Malcolm Rivera
Australia has been a constitutional monarchy since 1 January 1901, when six British colonies federated into one self-governing nation of the British Empire. The country's constitutional monarchy system of government was chosen to be similar to those of the colonies. The monarch of Australia also serves as the monarch of the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, and eleven other former dependencies of the United Kingdom.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date Australia became a constitutional monarchy | 1 January 1901 |
| Date of the most recent reform to succession | 26 March 2015 |
| Current monarch of Australia | Charles III |
| Previous monarch of Australia | Elizabeth II |
| Date of the referendum on Australia becoming a republic | 1999 |
| Result of the referendum | Defeated by 54.4% of the populace |
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What You'll Learn
The Australian Republican Movement
Australia is a constitutional monarchy, with the King as the head of state. The country's constitutional documents were signed by the monarch and counter-signed by the Prime Minister of Australia. The Australian Republican Movement (ARM) is a non-partisan organisation that campaigns for Australia to become a republic. The ARM was founded on July 7, 1991, by novelist Thomas Keneally, lawyer Malcolm Turnbull, former Australian cricket captain Ian Chappell, film director Fred Schepisi, and author, journalist, and broadcaster Peter FitzSimons.
The movement has promoted various models for a republic, including a parliamentary republic. In 1998, a constitutional convention was held to discuss Australia becoming a republic, and a republic gained majority support. However, the question of the model for a republic caused deep divisions among republicans. The ARM's proposed model, announced in 2022, involves a process where state and territory parliaments nominate candidates for the head of state, with the Federal Parliament also nominating candidates. The public would then elect their preferred candidate, who would serve for a five-year term.
The first referendum on Australia becoming a republic was held in 1999 and was defeated, with 54.4% of the populace voting against it. The result was attributed to a lack of bipartisanship and division among republicans on the proposed method for selecting the president. Despite the defeat, the issue of becoming a republic continues to be discussed in Australia, with some politicians expressing support for the idea.
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The Australian Monarchist League
History
Beliefs and Arguments
The AML argues that the current system of constitutional monarchy is preferable to a republic. They believe that the monarchy provides stability, loyalty, and fairness to the country. The League highlights the benefits of having an experienced and apolitical monarch as the head of state, who embodies the sovereignty of the nation and delegates the day-to-day functioning to the Governor-General. The AML also emphasises the independence and self-governance that the monarchy provides, with the monarch acting exclusively on the advice of Australian state and federal ministers.
Recent Activities
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The Royal Great Seal of Australia
Australia is a constitutional monarchy, with the King as the head of state. The constitutional monarchy system of government was chosen when the British colonies joined together to form Australia in 1901. The King of Australia acts in accordance with the Australian Constitution, and the powers of the King are delegated to his representative, the Governor-General.
The first Great Seal was chosen in 1901 by the Commonwealth government and was designed to be a double-sided wax seal. On one side, it depicted the arms of Great Britain surrounded by the arms of the Australian states. The other side depicted a woman on a charger, carrying a shield with a Union Jack design and a palm in her hand. The design of the seal has changed over time, with updates to the royal titles and heraldic modifications. In 1912, the seal's design was changed to include the coat of arms of New South Wales. The current design, authorised by King Charles III in 2024, features the coat of arms of Australia encircled by wattle, the national floral emblem.
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The 1999 referendum
Australia is a constitutional monarchy, with the duties of the monarch performed by a governor-general selected by the prime minister. The country's constitutional monarchy system of government was chosen in 1901 when the colonies joined together to form Australia.
The Australian republic referendum of 1999 was held on 6 November and was a two-question referendum to amend the Constitution of Australia. The first question asked whether Australia should become a republic, under a bipartisan appointment model where the president would be appointed by the federal parliament with a two-thirds majority. The second question, deemed less important politically, asked whether Australia should alter the constitution to insert a preamble.
The referendum was announced on 12 August 1999 in a joint statement by the Commonwealth Attorney-General, Daryl Williams MP, and the Special Minister of State, Senator Chris Ellison. The writs for the referendum were issued by the Governor-General on 1 October 1999, officially triggering the referendum process. A separate writ was issued for each question as each of the two proposed changes to the Constitution was technically a separate referendum.
The referendum followed the recommendation of a 1998 Constitutional Convention called to discuss the issue of Australia becoming a republic. The convention was held over two weeks in February 1998 at Old Parliament House, with half of the 152 delegates elected and half appointed by the federal and state governments. The convention endorsed the bipartisan appointment model as preferable to the existing constitutional arrangements, though monarchists and some direct-election republicans abstained from the vote.
The referendum was defeated, with 54.4% of the populace voting against the proposal. This was despite opinion polls since the early 1990s suggesting that a majority of the electorate favoured a republic in principle. The result was celebrated by monarchists, who declared it proof that the people were happy with the monarchy. However, republicans stated that it was indicative of the lack of choice given in the republican model.
Many opinions were put forward to explain the defeat. High Court Justice Michael Kirby, a constitutional monarchist, identified ten factors, including a lack of bipartisanship, a perception that the republic was supported by big city elites, and concerns about the specific model proposed. The referendum defeat was generally viewed as a setback for the republican cause, and calls for another referendum were ignored by the Howard government.
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The Perth Agreement
Australia is a constitutional monarchy, with a similar system of government to the British colonies from which it formed. The King of Australia is the country's head of state and acts in accordance with the Australian Constitution. The powers of the King are delegated to his representative, the Governor-General.
The background to the Perth Agreement was that, in 2011, the United Kingdom government was considering a change in the law regarding succession. The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, wrote to the prime ministers of the other Commonwealth realms, asking for their support in changing the succession to absolute primogeniture. The prime ministers of the other realms agreed to support these changes, and they were discussed at the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, Western Australia, in October 2011.
The process of implementing the agreement was lengthy and complex due to the shared institutional and constitutional principles of the Commonwealth realms, as enacted in the Statute of Westminster 1931. By December 2012, all the realm governments had agreed to enact the changes, and a working group was chaired by New Zealand to determine the process. The changes to the succession law in the United Kingdom came into effect on 26 March 2015, with the Australian parliament passing the Succession to the Crown Act on 19 March 2015 and royal assent granted on 24 March 2015.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia became a constitutional monarchy on 1 January 1901, when the six British colonies federated into one self-governing nation of the British Empire.
A constitutional monarchy is a system of government in which a monarch acts as the head of state within the parameters set out by a constitution.
Australia has attempted to become a republic at least twice. The first attempt was in 1999, when a referendum on the issue was defeated by 54.4% of the populace. The second attempt was in 2011, when the Republic Advisory Committee released a report detailing the constitutional amendments required for Australians to be able to elect their head of state.
Australia is currently a constitutional monarchy with King Charles III as its head of state. However, there are still republican movements in the country, and the debate on constitutional change is ongoing.
