The recent snap visit to Australia by Prince William, his wife and baby child, designed to bolster the monarchist ties with England through the parading of the new and nice looking royals, has certainly paid some short term dividends. But the issue of Australia becoming a republic is historically inevitable as the institutions of monarchy are relics of a bygone era. And even more so when the constitutional head of Australia is the monarch of another country whom an increasing number of Australians do not relate to. The real debate should not be only about monarchy versus republic but what kind of republican constitution we need , fundamentally one that vests real power to the people – the essence of democracy-, one that eliminates all references to racial discrimination, recognises indigenous people as the first citizens of this country and enshrines multiculturalism as the glue that binds the nation together.
This of course will not come about without ideological, and political struggle. And Greek Australians, as in the recent past, as the story below reminds us, will continue to play a major role.
Community members in support of an Australian republic
The campaign for an Australian republic, which led to the national referendum in 1999, found Greek Australians overwhelmingly in support. The only vocal exception was the torch carrier of Prime Minister Howard’s policies, Sophle Panopoulos, then a co-leader of the monarchist movement and later an arch-conservative MP.
Apart from the Greek Australian community’s involvement in the general republican movement, in Victoria the Greek Australians for the Republic were established, stating that: ‘as a multicultural society, it is no longer appropriate that our head of state is the English monarch. By becoming a republic we also affirm we are a democratic and independent nation. We also believe that a ‘yes’ vote should be the beginning of more fundamental changes in the Australian constitution that reflect and safeguard democratic, social and human rights and a just, multicultural society.’
Signatories, with their occupations at the time, included: Kyriakos Amanatidis (teacher), Steve Bakalis (senior lecturer, economics, La Trobe university), Dimitris Bairaktaris (computer engineer), Con Constantinou (GP), Nikos Dallas (tutor, chemistry, Melbourne University), Nick Economou (politics, Monash University), Christos Fifis (senior lecturer, Hellenic Studies, La Trobe University), Rena Fragioudakis (broadcaster and entertainer), Mark Georgiou (senior industrial officer, Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers), Eugenia Grammatikakis (Access & Equity Officer, Moreland City Council), Sotiris Hatzimanolis (editor, Neos Kosmos), Spyros Stamoulis (owner, Ta Nea), Mary Kalantzis (professor, education, RMIT), George Catsourakis (social worker, artist, president Greek Democritus League), Nick Koletsis (organiser, AMWU), George Lekakis (president, Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria), Voula Messimeris (social worker) Nikos Nomikos (poet, painter), Effy Papadopoulos (organiser, TCFU), Stathis Raftopoulos (poet), Mike Salvaris (senior research fellow, Swinburne University), Mimis Sophocleous (director, Greek Archive Centre, RMIT), Anastasios Tamis (director, National Centre for Hellenic Studies and Research, La Trobe University), Kostas Tsikaderis (composer), Maria Vamvakinou (teacher and political adviser), George Vassilakopoulos (lecturer, philosophy, La Trobe Universiry) and myself (president, Ethnic & Multicultural Broadcasters Council of Australia). Salvaris, Lekakis and I are also involved in the broader republican committees.
The October 1997 Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria AGM unanimously expressed whole-hearted support for the republic. It urged Greek Australians to vote for the republican representatives to the Constitutional Convention. Victoria had the highest ‘yes’ vote in the referendum. Many credit that result to the migrant and ethnic vote, Victoria being the most multicultural of all states. Their support for the republic has not diminished, nor their desire to see a new flag, free of the Union Jack, and a human rights constitution.
*George Zangalis is a former trade unionist and the secretary of Melbourne’s ethnic community radio station 3ZZZ.