Female MPs speak on Succession to Crown Bill

Speeches in both the House of Representatives (17 March) and the Senate (19 March) were made by a number of female MPs including in the Senate: Senator Jacinta Collins (Lab NSW) and Senator Christine Milne (Greens Tas) and in the House of Representatives: Fiona Scott (Lib, Member for Lindsay NSW); Melissa Price (Lib, Durack, WA); Gai Brodtmann (Lab, Canberra, ACT); Terri Butler (Lab, Griffith, Qld); Sarah Henderson (Lib, Corio, Vic) and Alannah MacTiernan (Lab, Perth, WA). The Labor and Greens speakers spoke in favour of a long-overdue Republic. WfaAR congratulates Victorian Liberal, Sarah Henderson, for announcing herself a republican while also saying that she did not think the time is right for a change at present. In closing the debate, Christian Porter, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister who is the Liberal Member for Pearce WA, noted that this was only the third time that s 51(xxxviii) of the Constitution had been used since Federation in 1901 – the other two occasions being for the Australia Act (1986) and the Coastal Waters (State Powers) Act 1980 where the Commonwealth has had to act on behalf of all the States.