Meetings present plan for switch to republic

THE push to make Australia a republic has begun in Townsville.

Real Republic chair David Muir hosted two meetings in Townsville yesterday.

“We’re here to start a national conversation about the need to become a republic in Australia,” he said.

“We’re giving people the idea that there is an opportunity to make our system of democracy stronger and better, to add some value to it in terms of integrity, with an elected head of state who would appoint the anticorruption bodies in Australia.”

The cornerstone of the group’s republican push is to have the head of state, who effectively would replace the Queen, elected by the public.

Mr Muir said becoming a republic related to national identity, which came back to indigenous recognition.

“There would need to be something in the preamble ( of the Constitution) to recognise the indigenous heritage of Australia as part of our national identity,” he said.

Other aspects Real Republic is incorporating into its push include fixed terms of government, synchronising election dates between the House of Representatives and the Senate and potentially reducing the number of senators from each state. Mr Muir denied this would dilute any referendum vote, needed to change the Constitution to become a republic.