Media frenzy in Australia
Posted by DannyRCS - 23/07/09 at 04:07 pmIt looks like our polling results have caused a bit of a stir in Australia with a fair bit of coverage in the press (e.g. Aussies happy to ‘kiss off’ Commonwealth and Scepticism greets Commonwealth) and on radio debates (listen to ABC News PM Interview and ABC Connect Asia Interview).
My favourite is a provocative piece by Professor David Flint from Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy. Although he gets some things about our poll wrong (you can find the questions we actually asked here), he nevertheless raises some important points about the relationship between the Monarchy and the Commonwealth.
I’ve also now written an opinion piece in ‘The Age’ on Friday 24 July …
“Australia has traditionally been a big supporter of the Commonwealth, from the Commonwealth Games to funding development projects to leading political campaigns. Yet Australians seem divided about its relevance.
It’s worth noting that Australians seem well informed but one in five say they would be happy if Australia left the Commonwealth, more than double the average of the other countries polled. And, just to complicate things, Australia was the only country polled where Prince Charles was the most popular choice for the next head of the Commonwealth. Everywhere else the clear winner was a headship that rotated between members.
The obvious explanation for Australia’s approach is how divided the country remains on the issue of a republic. Presumably a hard core of people love the Commonwealth for its ties to royalty, while a similarly sized group hate it for the same reasons. The problem is that both groups are equally out of touch with the reality of what the modern Commonwealth is…”
Read the full article: At 60, this grand old dame is in desperate need of a makeover
What do you think?
Category : Director's Blog
Tags: Australia, Commonwealth Conversation, monarchy, poll, Prince Charles
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July 24th, 2009 at 10:33 am
I think that if the auzzies did not hate the british monarchy they would not mind the commonwealth, it’s the figure-head they dislike not the other things.
From my experience of Auz feeling, they dislike being rulled from half a world away.
July 24th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Andykillen,
Why do some Australians still feel they’re ruled by anyone but themselves? They’re every bit as sovereign as the UK is, after all.
July 26th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Yes they have self governance, but are still rulled by the Queen (just like the UK).
Many an Auzzie has complained to me about the stipidity of the situation, being ruled by a monarch half a world away. And I expect that this feeling is transfered to the Queen again in her other role of head of the Commonwealth.
Sorry to repeat myself, I see my english was not clear enough for you the first time. And yes we can argue semantics but it will serve no benefit.
October 9th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Ahem, Australia does not only have self governance, but full independence.
Australia is not “ruled by a monarch half a world away”. The Queen reigns, the people rule.
The Governor-General of Australia is the Queen’s representative, and is right there, in Canberra.
Also, Australia, has it’s own monarchy and crown now, as well as full independence. This is what the Statute of Westminster and Australia Act 1986 did.
And actually polls seem to recorded a steady rise in support for monarchy.
December 1st, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Why point out that one in five would be happy to leave the Commonwealth, and not compare to the rest of the statistics? 25% say they would be sorry to leave, and 10% say they would be appalled. The results overall are almost identical to Canada and Britain’s. I suppose it all depends on how you read it to make it support your viewpoint. The media pick and choose what statistics to report because they are part of the elite section of society that push for a republic, and the breaking of our (Australia’s) historical ties to Britain (ie.they want a multicultural society).
Also in that poll, it asks which international organisations are important to your country. 59% of Australian respondents chose the Commonwealth as important in comparison to 39% of Canadians, and 33% of British. That shows Australians are generally more aware of the Commonwealth than people in Canada and UK. (I won’t overstate that though, since the organisation is suffering from a lack of awareness in all countries).
andykillen, there is a sizeable section of Australian society that would choose a republic, but an equally sizeable section that want to retain the monarchy because they want to keep the links to Britain. Remember we had a referendum and it was no. At the moment it is a dead issue in Australia. Very occasionally, some prominent person (politician, journalist) whinges about it, but as a friend said to me the other day “no one cares about it”.
I think you are generalising about the attitude towards the republic in Australia, as though everyone is in favour of it. Those in favour of it were seen as modern, trendy, looking to a multicultural Australia that has ties with Asia, those against it suffered from an image of old fashioned, stodgy, looking backwards to the empire. Much the same division as exists in Britain with the EU where those who are against it are seen as looking backwards, umable to let go of the empire.
So I think the republic supporters were more vocal and confident, while those in favour of the monarchy/historical ties were even a bit embarrassed to be too vocal about it. When the latter chose ‘no’ in the secrecy of the ballot box, it was a rude shock to the republic supporters. So at the moment, it really is a dead issue in Australia and likely to stay that way at least until the Queen dies and possibly after.
You might have met some Aussies who don’t want the monarchy, but remember there are also some who are happy with the current situation.