If some think we are "not grown up" because of our legal arrangements
then that is their problem not ours.
If we did as Binden said came all come all then the rest of the world
would be empty
The US is a republic; GAWD help us !

How does it benefit us to be tied to the Crown?
Foxy,
I saves us from being run into the ground by people like yourself, Paul1405 & other Leftie idealists !

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Dear ttbn,

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You wrote :

1. « "We are no longer a British penal colony...", so what's the problem? »
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As I’m sure you are aware, ttbn, our old colonial constitution was established by an act of parliament – not in Australia but in the UK. It was then submitted to Queen Victoria for her royal assent. That was it.

The Australian citizens were not consulted. They had no say in it. That’s part of the problem.

The constitution is our supreme law. To be effective it must be relevant to whatever society considers to be acceptable conduct at any particular point in time. The mores and laws of society are not static. Society evolves and the mores and laws evolve with it.

When, over a long period of time, the supreme law remains blocked and unable to evolve, it gradually becomes irrelevant and no longer serves its purpose. That is what has happened to our federal constitution in Australia.

Unfortunately, the drafters of the constitution failed to find the right balance between flexibility (to allow for evolution) and rigidity (to assure stability). The amendment procedures are far too heavily weighted in favour of stability. The constitution has proven impossible to amend.

It can only be amended by referendum and a referendum will only succeed if it obtains a double majority – that is, if it achieves a majority of votes across Australia, including the territories, and a majority of votes in a majority of states.

In addition, any proposed amendment that seeks to diminish the proportionate representation or minimum number of representatives of a state or alter the limits of a state will only be successful if a majority of voters in that particular state approve the proposed amendment. In those circumstances, it is more appropriate to speak of the requirement for a triple majority.

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(Continued ...)

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(Continued ...)

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Also, given the critical importance the drafters placed on representative government, a proposed amendment will only be voted on by the people if it is either passed by an absolute majority of both Houses of Parliament or passed by the same House of Parliament twice (after a period of three months) if the second House refuses to pass it.

Our federal constitution has become so stable it has completely petrified.

As a result, as I indicated in my previous post :

« Our old colonial constitution is full of holes, is racist, and offers little or no protection for individual citizens’ rights. It says that New Zealand, which was also a British colony at the time, can also become part of the federation whenever it likes. It no longer corresponds to reality.

In reality, Australia needs a new constitution, a new head of state, and a truly national democracy ».
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You added :

2. « … the massive and expensive switch to a republic that would see a purely ceremonial head of state replaced by another politician »

Who knows how much our head of state, Elisabeth II costs us ? do you, ttbn ? Does she offer us her services for free do you think ?

The only figures I could find are a bill of $1.74 million for a trip to Australia in October 2011 and $474,137 for a tour of Australia by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2014. I guess that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Then, of course, there’s the cost of the queen’s permanent representative in Australia, the Governor-General : $495,000 tax-free salary (in 2019) plus a generous pension.

By the way, ttbn, of the 27 Governors-General since 1901, less than half were politicians. The current one is an ex-military man – as was his predecessor.

In Barbados, I understand the Governor-General became the president of the newly declared republic.

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individual,

More labelling from you.

You accuse but you can't illuminate.

You always blame either academics or Lefties.

It's not a character flaw if people don't agree
with you and respecting their opinion does not take
away from yours.

Not everyone thinks the way you think, believes the
things you believe nor acts the way you would act.
Remember this and you will go a long way to getting
along with people.

I agree with Banjo Paterson. We need to sort out our
Constitution to make sure it serves the people.
If we become a republic we could create a modern set of
legislation that made the power of the head of state
explicit and clear and provided checks and balances.
We could make sure a head of state was answerable to the
people in every way. What does it mean when we say the
Governor-General has "reserve powers?" Currently there
are so many big questions and nobody really has the
answers.