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Labor leader wants Australians to vote on dumping queen

Republicans yesterday welcomed a pledge by the Australian opposition Labor Party leader to allow Australia to vote again on whether to dump the British queen as its head of state if he wins office in federal elections.

A Labor government would hold a plebiscite -- a nonbinding, national vote -- to test the nation's readiness to become a republic within 12 months of taking office, said opposition leader Mark Latham, in comments to a forum due to be broadcast later yesterday.

"We'd want to get that done in our first term, so have the first plebiscite, then the second, and then by the time of the following election would be good timing for a constitutional referendum," Latham told the voters' forum late Monday in Sydney.

National elections are expected to take place later this year.

His timetable would allow Australia to become a republic by 2007, something that has delighted republicans still licking their wounds after losing a referendum on the same issue in 1999.

"We're delighted by the announcement. We think it's a process that will allow Australians to decide what kind of a republic it wants," said Allison Henry, from the Australian Republican Movement.

"Polls have consistently shown that Australians think this is an issue. We're pleased with any initiative that will push the issue forward."

But monarchists were scornful.

David Flint, spokesman for Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy, called Latham's plan "silly" and "a waste of time," The Australian newspaper reported yesterday.

Prime Minister John Howard called it "a waste of focus."

"We had a referendum on this four years ago and I don't think the Australian people want to aggressively revisit it," he told reporters in the Victoria state town of Colac.

"There are a lot of issues that are more important ... we won't be revisiting it in this coming election."

A Senate committee is currently traveling across Australia hearing submissions from republicans, monarchists and ordinary citizens on whether the country should attempt another referendum on the issue.

Its findings, which are expected to recommend a plebiscite, will be reported in August.

In 1999, Australians overwhelmingly voted against changing the country's constitutional monarchy into a republic -- not because they wanted to retain Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state, critics insist, but because of the wording of the referendum.

Critics say Howard, a staunch monarchist, manipulated the process to ensure the referendum would fail.

Many Australians want to be able to directly elect their head of state, an option which wasn't available in the 1999 referendum that asked Australians to say "yes" to a head of state appointed by a two-thirds majority vote by both houses of Australia's parliament.

Latham said he also wanted the president directly elected by the people.

Australia became an independent state in 1901 when a group of British colonies joined together to form a confederation.
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