The newest Labor Senator, Katy Gallagher from the ACT who joined the Senate in March this year, will co-convene a new federal parliamentary friendship group on the Republic. Naturally, the other convenor, Treasurer Joe Hockey from the Liberals, grabbed the media attention for all the wrong reasons as in “hasn’t he got more to do?” and was uniformly described as leading a new push for the Republic from within parliament, which is not true. These groups are described as “meeting once or twice a year over tea and biscuits with a speaker” so are more about general support than direct action. But this is the revival of a cross-parliamentary group that fizzled out a few years ago so good to see it back in business. Senator Gallagher gave the National Republic Lecture in 2014 (see News Item of 13 June 2014) when she was still the ACT Chief Minister.
Woman for an Australian Republic, Adelaide Ironside, republican poet and artist 1831-1867
Self portrait 1855, Newcastle Art Gallery NSW
