Australians for Constitutional Monarchy

Creeping republicanism is being turned back across the country.  This was a devious attempt by Republicans to circumvent and undermine the clear will of the people expressed in the 1999 landslide against the best politicians’ republic the Australian Republican Movement could devise.

[David Elliott MP, ACM National Campaign Director 1999]

The idea behind this insidious movement was to remove the symbols of the Crown so that the institution seemed less important Australians.  It was as if a 1984 style Ministry of truth would cleanse the minds of Australians removing anything monarchical from them.

At least one leading Republican post this, the late Professor George Winterton.  He thought it improper the also saw advantages in reminding Australians of the monarchy.  I think he was wrong on the latter point.  The latest polling – and the trend in polling since the referendum – indicates that Australians prefer the monarchy to some politicians’ republic.

...campaign to roll back..

According to a report in the Sunday Telegraph (10/6) by state political Reporter Barclay Crawford (“Liberal Party want to see return of royal traditions in NSW schools “), three New South Wales state members of Parliament have written to Education Minister Adrian Piccoli urging him to back a plan to bring back portraits of Queen Elizabeth II to honour her Diamond Jubilee. The MPs write that hanging the portraits was a way of recognising the success of the constitutional monarchy in providing a "stable and transparent" system of government.

Baulkham Hills MP David Elliott, who was ACM’s National Campaign Director and led the campaign against the republic in the lead up to the 1999 referendum, is the lead author. His colleagues are the upper house member, former state Liberal Party president, and member of the ACM National Council, the Hon Natasha Maclaren-Jones(picture above)and the MP for Castle Hill Dominic Perrottet (picture left).

The MP's letter states: "At a time when traditions and values are too often being set aside, we feel this practical recognition of our heritage would be warmly welcomed by the community as a reminder of the stability and surety our current constitutional arrangement have provided and, indeed, why so many people seek to make Australia their home." 

Mr Elliott said reintroducing the portraits to schools recognised the role the monarchy had played in providing Australia with more than a century of stable government - not about fawning over the Queen.

"Even the most royalist individual in Australia is aware that support for the monarchy is because of the stability and transparency in government that it's provided for the nation," he said, adding the removal of portraits from schools was never voted on by the people of Australia.

He also wants the reintroduction of knighthoods for society's high achievers and Queen's Counsels for top barristers.

"We've never had any election in support of the removals of any of these royal titles. The only vote was the referendum on November 6, 1999, which provided a thumping endorsement of a constitutional monarchy."

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