Title: THE REPUBLICAN ALTERNATIVE
1THE REPUBLICAN ALTERNATIVE
Jess, James and Laura
2WHAT IS A REPUBLIC?
- According to the Macquarie Dictionary, a republic
is a state in which the supreme power resides in
the body of citizens entitled to vote and is
exercised by representatives chosen directly or
indirectly by them. In particular, a republic
refers to a system of government that has no
hereditary monarch a person who holds political
or constitutional office purely as a birthright.
3- WHAT REPUBLIC MODELS HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED?
4MODEL ONEPrime Minister Appoints the President.
- Prime Minister selects who should be the Head of
State. - Closest to our current system of government.
5MODEL TWOPeople Nominate, Parliament Appoints
the President.
- Similar to bipartisan model proposed in 1999.
- Head of State appointed by a 2/3 majority of
Federal Parliament. - President can only removed by a vote in the House
of Representatives.
6MODEL THREEPresidential Assembly Elects the
President.
- An electoral college, elected by the public
selects the head of state from a list of nominees
provided by the public. - Presidential Assembly - 48 members 6 State
Governors and 43 populary elected.
7MODEL FOURPeople Elect the President.
- Any citizen with the required amount of nominees
may run for head of state in a direct vote of the
Australian people. - Considered to be the most democratic model.
8MODEL FIVEPeople Elect From Parliaments List.
- Candidates for the Presidency nominated by the
people.
9MODEL SIXExecutive Presidency.
- This is a direct election model with a President
who is also the Head of Government. - Termed as a US style model.
- Abandonment of Westminster system of responsible
government in favor of the American republican
system.
10- 1998 CONSTITUTIONAL
- CONVENTION
11The Convention considered three questions
- Whether or not Australia should become a
republic - Which republic model should be put to the voters
to consider against the current system of
government and - In what timeframe and under what circumstances
might any change be considered.
12Whether or not Australia should become a republic?
- That this Convention supports, in principle,
Australia becoming a republic. - That this Convention supports the adoption of a
republican system of government on the Bipartisan
Appointment of the President Model as set out
below in preference to there being no change to
the Constitution. - That this Convention recommends to the Prime
Minister and Parliament that the Bipartisan
Appointment of the President Model, and other
related changes to the Constitution, supported by
this Convention, be put to the people in a
constitutional referendum.
13Which republic model should be put to the voters
to consider against the current system of
government?
- Bipartisan Appointment of the President
- The public votes indirectly for a President to be
Head of State, not Head of the Executive.
14In what timeframe and under what circumstances
might any change be considered.
- If the referendum is in favour of a republic,
that the new republic come into effect by 1
January 2001. - 100 years after Federation
15How would a republic operate in Australia?
16Arguments for Australia becoming republic
- Australian pride
- Truly independent nation
- British is no longer relivant to day to day
politics - President can promote Australia
- President is one of us (knows what we need and
how we feel) - No change to flag, national anthem or number of
public holidays - Still allowed in Olympic games
- No impact on day to day politics
- More democratic (people vote)
- People basis of authority
17Arguments against Australia becoming a republic
- if it aint broke dont fix it
- tradition (historical importance political
stability) - lack of support
- divides states
- increase dominance of prime minister and
exececutive. - opinions have already been shown in last
referendum 1999
18Why did the 1999 Republic Referendum fail?
- To alter the Constitution to establish the
Commonwealth of Australia as a republic with the
Queen and Governor-General being replaced by a
President appointed by a two-thirds majority of
the members of the Commonwealth Parliament. - To alter the Constitution to insert a preamble.