Death of Professor George Winterton

WfaAR records the passing of Professor George Winterton from the University of Sydney, a constitutional lawyer and invaluable adviser to the republican movement. Professor Winterton spoke most recently to republican groups at the fourth Republican Gathering in Sydney in May this year. His topic was the reserve powers of the Governor-General concluding that it was possible to have direct election without full codification of those powers (neither desirable nor practically possible). His obituary in The Canberra Times titled him simply “Republican”. He is best known in republican circles as a member of The Corowa Four, one of the authors of the short and precise Royal Hotel Resolution, that still sets the benchmark for the content of a multi-choice advisory referendum (non-binding) on the Republic and way forward after that – see our news item of 10 December 2002 for the full text of the Royal Hotel Resolution.