There will be no significant constitutional change in Australia in the next fifty years.
This is the confident prediction of the nation’s leading observer of the electoral process, Professor Malcolm Mackerras. His famous pendulum has for many years been an indispensable tool in every election, federal, state or territory.
Malcolm Mackerras was speaking on the Gold Coast to the Annual National Conference of Australians for Constiutional Monarchy.
He characterised the campaign to remove the Crown as no more than a fad. It is a product, he said, of the change for change sake brigade. He believes that another referendum would lead to such a significant defeat that the issue would be off any realistic political agenda for a generation.
The Conference was opened by Michael Hodgman, QC, MP, and Her Majesty’s Shadow Attorney –General for the Sate of Tasmania. In a message,
He pointed out that the founders were clearly of the view that the Australian constitution they were developing would create a permanent and enduring Australian constitutional monarchy. He warned against change described as a minimalist or cosmetic alteration. This he feared would so damage the constitutional system it would destroy it forever.
The conference was addressed by Senator Ron Boswell, and Andrew Cripps MP, and heard the views of former MP Malcolm Brooks, former Lord Mayor of Sydney, Doug Sutherland – a founder of ACM, Lord Mayor of Sydney and the former Treasury Secretary and Senator John Stone. It heard reports on ACM across the nation, and on the latest version of the ACM education project, Crowned Republic.
Young IT expert Jai Martinkovits spoke about the use of the latest technology in the project. Ed Copeman, who is studying in a combined engineering and law programme, spoke about the outreach programme into the schools.
In addition a team of nine young and dynamic Australians, all from Queensland, explained why they supported our indissoluble Federal Commonwealth under the Crown. Their reasons ranged from constitutional, a personal experience of living in a leading republic, and a young man who forthrightly told of his strong attachment not only to the constitution but the symbols of the Crown.
The Conference is one of many events being held across the nation to commemorate the 1999 referendum when the Australian people, nationally , in all States and in 72% of electorates indicated their continuing approval of our indissoluble Federal Commonwealth under the Crown.