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Chapter 1: Why is Australia questioning its ties to the British monarchy?
A Listener Production. Hey, Sasha Barbagat with you. Welcome to this bonus episode of The Briefing. And many of us are gearing up for a little public holiday to celebrate the King's birthday tomorrow. Sorry, not UWA or Queensland, but everyone else is.
Chapter 2: What arguments do monarchists present for maintaining the monarchy?
And this day inevitably brings up a question Australia has been grappling with for decades. Should we remain under the monarchy or become a republic? While no one wants to give up a public holiday, many people continue to question why Australia remains under British royal rule, no matter how symbolic it is.
So today we're bringing you an ep from a couple of years ago that still holds up today, a debate between a monarchist and a republican on what Australia's future should be. We recorded this when King Charles and Queen Camilla were here for a visit in October two years ago.
Chapter 3: What are the emotional and historical implications of Australia's colonial past?
And first up, we'll be hearing from the Australian Monarchist League, which is in favour, unsurprisingly, of remaining under the Crown and part of the Commonwealth. Here's my chat with the group's representative, Alexander Vaults. Alexander, thanks so much for joining us on The Briefing today. To kick us off, how excited are you for the King's visit?
Well, thanks so much for having me, Sasha.
Chapter 4: How do republicans argue for a shift to an Australian head of state?
It's great to be here. I am looking forward to the visit. I think it'll be a historic visit. It's the first time an Australian King has visited Australia. And so I think that there'll be a, hopefully, a groundswell of support among patriotic Australians who turn out to see the King.
Chapter 5: What are the economic implications of transitioning to a republic?
The Australian Monarchist League has been very involved in the on-the-ground activities. We're I think our numbers are looking like we're going to distribute about 12,000 Australian flags during the tour, both in Sydney and in Canberra collectively.
So I'm sure that whatever happens, you know, nothing will detract from the fact that our Crown is visiting Australia and all things considered, that's something to be very grateful for.
Look, I want to get into kind of the for and against side of things.
Chapter 6: How do the costs of a republic compare to current monarchy expenses?
So the first question around Australia's future as to whether we stay or go, I suppose, is why do you think we should remain as a constitutional monarchy?
Well, there's two very simple reasons, as far as I can tell, for why we should. The first is that definitively constitutional monarchy is the best system of government yet devised by humanity. The second simple reason is the Republican movement has and Republicans generally, have not prosecuted a convincing argument for why we should change our system.
Chapter 7: What role does public sentiment play in the monarchy vs. republic debate?
And more to the point, they've not told us what their system, the way that they would do things, would be better than what we already have. And this might sound like an oversimplification, but it's not. It's just a logical conclusion. Now, if you listen to the general rhetoric of the Republicans, they're very keen to make emotional appeals. They're very keen to
Chapter 8: What conclusions can we draw about Australia's future governance?
provide sweeping statements and things like that, but they're very light on detail. And if you look back at the recent referendum that we've just had, I think the Australian people like their detail, and I don't think they like being treated as easily led or easily deceived by vague appeals and weaponisations of compassion. And I think that a lot of people don't quite understand
understand that monarchists are not arguing anything in this debate. We are merely reactionary to the calls for change. We don't have to defend monarchy. History defends monarchy. I wait eagerly to engage with the Republicans at a sort of an erudite level, and I'm a big fan of just talking about this and having the conversation.
So again, thank you for having me on the show because we need to do more of this.
Yeah, well, I think that it's inevitable that when a royal comes to town, we start talking about their place in Australia's government. Look, I'm interested to know your perspective on... You know, Australia's constitutional monarchy has its roots in our colonial past, and that is triggering for a lot of people or it brings up trauma or emotion.
As you said, I think it's hard to keep emotion out of the debate. In some senses, I agree with you that... at the end of the day, we're talking about a government and how we're led and how our country works essentially. But the roots in colonialism is painful for a lot of people. Do you not see the value in kind of pulling away from that and forging our own path forward?
I think generally speaking, the history of every nation state on the planet is one of conquest and reconquest at the expense of one community and to the advantage of another. I don't think we can escape that And it seems to me a sort of disingenuous argument to put forward, because at the end of the day, the Constitution is not a history book.
It's a technical legal document that sets out the governing framework of our nation. That's all it should be. And I'd like to hear the Republicans tell us how becoming a republic would provide Australians with an economic advantage, for instance. And all the data I've looked at suggests that a republic doesn't advantage the economy.
And all the data I've looked at suggests that a republic doesn't advantage the geopolitical relations or even culture in a sense. And this is the last thing I would say. Any attempt to paint this change as a simple change is very disingenuous. This is complicated. There's a reason republicans amongst themselves can't agree on what to do, and they can't.
And they haven't been able to agree, not since 1999 ā not since Federation, but during colonisation, when we were actually talking about this. And I think the question to ask ourselves is, who exactly is advocating for Australia to become a republic? Is it your local grocer who you've brought vegetables from for the last 30 years? Or is it your barber?
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