What is a republic?
A republic is a system of government where sovereignty is held by the people rather than an aristocracy and a monarch. The power to govern is vested in the elected representatives of the people. These representatives are drawn from amongst the people and they are charged with acting on behalf of the people and in their best interests.
Of, by and for the people.
The Head of State is elected or appointed to support diplomacy and protocol for the nation, while the Head of Government leads policy making for the country. The Head of State embodies the spirit of the nation, is the guardian of the Constitution and represents the nation on the world stage at meetings of Heads of State, while the Head of Government manages the administration of the country, including setting its laws and governance programs.
In some countries, like the United States, the President is both Head of State and Head of Government – sometimes referred to as an Executive President. In other countries, like Ireland, the President is largely a ceremonial role, while the Prime Minister is the Head of Government and holds executive power.
What they all have in common is that the Head of State is a local who holds the position on the will of the people. They can be held to account, replaced or endorsed by voters, and they are fiercely loyal to their nations – and only their nations. They are a symbol of the people and the country.
How is that different to Australia?
Australia is a constitutional monarchy. We have a King – King Charles III is King of Australia. He is our Head of State. The King is gifted this position by birthright. He isn’t elected or appointed or even endorsed by the people. And he’s given the position for life, and then it is passed on to his heir or first-born child. While Charles is King of Australia, he is in fact a British citizen and lives in the United Kingdom.
You might be interested to know that to become a Member of the Australian Parliament, you must be an Australian Citizen. You can’t be a dual citizen or a citizen of any other nation, yet our Head of State is not Australian and doesn’t even live here.
The King sits at the top of all three branches of our government – the Executive (The Government), Judiciary (The Courts) and the Legislature (The Parliament). The actions of these branches are done in his name and officials of these institutions are obliged to swear allegiance to him and his heirs and successors.
The King appoints a Governor-General, on the advice of the Prime Minister, to serve as his local representative. The Governor-General is vested with the King’s powers to act on behalf of His Majesty to provide Royal Assent to Bills, commission officers in the military and public service, issue writs for elections and appoint (and dismiss) officeholders, including the Prime Minister and Ministers of State.
The Prime Minister is our Head of Government. On convention, that person is appointed to the role by the Governor-General if they have the support of a majority in the House of Representatives. The Prime Minister manages the day-to-day affairs of the country as the first among equals in the Cabinet (Executive Government).
Interestingly, the roles of the King and his representative (the Governor-General) are extensively detailed in our Constitution, yet the Prime Minister is not mentioned once – even with the tremendous power they hold and exercise. Like their appointment, the role and many other things Aussies take for granted are done by convention, rather than explicitly written rules in the Constitution.
Why should we consider becoming a republic?
Australia is the most successful multicultural nation on earth. It has three unique pillars – 65,000 years of Indigenous history and heritage, over 230 years of European settlement and British institutions, and a vibrant culturally and linguistically diverse community. These three pillars represent today’s Australia, and they need to be acknowledged and celebrated.
Some of us have chosen to adopt Australia as our home. Some of us have connections to ancestors who have been here for thousands of years. Some of our families are here because our relatives came bound below decks on prison ships. But we are all Australian. We are all equal. We all believe in equality, integrity and democracy. We all believe in merit and we’re all hopeful of an even brighter future for ourselves, our friends and our families.
A republic is the chance for Australia to unite our community and take control of our own destiny. It’s a chance to celebrate inclusion, collaboration and respect, and to write our own future together. It’s a chance to put the power back in the people’s hands, where we can choose one of our own to represent us. And, we can hold that person to account.
This is a chance to celebrate the history of our nation and all its people, regardless of their background, and to rejoice in our shared vision for tomorrow. In a practical sense, it’s also the chance to update our Constitution to reflect our modern nation. To vest powers in a local who can be held accountable through elections for their actions and genuinely promote the rule of law. We can also add the role of the Prime Minister and codify things otherwise taken for granted and done by convention to protect the Australian people and strengthen our democracy.
The decision on how we are governed and who by should be ours. The appointment should be on merit. The person should be one of us. They should work for us full-time, live here with us, and be fully committed and loyal to Australia and only Australia.
How would it work?
There are many examples of successful democratic republics around the world. In fact, of the 56 nations in the Commonwealth, 41 are already republics. Only 15 retain King Charles III as Head of State and 6 of those nations have announced plans to move to a republic model. It’s the norm – even in the Commonwealth!
If we become a republic, we would stay close friends and allies of the United Kingdom – that will never change. We won’t change the Westminster system of government, the separation of powers, the rule of law, responsible government, free and fair elections, or the primacy of the will of the Australian people – these will continue as the core of our governance. A republic will strengthen those principles by adding a Head of State elected locally who can be held to account and help hold the three branches of government to account, further strengthening democracy, responsible government and the rule of law.
When considering the model for a republic, the fundamental question is – do we want an Australian who we choose to represent us as Head of State or do we want an English aristocrat born into power with no connection to Australia to lead us for life from the other side of the world?
Our research suggests the vast majority of Australians are open to becoming a republic – 92%! They understand it is time for us to take control of our own future and let one of our sons or daughters take on the role.
Our research suggests people want to be involved in making the decision on who becomes our Head of State.
Our research says the majority of people don’t want an Executive or American style President.
So the most important thing to do is develop a model which is uniquely Australian. A form of government which represents who we are as a people and how we want to be governed.
This is not about starting with a blank sheet of paper. Rather, it’s about updating our system to reflect modern Australia and to strengthen our foundations for positive, constructive future.
It will be the Australian people’s model for our republic.
How does constitutional change happen?
The Constitution is a tremendously important document, but it’s not without fault. It’s not a sacred text and the founders weren’t Nostradamus. They lived in a world when cars were only just starting to appear on our roads – the primary source of transport was still horse and cart. The Wright brothers still hadn’t taken off in the first plane. Mobile phones, televisions, computers and thousands of other modern life inventions were decades away. Women were second class citizens without the right to vote and Indigenous Australians weren’t given citizenship until the Constitution was changed in 1967.
Elements like the rule of law and separation of powers are fundamentally important, and they got those mostly right, although they could be strengthened. Our Constitution is not an infallible document. The Prime Minister, who is arguably the most powerful and influential person in the country, isn’t even mentioned once in the document. It doesn’t enshrine the right to vote or human rights. Like other laws, the Constitution should be reviewed and amended from time to time to ensure it reflects who we are and how we want to be governed.
For Australia to become a republic, a republic model will be put to a vote at a referendum. The Parliament will enable the vote, and then every Australian of voting age can approve the change.
For the republic to succeed, it will need a ‘double majority’ – that’s a Yes vote by the majority of Australians nationwide and the majority of people in a majority of the States.
Referenda are hard to win, quite rightly, because the subjects being debated are incredibly important. They go to the heart of who we are as a nation. But we should never be afraid of tweaking the Constitution from time to time to reflect the contemporary world and the views of the people. Apart from general elections, referenda are the only way the Australian people can have a direct say in the rules that govern them.
A true democracy is empowered by the people. It’s our choice in how we want to be governed, not the politicians, the media or powerful corporations.
Referenda are expensive, but what could be more important than asking the people how they want to be governed and to be directly involved in our democracy? Our governments affect everything we do, so we need to make sure we get the system right. So when you think about it, it is a small price to pay for something which is so fundamentally important. Democracy comes with a price, but referenda put the power in the hands of the people, not the politicians. They are the mechanism through which the people take charge of their own decisions and destiny.
We should choose how the Constitution governs us and who we want to safeguard it. An Australian as Head of State allows both to occur.
Australian Choice Model
In developing a national model, we have to start somewhere, right? That’s the Australian Choice Model – it’s a conversation starter.
What are the basics?
An Australian will hold the role of Head of State.
The Australian people will choose the person who becomes Head of State through an election using the compulsory preferential voting system used for the House of Representatives.
Candidates will be nominated by the Federal, State and Territory Parliaments. As our elected representatives they will be charged with finding candidates free from political interference and mandates, people who could proudly represent us on the world stage.
The Head of State will act on advice of the Government.
The Head of State will hold limited powers to ensure the smooth functioning of Government and Parliament.
The Head of State will be accountable to the people and will serve five-year terms with a maximum of two terms.
The Prime Minister will be written into the Constitution as Head of Government and be charged with the role of administering the nation and setting the policy agenda.
Oaths and Affirmations will be sworn to Australia, its people and the Constitution and laws of our nation.
You can find out more about the Australian Choice Model here.
But this is just a start. Have we got it right? We want to hear from you, so please reach out and get involved – join the mailing list to find out more on how you can help shape it.
If you’ve made it this far, you’re pretty committed or at least open to the idea, so why not join or contribute to the ARM? With your support we can make it happen!
Want to help shape the republic?
The model put to the Australian people at a referendum needs to be developed in consultation with the Australian people.
At the Australian Republic Movement, we drafted the Australian Choice Model. It’s a starting point in those conversations. We’ve consulted widely, but we want to hear from you - we want your thoughts. We will be holding a series of town hall style forums in 2024 and beyond to test the model and its elements with you, including how the Head of State might be elected, what powers they should hold and even what they might be called.
A republic model will be our shared vision for the future. We’re looking to develop the people’s model for an Australian Republic, not the ARM’s – we’re just here to help make it happen. We will announce dates and times for these conversations in coming months, so please check back in soon or join our mailing list to keep updated.
And please join or contribute to the ARM. With your support we can make it happen!
