Dear David,

Of course the role of the head of state will have to be
better defined. I think it is useful though to have someone
other than the head of government to perform the
usually trivial duties which fall to a head of state.

I find it curious to see the President of the United States
who combines the roles of head of government and the head of state
performing routine ceremonial duties when there are urgent
political problems awaiting his attention.

Anyway, as I said all that will have to be thrashed out.

The following link might be of interest:

http://smh.com.au/national/why-do-we-need-a-head-of-state-20080121-gdrxp2.html

It agrees with your take on a head of state.

Sorry David. Apologies for my typo:

http://smh.com.au/national/why-do-we-need-a-head-of-state-20080121-gdrxpz.html

Dear David F.,

If there is to be a change to a republic in Australia
that maintains the Westminster System of responsible
government this will take time, considered thought,
and debate. In the very long term an Australian head of
state may be inevitable, so it is important to get it
right.

One final word about Shelley's poem. History if full of
the rises and falls of empire. No power is permanent
regardless of how omnipotent a ruler beliefs themselves
to be and we're reminded by Shelley - even the "King of
Kings" may one day be a forgotten relic of an "antique
land."

However in Elizabeth II's case Winston Churchill put it
rather well:

"It is not so much the power that she imposes but the
power that she denies others."

Dear Foxy,

I am sorry. They required a password to continue reading, and I didn't feel like continuing. I assume that, if there is a republic, there will probably be a head of state. Probably, most cabinet positions are pointless. The civil servants under the minister conduct the business, and the titular head can make speeches, do Sudoku or watch TV. If I were PM I would not appoint cabinet officials but would promote the senior public servant to head the cabinet if he or she seemed qualified. I would allow parliamentarians to vote their conscience on all questions. I would not send troops into action without a parliamentary debate unless the country were invaded, there was a civil disturbance or a treaty obligation. I would refuse corporate contributions and would consult lawyers to ensure proposed legislation was in proper form but would not accept lawyers as parliamentarians. Somebody would probably arrange my assassination.

O Sung wu said-

I've always felt in my own simply way, that HM, the Queen, and Great Britain, is the glue that holds the various Nations of our C'wealth together. Most of our laws, even definitions, our language, and most of our culture, emanate from the mother country. The queen, to me personally, is an amazing lady, and I adore her immensely.

I'd agree, more or less, with the sentiments expressed by the late Sir Robert MENZIES when he uttered similar wards; '...I'll love her 'til the day I die...'

Answer- Kudos O Sung Wu- you said it well.

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« Do we need a head of state ? »

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The function of head of state is that of a chief executive officer (CEO) of a major company except that in a democracy such as Australia, the head of state should be elected by the eligible citizens of the nation whereas a CEO is nominated by the board of directors of the company.

Australia’s major organisations such as Wesfarmers (217,000 employees), Woolworths (210,000 employees), and Coles (120, 000 employees) all have a CEO and Managing Director (MD). Depending on the size and complexity of the organisation, both functions are, in some cases, held by the same person and, in others, held separately by two different persons.

While the CEO is responsible for company strategy and execution, the Managing Director’s job is to ensure company goals get translated into the day-to-day, nitty-gritty operations.

Australia is an organisation of 26 million people. It is sufficiently vast and complex for the roles of head of state (CEO) and prime minister (MD) to be held separately by two different persons.

In my view, the president should be directly elected by the eligible Australian citizens and the prime minister nominated by the president – preferably a member of parliament, but not necessarily. As I see it, the prime minister should be chosen essentially for his managerial qualities.

In this organisational structure, as head of state, the president is directly accountable to the Australian people.

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