Anduril said:
The Governor-General's view Governor-General His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffery, in an extensive interview with Bruce Stannard published in the Canberra Times on 6 November 2004, Maintaining a theme of self-sacrifice for his country, stated that Australia’s Head of State was Queen Elizabeth II.
In response to the question: “Was it not something of an anachronism that in the 21st century, Australia, an independent sovereign nation should have as its Head of State a British Queen resident in faraway London?” he stated:
"Her Majesty is Australia's Head of State, but I am her representative and to all intents and purposes I carry out the full role. The Queen does not intervene in any way. Her only function is to approve the appointment, or the dismissal of Governors-General and Governors on the advice of the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the day... My own view is that we are extremely fortunate in having a Head of State with the tremendous knowledge and wisdom that the Queen has accumulated having been on the throne for over 50 years."
The Australian Government The Australian Government clearly states that Australia's Head of State is Queen Elizabeth II. See, for example, the Australian Government House of Representatives info sheet on The Australian System of Government and the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs website on Australia's Political System.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's website outlines protocol requirements for Heads of Mission in Australia and in this context clearly refers to Queen Elizabeth II as Australia's Head of State.
The Commonwealth
Australia's country entry for the Commonwealth Secretariat clearly states:
Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II represented by Governor-General Major-General Michael Jeffery
Other countries
Other countries recognise Queen Elizabeth as Australia's Head of State. The British Foreign Office's Country Profile on Australia, for example, states:
Head of State: Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
International Bar Association
The International Bar Association's website includes an entry on Australia which states:
Constitutional monarchy
Australia is a constitutional monarchy under which the head of state is a monarch (currently Queen Elizabeth 2), whose functions are regulated by the Constitution. The concept of the crown is integral to the Australian constitutional system…
http://www.republic.org.au/ARM-2001/q&a/qa_headofstatemoreindex.htm#governor
Anduril,
That's all nice propaganda from the pro-Republican webpage.
But I could counter that by posting point after point from this page:
http://www.norepublic.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=336&Itemid=4
Like I have stated, you have your views and stance....and I have mine....but neither views are covered in the Constitution.
lefty said:
It surprises me that so many of the chest beating, flag waving nationalists that inhabit this place want to retain the monarchy. You would think that this proud Aussie element would want us to stand on our two feet and break the ties with the old country.
One of the Barmy Army's best taunts is when they sang 'God save YOUR Queen, long may she reign over YOU!'
Even the stinky, sunburned, no chinned poms understand the irony and irrelevance of us having a foreign head of state!
Lefty,
I think that is because the people "chest beating" and flag waving, are the people who are proud of the flag the way it is.
I stated in an earlier post, that becoming a republic and changing the flag, are two different issues, but funnily enough, it is usually the same people who are beating down the door to get a republic started tomorrow, are the same people who want the corner ripped from the flag on the same day.
Maybe if Republicans separated the issues somewhat, then their movement might make some inroads?
While they continue to want to change to a republic and change the flag, then the majority of Australians will continue to shun their ideas, as its too much change at once.
we have seen after the BDO flag-banning fiasco, that the majority of people love the flag the way it is, and if the republican movement continue to link the two issues of a republic and a flag, I'm afraid your idea of a republican utopia will have as much chance of getting up and running as an Islamic state!
As for the Poms, they are just jealous....remember...there are two types of people...Aussies, and people who wish they were Aussies.
