Republicanism
In 1999 Australia declined to pursue becoming a Republic. The debate’s back on, in large part due to Mark Latham, and this time things might turn out differently. Parliamentary politics are a bit alien to me, and I can’t say I like the idea of an appointed President. The present method of electing MPs, which utilizes the application of “preferences” strikes me as entirely workable. It’s one of the systems we heard about in the States in 2000, when George II usurped the White House, as a method for eliminating the Electoral College. Direct election of a chief executive is problematic in the States and in Australia because of population distribution, giving the preference to the eastern states in both countries. O.k., California, too. But only in the U.S. The preferences system or an Electoral College would balance this, and would allow the executive more potential for independent action over politicized appointment via Parliament. In any event, there’s no benefit to Australia to remain tied to England, especially now that the Governor General appears more and more to be a figurehead, one not even cutting a lot of ribbons these days. The most important thing the present committee can do this time is to try to assure that the process is not driven by John Howard’s rhetoric. He is a clever man and sidestepped the issue last time by recasting the referendum to the advantage of his agenda. Give the power to the people this time, and I think the outcome might be different.