1-2 April

WfaAR representatives attend the second Republic Gathering in Canberra. We made the point that republicans should not be taken in by pronouncements from politicians saying that the Republic is out of the question until the Queen dies. WfaAR also spoke on these topics: Reconciliation and the Republic; the Republic and National Identity and about where the debate on models for Head of State is heading. On the relevance of the Republic for our Indigenous Peoples, we noted how similar the objectives of others are to those of women pursuing a Republic, that is: a republican constitution offering a new start and the involvement of all citizens in its development. On whether the Republic can define our national identity, we consider that it can’t – rather it’s the other way round: when we can work out what our national identity is, that should lead us naturally to want a republican form of government. And on the debate about models for head of state, we likened it to men endlessly tinkering with their car engines, all claiming that theirs is the best. WfaAR thinks that the essential issue for the republic debate is what an Australian Republic will be like, not how we select our head of state.