Opinion

A nation shorn of Britishness is still waiting for the republic

Republicans will need to make the case as to why only an Australian head of state can provide the basis of reassurance and belonging for a modern, 21st-century nation.

James CurranInternational affairs expert

Sep 18, 2022 – 1.20pm

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At the end of the 1954 royal tour to Australia, the political cartoonist George Finey depicted NSW Labor premier Joe Cahill standing at Circular Quay. Cahill, an Irish Catholic, was drawn staring into the distance, bereft as the Queen’s ship sailed through Sydney Heads on its way back to Britain.

Plumes of black smoke from its funnel wafted over the harbour. He looked forlorn, his brow furrowed. The caption was blunt: “Alone”.

James Curran is professor of modern history at Sydney University.