A new book of essays about the republic is launched at Parliament House in Canberra. There was not a single woman speaking at the event that had a decidedly Anglo, middle-aged male, establishment feel about it. The book has articles by only four women (Joy McCann; Larissa Behrendt; Erika K Smith and Helen Irving) out of 20 contributors; no women are quoted in the frontispiece although one Indigenous leader is. The forewords were written by Malcolm Turnbull (Liberal) and Wayne Swan (Labor) to represent a bipartisan approach. No sign of The Greens who have an strong track record on the republic following the gallant and persistent efforts of Bob Brown in the Senate. Current Greens leader, Christine Milne, would have been a very welcome addition to the event and to the book. Michelle Grattan previewed the launch for The Guardian and The Conversation online. [“Project Republic, Plans and Arguments for a New Australia”, ed Benjamin T Jones and Mark McKenna, Black Inc, 2013 www.blackincbooks.com]
Woman for an Australian Republic, Adelaide Ironside, republican poet and artist 1831-1867
Self portrait 1855, Newcastle Art Gallery NSW
