Corowa  Revisited

Were today Sir Henry Parkes and his fellow founding fathers considering converting Australia into a republic each would still consider-first his state.

A republic would be born through furtherance of their federation concept.

Well pleased in their original devising they would make just one amendment - Replacing their in-common British sovereign with a federation style head-of-state to similarly service their six disparate states now well served under a centralised parliamentary system.

They would know national consensus in a head-of-state was of utmost concern... They would fully appreciate that politics is for politicians.

Thus mindful of history ancient and modern they would make no sole instrumentality or individual supreme and would insist upon constitutional equality between their states: That each state had equal voice regarding the initial and most important question of all... The appointment of the republic’s head-of-state.

They would view separation of legislative and executive appointment as of equal importance to separation of legislative, executive and judicial power.

As equals at federation they would agree each state participated equally in the provision of heads-of-state... Thus retaining equality between the states... And most importantly unity across Australia.

They would structure a republic with a people’s head-of-state issuing in-turn from each state of the federation... A prime minister coming from amongst the elected politicians… And a constitution sharing executive and other powers between those two.

Also they would recognise that a STATES republic proffers these principles and aspirations.

                                           Yogi

12th April, 2001

 

 

STATES is a republic model which defines a republic... The position of head-of-state to be filled by an individual to be appointed.

The appointment method is another matter.

 

1999’s referendum model (and those at the 1998 Constitutional Convention) was defined by the manner in which a head-of-state was to be selected. 

Ergo...  A  president model.

 

_______________________________________________________________

Yogi Marriott                                        CLAREMONT   7011   HOBART                                       April   2001

 

 

A boy in the 1930s my grandmothers introduced me to the spirit of Australia.

Federation…

Which then consumed the nation.

                                                       And to Sir Henry Parkes.

Living in the centre of Cobar with a maternal grandmother resident at Dalton Park (Cobar) and the other in Sydney, with whom I spent school holidays, there were a number of visits to the east coast prior to WWII.

Travelling to-and-fro by road or rail past Sir Henry’s family’s burial plot, Sydney-side on the Lower Blue Mountains, Sir Henry’s story was told.

 Always was mentioned the importance of federation… Always was the background unbounded loyalty to Australia and the King… For the spirit of Australia, kingship and federation was alive and well in the 1930s.

Throughout my life Sir Henry’s burial site has been remembered by me and numerous times and again I have visited his plot.

Sir Henry died not long before federation but the terms of federation which included the institution of the senate as the house of the states illustrated his and federation’s founders thinking and beliefs.

It is undoubted they considered each of their colonies as important to the success and security of the nation as any other and, had they been founding a republic, would have instituted a STATES-type republic.

 Canberra was founded to house an agreed federal government to control the nation… It can be argued sovereignty was/is the premise of the states… But there is no argument it is the people of the states who are needed to provide the acceptance of a republic of Australia.

 

A States Head-of-State Selection (STATES) republic is such a republic.

Yogi.

 

Revisited 3rd March, 2008

Website Uploaded 2003

STATES Devised 1998

Conceived Mid-1990s

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