Whenever there is a revolution or breakdown in some distant land – always another politicians’ republic – the Australian government is rightly called on to look after our citizens.
These include not only passing tourists and business people. There are also usually numbers of Australians with dual and more nationalities.
Some of these are Australians who are retired and prefer to live in their original homeland.
Then there are those many Australians who live in Australia and who also have the nationality of another country or countries.
Immigrants have never been required – as in some countries – to denounce their original citizenship. In recent years, those born here have been allowed to acquire other nationalities and retain their Australian citizenship.
Under the law they are all Australians.
…republican movement plays the race card…
Yet if any of them dares support the present constitution and flag it seems the republican movement would deny them their rights as Australians.
My attention has been drawn to the fact that I am regularly denigrated on racial criteria on a website administered by the republican movement.
I have been described as having a “perma tan complexion” . I am dismissed as "Indonesian-born", a “blow in”.
They suggest that for these reasons I am not entitled to speak on constitutional issues. ACM has never denied the right of immigrants to speak in the debate on our Constitution and our Flag.
The republican movement is playing the race card, and Australians will draw their own conclusions on that.
Australians – whatever their colour and wherever they are born – remain Australians with full rights including the right to speak on matters relating to the Constitution and our Flag.
….The Queen of Australia…
The republicans also claim The Queen is foreign.
She is not.
[Continued below]
The Queen has been Queen of Australia – a separate Realm – since her accession. She has borne the official title 'Queen of Australia' since 1953 when the Australian Parliament passed the Royal Style and Titles Act, 1953.
She is an integral part of each Parliament.
The High Court has ruled that the Australian Crown is separate from the British Crown. Obviously The Queen of Australia is Australian.
Her family has beecn intimately involved with Australia from 1788.
The Sovereign assented to all of the constiuent documents of each of the Australian colonies.
The Sovereign assented to the Constitution of Australia Act, the Statute of Westminster, the Australia Acts, and proclaimed the Constitution Act.
The Sovereign, or a future Sovereign, opened the first Parliament in 1901, opened Parliament House Canberra , the New Parliament House, the High Court of Australia and the Sydney Opera House.
They have never been paid, nor are they entitled to the generous superannuation our republican politicians receive.
That the Sovereign does not permanently live here is not relevant in measuring the dgree to which she is Australian. This is not used as a criterion of nationality in relation to any Australian – why should it be used in relation to our Sovereign?
Thousands of ordinary Australians don't permanently live here either. Over three million of today's Australians were not born here.
They are all Australian.
So is The Queen of Australia.
Say this to some republicans and they don’t explain why you are wrong. As with the Fairfax columnist and former talk show host Mike Carlton (The Sydney Morning Herald, 29/1), they substitute abuse for analysis.
He quotes me thus: ''The Queen is of course Australian,'' he huffed, barmy as ever. No, she's not. If Elizabeth Mountbatten-Windsor or any of her offspring were to apply for an Australian passport they wouldn't clear the first hurdle.
The Queen of course does not carry a passport, the reasons for which would be evident were Mr. Carlton to read his passport.