Examining the Factors Leading to the Failure of the 1999 Referendum

This essay explores the reasons behind the failure of the 1999 republican referendum in Australia. It highlights that despite a significant portion of the population supporting the idea of Australia becoming a republic, the referendum did not pass due to various factors. The essay points out that many republicans voted against the proposed model, indicating a lack of unity among supporters. The role of political figures, such as Prime Minister Paul Keating and later John Howard, is also examined in shaping the debate and influencing the outcome. The essay concludes that for any future republican movement to succeed, principles must be prioritized over political divisions, and a more unified approach is essential. The essay references Qvortrup (2001) to support its analysis of the referendum's failure and the lessons learned from it.

Running head: AUSTRALIA AND THE WORLD
Australia and the World
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note
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1AUSTRALIA AND THE WORLD
The republican referendum of 1999 failed because majority of the people voted in the
negative and said NO. During the bicentenary celebrations of Australia in 1988, the Queen
visited Canberra in May of that year to open the new Parliament House. While addressing the
people , the Queen drew on the royal connection, saying that her father, George VI, had opened
the original Canberra Parliament House in 1927 and her grandfather George V had opened the
inaugural the Melbourne Parliament House in 1901. (Qvortrup, 2001, p. 1)
The nature of the Sydney celebrations of 1988 drew the wrath from a lot of Australians
wherein they wanted European Australians to let go of England and Australia to be an
independent republic (Qvortrup, 2001, p. 1). The Prime Minister of Australia, Paul Keating
played a very important role in this regard, wherein he proposed that the Australian flag should
be modified. Majority of the people in Australia felt that Australia and the United Kingdom were
separate nations and that Australia should sever all bonds with the United Kingdom and be truly
independent and that the Queen belonged to the United Kingdom in every facet. Keating
established the Republic Advisory Committee on the 28th of April 1993 which was a concrete
step in making Australia an independent republic. The committee proposed that the only way in
making Australia a Republic nation was to remove the Queen and introduce an Australian as the
head of state.
There was a lot of debate over which republican model should be instituted, until ARM’s
minimalist model was chosen as the winner and put as a referendum in Australia. (Qvortrup,
2001, p. 5) However, the republican campaign in Australia failed and the republic was said to be
an elitist initiative.
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2AUSTRALIA AND THE WORLD
The lesson learnt was republicans should want more change from the heart. They should
truly want Australia to be an independent nation, rather than voting for their personal
preferences. The people who propagated and promoted the No vote, used the policy of divide
and rule to their own advantage. Everybody was convinced that the person at fault was John
Howard and there was a lot of hostility and wrath directed at him.
Even after Malcolm Turnbull became the prime minister of Australia, he did not revive
the republican issue. For the republican model to succeed, people in Australia must put principles
above politics in Australia. (Qvortrup, 2001, p. 10)
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3AUSTRALIA AND THE WORLD
Reference list:
Qvortrup, M. H. (2001). How to lose a referendum: The Danish plebiscite on the euro. The
Political Quarterly, 72(2), 190-196.
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