Republic

Does the Republic Need a President?

By Michael Purvis

It seems inevitable that Australia will eventually become a republic but do we need a president?

Becoming a republic would mean cutting the last link with Britain so the Queen would no longer be our head of state. And without the Queen there would be no role for her representative in Australia, the Governor-General. So who then would become our head of state?

There would appear to be several good reasons for appointing the Prime Minister, who is already head of government, to be also the head of state.

First, we would save money. Maintaining the current office of Governor-General costs some millions of dollars and presumably the cost of maintaining a president would cost a similar amount. Second, having the PM as head of state sidesteps the question of how we pick the president, whether by direct election or by two-thirds majority of Parliament or some other method. Third, it would also avoid the difficult question of what powers we want the president to have. Would the president just assume the powers of the Governor-General? If so, would he or she be able to sack a democratically elected government, as happened in 1975? What would happen if, in the new republic, President Reith and Prime Minister Beazley didn't get on?

The reality is that there are many things that the Governor-General can do but not a lot that he or she has to do. The Governor-General can give an address to the nation on Australia Day, lay wreaths on the War Memorial in Canberra on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day. He or she can also make useful contributions to the national debate on matters of public importance, such as reconciliation between indiginous and non-indiginous Australians as the current Governor-General, Sir William Deane has done.

All of theses are important and valuable functions but none of them could be described as an essential part of discharging the functions of the office of Governor-General. Each of these could be done by the Prime Minister and some might argue it would be more appropriate if they were discharged by the Prime Minister since he or she is the senior elected representative of the people.

As far as I can work out the only part of the Governor-General's job that could be described as essential is that of presiding over the orderly transfer of power after a change of government. Someone has to open Parliament and swear in the Prime Minister and the other ministers after each election and to date that has always been the Governor-General. If we did become a republic, the spectacle of the Prime Minister swearing in himself may seem a bit too Napoleonic. Likewise, the Prime Minister swearing in the other ministers or opening Parliament might seem inappropriate to some eyes.

So, in a republic without a president who could we turn to fulfil these important if infrequent duties? Federal elections are required to be held every three years and there are ministerial reshuffles from time to time that require new ministers to be sworn in. While opening Parliament and administering the oath of office are extremely important duties and therefore must be discharged by someone of sufficient stature they could hardly be described as so arduous as to occupy someone of high stature on a full-time basis. The role is essentially part-time.

In the United States the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, in addition to his primary responsibility of running the nation's most important judicial body, also administers the oath of office to the incoming president. Could the Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia administer the oath of office to the Prime Minister? Could the Chief Justice open Parliament? I cannot see why not. But if there was significant opposition to this, either from the Chief Justice or from the public, perhaps an alternative could be found in the Speaker of the House of Representatives. This may be a more appropriate option since the Speaker is the spokesperson for the people's chamber.

Any way you look at it the bunfight going on at the moment about how we choose the president just seems to be an argument that is better avoided. Unfortunately, the November 6 referendum will shed more heat than light on the matter. The question we will be asked to vote on is so muddled it is unlikely that we will get a clear picture of what has been decided no matter what the outcome. We are being asked not simply whether we want to become a republic but whether we want a particular type of republic, one with a president appointed by Parliament. No matter what the outcome to the question, all sides will put their particular spin on the answer.

If the question is lost the monarchists will claim it as a victory for those who want to keep the present system, even though many of those voting no will be in favour of a republic. Those who want a directly elected president will claim it is a victory for their side. What Malcolm Turnbull will claim is anyone's guess but I doubt he'll accept it as a defeat. The problem is that we are being asked the wrong question. It might be better for us to vote 'no' and next time, ask the right question: Should Australia become a republic? Yes or no. If the answer is yes, which seems likely, we can then start talking about what we want this new republic to look like and whether we do, in fact, need a president.

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  Issue 28 contents

»	Shock New Stats! Readers Desert Newspapers
»	Surfing the Wave
»	Vizard Smokescreen Clouds Computer Deal
»	Youth Wages: Is Bevis a Butthead?
»	Which Bank Harasses Sick Workers?
»	SOCOG Eyes Wide Shut on Games Gear
»	Scully Uses Reith First Wave Against Rail Workers
»	Reith Building Blitz Hits Bum Note
»	Entitlements Focus Shifts Back to Woodlawn
»	Fresh South Coast Ballot Called
»	"Big Drum Up" For East Timor
»	Eric Lee Public Forum

»	Guest Report
»	Sport
»	Trades Hall
»	Piers Watch

»	Vizard: Net Content Is Vital
»	No, No, No to MSN Model
»	The Vizard deal. Is it another great deal for you!!!!???

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