A recent comment on the ACM Facebook page quotes the ARM as saying:
"Australian Republican Movement: Changing the flag is not ARM policy. Other organizations like AusFlag have this as their primary motivation."
But the evidence is to the contrary. In fact, whenever we produced this brochure during the referendum campaign, the ARM representative, sometimes its Chairman, went white in the face.
So what flag is the ARM wanting to impose on the country? Their present policy seems to be to leave the Flag until after the country becomes some sort of politicians' republic – that is what the republican newspaper The Age says. The former ARM policy was to do it before, or at the same time as one of the foundation pillars would be torn out of the Constitution.
These are some of the flags they have suggested. Most are of the beach towel variety.
These republican flags come from the exhibition, " Flagging the Republic". This was held in New South Wales around the referendum.
The ARM held or sponsored another in Canberra at the time of the Constitutional Convention. A leading republican delegate, Mrs Holmes a Court, from the floor of the Convention, invited all delegates to go. In those days the ARM was so assured of victory they did not hide their plans about changing the flag. Of course, I would not have been seen near such a truly appalling event.
It was not long before that Minister Kim Beazley had announced on behalf of the Keating government – who worked hand in glove with the republican movement – that our Flag would be changed before the Bicentennial.
And it will come as no suprise to readers that the republicans had no plans whatsoever to ask the people whether their beloved Flag should be shredded.
In case you had difficulty seeing one of the flags, here it is, suitably censored. You can see this flag among the many that the republican movement preferred to the Australian Flag in this brochure which carries the republican movement logo : click here
