Democratic Alternative Information Service:
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Orientation: Republican.
Head of State: Leaning towards a President selected by Parliament.

Candidate Statement:    Available at the Australian Electoral Commission web site.

Further Information:

PO Box 964
Slacks Creek Qld 4127
Phone (07) 3208 1488 (business hours)

 

Allocation of Preferences: 13 allocated, including 1-2 for group members.

3  Jackie Huggins, Australian Republican Movement
4  Paul Tully, Queenslanders for a Republic
5  Doug Tucker, Clem Jones Team
6  Greg George, Australian Greens for a Just Republic
7-13  Mainly Independents: John Pyke, Roslyn Atkinson (ARM), Ken Horrigan, Chris Monsour, Max Dunstan, Charles Mollison, Frank O'Dea

ORIENTATION: REPUBLICAN WITH A HEAD OF STATE "MORE REFLECTIVE OF, AND RESPONSIVE TO, THE PEOPLE"

1. Ours is a stable system where the Prime Minister is appointed, not by the people, but by the largest party faction; where the Governor-General is appointed, not by the Queen or by the people, but by the Prime Minister; and where the Queen is appointed, not by the people, but by hereditary primogeniture.
2. We are a couple of old school friends who, now as an academic historian and as a lawyer/social commentator, want to contribute to the answers on how Australia's constitution can be changed for the better. We believe the monarchy has run its constitutional course. A truly Australian head of state will need to be more reflective of, and responsive to, the people.
3. Our response to the monarchists' argument that the Crown is the ultimate guarantee of all our freedoms is this: Fiji was a constitutional monarchy when power grew out of the barrel of a gun and the military took over the elected parliament. What did the Queen, or the Crown for that matter, do after Fiji's constitution was torn up following military coups and Fiji became a dictatorship? Nothing. How did a constitutional monarchy prevent the death of democracy in our near neighbour? The answer is that it did nothing.
4. We are not members of any political party nor are we former politicians like so many of the candidates for the larger republican and monarchist groups. But we're qualified and keen to play a part in coming up with ultimate referendum questions that are simple but responsible.

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Ross Garrad, 5 November 1997