Australians for Constitutional Monarchy

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Australians for Constitutional Monarchy (ACM) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization founded in June, 1992, to defend the Australian Constitution, the role of the Crown in it, and to preserve the role of the Queen of Australia, represented by the Governor-General, as Australia's constitutional head of state. The National Council adopted the mission to preserve and defend what they perceive as Australian heritage, the constitutional system, the role of the Australian Crown in it, and the Australian flag.

The ACM played the key role in the 'No Republic' campaign during the lead up to Australia's 1999 republic referendum. The ACM claims over 50,000 supporters worked in the campaign across the Commonwealth.

Contents 1 Past activities 2 Current activities 3 Arguments 4 Membership 5 See also 6 External links 7 Footnotes

[edit] Past activities

Australians for Constitutional Monarchy was active in challenging Australia's republican organizations in the lead-up to the 1999 referendum.

The group also organized a public protest against the eviction of New South Wales Governor Gordon Samuels from Government House by Premier Bob Carr, in 1996. The march was one of the largest in Sydney history, and blocked Macquarie Street - a major road in the city's downtown.^[1] However, the House remains unoccupied as of 2007.

[edit] Current activities

Today, the organisation, which describes itself as a "grassroots community organization", continues to advocate the retention of constitutional monarchy as the preferred model of governance for Australia.

Primary amongst the group's activities is the publication of news and information about Australia's constitution, government, and Crown. Such information is published largely on their official site in the form of information sheets, or by way of an opinion column from the National Convenor. ACM also publishes materials, including books discussing a variety of topics related to Australia's Crown.

ACM also holds events across Australia each year. The main event is an annual national conference that typically runs for three days, with many invited speakers from the Australian community. Past speakers have included Prime Minister John Howard and former official secretary to the Governor-General of Australia Sir David Smith. The last National Conference was held in Sydney in August, 2006. ACM's State Convenors are also responsible for the organisation of events that occur in each of the Australian states, and the Australian Capital Territory.

ACM relaunched their official website in August, 2005, as a means of providing news, resources and opinion columns to the Australia community, and the following year launched their new journal, the Australian Constitutional Defender.

In December 2006, Tony Abbott, Minister for Health, launched an ACM monograph Her Majesty at 80: Impeccable Service in an Indispensable Office, with a foreword by Abbott, and written by Flint.^[2]

[edit] Arguments

ACM argues against the proposal by some republicans to have a taxpayer funded series of plebiscites and referenda to achieve a republic, while also criticizing the lack of specific republican model. ACM also opposes the use of plebiscites, which it claims can be abused, and liken to a "blank cheque".^[3] They argue that the Constitution requires a referendum before any constitutional change, where all the details of change are given before and not after the vote. They also argue the republicans are demanding change, without having any idea of the change they want.^[4] ACM conducted an "information campaign" to inform voters of the perceived negative aspects of the plan, and during the 2004 federal election, approximately one million pamphlets on this subject were distributed in selected electorates. ACM also advises its supporters of which electoral candidates support the present constitutional monarchy.

ACM currently makes a point of fighting what Michael Kirby called "a republic by stealth," which they define as subtle removal of the Crown from Australian life. These include removals of references to the Crown from oaths and legislation, the replacement of the position of Queen's Counsel in some states with that of Senior Counsel. More recently, one of their key campaigns has been opposing the removal of the Governor of New South Wales from Government House by the Carr government.

ACM also objected to the plan by organizers of the 2006 Commonwealth Games, being held in Melbourne, to not include a playing of the Australian Royal Anthem at the opening of the Games, where the Queen would be present, declaring this to be a rebuff to the monarch. Young ACM supporters distributed sheets setting out the words of the National and Royal Anthems to the crowds going into the opening ceremony. In the end, the attendees in the stadium joined Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in singing Happy Birthday as well as eight bars of the Royal Anthem. In the same year, ACM led the opposition to the campaign by the Australian Republican Movement, named "A Mate for a Head of State."

[edit] Membership

The original Foundation Council included people such as Michael Kirby (now a Justice of the High Court), Justice Lloyd Waddy, Dame Leonie Kramer, Barry O'Keefe, Helen Sham-Ho, and others, including the late Neville Bonner, Dr. Margaret Olley, Sir Harry Gibbs, and Sir John Atwill. The first National Executive Director was Tony Abbott, who served between 1992 and 1994, with Justice Waddy serving as the organisations first National Convenor. When Abbott entered Australia's Federal Parliament in 1994 he was succeeded by Kerry Jones, with Justice Waddy later being succeeded by Professor David Flint, the current National Convener.

[edit] See also

• Australian Monarchist League
• Australian Constitution
• Australian Constitutional History
• Constitutional Monarchy
• Monarchist League
• Monarchist League of Canada
• Australian republicanism
• Australian Republican Movement

[edit] External links

• Australians For Constitutional Monarchy

[edit] Footnotes