If Australia is already a republic in practice, why not abolish monarchy altogether?
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
There is no mention of the word ‘democracy’ in Australia’s constitution.
But according to Esther Anatolitis, there have been times “when Australia became a republic” despite constitutionally remaining a constitutional monarchy.
“Many times, over years, at some pivotal moments […], Australia has already become a republic.
“But we’ve become a republic culturally and not yet constitutionally, Anatolitis tells Neos Kosmos introducing the gist of a book she just published, as part of a Monash University Publishing series.
A co-chair of the Australian Republic Movement, she wrote the book in her personal capacity “as a curious observer” of key moments in the country’s recent and distant past.
But don’t expect a linear chronology.
“I didn’t want it to come across as a book of history, but as a set of provocations. And so, we move about in times, but we move through a cultural progression.”
In around 20,000 words, ‘When Australia became a republic’ takes the reader through times in history, when we did things our own way, Anatolitis says.
“We’re talking about how the world saw us through the Sydney Olympics, we go into turning point moments in democratic innovation, defence, trade, culminating in matters of culture, comedy and identity.”
One of the key dates featuring in the book is 1930, the first time a Prime Minister defied the King when appointing a Governor-General.
“This then went on to become the new convention, adopted by other Commonwealth Prime Ministers that we don’t have to accept a ‘get what you’re given’ Governor-General,” Anatolitis says.
Monarchy or republic?
Australia operates as an independent sovereign state.
But it remains a constitutional monarchy, with its head of state, the British monarch, represented in Australia by the Governor-General.
Powers delegated to the Governor-General extend to even dismissing an elected government, as it happened in 1975.
The Whitlam government became the first -and only- government to be dismissed by the Governor-General.
But the issue remains relevant to this day.
Following a meeting with King Charles last month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, while a staunch republican himself, said he won’t be pursuing the constitutional change.
“I have always supported an Australian as our head of state,” PM Albanese told SBS World News.
“But the existing arrangements are in place.”
The Queen is dead—Long live Mabo!
Anatolitis is on a mission to see these “existing arrangements” change, advocating for an Australian head of state, elected on merit.
“Once a critical mass of us realise that it is in our best interests to have a democratically elected head of state, then that change will of course happen.”
The royalists-republicans division had also played out in Greece’s recent past, and Anatolitis knows all too well about it.
“My father is a democrat who strongly believes that a monarchy is anachronistic. But my mother was raised in a monarchist family because pappou had served his military service in the palace with the Greek King as one of his guardsmen.”
In the book’s acknowledgements, Anatolitis pays tribute to her parents, Stratis and Dina, and their differences on royalist issues.
“We’ve always had big political and hilarious conversations with my father about the monarchy, the μπούλσιτ as he calls it.”
On the day the death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced, the author was with her parents in Kalamata.
She recalls her father calling out to her “The Queen is dead—Long live Mabo!”
“Τhe first thing that came to my father’s mind was that Australia can finally make sure that the sovereignty of First Peoples is respected.”
Much like her father, she says, Anatolitis believes that sustaining monarchy is only benefiting a minority “trying to perpetuate elitism”.
“The idea of putting the monarchy behind us in Australia is central to the everyday struggle of being an ordinary person in a democracy.
“Because what we want to believe is that our hard work will pay off, that there is equity and not elitism governing the decisions that shape our lives.”
The original article: belongs to NEOS KOSMOS .
