As the King’s coronation approaches, perhaps it’s time to reconsider Australia becoming a republic.
The time has come for this country to become an independent nation with an Australian Head of State. A person who has been elected by the citizens.
What is a Constitutional Monarchy?
Australia is a constitutional monarchy. This means the King (or Queen) is the head of state. In accordance with the constitution, these powers are delegated to their representative the Governor-General.
Voting for a Republic
The Australian Constitution specifies that Australia’s head of state is the King (or Queen). Any change to this would require a referendum.
The citizens need to vote to decide any major change to the constitution. It can only be changed with:
- A majority of the Australian people would need to vote ‘yes’.
- AND a majority of voters in at least 4 states
Royal family favourability ratings by Essential Research polls show Australians do not approve of King Charles. In addition, Multiple polls also show a majority of Australians aged under 35 want Australia to become a republic.
The Queen backed the right of Australians to become a fully independent nation during the referendum on an Australian republic in 1999, saying that she has “always made it clear that the future of the Monarchy in Australia is an issue for the Australian people and them alone to decide, by democratic and constitutional means.”
Fun Facts:
- In 1999, Australian voters were asked if Australia should become a republic by a referendum. Of the 11.785 million votes cast, 55 per cent voted ‘no’, and 45 per cent voted ‘yes’.
- In July 2020, a YouGov Poll found 62% of Australians would vote for a republic.
- Only one-third of Australians know the British Queen is our head of state
Former Socceroo Craig Foster said, “Equality, merit, justice, fairness and inclusion are the five key principles of a modern, confident, reconciled and multicultural Australia that we’re all deeply proud of and they underpin the movement to embed our national identity across all institutions including an Australian Head of State.
“Australians want their own representative, chosen by and accountable to us and our inspiring task is to bring this to life in a way that all Australians understand, support and are proud of”, said Mr Foster.
Australia is no longer a British colony. It is home to some of the oldest continuing cultures and it is one of the most multicultural countries in the world. Did you know it is home to 26 million people from almost 200 countries?
A new era calls for a new way of government.
Australian Republic Movement (ARM): https://republic.org.au/
Parliamentary Education Office (PEO) website: https://peo.gov.au/
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