The result, to use a political analogy, might look more like the recent result in Indi rather than the process that filled the latest NSW Senate vacancy.
When I lived in Dublin for a time, I witnessed the transformative impact Mary Robinson had as the "working President" of Ireland. Elected on a platform of "President with a purpose", she carefully avoided day to day politics while uniting citizens of Ireland around their values and promoting their nation to the world. I am as optimistic that Australia's first working Head of State will be as transformative for us.
Making the people sovereign and having our own Head of State should of course appeal to Conservatives because a true Conservative believes we should take responsibility for ourselves. And it should appeal to Progressives, surely, as a way to rediscover a national narrative that lost its way.
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At the end of the day, love of country and the freedom that comes from true independence, can be a liberating and uniting force. Becoming a republic can strengthen our values and our identity in a way that celebrates us all as Australian.
If progressives want to influence the nation, it is time to start telling the story of the nation. Patriotism is not a dirty word; it is our social glue. We have much to be proud of and many chapters of the Australian story yet to write. If progressives want to help write the next one, the republic offers the narrative that has been lost in our recent politics. It speaks to the community about our values, our identity and our place in the world. We can back Australia and, in doing so, we can achieve an Australia closer to our ideals.
David Morris will deliver this speech to the Progressive Australian Conference, hosted in the Chifley Centre at Australian Technology Park, Sydney on November 2, 2013.
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