The principal argument advanced in the campaign for a change to a republic is that the Head of State should be Australian; constitutional monarchists reply that we already have an Australian Head of State in the Governor-General.
An overlooked decision of the High Court has finally resolved the issue.
Now, one of the nation’s leading journals, Quadrant has just published in the July- August 2008 issue a paper, ” The Head of State debate resolved.”
With the approval of the editor, Dr Keith Windschuttle, the paper is now available on our site and may be downloaded by clicking on the link above. (Two minor corrections have been made to the text. )
Republicans will have to find another reason to persuade Australians to make the biggest structural change to our constitutional system since Federation, as a former Chairman of the ARM described it.
Let's hope they aren't as foolish as to say, as leading republicans did in carefully staged media campaign 1999, that a republic will actually improve unemployment, trade, our status in Asia, immigration rates, artistic freedom etc. etc
To read which prominent republican said what, look at Sir David Smith's book, Head of State, which is cited in the article.
