FED: Referendum debate heats up, Reith backs PM s question

AAP General News (Australia)
08-04-1999
FED: Referendum debate heats up, Reith backs PM s question

CANBERRA, Aug 4 AAP -Debate over the republic referendum has heated up with senior federal
minister Peter Reith accusing republicans of wanting to rig the referendum question.

A parliamentary committee is to recommend the referendum question be changed so voters are
asked whether they want a republic which replaces the Queen and Governor-General.

The recommendation would put the committee at odds with Prime Minister John Howard, who
favours the current wording focusing on parliament's selection of the president and which
makes no mention of the Queen.

Mr Reith, the Workplace Relations Minister who favours a directly elected president,
supports the current question and believes the Australian Republican Movement (ARM) wants the
question rigged.

"Personally I thought it was obvious that when you go to being a republic, you no longer
have the Queen," he told the Nine Network.

"They want it spelled out in the question because they think it will bias the question in
their favour in the same way that (ARM Chairman) Malcolm Turnbull only two weeks ago was
saying you shouldn't have the word republic in the question because he's worried that people
will vote 'No' as soon as they see the word republic.

"What's a fair question? Certainly the question we've got now is a very fair question. I
really sincerely believe that."

The ARM said yesterday it was encouraged the cross-party parliamentary committee had agreed
to overhaul the question to be put at the November referendum.

The new question proposes "the Commonwealth of Australia become a republic with the Queen
and Governor-General to be replaced by an Australian president".

The convener of Conservatives for an Australian Head of State, former Liberal Party
secretary Andrew Robb, said he thought changing the wording made sense and any Cabinet
opposition would be hard to understand.

"I don't see why there should be resistance to specifically referring to the core issue,"
Mr Robb told ABC radio.

"I mean it's a very important matter that we are to consider in November ... I think it
should be put very clearly to the people, because the debate has been surrounded by a lot of
confusion."

But monarchist committee member and Queensland National Senator Ron Boswell said he backed
the current wording.

"I think the question that we are looking at is a fair representation of what will happen
if we change to a republic," he said.

"I think that people must know that that's the type of president they are going to get if
they vote for a republic."

AAP rft/bwl/br

KEYWORD: REPUBLIC SECOND DAYLEAD

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