Practical steps towards severing ties with the British monarchy quietly continue to be implemented. Last year, the NSW Branch of the Country Women’s Association voted to stop singing God Save the Queen at meetings, the National Song Poll (plebiscite) having chosen Advance Australia Fair as the national anthem in 1977! Following the example of other States, the NSW and WA parliaments are currently considering omitting reference to the Queen from the oath of allegiance for parliamentarians and public officials. In NSW, Crown land is now called State land. Senior Counsel has for some time replaced the term Queen’s Counsel (Sourced from John Warhurst’s weekly column in The Canberra Times)
Woman for an Australian Republic, Adelaide Ironside, republican poet and artist 1831-1867
Self portrait 1855, Newcastle Art Gallery NSW
