The Republic
Saturday, January 01, 2000
There are many advantages in having an almost imaginary head of state such as the Queen – she can't do any harm. What does it matter that we are not really a monarchy?
Australia enjoys a stable and relatively democratic social order which is the envy of many nations. We would be fools to radically change our political structure just to match some theoretical definition of republicanism.
Many a well-intentioned charter for nation-building has turned out to be hell on wheels. The only reason I can see for exposing our fair country to this risk is that the old monarchy may be disappearing.
In this case, I would advocate a minimal alteration, substituting another passive figurehead for the Queen. Don't make a big issue of it, and don’t let office-bearers take the role too seriously.
The idea of directly voting for a head of state would totally change Australian politics. It would divide democratic authority. This would polarise society in new ways. The new figure would have high status. Sectors of society would inevitably feel unrepresented. We would lose our high place on the list of Best Places to Live.
Philip O'Carroll