VIC: Queen invited to Victoria after republic referendum

AAP General News (Australia)
08-12-1999
VIC: Queen invited to Victoria after republic referendum

MELBOURNE, Aug 12 AAP - Republican Premier Jeff Kennett has invited the Queen to visit
Victoria next year, once the question of an Australian head of state is decided one way or
another.

Mr Kennett is a born-again Republican who advocates an Australian head of state appointed
by two-thirds of the federal parliament.

After warning of the consequences of a popularly-elected president today, he revealed he
had invited the Queen to visit during her tour in March next year.

"Our connection with the monarchy, with England, has been one of the great success stories
of modern-times democracies," he told Melbourne radio.

"I don't think we should deny our past at all."

Victorian Governor Sir James Gobbo conveyed Mr Kennett's personal invitation to the Queen
during a recent visit to England.

Mr Kennett said the royal family, out of a desire to leave Australians to decide the issue,
had been reticent to visit while the republic debate raged.

"Once the referendum is decided, I think it is then quite proper for them to come and for
them to be received politely...," he said.

Mr Kennett repeated his warning that a directly-elected president would have dire
ramifications for Australia by giving him or her more authority than the prime minister.

"I think it is wrong that an individual male or female has a universal mandate from
Australians that is substantially more powerful than the mandate given to the prime minister
of the day," he said.

"And I say to Australians that if we don't go for this model, then one day the issue will
come up again and it will probably be for a popularly-elected president, and I think the
ramifications of that potentially down the track are enormous, and I advise very strongly
against it."

AAP pjb/er/kr/br

KEYWORD: REPUBLIC VIC QUEEN

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