It's Time Again..
The Whitlam government represented a new era of possibilities and long overdue reforms. It was time! In 2025, 50 years after the maverick dismissal of the Whitlam government that action is universally viewed as aberrant and mistaken. It is time to look beyond and to the future, as Gough implied, when he said ‘nothing will save the Governor General’.
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Australia does not need a Governor General nor is it served by several heads of State that are still representatives of the British crown. But this is symptomatic of a great malaise at the heart of our government that is only propped up by the enormous resources and abundance of the land.
Australia cannot continue to operate as a Commonwealth of six state governments based on British colonial boundaries and two territories – one of whom is a quasi-state and the other effectively a city based local government.
We need an Australian republic that will improve the country. Simply making Governors and the Governor General elected Australians with codified powers just shifts the furniture around. Nor can existing structures, COAG or the National Cabinet, be expected to rationalise existing bureaucracies.. as we see so much.. the answer is never to give up territory even it is clearly in the national interest.
It was a great opportunity to talk with Jane Hasler about the idea of a collective head of State for the whole country made up of the Prime Minister, Premiers and Chief Ministers – an Australian Executive Council. Such a body of national leaders could create many possibilities: real rationalisation of governmental responsibilities, a national four year election day for Federal, State and local government, proper recognition and empowerment of local government, reform of our national honours system, the creation of a better Australian taxation system.
It's Time Again.. https://open.spotify.com/episode/0OxTtIiEJieD9X2dcPkaDk
Also see:
28 September, 2025 Taxation Reform: Subsidiarity and the AEC Republican Model https://www.workingpapers.com.au/papers/taxation-reform-subsidiarity-and...
28 September, 2025 Reshaping Honours and Australia's Soul: A Republic that improves the country https://www.workingpapers.com.au/papers/reshaping-honours-and-australias...
20 August 2025 Productivity, Republicanism and Improving Whole of Australian Government Efficiency https://www.workingpapers.com.au/papers/productivity-republicanism-and-i...
20 June 2025 Common Sense: Towards an Australian Republic that improves the Country https://www.workingpapers.com.au/papers/common-sense-towards-australian-...
