Nick,

The one with a capital 'F'.

Belly,

Convince us that all the republic supporters are not a shingle short, and tell us just one, ONE, (1) way in which Australians will be materially better off in a republic?

Tell us how it will reduce taxation, petrol prices, rent, mortgage repayments, car rego; there is a myriad of things that could be improved to the benefit of the people.

Tell us one, just one, pretty please?

Isi, just got your comments on page 67.
Not following your wording, but I'll run through it again to clarify.
Labour won an election.
The labour party voted that Whitlam should be PM.
As the govt of the day the labour party selected Kerr as Australia's GG, and passes 'their' selection on to the Queen for consideration.
I have NEVER said the Queen selects anyone, but she DOES have the power to, and does, decide whether to appoint the nominees.
If it is a change of govt, Whitlam goes to ASK, (as the proto-col stands)the Queen, IF he can form a govt.
If it's only a reshuffle but the party remains in control of the govt, no need to see the Queen.
The Queen receives the nomination or suggestion of Kerr as her representative in her stead.
Formality and proto-col follows that Kerr is engaged, by the Queen to be our GG.
I don't recall the order as to what came first, but as I have said many times before, the Monarchy handed over the day-to-day running of a country to the parliament, and that's why the GG is chosen by the parliament and the chosen candidate's name is forwarded to the Queen who proceeds to approve it, or not, it's just the way it has been for as long as the convention has been around.
The Royals stepped away from politics many years ago when one of the ancestors was attacked by the people and beheaded if memory serves.
So since then the Royals have allowed their countries to self govern and only step in when the 'children' don't 'play nice', like Whitlam.
I think this might be one point you are getting wrong.
Whitlam cannot appoint anyone, let alone TELL the GG to appoint him.
They are two separate issues, one is the appointment of a govt, the other the appointment of a GG.
The govt can't appoint the GG, only ASK the Queen to hire him.
If there is a new govt then, YES he too must go and ASK the Queen if he can form govt.

So it's not "first say" , the monarch assents to the parliament's action. Not "last say" but assents to parliament's need for dismissal, once in 120 years. It's all procedural and never substantive. A referee never tackles a player or scores a point.

The forum.
For some the big kids section of OLO.
Others do everything they can to show it is in fact a place to firmly hold their breath and stamp their feet thumb firmly in the their mouths and let truth die.
Boy are they good at it!
FORMALITIES long gone, existed just as the holder of the black rod [it is not black] is a carry over from us adopting the Westminster system of government.

Belly,

Just one; go on be a sport and tell us.

As for 5 million being wrong, the whole World was wrong over the Millenium, except for a few of us, so you could just be a teeny bit wrong about a republic.

"Black Rod dates back to the fourteenth century in Britain. . The Black Rod was used to discipline anyone who offended the Order."
It's humiliating to bend the knees under the royal rod like a convict being flogged, the republic will replace it by Don Bradman's bat.