to change to a republic would be negliable.
There would be no requirement to instantly rebrand all Government stationery, buildings and equipment — this would happen gradually, over time.
Governments are constantly changing signs, logos and branding — and new coins and notes are also produced every day, by simply changing the dies at the Mint, the truth is that almost the entire cost of a Republic would come from holding the public vote, which is simply part of the cost of running a democracy and is a blessing that is worth every cent.
- Failed republics:
You sometimes also hear people say that Republics are all failed states, Zimbabwe is often mentioned.
This is pure fiction as there are a many very successful republics,such as the: USA, Germany, Brazil, Austria, France, Ireland, India, Italy, Switzerland and many, others.
In fact, the majority of the world’s nations are Republics. Indeed, being in a monarchy is no guarantee of stability — the ongoing civil war in Northern Ireland is a sad testament to that.
- Defence:
Some say that becoming a Republic means we will no longer have Britain to defend us, whis is silly.
Not only does Australia have it's own very able and sizable military force, since WW2, the USA has been our dominant strategic defence ally — not Britain, but Britain will still be an important friend and ally after we become a Republic.
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Further non-sense such as the rubbish argument that Australia would be expelled from the Commonwealth by becoming a Republic, and not be able to compete in the Commonwealth Games. In fact, 32 of the 53 nations competing at the last Games in Delhi were Republics — including the host nation, India. Australia will compete in the Commonwealth Games for as long as it wants — whether as a Republic or otherwise.
As for our flag, nothing prevents us from keeping it.
To sum it up, Australians are clever and capable enough to turn the page on our colonial past. and we are strong enough to stand on our own two feet as a fully and truly independent nation. A strong and united people whose head of state is selected in a fair and democratic way, not because of their bloodline.
It's time to set aside the non-sense about delaying it until the Queen passes away, or the financial crisis is over and the world is full of roses, because as we all know, that tomorrow never really comes, and after all, we do have the Monarch herself on our side.
I'm all for Australia becoming a republic, but what do YOU think about it?
*Note: To avoid any mistakes: I have nothing against Britain being a Monarch and respect your way of life.
- Proclus.
