Paper 46

[ Contents ]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE PROCESS PROPOSED BY RICHARD E MCGARVIE AND JACK HAMMOND QC.

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is to coordinate implementation of the process.

Each parliament is to set up an all-party committee to investigate and report on (a) the model which would best preserve or improve our democracy if the federation separated from the monarchy and (b) the method of deciding the head of state issue that would least strain the federation.  Each state or territory committee is to invite submissions and hold hearings in its regional areas and capital city.  The committee in the federal parliament to report on the two questions after considering the state and territory reports.    In the reports, the majority or minority supporters of a model are to describe it in detail and give full reasons for preferring it.

Conference to recommend that each committee consider recommending the following steps for deciding the issue with least strain on the federation.

First a national plebiscite in which the voters of each unit of the federation (ie the Commonwealth, each state and territory) vote on the model they prefer for their unit.  All Australian voters will mark a ballot paper showing their preference for the Commonwealth and another showing their preference for their state or territory.  Each of the detailed models with majority or minority support in the report of the committee in the federal parliament will be included in the ballot papers.

Finally, all Australian electors to vote in one referendum on the one question whether the whole federation separate from the monarchy.  If supported by the overall majority of voters, a majority in every state and a request from each state parliament, the whole federation would separate from the monarchy at the same time with each unit converting to the model its voters chose in the plebiscite.  If that support is not obtained there would be no change.

Conference to appoint a non-partisan drafting committee to prepare legislation for the parliaments to pass to set up the parliamentary committees.

At each stage government and opposition leaders, presiding officers of parliaments and the people through media and internet to be fully informed of reports and decisions.

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