OOOps another typo. Here's the link again:

http://canberraweekly.com.au/king-charles-iii-may-not-appear-on-australias-5-note/

I think many of our Aged Welfare mob will be most upset if Queenie is taken of the five dollar bill. Not because they love Queenie so much, they do, but because every time a new fiver comes out, it doesn't feed into their favourite 'One Arm Bandit' the El Dorado down at God's Waiting Room at all well. They are forced to get change at the cash desk, and it slows down their gambling addiction!

As I said above.

What Australian should feature on our new $5 note?

I had compiled a list of many distinguished people
who had contributed much to our country from
John Flynn to David Unaipon - and I found that they were
already on notes - which was heartening. Then I thought
of more modern entities like Bert Newton, Shane Warne,
Olivia Newton-John, Uncle Jack Charles, even Paul Hogan
and Molly Meldrum, and Bob Hawke. And the list kept growing.

I also learned that our $5 note is the only Australian bank note
which does not recognize a great Australian.

So it became obvious to me who I wanted on the $5 note.

Fred Hollows. No ifs and buts!

Ray Martin stated some time ago that it was fitting that
Fred Hollows should be on the note. Martin reminded us of
the "Fiver For Fred" campaign, because a fiver meant we
could buy a lens to allow a cataract blind person to see.

So for me this is an obvious choice. "Fiver For Fred!

Paul1405

If the monarchy is an anachronism, then surely your fawning over Aboriginal and Maori culture can't be in any better position.

You admit the aim of a republic would be symbolic, thus conceding the main issue, that your complaints are practically baseless. It is *very rare* in the world for any system of government to have that in its favour.

There is no discussion over a republic because the great majority of Australians don't want it, and recognise that you have not come up with a single reason that does not consist of shallow chauvinist sneering double-talk.

Besides, the Australian Constitution is fully-contained within an ordinary UK statute. Unlike the Constitution itself, which requires a special procedure to amend it - majority of electors in a majority of States and all that jazz - the containing legislation is an ordinary Act of the UK Parliament, and does not have any such legal restrictions on their making whatever changes they want. And the Crown i.e. monarch personally, is an intrinsic part of any act of their legislation. The Australian Constitution is imperial to its very roots.

This means that your *symbolic* aim cannot be achieved by amending the Constitution, as with an ordinary referendum in the premises.

You would need in effect an instrument declaring off, such as a declaration of independence, and a new Constitution under a new polity newly constituted, as the Yanks and Indians did.

Otherwise you have not achieved your basal purpose, which is to end the Constitution's basis in the Crown.

Nor are you in a position to offer assurances that the symbolic change would avoid unintended negative consequences, since it would set up a conflict between Head of State and Head of Government that does not now exist.

Good luck with your electoral chances at re-shaping government in your own image pfffft! You could change your name to King Gough and try your luck.

As I understand it the King holds executive power
over Australia and the Governor-General works on
his behalf.

If Australia became a republic it would remove the
King's power and dissolve the office of Governor-General.

The nation would then be led by an elected representative
and this person would hold Australia's executive authority.

If Australia became a republic it would have to choose a
system of government that allowed for the exercise of
authority to be on Australian soil, instead of the power being
wielded by the British monarch.

Australia has the option to retain the Westminster System of
parliament with a Prime Minister elected by a public majority.

It's up to the people of Australia to decide in which direction
they want the country to go in the future. India, Cypress,
Malta, Pakistan, Singapore, and South Africa have been able to
cut their strings. Do we want to do the same? I guess time will
tell. I still would prefer Fred Hollows on our $5 note.