Theory Folly
Canberra Times Thursday, April 22, 2004
Australia is already a republic. Altering our constitution to remove the Queen is a mere cut-and-paste exercise. Apart from a polite thank you for her services, it involves little more than word processing. That's why we should be suspicious of politicians who talk it up as some kind of new horizon.
The proposal to have a properly elected president is madness for Australia. We already have a political order that is the envy of most in the world. Australians are very aware that America has a president, who has real power. If we elected one here, who was at odds with our elected Prime Minister, we would face a crisis of authority.
Labor theorists often attempt to reconstruct society as if it were a school science experiment. Statehood is not an exact science. No one person or party can take the credit for this great Australia that history has spawned - this land that people are keen to migrate to. Only a fool or saboteur would radically and unnecessarily alter our existing political structure.
Philip O'Carroll