Opposition Leader Uses Australia Day to Bring Question of Republicanisation Back to the Table

Every year when the 26th of January rolls around, Australians return to a few customary debate topics, but perhaps the most polarising, perennially partisan issue of all, which reaches down to the very roots and across the current foundation of our country, is whether to stay a part of the British Commonwealth or strike out on our own and become a republic. This year the mantle was taken on by opposition leader Bill Shorten. In a speech at the book launch for Mateship -a book about Australian identity- the head of the Labour Party claimed that transitioning to a republican system of government would accurately reflect contemporary Australia and its regional and global role. “Let us rally behind an Australian republic. A model that truly speaks for who we are: our modern identity, our place in our region and our world,’ Shorten said. He called upon Australians’ nationalist sentiments by referencing the need to have a head of state who is ‘one of us’ rather than the symbolic and historically oriented choice of a faraway monarch.

Republicanism became a prominent issue in Australia in the early 1970s, when the Governor General - the representative of the Queen of England (Australia’s head of state) on Australian soil-, used his reserve powers to oust then-Prime Minister Gough Whitlam from head of government, causing Australians to question whether an Australian president would have made a similar decision. The Queen formally holds the same position in Australia as she does in her British homeland, and her representative must approve all legislation passed by Parliament. Since then, the issue of republicanism has symbolised a stringent dividing line between right and left. A majority of conservatives remain staunchly in support of the preservation of traditional ties with the motherland, while the Labour party pushes for the removal of all vestiges of Australia’s colonial past from public life.

Despite this dynamic, it was the conservative Howard Government that in early 1998 held a Constitutional Convention in Canberra in order to promote public discussion of possible seminal changes to the Australian national establishment in anticipation of the federation’s centennial anniversary in 2001. The question of republicanism was a main point of discussion, and Howard promised a follow up referendum if the outcome of the convention signalled strong support for the transition. This was indeed the result, and in 1999 55% of Australians ended up voting to maintain links with the British monarchy. Since that time, the Labour party has continued to pursue its pro-republic stance with Kevin Rudd claiming he was a ‘lifelong republican’ and British-born Julia Gillard saying she was ‘obviously a republican.’ But neither Rudd nor Gillard prioritised the issue during their time in government, with Gillard claiming she thought the end of the Queen’s reign was an appropriate time for Australia to move on from its status as a constitutional monarchy, thus acknowledging the deep affection many Australians have for Queen Elizabeth II.

This stance connotes the strength of many Australians’ remaining sense of kinship with Britain. Even now, when exponentially increasing numbers of Australian immigrants are coming from Asia and the Middle East, the United Kingdom remains the top country of birth for first generation Australians. Australians spell like the British, swear like the British, enjoy the same sports, vote for the same political parties and share an enduring love for tea and fish and chips. Australia even shared ‘God Save the Queen’ as the national anthem until 1984. The impact of this cultural brotherhood on Australian daily life is arguably greater than the country’s shifting economic ties, and it is given official recognition in the structure of the political system.

Despite changing times, republican sentiment shows no signs of diminishing. Shorten’s refrain that ‘In the 21st century…let us declare that our head of state should be one of us’ may indeed resonate with many Australians.  Politically and economically, Australia is becoming more and more integrated with Asia, as represented by its involvement with organisations such as APEC and ASEAN. Long gone are the days when the UK was Australia’s foremost trading partner. Modern day Australia knows how to stand on her own two feet, and has crafted a unique identity inclusive of its Britishness, its increasing Asian influence, its special relationship with the US and its significant Greek and Italian populations. It may soon prove the time for the nation to again consider the republican question. But as much as Australia and Australians have changed, the answer to this particular problem remains understandably fuzzy.