In a debate broadcast on Wednesday, 26 March 2014 ( podcast 260314) on Neil Mitchell's program on Melbourne's highest rating talkback station 3AW about the reintroduction of the knights and dames, ACM's young executive director Jai Martinkovits said that support for a politicians' republic had fallen since the referendum.
The current leader of the republican movement, David Morris, replied by claiming something palpably untrue:
"Young people are the most republican and Jai knows that every poll in the last 30 years has shown that."
Polls since before the referendum which show support according to age usually results in the bell shaped curve.
These usually demonstrate that the middle aged and not the young are more republican.
Is Mr Morris so uninformed on such a fundamental matter? Why did he say this?
Although he tried to speak over Jai, he was soon caught out.
After the debate the presenter Neil Mitchell, who is a republican, read from a recent poll which showed that youth support for a politicians' republic was indeed lower than most other groups.
How embarrassing for the ARM.
The ARM leader also claimed that ".… Australians clearly want our next head of state to be Australian.…''
As ACM has long pointed out the Australian government holds out the G-G to be head of state and he or she is received as such in other countries. The High Court in 1907 held that the G-G is the constitutional head of the commonwealth. Legislation has confirmed that the G-G is indeed the head of state.
Mr Morris also said that "Australians were not given a choice in 1999 …"
They were. The choice was between the model his movement chose and campaigned for, or staying with the Constitution we know.