Synopsis
The Republican debate has raged since the early 1990's, and has had extensive media coverage. Despite this, agreement has not yet been reached on what form of Republic we should have, let alone any of the more complex legal issues that would follow such as how to splice the changes into our current Constitution, or how to replace it altogether.
Any change to the Commonwealth Constitution would require firstly an Act of Parliament and then a referendum, which Australians are traditionally resistant to, and this would need to be co-ordinated with related changes to the various State Constitutions. Numerous issues would need to be resolved, including who will replace the Monarch and what their powers would be, how do the States protect their individual rights, and how to remove from a Constitution the foundation upon which it was built without destroying the intent of the whole document. Simply 'excising' the Crown from such a rigid document would in itself prove a legal minefield.
Australian Coat of Arms (adopted 1912)
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitu...
English: Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard...Australia is already an independent and sovereign nation so there is no real sense of urgency in dealing with the issue. Without that sense of urgency, taking into account the ramifications and issues surrounding such a move, as well as the current sociographics and demographics, it is unlikely Australia will become a republic within the next twenty years.
ESSAY:
Will Australia Become A Republic In The Next 20 Years?
Becoming a Republic is not something that can be done with the single stroke of a pen. Despite extensive debate and media coverage on the issue, the average voter is still relatively uninformed and it seems we are no closer to a solution than when the idea first rose to the public's attention. Many see it simply as a choice between having a Queen or a...