With the Whitlam government's ending of the British honours system in Australia, the Australia Act of 1986 ending the last vestiges of Australia's legislative and governance subordination to Britain, the Head of State defined as the Queen/King of Australia (as opposed to the UK), 'the Crown' subtlely redefined as 'the Crown of Australia'...

With all authority completely vested in Australian-only institutions and governance, what part of a republic are we not already governed by?

MeisterEckhart wrote on Nov 9^th, 2025 at 11:19am:

It lends credibility to the accusation that the Palace was covertly encouraging Kerr to move against the Whitlam government, and why, when post-dismissal, it all went tits-up for Kerr, the Palace went out of its way to encourage a cover-up of the Palace's involvement in the whole sordid affair, by asking Kerr to exclude all mention of it in his autobiography, 'Matters for Judgement', which he slavishly did.

Further to that, Elizabeth II personally requested that the National Archives of Australia continue to keep Kerr's written Palace accounts permanently sealed... it took a High Court decision to undermine this secrecy.

Ironically, no such royal request was imposed on the Canadian archives office when the papers of its governor-general of the era were requested.

Belgarion wrote on Nov 9^th, 2025 at 12:07pm:

Yes. Something Hasluck would probably have done - Let Whitlam have his half-senate election... let the Whitlam government lumber on until it expired, then let the people decide which, given the mounting Labor scandals, would likely have delivered the same outcome without the atrocious G-G machinations.

Kerr would have ended his time as G-G without the people's contempt he endured for the rest of his life, culminating in his self-imposed exile from Australia.

Frank wrote on Nov 9^th, 2025 at 12:22pm:

Whitlam advised a half-senate election. Kerr rejected Whitlam's advice.

That was the core of the constitutional crisis - that a G-G could reject a PM's lawful advice under the aegis of reserve powers - powers that Kerr was obsessed with, even though they were considered likely extinct, having not been used for over 250 years.

Frank wrote on Nov 9^th, 2025 at 12:46pm:

He had to reject Whitlam's lawful advice using reserve powers to dismiss Whitlam's government - that was the core of the crisis.

The same G-G shenanigans have never been repeated anywhere - Kerr's actions being a dark and deeply cautionary tale against resurrecting ancient regal powers that were and still are moving into extinction.

Post-dismissal, Kerr persisted with his reserve powers obsession by musing with the Palace over dismissing Fraser's government after Fraser had grown sick of the old bastard's meddling.

This time, the Palace wasted no time disabusing Kerr of any pretensions that he'd have the Palace's support for another swat at the hornet's nest... Kerr 'dutifully' complied.

Jasin wrote on Nov 9^th, 2025 at 1:38pm:

In American terms, Australia's politically conservative right would be considered leftist... Labor is considered extreme left, if not communist, by American standards.

Frank wrote on Nov 9^th, 2025 at 6:36pm:

Why do you bother smearing your opinion all over a politics forum, Agatha Frank (they/thm)?

There's nothing you know anything about... What the f~ck did you teach?