From the Chair: 21 September 2022

By Michael Firman

The passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the oldest living and longest-reigning British monarch, has been deeply felt throughout Britain and by countless people around the world. Not since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, have we seen such global outpouring of grief and media attention for a member of the British Royal Family.

It’s been hard to miss the media coverage over the past 11 days, which culminated in the State Funeral that could be seen on almost every news bulletin and free-to-air network here in Australia.

The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change over her 70-year reign. Some historians see her as a monarch who helped oversee the mostly peaceful transition from empire and colonial rule to the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 nations with historic and linguistic ties.

The long reign of Queen Elizabeth II was marked by her strong sense of duty and her determination to dedicate her life to her throne and to her people.

Elizabeth reformed “the Monarchy”, a term that was gradually replaced by "the Royal Family", by engaging with the public through walkabouts, royal visits and attendance at public events.

Her commitment to the Commonwealth was a constant - she visited every Commonwealth country at least once. Elizabeth became the first reigning British monarch to visit Australia and New Zealand - it was estimated that three-quarters of Australians turned out to see her in person.

The Queen became for many the one constant point in a rapidly changing world as British influence declined, society changed beyond recognition and the role of the monarchy itself came into question.

"No institution… should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who don't," she acknowledged.

Since the Queens death, talk has turned to whether Australia should become a republic or remain a monarchy. It is a perennial topic of debate, particularly around Australia Day celebrations.

But what benefit would there be in Australia becoming a republic?

Those who want the country to move to a Republic with a directly elected President assert that we need an Australian as Head of State, and that we should be a truly independent country by doing so, while others suggest that the Monarchy is outdated and doesn’t represent multi-cultural Australia and that holding onto our colonial history is an insult to First Australians.

The reality is, such a move would be purely symbolic in that it could be effected without any change to the way functions are distributed under the Constitution. The Queen and governor-general would be replaced by an Australian president.

Whatever changes are necessary to substitute a president for the Queen and governor-general could be made without changing the powers of the office. Many Commonwealth countries have done this over the past 50 years, and have become republics while retaining the system of parliamentary government in which day-to-day power is vested in a prime minister.

Nevertheless, support for the Monarchy has actually increased from a decade ago after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of King Charles III to the throne.

An increasing majority of Australians, 60% believe Australia should remain a Monarchy while only 40% say Australia should become a Republic with an elected President. Republicans want an Australian for head of state but in fact this is already the case.

Were Australia to follow this model then we would immediately lose all the neutrality which our monarchy gives us. The Queen, as Sovereign, is the people. She did not campaign for or influence affairs so as to gain office and thus she represents every member of society. An hereditary monarch serves all the people all the time. No republican model can come near this.

Why change from the stability and stable government the Monarchy has brought Australia for many decades when it works, some may argue. The Governor-General, appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister, is the Sovereign's representative, is an Australian and, whilst in office, is effectively head of state of Australia.

As for remaining a monarchy, there is no better model of government for keeping ultimate power away from the unscrupulous than a resilient constitutional monarchy.

It stands to reason that if we are to remove what we have, we must replace it with a better system which is more effective in keeping politicians from abusing their position. So while some may always argue for change, until there is a better system or institution to be a part of, we should not change for the sake of change.

For me, the monarchist narrative is appealing because it is a narrative of social cohesion and morality that we can buy in to, like having a membership to a society with shared sentiment and active community.

It’s a little like MEA, a constant point in a rapidly changing world, there to represent every member of its community, to serve it and to keep it connected.