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Dear Is Mise,

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You ask :

« …what are the advantages? »

The advantages are that from our beginnings as a convict colony of slave labour we shall have finally succeeded in becoming fully emancipated as free citizens of an independent democratic country and masters of our own destiny.

Naturally, there are advantages and inconveniences. It’s like asking children “what are the advantages of growing up and becoming adults ?” No doubt, some would prefer not to.
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« What would the operation cost? »

I am not privy to the administrative costs of the 1999 referendum but I expect the budget for a new referendum would need to take inflation into account.

As for ongoing costs, retirement of the current head of state and her replacement by a domestic head of state of Australian nationality would produce an appreciable economy, - though, again, I am not privy to the numbers involved.

Also I am not aware of how the costs of the current state governors are financed. No doubt they should be maintained as at present. If there is any change, it should be an economy – no need for them to travel to London, even if it's only occasionally.

The only other additional cost that comes to mind is the establishment of a new constitution. In my view this is long overdue and should be done anyway, whether we decide to change our head of state or not.
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« Could the money be better spent? »

If we could be sure that life goes on forever as it is today, yes, we could probably find many pleasant things to do with the money. We could build our house with straw. We could build our house with sticks. That would save a lot of time and effort and money …

But, let me ask you a question: do you think that is the wise thing to do ?

In my experience, the best (most effective) economies are often generated by timely investments.

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I would very much prefer to see any 'idle'(sic) dollars invested in the development of Northern Queensland, getting rid of the single lane bridges on Highway 1 and more beds in hospitals to get rid of those ambulances queued outside hospital Emergency Departments.

I don't know how the federal politicians who are forever diverting the attention of the federal Parliament onto 'feel-good' exercises as gay marriage, republic and so on can sleep at night knowing (say) the time the sick and injured spend waiting for treatment in public hospital EDs. Or the messes of metal and human flesh being cleaned up from accidents that could have been prevented by providing better roads.

Maybe the view and priorities are different for the self-promoting wealthy and comfy inner urban 'progressives' who are shielded from such problems and the Trouble Streets,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCdFc-sCAEI

Banjo wrote "The principal if not the only difference between a republic and a monarchy is that the former is a democracy...."

I'm sure the people in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will be thrilled (and not a little confused) to hear that.

No one has offered a Republic nation that has better services than Australia in its present form.
The costs are not just a single referendum, it involves all Government stationary, from "Commonwealth of Australia" to "Republic of Australia" removing an English word meaning the "shared wealth of its people" to a French word meaning "ruled by the people". It means renaming public buildings and anything that uses the term Royal in its title, e.g. Royal flying Dr. Service.

A whole makeover. For what?

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Thank you, gentlemen (I presume). Those are all valid observations and objections which cannot be denied.

But nobody has yet, to my knowledge, found a way of making an omelette without breaking a few eggs. As the OED puts it: "it is not possible to accomplish something worthwhile without adverse effects elsewhere".

So far as the matter in hand is concerned, I believe it is worthwhile breaking a few eggs – because everybody, without exception, would get a fair share of the omelette.

There has always been support in Australia for a republican form of government. In the 1850’s the Rev. John Dunmore Lang, founder of the Presbyterian Church in Australia, was an avowed republican. At the Australian Convention in Sydney in 1891, which produced the first draft that was to become the Australian Constitution, a former Premier of New South Wales, Mr George Dibbs, described as the “inevitable destiny of the people of this great country” the establishment of “the Republic of Australia”.

We have been discussing it and debating it for the last 200 years. It has never been considered a priority. We have wisely spent our money on more urgent developments: roads, railways, hospitals, housing, social services, churches, agriculture, mining, defence ...

It has always been left at the bottom of the pile. But it is an important matter that should not be neglected. Our country has changed. We have come of age. We are now among some of the leading nations of the world. Our voice is heard and respected. We are no longer a monoculture. We have become increasingly cosmopolitan.

For the moment, all is calm on the Western front. We are not on the brink of any major social or political upheaval. The environment is right for us to finally emerge from the apron strings of our mother country. It is time we stood up on our own two feet and assumed our rightful place as fully fledged members of the world community.

That, I believe, is what our ancestors struggled to achieve, as their homeland had been denied to them forever.

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