In considering this question it is of great importance to understand the type of republic we are going to vote on at the November referendum, because of the long-term effect the model will have,...

Proposals to turn Australia into a republic face legal uncertainties and difficulties. There is no clear path to put in place such a change to one linchpin in Australia's constitutional structure.

In...

The working of our political institutions is governed not only by the words of the Constitution but also by conventions, which are rules of practice regarded as binding by those to whom they apply,...

In his article "How Britannia ruled our Constitution" (The Australian, 29 June 1994 page 13), Malcolm Turnbull is wide of the mark in his conclusions from history for the present (or even for our...

Nationality and national identity are contested concepts, rather than unambiguous attributes such as height and weight. The Duke of Wellington was once greeted as the greatest living Irishman on the grounds that he had...

The phrase 'Head of State system' is well chosen. In any discussion of Australia's system of executive government, and indeed in any discussion of the basis of the Australian legal system - the Monarch...