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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-06-18 Daily Xml
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AUSTRALIAN REPUBLIC

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:39): I rise today to discuss a matter close to my heart: the hope that I will see an Australian republic in my lifetime. I reflected on this hope during my recent visit to Japan, one of our many near countries with which we enjoy a durable, cordial and mutually beneficial relationship. It is becoming more apparent to all thinking people that Australia's future lies with countries with which it enjoys greater proximity, namely, Asia. It is my firm belief that we need to develop our relationships with all Asian countries as an equal partner and not one fettered to a remote monarchy, however pleasant and competent its current representatives are said to be.

I am not only discussing our economic relationships: our partnerships in the region have a much greater significance and resonance. We share with our neighbours the responsibility of creating and maintaining a stable, prosperous region through dialogue and cooperation. We are committed to democratic values and to open, contemporary societies. We are an independent nation moving confidently with our new Prime Minister into a fuller engagement with the region and the planet. Does not the fact that we are still tied to a remote and unelected British head of state fly in the face of that nationhood and diminish our democracy?

Don't the successive waves of immigration that have made Australia the vital multicultural society we now enjoy completely negate any proposition that we are a colonial outpost of Britain? We have our own Australian values, our own needs, our own priorities. Surely, in the 21st century, it is time for Australia's head of state to be one of our own—a head of state representing a people who acknowledge their country's historical links, yet are uncompromised by arcane and distant ties: a head of state who is an Australian citizen.

Yes, we had a referendum just a few years ago—a referendum so skilfully and cynically manipulated by an avowed monarchist. Let us not forget the comments of the self-styled 'golden boy' of the federal Liberal Party, admittedly in an earlier incarnation. It was in his capacity as the head of the Australian Republican Movement that Malcolm Turnbull so passionately declared that John Howard 'broke the nation's heart' through his manipulation of that referendum.

But those days are thankfully over. As all present are aware, participants articulated their strong support for the concept of a republic plebiscite at the recent 2020 Summit. The question would be, simply, whether or not we want to become a republic. This threshold question would determine what we want. The answer would not be legally binding, nor would it change the Constitution. But only after that question had been answered could we move on—presuming the answer was yes—to a discussion of what model would be adopted. I believe the Australian public would welcome an accelerated debate on a republic. I am optimistic that this will take place, and I am hopeful that we will see an Australian head of state in our lifetime.

Time expired.

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