Hi Footy. In general terms I am not for monarchies of any sort including where they are basically figureheads within a constitution. The British continue with that system because the concept of the monarchy and its historical presence is good for tourism in that country.
The other reason the monarchy continues to exist in the UK is that unlike many other monarchies they gave up real power to an elected parliamentary system whereas in other places some would not cede power and faced the guillotine or firing squad. So there is a certain goodwill that has evolved over the years and its still fairly strong while QE2 holds the title. I expect one day when a new monarchy might become unpopular or too costly it will probably result in even the UK disbanding the concept.
Australia also has considerable goodwill towards the current monarch and a good part of that is the fact that Australia has never waged a war against British rule and the fact that we inherited the WestMinster system of govt that has provided stability over a long period.
I guess the monarchy had learnt from the American War of Independence in 1776 that tyrannical rule could only end badly for Britain and the monarchy. We became a Federation with a constitutional monarchy in 1901 without having to shed blood to obtain our democratic system of rule. Thats another reason for goodwill.
IMO there is also another reason for reluctance of some to consider becoming a Republic.
While the monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth, is our head of State, there is a view by some that Australia is a more secure country because of that link. Even though the reality may not be that simple many Australians would believe that if Australia was threatened that link to the British monarch would mean an attack against Australia is an attack against the Queen and UK and other countries that hold a similar link and they would come to our aid and also act as a deterrent to invasion. Australia also holds close ties with other significant countries including the USA but even the USA cannot be taken for granted because after all the next President has signalled a more isolationist policy.
So retaining our traditional links to a stable system that has endured over time is not something we ought to rush out of in any great hurry. Even many Australians who are not of Anglo background would imo hold that view. Some have migrated from countries with horrible instability and have become enamoured with our current system.
Collectively, much further down the track we may be able to come up with a better system but at the moment I just wish govt would put 100% into measures that secure our economic future as well as the safety of our citizens. If they can do that first then perhaps we can develop the confidence to stand on our own two feet and have a truly Australian head of State. In the meantime for many it just comes across as a distraction from the real issues we all face today and into the future.
