Direct election republican model (Australia)
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A direct election republican model is a proposal for Australian constitutional reform. If a proposal of this type were approved at a referendum, it would establish Australia as a republic with a head of state chosen directly by the Australian electorate.
While a directly elected president would be compatible with either a parliamentary or presidential system of government, typically when Australian republicans express support for "the direct-election model", support for the existing parliamentary system of government is usually implied. Supporters are envisaging a reform in which the Governor-General is replaced by a directly elected figurehead president and the Prime Minister of Australia remains the head of government.
There are many proposals by individuals or small groups for a direct-election model, however the following is a list of models in this class which have been canvassed through governmental institutions:
- RAC Popular Election model (1993)
- Gallop model by Geoff Gallop (1998)
- Hayden model by Bill Hayden (1998)
- ARM Model 4 - People elect the President (2001)
- ARM Model 5 - People choose from Parliament's List (2001)
Rationale
If implemented, the model would establish an Australian Republic by removing constitutional links to the monarchy. References to either King or Governor-General in the Australian constitution would be replaced by a reference to the President of Australia. The resulting structure would be similar to other parliamentary republics where the President has very little or no discretionary power.
Supporters of the model say that, although elected, the change to a republic is argued to have minor but positive impact on the rest of Australia's parliament and government. The elected President would be a true figurehead for the Australian people. New provisions in the constitution could prevent the president from taking control of the government away from the prime minister.