Five well-known Australian women are among a group of 12 Australians of the Year calling for a new flag. They ask the Parliament to commence the process to design a truly Australian national flag and put it to a popular vote. The…
PM Julia Gillard promotes Australia Day as standing for ‘Mateship” in her first Australia Day speech. Fortunately, she stated that she is “still a feminist” on the ABC’s Four Corners program on 7 February. WfaAR was relieved to hear this as it’s a fair question. Former…
“Why should Australia not be a republic? It’s its own country, its own man”. Sir Michael Parkinson, British TV personality, speaking in Sydney after delivering the NSW Australia Day speech. Says it all really.
National Convenor, Sarah Brasch, speaks in Canakkale, Turkey about the Gallipoli myth and national identity. She emphasised that the current fashion to consider Gallipoli as the sole determinant of Australian characteristics has only been in vogue for 20 years and that it is the product of political spin starting with…
In her Christmas message, the Queen of Australia referred to sporting and other healthy activities taking place and being encouraged on “village greens up and down the country”. No village greens, and often no green, to be seen in Australia so this could only…
1. Another European Royal Engagement should be irrelevant in Oz. Flashy smiles, Diana’s ring and hype perpetuate attachment to our colonisers (17 November) 2. So Kate, but not William, is connected to only some of us by having a convict…
Quentin Bryce got the gushes when it came to the prospect of another British Royal wedding. In her official statement of congratulations, she described the betrothal as a “unifying time” for the country. As this event really has little to do with us,…
Media coverage of the engagement of our next-but-one head of state fails to mention what’s important for Australia. In 2010,109 years after Australia’s Federation, the betrothal of the heir to the heir to the British throne should be irrelevant to us, of little more interest…
So the PM is being pressed to come up with a Vision for the country. That can only mean R for Republic – and R for Reconciliation while we are about it. We’re just marking time until we seriously embrace government by…
Sydney librarian, Helen Bersten, is announced as the co-winner of the 2010 Republican Short Story Competition for her work, “Double Lives”. Ms Bersten has been the Hononary Archivist at the Australian Jewish Historical Society for many years for which she…
