Republic or no Republic? - That is the question!

Look, I am not disrespecting our "British sovereign Queen" here, but seriously, we as a society need to move on. Okay, wonderful, the British were the ones who settled Australia and built it into a Federation (they claim). However, we should also realise that the world is more like a global village now and the "British empire" ceases to exist since a long time ago.

Yes, I am advocating Australia to move towards being a Republic. Well, okay, I agree that a large number of people are not as enlightened as me - they tend to be of the opinion of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" or "Change just for the sake of change, is no change". But come on people, we have an opportunity to define ourselves as being "Australian" and yet, you want to cling on to the idea that you are in some way or another ruled by "Britannia". Come on, go and get a reality check!

I can passionately argue on this issue - I think the general Australian public are so laid-back and casual that they don't actually realise what it means to be a Republic. If they attempted to delve deeper, then their apprehension would be taken away. For a number of reasons, in my opinion, Australia should move towards a Republic:

1) We have an strong free-market economy to see us into the near future (we do not rely on funds from the "British motherland"

2) Our judiciary, since 1984 and the passing of the Australia Act, does not refer any more matters to the Privy Council. In other words, the "law of the land" is made in Australia, not Britain.

3) We have our own Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force) that serves us well and works to defend our country. It is patriotic and it defines "Australian-ness".

4) We are entering the 21st century and there is no need to be linked to an "archaic" empire that ceased to exist a century ago. We need to embrace and cultivate a new definition for ourselves.

Now the reasons are there, but which model we will follow, that I have to think about. There are a few ideas going around:

• The Indian model: This is where the "President" is appointed by Members of Parliament (with at least a two-thirds majority in both houses).
• The American model: Where the "President" is appointed by the general population, vian an "electoral college" system for fixed 4 year terms. (a max. of two).

In my opinion, I would like to see Australia become a Republic (first and foremost) and a model adopted whereby a "President" is directly appointed by the people. Whether or not, we give the President executive powers (to dismiss parliament etc..) or not - that is an issue we can deal with later down the track.

COME ON AUSTRALIA, LET US MOVE WITH THE TIMES! ALL AUSTRALIANS RISE UP!