Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A couple of weeks ago, five MPs returned to this House as a result of by-elections, and they swore allegiance to Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors. There was no mention of the Australian people—the people that had elected them to serve in this place. That particular moment highlighted everything that is wrong with the Australian Constitution at the moment, why it is outdated and why we need to begin looking at reforming our Constitution to appoint one of our own as our head of state. Our Constitution needs to be updated, and we need to work together towards having one of our own as our head of state. Every child in Australia at the moment can aspire to do whatever they want in our wonderful democracy, but they can't aspire to the most important position under our Constitution, that of head of state. That does not represent modern Australia, our people, our culture and our democracy.

On 1 September this year, members of the Australian Republic Movement came together for the barbecue for an Aussie head of state. On Wattle Day, hundreds of Australians got together across every state and territory in the first great campaign initiative by the ARM since 1999 to fire up the barbie to discuss the importance of having one of our own as our head of state. In backyards, parks and pubs we came together and united around this notion of a head of state. Let's get behind the Australian Republic Movement. I congratulate them for 1 September and look forward to finally having an Australian as our head of state.