Young ACM Spokesman, Jai Martinkovits, recently announced details of the 2010 ACM National Conference, entitled “The Second Decade”.
From the 26th - 28th November, Constitutional Monarchists from all over Australia will gather in Sydney to plan their educational and other activities in 2011 and over the next decade.
The flyer / booking form is now available for download.
With over 50,000 supporters, ACM led the No case in the 1999 referendum, winning nationally, in all states and in 72% of electorates.
“This year The Hon. Tony Abbott MHR has agreed to deliver the much anticipated Annual Neville Bonner Oration in conjunction with the National Conference,” Jai said. “This will be the conference's keynote address, being delivered on the Saturday night, 27th November.”
“Tony Abbott, ACM's first Executive Director, is a man who proceeds from principles,” Jai added. “His projection into the role of Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in Australia, although constantly in the public eye, has not seen Tony shy away from his convictions.”
“Tony Abbott has made it very clear that he does not think that Australia is anywhere near a politicians’ republic, even when the Queen is no longer our monarch. He declared in Battlelines that come 2020 Australia will still be a Crowned Republic," ACM’s National Convenor Professor David Flint said.
He added: “Describing his respect for the Monarchy being as natural as respecting his parents, Tony Abbott sees that Australia's system of Government is ours and it works.”
The 2009 Neville Bonner Oration was delivered by the Hon. John Howard, Australia's 25th Prime Minister, 1996 -2007.
Bookings are now being accepted by the ACM office, get in quick!
Yesterday (19/1), Team ACM was invited onto the nation's airwaves - SKY TV, all commercial TV networks, and leading radio stations from Parth to Melbourne. It was all about the visit of Prince William. Apart from calling for another referendum on some vague politicians' republic the details of which they will not reveal, the republican movement responded to the visit by launching a series of mean-sprited personal attacks on this fine young man.
“ If Australia had voted for a republic in 1999, does anyone seriously think constitutional monarchists would have been allowed to raise the issue now ?” asked Thomas Flynn, successor to Tony Abbot and Kerry Jones as ACM’s executive director on the first day of Prince Williams' visit .
“The constitutional monarchists were given a once only chance in 1999."
" Why should the republicans be able to keep on raising the issue?” Mr Flynn was replying to the demand raised by the republican movement that the Prime Minister proceed with yet another referendum on change to some sort of politicians’ republic.
...Prince William and the succession....
In the light of a poll which indicated a preference for Prince William, Young ACM spokesman Jai Martinkovits was asked whether the Crown should not pass directly to Prince William. He said : “ It is the constitutional system with its safeguards which is important, and not the individual office holder.”
Pressed on the Crown passing directly to Prince William he said “Such a proposal would need The Queen’s approval and then be passed by the parliaments of the sixteen realms. This could also involve the states and provinces of federations such as Australia and Canada. The Prince is opposed anyway. It won't happen. In any event he is likely then to be Prince of Wales. ”
In print, radio and TV interviews, ACM’s National Convenor said that Prince William was being seen by Australians as a superb role model. He rejected the republican movement's personal attacks on the Prince as" mean-spirited and nasty". Rather than being a playboy,the Prince is determined to serve, both in the armed services and in his increasing charitable work for the disadvantaged. He has come to Australia at his request and during his leave. In what is described as a “private” visit, this is crammed with engagements of a public nature. He is a fine young man.
...never stand between republicans and Royalty....
Referring to the magic of monarchy which seems to particularly affect republicans, Professor Flint said he often warned supporters never to stand between republicans and visiting royalty, even minor European royalty. “Otherwise you'll risk being knocked over in the rush,” he added.
On his first day in Australia, Prince William created a superb impression among Aboriginal Australians when he visited “The Block”, an area of Aboriginal housing in inner-city Redfern. He is already, according to Sky News, “Sydney’s Favourite Son”.
It is expected that the barbecue being offered by the Premier Ms. Christina Keneally for the Prince and 100 young people today, Wednesday 20 January, at Lady Macquarie’s Chair in the Royal Botanic Gardens, will attract large crowds.
Australians warmly welcome the visit of Prince William to Australia. As second in the line of succession to the Australian throne, he has a special link with us.
The Australian Crown is our oldest institution. It is an important check and balance on the abuse of power in our constitutional system. And it provides leadership beyond politics.
The people voted to keep this in 1999 nationally, in every state and 72% of electorates. “Prince William, by his dedication to service both in the armed forces and in his considerable charitable work, will be seen as a role model by Australians ,” said ACM National Convener, Professor David Flint.
Prince William is fitting in this visit while on leave from the armed forces.
Although “private”, it is filled with public activities. International publicity about the visit will even promote tourism. Tourism Australia spends about $100 million in the international media to promote the country; this publicity is free.
“It is unfortunate then that the republican movement has chosen to engage in personal attacks on the Prince over the visit, “said Professor Flint.
“Instead they should be working out, without taxpayer assistance, what actually is wrong with one of the world’s most successful constitutions and what changes they want.”
National Convener: Professor David Flint; Young ACM spokesman: Jai Martinkovits; Executive Director: Thomas Flynn
With the attempt by the Prime Minister to put some undefined politicians’ republic back on the agenda, constitutionalists are heading to Perth this weekend for their national conference.
This will be opened on Friday evening at Perth’s Hotel Northbridge by the prominent Western Australian Sir William Heseltine, a former Private Secretary to The Queen, and the first Australian to hold that position.
Despite taxpayers funding 6 major exercises on trying to move to a politicians’ republic since 1993, some politicians still want to divert millions more from pensions, schools, water etc into this folly.
But polling indicates that not only is overall support for some politicians' republic in decline, it has collapsed among the younger generation.
So a feature of this conference – the tenth Australians for Constitutional Monarchy have held since the 1999 referendum -will be a panel of young Australians which will explain their commitment to the constitution and the flag.
The conference will also discuss ACM’s campaign up to 2010, including ACM’s education project.
The keynote speaker is the Hon. Richard Court, the only Premier at the 1998 Constitutional Convention who was shown to be in touch with the voters.
Speakers at the conference will include:
· Professor Gabriel Moens, Dean of Law at Murdoch and an internationally respected authority on constitutional law.
· Dr Hal Colebatch, the lawyer and author.
· Joseph Poprzeczny, the well known business journalist who will speak on Citizen Initiated Referenda.
· George Bougias who will speak on campaigning to the ethnic communities.
· Professor David Flint who will explain why our Founding Fathers rejected the constitutional plebiscite in favour of the referendum .
Panellists will include Terry Jackson AM, Neil Fearis, West Australian ACM Convener, the Hon. Bill Hassell, the former senator, John Stone, Thomas Flynn, ACM National Executive Director, and Jai Martinkovits, director of J.K. Managed Solutions.
Media reports indicate republicans are already backtracking from the Summit recommendations.
The Summit was quite clear on what it wanted.
“Stage 1 ending ties with the UK while retaining the Governor-General’s titles and powers for five years. Stage 2: Identifying new models after extensive and broad consultation.” By ending ties with the UK they mean taking the Australian Crown out of the constitution.
(Legal ties with the UK were terminated in 1986.)
To do this a referendum is necessary.
Now they’re saying they only meant a plebiscite.
But a plebiscite can not be used to remove the Australian Crown from our constitutional system.
So stage 1 is not about “ending ties with the UK.”
It’s about a spin doctor designed plebiscite which is against, if not the letter, the spirit of the Australian Constitution.
"Not only was the governance panel rigged, they are obviously in need of elementary legal advice," says Professor David Flint after examining the preliminary recommendations of the 2020 Summit.
"They are in danger of becoming a laughing stock."
"The panel recommends an as yet unknown republic through a two-stage process. The first stage is to end ties with the UK."
(The Summit is incidentally eighteen years too late. Ties with the UK were terminated, with the personal involvement of The Queen, in 1986 under the Australia Acts)
"What the Summit is trying to do is to remove our oldest institution, the Australian Crown, from the constitution, while keeping the Governor-General in place for five years.
" "During these five years, a new constitution is supposed to be worked out."
"This means two referendums."
"The first will be to remove vast parts of the Constitution - without putting anything at all in their place."
"Do the republicans really think the people would ever agree to something so monumentally stupid?"
"Then there’s to be a second referendum in five years on some unknown republican model.
"If it fails, which is likely,what is to happen?"
"We shall be in a constitutional no man’s land."
"It is difficult to conceive of a more foolish and irresponsible proposal."
( The Summit recommendations are: 1. Introduce an Australian republic, via a two-stage process, with Stage 1 ending ties with the UK while retaining the Governor-General’s titles and powers for five years. Stage 2: Identifying new models after extensive and broad consultation.)
"It must be of serious concern to all Australians that the Deputy Prime Minister could be so wrong on what was the leading 2020 Summit issue, "said David Flint of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy.
"Julia Gillard says most Australians want Australia to become a republic."
"On all the evidence this is completely untrue."
"The last Newspoll said 45% support change to a vague, undefined republic."
"And nobody was surprised that Maxine McKew couldn’t find anyone at the Summit who’s not a republican. "
"As Ms. McKew would know, only one side in the republican debate was appointed to the panel."
"This was a gerrymander which would make Mugabe envious."
" When Kevin Rudd was reported to be inspired by the dictator Mao Tse-tung in setting up the Summit, most of us thought this was a joke." " It wasn’t."
All candidates in the Federal Election are being asked to answer a short questionnaire about their support for the Australian Flag and the Australian Constitution by the community based organisation, Australians for Constitutional Monarchy, (ACM). All responses will be posted to ACM’s ELECTION WATCH at www.norepublic.com.au.
“For the first time in our long history,” ACM’s National Convener said ”Australia could soon be controlled by wall-to-wall republican governments.”
“ We are seeking an assurance from all leaders and candidates that any proposal for change will be submitted to the people in a referendum, and no back door change will be attempted.”
“We are also asking each candidate to complete a short questionnaire indicating whether he or she supports the Australian Flag and the Constitution,” Professor Flint added.
Was it because commentators are saying that he’s becoming a mirror image to John. Howard that Kevin Rudd decided to take a leaf from Mr. Costello’s book and show some brand differentiation?
While conceding a republic isn’t a "first order concern" for working families right now, he says it would be later. Coming as he does from a multi millionaire family, you might wonder how he knows what the concerns of working families are or will be. Mr Malcolm Turnbull, who ran the republican case in the referendum, concluded four months before the landslide 1999 ‘No’ vote that “nobody is interested.”
That’s even more the case today. Since 1999 support has declined and is in free fall among the young. Yet Mr. Rudd is prepared to spend millions more on this futile exercise. Even the republican movement can’t say what sort of republic they want.
His claim that the 1999 referendum confused people is patronising. Perhaps he’s planning to do what the republican movement tried to do in 1999 – remove all references to “republic’ and “president “from the referendum question!
ACM assures Mr. Rudd that he will have a fight on his hands if he tries to revive republicanism and to change the flag, as Mr. Keating and Mr. Beasley planned.
"Australians have been celebrating The Queen’s birthday (or The King’s) for over 200 years,” said ACM National Convenor, Professor David Flint today. “The Queen’s Birthday is oldest public holiday, and it is to honour our oldest institution, the Australian Crown which has been at the centre of our constitutional system for over two centuries.” [From 1788 when Governor Phillip introduced it until 1936 the holiday was held on the day our reigning monarch was born. After the death of King George V it was decided to retain the June holiday weekend, apart from Western Australian where it is celebrated in September/October. In Canada it is celebrated in May.] We evolved from a penal colony to a proud independent country under the Crown. We were founded under the Crown; we received self government under the Crown, and we agreed to unite in our Federal Commonwealth under the Crown. And then, we became fully independent under our separate Australian Crown, which remains above politics.” "In 1999, the republicans were given a free hand to draft the best constitution their best minds could devise. But the people rejected it, and not narrowly. They rejected it in every state and in 72% of electorates - a landslide in anyone’s terms. This is not the time for republicans to try to avoid the people’s decision by calling for the holiday to be ended or renamed. With our flag, this holiday should not be tampered with or changes unless, of course, the people were to decide, in their wisdom, to throw out their constitutional system, one of the most successful in the world.” "We would hope that republicans will allow Australians to celebrate this weekend peacefully and not confront them with some or other republican stunt. This weekend is an appropriate time for all Australians to recognize the significance of our Australian constitutional arrangements. As we celebrate we can take stock of our past while focusing on our future as one of the greatest democracies in the world.”
Media Releases 
Australians for Constitutional Monarchy
"Australians have been celebrating The Queen’s birthday (or The King’s) for over 200 years,” said ACM National Convenor, Professor David Flint today. “The Queen’s Birthday is oldest public holiday, and it is to honour our oldest institution, the Australian Crown which has been at the centre of our constitutional system for over two centuries.” 
