Australian Politics essays

Australian Politics essays 1.A shift to a republic would be in Australia's best interests. There have been a series of debates on the actual future of the Australian state. On the one hand, there are some who suggest that Australia would have a better future as an independent and sovereign republic; on the other hand, the current status as part of the Commonwealth is considered to be a better option for the nation and the state. However, serious attempts have been made and discussions are underway for what would the government consider to be by 2020 the Australian state and an Australian head of state (BBC, 2008). In order to have a better assessment of this issue, there are several aspects to be taken into consideration which support the idea of an Australian republic and an Australian head of state rather than an overall monarchical rule. First, todays reality is one of independent and sovereign state, not one of former empires. As stated by the foreign Minister, a split from the British monarchy was inevitable. (BBC, 2008) It is not so much the mere fact that Australia is formally still entrenched in the remains of an empire which seized to exist decades ago. It is more the issue of modernity and of the role Australia came to play in the world in recent decades. In this sense, it is one of the most important countries in the Asia Pacific region and should therefore have a defining and sovereign head of state in order to allow the country to run its affairs independently from any outside force. Second, there is also the matter of the national identity worldwide. In this sense, there are voices suggesting that the Australian state, due to the fact that it has always been associated with the image of the British Empire does not have a national identity, one that could be constructed and built upon in the decades and centuries to come. More precisely, these voices suggest that the maintenance of the monarchical rule can da...