Keating feared republic president bid

PAUL Keating feared a popularly elected president in an Australian republic could usurp the power of parliament, “unalterably” changing our system of government.

A Whitlam-style dismissal was another concern for the then-prime minister if a new head of state retained the powers of the governor-general to sack a prime minister.

Mr Keating’s worries emerge in his written submis- sions to the Labor cabinet, published today in the National Archives’ annual release of historic cabinet documents.

The papers come from 1994-95, the dying years of the Keating government, when the PM had lost interest in day-today governing, but retained a passion for big ideas. The biggest idea was the push for an Australian Republic by 2001.

But the move came as the public was losing patience with a government that was shedding senior ministers such as treasurer John Dawkins, John Kerin, Neal Blewett and Graham Richardson.

The Keating government knew the proposal was troubled. The public wanted a popularly elected head of state but Mr Keating feared such a president would take “moral authority” over the government.

“Such a change could see a substantial shift in power away from the representative power of the House of Representatives ... towards a more executive style of presidency, thus changing our system of government,” Mr Keating wrote.

“Agreement to this course would in time fundamentally change the character of the Australian Government.”

Mr Keating favoured a president elected by a twothirds majority of a joint sitting of parliament.