Yet another prominent republican has declared that achieving their agenda is years away.
He is the formidable Professor Greg Craven, a leading constitutional lawyer, a nominated delegate to the 1998 Constitutional Convention, a member of the 1999 referendum Vote No Committee and now Vice-Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University.
"I'd say there's virtually no chance of Australia becoming a republic within the next, say, 20 years," Professor Craven told Amy Coopes from Agence France Presse ( Royal wedding sidelines Australia republic drive, 28 April)
…Australians constitutionally lazy…
Professor Craven has previously predicted that if a referendum were put proposing a republic where the people elect the president, Australians should be prepared to live under the reign not only of King Charles III but also that of King William V.
He told AFP that republican groups were deeply divided on whether to have a politically-appointed or elected president, making it virtually impossible to even get a model to put before the public.He could have added they are also divided as to whether there should be a second plebiscite to choose the model to go to a referendum.
While Australians were not interested in the monarchy "except as a celebrity spectacle," Professor Craven said they were "benign" at best on the republic question and "fundamentally constitutionally lazy".
It may well be that instead of being lazy, they do not see any problem in the Australian Crown.
…digging in…
AFP’s conclusion?The upcoming royal wedding has Australia's royalists and republicans in rare and unlikely agreement — the monarchy is digging in Down Under.