Senate Submission
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Other Issues
One Remaining Royal Link
Under proposed section 126, an exception is made in the succession of the Presidency to state the Queen remains the Head of the Commonwealth of Nations (formerly the British Commonwealth.) The exception is reasonable in that Australians would like to maintain their place in the Commonwealth.
Including the exception in the constitution has one side-effect – that the Queen is not entirely extinguished from our constitution. A die-hard republican may insist that words be found to remove the link and somehow maintain membership, however the author believes leaving that one remaining royal link offers a special advantage.
The monarchist cause is not without merit. The monarchy is an important facet of our national heritage. The Queen is admired by a significant number of people in Australia. Our links with Great Britain are still strong and worth maintaining.
The link can be used to make the republican cause less divisive. It can be made more accommodating to the citizen who looks at the Queen with a degree of affection. It also benefits organisations wanting to keep Royal in their names. The same applies for an organisation with the Queen as their patron.
The Commonwealth was an issue in the minds of many people when voting at the referendum. A link to the Commonwealth would reassure voters and suppress any negative campaigning on the issue by the NO case. It would also mean our membership of the Commonwealth would not need to be reapplied for.
Finally, if the Commonwealth of Nations is ever disbanded, the Parliament could provide otherwise as to our relationship with the Queen.