THE November 6th referendum has split the country, the republicans and now the ruling Liberal Party. The Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, a monarchist, finally entered the debate this week by advocating a no vote, saying Australia is already independent and democratic.
But the party's deputy leader and the nation's treasurer, Mr Peter Costello, is a republican, along with many in the cabinet. Mr Howard said the governor-general, who is now always Australian, was effectively the head of state. He said a president would be less secure from political interference than a governor-general and the process for public consultation for the president was an illusion. "My support for the constitutional monarchy is not based on nostalgia," he said. The treasurer said the monarch no longer united the country.
"If this were a unifying symbol, the monarch would be performing the ceremonial role in Sydney at our Olympics," said Mr Costello. Mr Howard will open the Games in 2000. "In a machinery sense, our parliamentary system works and works well. But I would argue the ceremonial function is broken," Mr Costello added.