A debate between ACM and the Australian Republican Movement was televised nationally on the Queen’s Birthday on 14 June 2010. This was on the Channel 7 programme "Weekend Sunrise". Major General Mike Keating appeared on behalf of the republican movement and Professor David Flint AM for Australia’s constitutional monarchists. A video of the programme is embedded below.
Major General Keating has been arguing that support for a politicians’ republic is at about 60 to 80% of the population. Professor Flint pointed out that polls taken for some considerable time, including Morgan and Newspoll indicate that support for a vague undefined politicians’ republic was trending down in the low 40% range. Worse for the republicans, support is even lower among the young.
Pointing out that we were already a crowned republic, he said even prominent republicans have admitted the 1999 model would have increased the power of the politicians. The issue is principally constitutional, and the Crown is central to that.
In addition constitutional monarchists were interviewed on radio and in the press.
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…annual whinge…
In previous years when the republican movement called in previous years for the Queen's Birthday holiday to be scrapped, they found little public support. Now they calling for the name of the day to be changed to "Diversity Day" or "Reconciliation Day".
According to Cathy Alexander of AAP (The Sydney Morning Herald 13/4), monarchists are not taking that lying down.
The Australians for Constitutional Monarchy organisation, she said, labelled the campaign a whinge."Today, we honour the impeccable service Her Majesty has given the nation for just under two-thirds of its existence," National Convenor Professor Flint said. "Australia's dwindling republican movement engages in its yearly whinge about the holiday instead of deigning to tell the Australian people how they want to change the constitution and the flag."
Ms. Alexander reports that the “campaign to make Australia a republic has slowed. The federal government says it wants a republic, but has indicated it won't hurry to bring one about.”