THE REPUBLICAN ALTERNATIVE

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THE REPUBLICAN ALTERNATIVE
Jess, James and Laura
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WHAT IS A REPUBLIC?

• According to the Macquarie Dictionary, a republic
  is a state in which the supreme power resides in
  the body of citizens entitled to vote and is
  exercised by representatives chosen directly or
  indirectly by them. In particular, a republic
  refers to a system of government that has no
  hereditary monarch a person who holds political
  or constitutional office purely as a birthright.

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• WHAT REPUBLIC MODELS HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED?

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MODEL ONEPrime Minister Appoints the President.

• Prime Minister selects who should be the Head of
  State.
• Closest to our current system of government.

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MODEL TWOPeople Nominate, Parliament Appoints
the President.

• Similar to bipartisan model proposed in 1999.
• Head of State appointed by a 2/3 majority of
  Federal Parliament.
• President can only removed by a vote in the House
  of Representatives.

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MODEL THREEPresidential Assembly Elects the
President.

• An electoral college, elected by the public
  selects the head of state from a list of nominees
  provided by the public.
• Presidential Assembly - 48 members 6 State
  Governors and 43 populary elected.

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MODEL FOURPeople Elect the President.

• Any citizen with the required amount of nominees
  may run for head of state in a direct vote of the
  Australian people.
• Considered to be the most democratic model.

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MODEL FIVEPeople Elect From Parliaments List.

• Candidates for the Presidency nominated by the
  people.

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MODEL SIXExecutive Presidency.

• This is a direct election model with a President
  who is also the Head of Government.
• Termed as a US style model.
• Abandonment of Westminster system of responsible
  government in favor of the American republican
  system.

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• 1998 CONSTITUTIONAL
• CONVENTION

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The Convention considered three questions

• Whether or not Australia should become a
  republic
• Which republic model should be put to the voters
  to consider against the current system of
  government and
• In what timeframe and under what circumstances
  might any change be considered.

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Whether or not Australia should become a republic?

• That this Convention supports, in principle,
  Australia becoming a republic.
• That this Convention supports the adoption of a
  republican system of government on the Bipartisan
  Appointment of the President Model as set out
  below in preference to there being no change to
  the Constitution.
• That this Convention recommends to the Prime
  Minister and Parliament that the Bipartisan
  Appointment of the President Model, and other
  related changes to the Constitution, supported by
  this Convention, be put to the people in a
  constitutional referendum.

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Which republic model should be put to the voters
to consider against the current system of
government?

• Bipartisan Appointment of the President
• The public votes indirectly for a President to be
  Head of State, not Head of the Executive.

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In what timeframe and under what circumstances
might any change be considered.

• If the referendum is in favour of a republic,
  that the new republic come into effect by 1
  January 2001.
• 100 years after Federation

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How would a republic operate in Australia?
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Arguments for Australia becoming republic

• Australian pride
• Truly independent nation
• British is no longer relivant to day to day
  politics
• President can promote Australia
• President is one of us (knows what we need and
  how we feel)
• No change to flag, national anthem or number of
  public holidays
• Still allowed in Olympic games
• No impact on day to day politics
• More democratic (people vote)
• People basis of authority

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Arguments against Australia becoming a republic

• if it aint broke dont fix it
• tradition (historical importance political
  stability)
• lack of support
• divides states
• increase dominance of prime minister and
  exececutive.
• opinions have already been shown in last
  referendum 1999

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Why did the 1999 Republic Referendum fail?

• To alter the Constitution to establish the
  Commonwealth of Australia as a republic with the
  Queen and Governor-General being replaced by a
  President appointed by a two-thirds majority of
  the members of the Commonwealth Parliament.
• To alter the Constitution to insert a preamble.