1. What is the issue, how did you find out about it, and what sources did you use to research it?
Earlier this year at the ALP National Conference, Labor leader Bill Shorten stated, “Let us make this the first decade where our head of state is one of us. We can be an Australian republic, with an Australian head of state.” (Ireland, 2015). This statement embodies the ongoing debate concerning Australia’s status as a constitutional monarchy, rather than an independent republic. Interestingly, despite widespread love for the royal family, recent polls indicate that the majority of Australians are in favour of becoming a republic. The primary issue that supporters of the Australian Republican Movement (2014) are concerned with is our Head of …show more content…
Although there are many people with power to influence parliament, I heavily considered three members to address my submission too. Firstly, Stephen Parry is the President of the Senate, thus he presides over proceedings and can be hugely influential on senate decisions. However, he does have the same voting power as all other Senate members (Parliament of Australia, 2015). Secondly, Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, recently called for an Australian republic by 2025, further reinforcing the labor government’s intentions for promoting a republic (Ireland, 2015). While this provides hope for the future, there is no certainty that the labor government will come into power within an appropriate time frame. As the Opposition leader, Shorten is responsible for holding the government to account, and presenting alternative policies to parliament, thus he has significant power to facilitate change. Lastly, current Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, was a former chairman of the Australian Republican Movement, and is now in the position to influence public opinion on policies and control the composition of the cabinet and the ministry (Department of the House of Representatives, 2012). Ultimately, I have chose to primarily target Turnbull for various reasons. Shortly after replacing Tony Abbott as Prime Minister, Turnbull declared that he would not make turning Australia into a republic a priority of his term (Riordan, 2015). Thus, unlike Bill Shorten and the labor government, Turnbull and the liberal government have not committed to a republican movement plan. Furthermore, a significant factor in the failure of the 1999 referendum was the lack of bi-partisan support, particular that of the Prime Minister at the time, John Howard. My proposal intends to push Turnbull to support Shorten in prioritising making
Earlier this year at the ALP National Conference, Labor leader Bill Shorten stated, “Let us make this the first decade where our head of state is one of us. We can be an Australian republic, with an Australian head of state.” (Ireland, 2015). This statement embodies the ongoing debate concerning Australia’s status as a constitutional monarchy, rather than an independent republic. Interestingly, despite widespread love for the royal family, recent polls indicate that the majority of Australians are in favour of becoming a republic. The primary issue that supporters of the Australian Republican Movement (2014) are concerned with is our Head of …show more content…
Although there are many people with power to influence parliament, I heavily considered three members to address my submission too. Firstly, Stephen Parry is the President of the Senate, thus he presides over proceedings and can be hugely influential on senate decisions. However, he does have the same voting power as all other Senate members (Parliament of Australia, 2015). Secondly, Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, recently called for an Australian republic by 2025, further reinforcing the labor government’s intentions for promoting a republic (Ireland, 2015). While this provides hope for the future, there is no certainty that the labor government will come into power within an appropriate time frame. As the Opposition leader, Shorten is responsible for holding the government to account, and presenting alternative policies to parliament, thus he has significant power to facilitate change. Lastly, current Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, was a former chairman of the Australian Republican Movement, and is now in the position to influence public opinion on policies and control the composition of the cabinet and the ministry (Department of the House of Representatives, 2012). Ultimately, I have chose to primarily target Turnbull for various reasons. Shortly after replacing Tony Abbott as Prime Minister, Turnbull declared that he would not make turning Australia into a republic a priority of his term (Riordan, 2015). Thus, unlike Bill Shorten and the labor government, Turnbull and the liberal government have not committed to a republican movement plan. Furthermore, a significant factor in the failure of the 1999 referendum was the lack of bi-partisan support, particular that of the Prime Minister at the time, John Howard. My proposal intends to push Turnbull to support Shorten in prioritising making