More than a Fashion Choice – 2014 National Republican Lecture

After an continuous male line-up since 2008 (when the speaker was Julie Bishop), the 2014 National Republican Lecturer is Katy Gallagher, ACT Chief Minister, the sole female head of government in the country. Speaking in Canberra, Ms Gallagher outlined critical steps, from a politician’s point of view, leading to a Republic. She said it was essential to separate the true role of the monarch in our government and constitution from the cult of celebrity.The discussion must be nutured in the mainstream media. Politicians must raise the volume, attend to the debate and bring it back to the centre. It will be important to get to people outside the reach of usual media sources. People need to think again about what being Australian means and incorporate Reconciliation with First Peoples into their world view. She says it will be important to inspire the young, a critical demographic, who process information in their own terms and forums. Gen Y, she commented, has an astonishing facility with new technology and will bring about change in ways which will astound.  When Gen Y gets hold of the Republic, it will run with it. That momentum needs to be captured and harnessed. The Republic needs to be made newsworthy with an ability to contest the space in the mainstream media from where it has been evicted by the adulation of the monarchy aided and abetted by journalists. She warned that things can and do change quickly based on community interests citing global warming as one such issue that rose quickly from nowhere to policy prominence and urgency in 10 years.  She said that the debate should not become bogged down.  Messages should be kept simple and directed to the objective. She advised against mixing the Republic up with changes to the flag, the move for reconciliation and Indigenous recognition in the Constitution and overt anti-monarchy sentiment given that 9 out of 10 love the royals (based on her first hand experience accompanying them on the last three visits). She also thinks that the selection method for the President is contentious, divisive and has the potential to leak focus and weaken the argument in favour of an Australian Head of State, the essential issue which should be dealt with first before moving on to other elements of the proposal. She was unenthusiastic about election of the President saying it would probably result in the choice of someone popular who lacked the skills and gravitas for the job.

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