The majority of state and territory leaders have united for Australia to become a republic, reigniting the debate over Australia's future.
In a surprise move, all but one of the state and territory leaders have signed a letter calling for the Queen to be replaced by an Australian head of state.
The chairman of the Australian Republican Movement, Peter FitzSimons, insists support for the movement is phenomenal.
"More and more people realise that in the 21st century it is ludicrous for Australia to find our heads of state from one family of un-elected English aristocrats living in a palace in London," he said.
The Australian Monarchist League argues there is no widespread public support for replacing the monarchy. The group’s national chair, Philip Benwell highlights that of the 16 million eligible voters in Australia, Mr FitzSimons' petition had gathered just over 4,000 signatures.
Mr Benwell said Australia has Peter Cosgrove as a "compassionate" Governor-General representing the Queen in Australia.
"The Governor General is an Australian, lives in Australia and moves amongst the people of Australia so we have the best of both worlds," he said.
But Mr FitzSimons maintains the monarchical model is embarrassing.
"You look to your children and say they can be anything they want in our brown and pleasant land, bar one: they can't be a head of state. Why can't they? Because they're Australian," he said.
State, territory leaders unite to push for republic
The premiers of seven of Australia's eight states and territories have backed the petition by the Australian Republican Movement calling for a republic. Only Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett has refused to sign the declaration, which says Australia should have an Australian as its head of state.
The Australian Republican Movement's Peter FitzSimons said he is bemused by the refusal of Mr Barnett to sign it.
"Premier Colin Barnett from Western Australia wrote me a lovely note saying sorry I can't sign. I am a Republican by the way," he said, laughing off the matter.
Mr FitzSimons believes Mr Barnett is worried about losing votes in the upcoming state election.
He also suggested Mr Barnett's hesitation has to do with the premier's opening of Elizabeth Quay on the Swan River this week.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten have also expressed support for the move to a republic. Mr FitzSimons insists the politicians' views reflect the majority of public opinion and the vote will have the backing of the people.
However, Philip Benwell from the Australian Monarchist League believes the support of so many premiers and politicians for the petition reflects their desire for more authority.
"Politicians want a republic so that they can have more power and authority. We will have a President who will be selected by the parliament and the parliament will therefore control that president. At the moment we have a sovereign head of state and the Queen who is totally above party politics," he said.
Timing of the call questioned
Furthermore, Philip Benwell criticised the timing of the petition, ahead of Australia Day.
"Australia day should be a day of national rejoicing, not division. And we feel that Peter FitzSimons is introducing this sort of thing to divide the Australian people," he said.
Mr FitzSimons said there is no better time than now.
"It's not dividing us. What's dividing us is persisting to having a foreign head of state. Australia Day is a time of reflection for who are we and what are we. It's a perfect time," he claims.
"We have a choice here: we are either a proud, multicultural people, from all the lands on Earth we come - not with a history of 240 years but with a history of 60,000 years - or we are a lost tribe of white fellas, marooned on an island in the south Pacific, cast away by the Brits who put us here, desperately hoping that they will take us back,” he said.
“Well they're not going to take us back, it's just us. Let's become our own people with our own political infrastructure within our own borders.”
With political leaders united, Mr FitzSimons said the republican movement now wanted a plebiscite on the republic by 2020, to be followed by a referendum if the initial vote is successful. A previous referendum in 1999 on the issue was rejected.
Despite having been the former head of the Australian Republican Movement, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said that the issue is not a priority for his government.
Share
