ACM – The Commonwealth without the Monarch? Inconceivable!

The Commonwealth without the Monarch? Inconceivable!
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Written by Alex Try

Just as the Crown was essential to the evolution of the world’s most successful system of governance, the Westminster model, so it has been at the very centre of the long evolution of the Commonwealth…

It is hard to imagine the end of this present reign, but when it comes there will be again great sadness but recognition, not only in the Commonwealth, but across the world, for her lifetime of impeccable service. Indeed it is probable she will give her name to the long post war era.

Attention will inevitably then turn to the Coronation of the King, and incidentally, to the new Prince of Wales. It is inconceivable that at this momentous time, the Heads of Government would even entertain a suggestion that the central and indeed crucial office of the Head of the Commonwealth should rotate among themselves. This would not only be unworkable, it would be unacceptable. Such a Head of the Commonwealth could never be seen to transcend politics and division as the new Sovereign will immediately demonstrate as the constitutional monarch of not one but sixteen diverse countries…

via No Republic! Australians for Constitutional Monarchy – The Commonwealth without the Monarch? Inconceivable! [my emphasis]

Well, if Alex writes about it then it is conceivable and it is recognised as a possible alternative. That is not what I had in mind with a rotating state-based presidency in Australia. The head of the Commonwealth of Nations would still remain the British monarch and even as a republic with an elected head of state we would most likely wish to remain in the Commonwealth of Nations and accept the Queen or King of England as the head of that body – just as other republics such as Indian and South Africa that are in the Commonwealth of Nations do at present.

The effect of the Statute of Westminster 1931 is that the Crown is divisible. At present that divisible Crown has the one person, Queen Elizabeth II,  as head of state in all the Commonwealth realms. But it is probably only a matter of time before the divisible Crown becomes divisible in practice, however you would want to term that. Even then you would have a convention that sets the monarch of England as the head of the Commonwealth of Nations.

If there is any confusion in the use of the word ‘Commonwealth’ in my blog, I use the word ‘Commonwealth’ usually to refer to the Commonwealth of Australia, and I use ‘Commonwealth of Nations’ to refer to the international organisation. The Commonwealth realms consist of those nations that share Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state.

With this proposed change to our “Crowned Republic” the emphasis will shift more towards the republic end of the equation, with the Crown being worn lightly by our elected head of state. There would only be one head of state for the Commonwealth of Australia at any one time. With this proposed model for a republic the presidency would be rotated around the states and each state-elected head of state would serve for one year each. The Commonwealth of Australia would remain as a federation. Australia would remain a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The British monarch will remain the undisputed head of state in the Commonwealth realms and the British monarch will remain the undisputed head of the Commonwealth of Nations.  The difference is that Australia will no longer be a Commonwealth realm country with the British monarch as our head of state, as we will have an elected Australian for our head of state instead.

The divisible Crown is a central concept for this model. It’s a concept that came into effect in Australia on the 3rd of September, 1939. The Statute of Westminster was ratified by the wartime government in 1942 with the starting date being set to the day when Australia entered the Second World War.  In theory at least, that was the day when the Australian Crown was first distinct from the British Crown. Australians at the time of the Statute of Westminster 1931 were not keen to endorse the concept of a divisible Crown and the consequences this may have. The Crown may yet outlive the institution of the monarchy and become a symbol of equality and justice.

A few other events are celebrated around this same day of the year. The 3rd of September is also the date that the Australia Blue Ensign Flag was first officially flown in 1901. The 1st of September is known as Wattle Day and is the first day of Spring in Australia.