Chop ‘n’ change

THE last time Australia had a big discussion about social change was way back in 1999.

We were given the choice to retain the status quo or make the shift to a parliamentary appointed president.

This was on the back of all sorts of conventions and advertising. There were celebrities proposing political shifts and the news was full of the republican debate.

In reality there was no real choice. The decision of “what kind” of presidential model was not even part of the national vote.

The model had been cooked and agreed to by the monarchist prime minister, so it was no surprise to Republicans that the country voted with their head and decided to retain the old monarchy model.

People don’t trust politicians, why would anybody in their right mind vote to give them any more power than they already had?

That defeat was a difficult pill. The leader of the Republican Movement, the man who funded so much of their work, made a passionate speech on the night of the defeat.

He blamed then Prime Minister Howard. He was emotional and spoke off the cuff. He said that John Howard had broken the nation’s heart.

A few years later all was forgiven and the A.R. M leader joined the John Howard Liberal Party.

Today he calls himself an “Elizabethan” and shies away from any public discussion of an Australian Republic.

It’s a shame, because when he tipped Tony Abbott out of the top job there was a real window of opportunity for Malcolm Turnbull to fulfil his potential as the prime minister who performed a national heart transplant.

There were a few heady days in the first few weeks of his prime ministership when he could have put his hand on his heart and declared his honest preference for equality in marriage and national independence.

These two buttons could have brought conservative Labor voters into the broad Liberal church. They could have secured his position as the national leader, but now they could possibly be the reasons that his days are numbered. Turnbull is a barrister. He loves to form a contrary argument. But Australians are sick of the words. Australians want decisions, independence and equality. The Republic question and equality in marriage go directly to our national self-image. They are the values of our future and Turnbull knows this to be true. In his heart of hearts he must regret not being the PM he wanted to be. But he is bound by internal deals and now he is struggling to maintain a whisper in either debate. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten delivered a speech at the ALP National Conference at the weekend. He made promises and set goals. One of the significant moments was when he promised that under a Labor government, there will be another vote on the prospect of an Australian Republic. But this time the question will be simple, “yes” or “no”. This is the first step towards a rejuvenated national identity. This is a key plank in a raft of pol- itical points of differences.

Australia is a sleepy continent. But now we have the opportunity to wake up and embrace the future.

This is what leaders do, they set the agenda, they generate optimism.

Shorten lost the last election, but the gossip about Albanese has not harmed his position.

The Chinese connection to Dastyari has not blown either out of the water. He may not be the most popular Labor leader, but his party is looking solid in defence.

In contrast, Turnbull is Prime Minister but he is absent from national discussion.

His own backbenchers are coming to Canberra next week and they want to talk about marriage equality. There are rats in the ranks and Turnbull is powerless to stop the dissension. There is a real belief that change is needed.

The Member for Wentworth has long positioned himself as the cultural conscience of the Liberal Party.

This is the MP who has always been able to come up with an answer to the trickiest of questions but he has not been able to negotiate with the far right of his own countrymen.

Most MPs know the plebiscite is a non-starter and that equality in marriage is a no-brainer. They also know they must act now and call for a free vote in the parliament. If they don’t lead they will lose. The train of change is coming and Malcolm Turnbull has tied himself to the tracks. Ross Mueller is a freelance

writer and director