A Simple Structure for a Future Australian Republic

Summary

A model with the Prime Minister as head of state is proposed for a future Australian republican parliamentary democracy.

Discussion

In 1999, the Australian republic referendum showed that a greater majority of Australians supported a republic, albeit the vote was split between direct and parliamentary election of the president, the former pre-polled at 55% of the vote [1]. The final result a loss, given as a total of 45%, could even be viewed as a success for republicanism, showing support for the most unpopular model of the Australian republic. According to Higley, the simple divide and rule choice created the impression that the majority of Australians supported the monarchy in 1999, when it could not be further from the truth.

In September 2017, a Guardian newspaper headline read ‘Australian republican poll shows that Charles unpopular ‘Even at Home’’[2] .This polling result suggested that the monarchy was not popular in Australia and a republic would be the favoured choice in 2017.

In 2022, as Australia moves inevitably towards a republic, what should be the ideal structure of the republic?

Given the divisiveness of the presidential models in the failed 1999 republic referendum, and better than having a ceremonial figure head akin to the Governor General, a parliament with the Prime Minister as the republic’s head of state is proposed. The present republican models for a president involve direct or parliamentary election of the head of state, however, both of these models are highly controversial even within the republican section of the Australian public and consensus may never be reached [3].

A plebiscite should be enacted to decide whether the majority of Australians would prefer to retain the monarchy or become a republic. The deciding vote will be greater than a 50% majority [4].

If the republican vote is a majority and is successful, then the following could apply:

1. The status quo of the lower and upper houses of parliament for state and federal governments will be maintained in a future Australian republic.

2. The Prime Minister will effectively be the ‘President of the Republic’.

3. The constitutional crisis caused by the dismissal of the Whitlam government in 1975 will be permanently avoided, if there is no president [2].

4. The no president innovation will make federal and state governor generals redundant thus producing a huge cost saving for the states and the Commonwealth.

5. The Australian Constitution will be redrafted in line with twenty-first century Australian human rights and cultural values.

6. An Australian Charter of Human Rights will be established based upon the 1948 UN Declaration of Human Rights.

7. The Bill of Rights will provide a basis and reference for future law making in Australia.

Conclusion

The Prime Minister as head of state in a future Australian republic provides a solution to the problematic president models highlighted in the failed 1999 republic referendum. It should be noted that this is the modus operandi and status quo of democratic government in Australia at present, because the Governor General acts at most times as a ceremonial head of state.

The Governor General and state governors made redundant will be an enormous cost saving exercise benefiting the people of Australia. In addition, the administration of government will be unencumbered. A stream-lined simple model for an Australian republic is presented with a Prime Minister as head of state, acting as the President, offers the best solution.

References

[1] J. Higley, “Elite division and voter confusion: Australia’s republic referendum in 1999”, European Journal of Political Research 41, 2002, pp 845–861.

[2] A. Remeikis, “Australian Republican poll shows that Charles unpopular ‘even at Home’’, Guardian Newsparer Australia, September 2017.

[3] R.E McGarvie, Democracy: Choosing Australia’s republic. Melbourne: Melbourne, University Press, 1999.

[4] J. Highley, R. Evans, “Australia: The politics of becoming a republic’, Journal of Democracy 11, 2000, pp 136–152.

Featured image above: Gough Whitlam speaking on the steps of Parliament House in Canberra immediately following his dismissal by Governor General Sir John Kerr, 1975.

Dr Graeme Heald grew up in Burnie having Palawa heritage (Anderson family line, associated with Moorina one of Truganini’s sisters). In 1991 he completed a B.Sci in Physics (UTas) and moved to Melbourne to teach in TAFE, then later achieved a PhD in Engineering (RMIT) and presently is an independent Research Scientist and Engineer.