8 October

Julie Bishop, Federal Liberal Member for Curtin WA, spoke at a seminar in Fremantle and said that the public education campaign run for the 1999 referendum was not inadequate nor politically motivated. She commented that the single most important reason for last years result was: “the failure of the republican movement to convince a majority of Australians that having a republic was a goal so worthy as to overshadow any related concerns”. She also said that there would be a NO campaign the next time and that “in the end, the republicans have the win the same battle they lost in November 1999.” She was responding to remarks made by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Kim Beazley, who outlined his plan to replace the Queen with an Australian Head of State by 2010 under Labor’s three step plan for achieving a republic: first, people would be asked to vote on whether they want an Australian Head of State; if yes, they would be asked for their preferred model for a republic; thirdly, a referendum would be held to decide which model would be used. (Reported in The West Australian)