What would make you vote yes to Australia becoming a Republic?

Question

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd says another referendum on whether Australia should become a republic will be held if Labor wins office in the next Federal Election.

Would you vote yes if this referendum was repeated? What would be your reason for doing so?

Read more about Kevin Rudd's promise at http://au.news.yahoo.com/070725/2/141pk.html

Answer 1

Ultimately it would depend on the wording put forth in any future referendum question.

If it's a simple...Should Australia become a republic?
Then my answer would be a definite YES!

My preference would be for the current Australian flag to be retained and for any executive type powers to be held by parliament and not subject to the whim of any one individual.

Australia is a mature democratic society and quite capable of making decisions in the best interests of its citizens without needing to report to any foreign sovereign.

Having said that, I would still like to see Australia remain as part of the Commonwealth.

Cheers :)

Answer 2

It's odd that Aussies don't feel INDEPENDENT simply because they don't have an Australian head of state. Monarchy isn't about that, a trained monkey could sit on a throne on Mars as monarch or as president. Constitutional Monarchy is about a method of government that, in this particular model's case, has been successful for 350 years. Name another system that has prevailed for so long without revolution or civil war.

I will vote YES when there is a proper adult debate about AUSTRALIA'S place in the world and not it's ties to the Mother Country and not about the faults of the Windsors or the latent anti-British sentiment that so often infects the debate amongst the population. When there is a proper debate about a new constitution that will match the new state. I will vote yes when it is about Australia and it's future and not about Britain and Australia's past.

And it would be wise that people remember that that Great Republic, the USA whose founding fathers cobbled together a constitution in effectively a few months, is still a work in progress some 231 years on. When Australian's have a debate that realises not all of their hang-ups, anxieties and sentiments about "independence", in an already independent country, will be resolved in one referendum, but have a debate adult enough to accept that it too will always be a work in progress. Then I will vote yes.

Malcolm Turnbull was on the right track when he started his campaign all those years ago, but even he has realised it's pointless and more or less given up hope that the country will ever be ready to grow. Or even grow-up.

Answer 3

I would vote NO. Politicians have far too much power as it is.
If this country was run by politicians for ALL voters and not just the vested interests I may think differently.

Australia used to be a place of the "fair go". No longer applies. I see the current system providing a level of protection that would not exist if we had a republic.
Nothing wrong with the system we have at the moment.
If I could change anything it would be that tax payers do not pay for royal visits, political advertising or many other money wasting avenues governments seem to dream up. Spend tax payer money on tax payers. I would also cut politicians superannuation payouts and perks. We are not getting value for money with the political system the way it is (as an average consumer). Changing the system to presidential style or republican would enable the already overblown ego's & factionalists to stomp all over the rest of us more than they already do.
No Republic & I am not a monarchist.
It ain't broke it don't need fixing.

I vote for better honest politicians and changes to the two party system. Bring back ethics.

Answer 4

Nothing would make me vote YES to Australia becoming a republic at this time. The amount of money it would cost for the referendum and the change over just isn't worth it. I can't see that day to day life would be changed either for the better or the worse by us becoming a republic. So, if it's not broke, don't fix it. Furthermore, I'm not convinced that the governmental structure and voting system has yet had all the bugs ironed out of it by the republicans and I feel we might get more than a few headaches from the change over process. Much ado about nothing.

Answer 5

I don't understand how being a republic could make our live's in this country any better than they already are.
you will still have an elected leader and a political party, the only difference is you will not have the govenor general and the Queen as head of state.
Currently the queen and the govenor general have no effect on my life, and despite the title change the prime minister/president and there political party it controls, most likely will continue doing business the same as they already are.
I think the money used for a referendum would be better spent on looking for ways to ease the housing crisis I see plastered all over the news, create new infrastructure for the supply of quality drinking water, Improve our medical system, and research new ways to assist our farmers.
I vote labour, but i must say that kevin rudd neads to reconcider the referendum as I believe the result will be no different to the result attained from the last one we had.

Spooky.

Answer 6

I voted no at the last referendum, and I will vote no if there is a new one.
I think that turning Australia into a republic is a case of "change for the sake of change", rather than for a legitimate purpose. Republicans often say how things won't really change under a republic, that the system will be the same, we'll just have an Australian head of state. If there's not going to be a great deal of change, I honestly don't see the need.
Strangely enough, as a pro monarchist, I'm also a proud Labour supporter.

Answer 7

I voted no last time and I want to see a Republic for Australia.

Why, the loaded question I felt, gave me no option. The fact that it was poorly presented and the model was not very favourable made me feel I could not vote in its favour.

The view of die hard republicans was to vote for it and fix it later. You can't eat a cake before its baked, so why pull something out of the oven if it's not ready.

I am sure the Liberal govt, under committed monarchist Johnny Howard, used this as a political tactic to ensure the status quo remained. They saw a chink in the armour as Republicans could not agree on a model, so they employed the tactic of divide and conquer.

I do not want a two thirds of the house appointed President. I want to be able to choose, along with my people. There are other points such as having four year terms of office and rationalising state power to prevent the century old sibling rivalry squabble that exists between the states thus preventing progress for Australia. They can be addressed too.

If Kevin Rudd leads the Labor Party to victory in the next election and the Republican debate is back on the agenda, I for one will look forward to voting for it. But only if the model suits me and I believe it's for the good of the country.

Roll on the Republic

Answer 8

Should Australia become a Republic?
that is inevitable - Definately Yes.

Should Australia become a republic with a (puppet) president appointed by Parliament? (1999 referendum)
No.
The powers the president in that model would have was far less than the Govener General has now. The GG does nothing while the Prime Minister and his government act according to the wishes of the people and can govern the land. If the GG needs to however, he or she, as a "Watch Dog", has the teeth to make changes. The President in the 1999 model was a "watch dog" with no teeth.

Answer 9

None as we are all right as we are a free country and there is not many left. So why go to a Republic will it make it any cheaper to live.

Will it create jobs.

Will it improve health care for the nation.

Will it improve education.

Will it improve exports.

Will it improve the moral fibre of Australian youth to be better citizens.

Will it help the aboriginal population at large to gain better understanding of Australian Society law of good conduct.

Will it improve air, sea, roads and rail infrastructures for cheaper freight costs.

Will it improve housing and the cost of ownership which has been lost to the average Australian families.

Will it improve the well being of Australia in the eyes of the world.

Not likely as it is now one of the best counties in the world so let be what is not broken don't tinker.

A Republic will only take my vote away from the Labour Party to invalid source.

Keep the Governor General as this person keeps the bastard's honest.

Answer 10

Hi, this is from Lesley in South Wales in United Kingdom. We have an assemble instead of the British central government. A little Independence is good it makes you feel that you are growing up. I recently went to South Africa and was astonished at the attitude of the White S. African to Independence. Most welcomed it but were afraid that their government would not take their views into consideration. Replacing a white dominated dictatorship with a Black one. Apartheid was a sickness that affected not only the Black, the educated Whites hated it.
May be the strings could be loosened a little more and the institutions need for self determination strengthened and publicised before the long needed step can be taken with the whole hart-ed respect of the country. I am sure that the older people don't realise that there is an attitude of that is where we send our rubbish to rule the colony's pervading some parts of British society today, even about Wales. We are not good enough to rule ourselves so they think. A throw back to Colonial rule! The Welsh language has just about survived. Yes I believe that Independence is a good thing but in an ordered way so that all parts get their rights and due including the Aborigine people.

Answer 11

No; I will not be voting yes.
I am in fear of us going down the track of the european union; I don't see any evidence of this working effectively for any country.
I do not want Australia to become a republic; I am a born & bred Aussie, and proud of our country; I do however see our civil liberties being erroded at a fast rate.
Mr Rudd wants to tell us what we can read; what products we can purchase; what our children can eat; what has happened to free thinking? Do we really need to be told these things? Can't we think for ourselves? I certainly can, and I am sure most aussies can. This is just the tip of the iceberg; communism here we come under Rudd & his followers!!