18 November

The NSW Women’s Forum of the Australian Republican Movement presents “Women and the Republic”, a lunch and panel discussion hosted by Lisa Forrest, author, broadcaster and Olympian. Speakers were Marise Payne (NSW Liberal Senator and National Committee member) whose theme was that it was no longer appropriate to have a British monarch as head of state and discriminatory that only a very small number of people were qualified to become the British monarch; Anne Henderson (Deputy Director of the Sydney Institute and ARM Deputy Chair) who wanted her grandchildren to be able to become head of state; Anna York (NSW President of the National Union of Students) stating that the views of young people on the republic should to be taken seriously and Sarah Maddison (national media spokesperson for WEL and lecturer in Australian Politics at the University of Sydney) who argued that the republic is not a women’s issue but that women want a say and to participate in this important national political debate.