Yes, they will arrive on 9 November for the seventh royal visit in four years, keeping up the practice of one visit a year by the Queen’s immediate heirs since 2011. Charles and Camilla were last here in 2012 on the Diamond Jubilee tour. Judith Ireland, a national…
Prime Minister Turnbull announces the end of dames and knights. He said that Cabinet recently reconsidered the Order of Australia and concluded these awards do not belong in a modern Australian honours system. Nor, WfaAR says, do awards copying Britain’s hierarchical class system sit easily in our equality-based society that lacks a…
Elizabeth Farrelly comments “Flags, like republics are trivialities. Mere symbols. Winged imagery. Australians, being pragmatists, prefer concrete achievements….But, it’s also true that, when rapid directional change is needed, symbolism can have immense power” (like, WfaAR says, appointing the first female Defence Minister, also a strong…
It did not take long. Another design (“The Red Peak”) is today added to the choice for the new New Zealand flag after 50,000 people signed a petition and a relentless social media campaign. Click on link below to see this design – still no green…
As well as Senator Katy Gallagher (ALP ACT), there are other Labor women active on the republic in Parliament. Labor for an Australian Republic was formed in February 2012. Four of the State and Territory Parliamentary Convenors are currently women: Terri Butler (Member for…
Malcolm Turnbull taking over as Prime Minister heralds the first PM/Leader of the Opposition combination in favour of a Republic at the helm of the national government since Turnbull was Leader of the Opposition and Prime Minister was Labor’s Kevin Rudd between September…
Amanda Vanstone comments on the new milestone in our Head of State’s reign and lauds a woman who was thrust into duty in her 20s by circumstances out of her control and dutifully served ever since. However, she writes that “We have…
After forty designs were reduced to four for the first referendum, there is a little ruffle in paradise after a negative response to the choices and with pressure mounting for a popular fifth design – not featuring a fern – to be included, as well as a campaign to boycott…
Senator Katy Gallagher (ACT) newly announced as co-convenor of the parliamentary republic group (see News Item of 27 August) puts a motion to the Senate asking it to note: that there is (a) significant support across the Australian community for a…
On 9 September, Queen Elizabeth II of England will become the longest reigning Australian – and British – monarch. This provoked sharp analysis from Polly Toynbee in The Guardian of the sort we never see in the Australian media. Why is this…
