Democratic Alternative Information Service:
  Policies

"People's President" - The Best of Both Worlds

The Monarchy in Australia is dead - all we can do now is bury it with dignity and honour, and strive to ensure that its best aspects from former times are reincarnated in a more democratic form.

Only a People's President - chosen democratically by the Australian people - can have any chance of recapturing the respect and loyalty once inspired by British kings and queens.

Only a People's President can give us the best of both worlds - monarchist and republican. Only by eliminating, or at the very least minimising, any role for the political parties can we establish a Presidency that is owned by the Australian people and can function as an "elected monarchy", representing the best aspects of this nation to Australians and to the world.

And a carefully-crafted People's Presidency can give us the best of both worlds: selection by Parliament and direct election by the people. By focusing on the nomination process, we can give our elected representatives a chance to unite around a non-political Aussie achiever, in a transparent process that gives the people the right to be involved - at the nomination stage and also at the election stage if there is more than one candidate. Parliament should have the right, by special majority in a secret ballot, to appoint the President if there is only one candidate, and to dismiss the President or extend the President's term by up to fifty per cent, where the national interest demands such action.

The Details:

When candidates advocate a republic with an elected President, monarchists - and some republicans - complain that nobody can be expected to pass judgement without a specific proposal being put forward. As well as the general statements you will find on most other candidates' web pages, the following pages describe a specific proposal that stands the best chance of achieving the best of both worlds:

Now move on to:

• A Specific "People's President" Proposal:
  Eligibility -- Nomination -- Election -- Tenure and Dismissal

Ross Garrad, 5 November 1997