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An Australian head of state

By John Warhurst - posted Friday, 9 November 2007


In the case of the Labor leadership team Australians would welcome greater detail from Kevin Rudd about his ideas and priorities. It is just the issue on which he can shrug off criticisms that the major parties are mirror-images of one another, like Tweedledum and Tweedledee. He can do far more to take the lead in creating the environment for a dynamic relationship with the Liberal Party, one that the Liberals would reject at their peril. And we need to hear from others in Labor within their electorates about their particular hopes and aspirations for a republic. Voters want to know.

In the case of the Liberal Party Peter Costello has a great chance, so far not acted upon, to go beyond his personal public support for a republic and to say how the republic fits into his vision as the next Liberal leader. As he himself said last year there is a vacant spot in the pantheon of notable Australians for the political leader who delivers an Australian republic. Perhaps he can be the one to carry that mantle. Other republican Liberals need to show some spunk too, like the now retired senators, Amanda Vanstone and Robert Hill, and stand up for their own beliefs. It is worse than useless to declare that you are a republican, as Greg Hunt, the member for Flinders did recently in The Age, but then to demean its prospects as "at best a third order issue".

The Democrats and the Greens, too, have a clear opportunity to present themselves as bolder than the major parties and to differentiate themselves further from each other and from their minor party competitor, Family First. It can only be to their advantage to do so. Just this week the Democrats, to their credit, have done this by issuing a republic policy calling for a plebiscite on the issue in 2009 at the same time as the promised reconciliation referendum.

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The republic is an issue on which supporters are double the number of opponents. These supporters want an indication that all parties and candidates are applying themselves to the issue in an intelligent, creative, nonpartisan way. Australia deserves no less.

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About the Author

John Warhurst is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science with the Australian National University and Flinders University and a columnist with the Canberra Times.

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