Debate over republic can’t be shelved for another generation

Debate over republic can’t be shelved for another generation

I agree with The Australian’s editorial that the republic is unfinished business and that any government should be able “to walk and chew gum” on a number of policy issues at the one time (“Republic is unfinished business”, 9/1). The Albanese government ought to learn a lesson from the failed voice referendum and not give up on constitutional reform. If Anthony Albanese is fair dinkum about a republic, he needs to start the national conversation early to ensure engagement with the population, well before starting the referendum process. Conversation delayed is republic denied. Assistant Minister for the Republic Matt Thistlethwaite can’t sit on his hands. He has a job to do. Get on with it.

David Muir, chair of Real Republic Australia, Qld

It wasn’t, as The Australian’s editorial claimed, “ordinary Australians” who wanted a republic referendum on the death of the queen. It was the same so-called republicans who held on to that as the last of their succession of silver bullets to deliver “the” republic. The problem is that what they offer is a fake republic. It has absolutely nothing to do with republicanism as the Romans understood it or as Montesquieu elaborated it.

It is fake because it would remove a significant check and balance on the politicians, a key safeguard found in our present crowned republic. That already offers, as the Hawke and Rudd governments formally told other governments, an Australian as head of state. The crucial constitutional issue in this country is not changing what works and works well. It is how to save Australia by making the increasingly delinquent political class truly accountable to ordinary Australians who are endowed with a superior common sense, as demonstrated in 1999 and this year.

David Flint, national convener of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy, NSW

It is not surprising that the government has shelved the proposed referendum to determine if Australia should transition to a republic. Putting it on ice may indicate a lack of conviction, but the political risk for Labor is real when there is a fair chance it may be on the wrong side of the argument again, let alone the reality that there are more pressing matters in the minds of Australians right now.

Kim Keogh, Claremont, WA

New ‘axis of evil’

Alan Dupont rightly warns that the geostrategic alignment between the axis powers of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea is not only generating worrying echoes of the 1930s but that the prognosis for 2024 could be even worse (“ ‘Axis powers’ a formidable force for evil in 2024”, 9/1). His warning fully accords with the final report of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, which was released in October last year. It concludes: “Today, the United States is on the cusp of having not one but two nuclear peer adversaries, each with ambitions to change the international status quo, by force if necessary: a situation the United States did not anticipate and for which it is not prepared.” Most notably, if the US were to have to wage simultaneous wars against Russia and China, it would be of far greater concern than anything in the darkest days of the Cold War.

So given the Taiwanese presidential election is scheduled for Saturday, could Dupont’s prediction that 2023 was “the calm before the storm” prove to be accurate?

Vincent Zankin, Rivett, ACT

A better Bidyadanga

When I read Paige Taylor’s excellent article in The Weekend Australian (“Help remote people to live where they are”, 6-7/1) I had not thought of the idea it expressed on behalf of the Bidyadanga people as being a Labor initiative until I read today’s corresponding article by Anthony Dillon (“Labor remote home ownership plan”, 9/1).

The authorship does not matter, nor do the difficulties postulated by Dillon. What is important is that it is a good idea and if carried into effect will benefit the Bidyadanga people and those who follow. The old ways must give way to new initiatives to bring about a better future for those concerned.

Ian Dunlop, Hawks Nest, NSW

Reliable power

It is not surprising that 72 new coal, gas and iron ore projects worth billions have failed to advance since the Albanese government took office in 2022 (“ALP holding us back: miners”, 9/1).

Labor has always been ideologically opposed to fossil fuels. Coal, gas and iron ore projects make up Australia’s top three exports. The taxes on coal’s export earnings pay for the much-needed services every Australian relies on. The Albanese government’s rush to shut down every coal-fired power station in the country means our days of enjoying cheap, secure, reliable power will soon be over.

Dale Ellis, Innisfail, Qld