to THE AUSTRALIAN
Is the Leader of the Opposition planning to avoid the rigor of a referendum in his push to make us a republic? (‘Revival for republic plebiscite’, 29-30/7) Our forefathers wisely gave us a model for constitutional change that avoids hasty acts that might later be regretted. It does this by requiring rather more than a mere 50% plus 1.
The proposed question for the plebiscite should be asked at a referendum. If the plebiscite does occur, then the subsequent referendum should include an option for the people to say ‘no’ to a republic.
And it is essential that government funding and publicity for any plebiscite or referendum should be completely fair: 50% each.
NJ, Belgrave, Vic