Australian Republic Movement

The Australian Republic Movement (ARM) is a non-partisan organisation campaigning for Australia to become a republic. The ARM and its supporters have promoted various models, including a parliamentary republic, and the organisation has branches active in all states and territories.

The ARM was founded on 7 July 1991 and was originally known as the Australian Republican Movement. Its first chairman was novelist Thomas Keneally, with other founding members including lawyer Malcolm Turnbull (later Prime Minister), former Australian cricket captain Ian Chappell, and film director Fred Schepisi as well as Geoffrey Dutton, Donald Horne, Jenny Kee, Franco Belgiorno-Nettis, Franca Arena, Faith Bandler, Mark Day, Geraldine Doogue, Colin Lanceley, Harry Seidler, David Williamson and Neville Wran.

Following Peter FitzSimons' retirement as chair, Australian retired Socceroo and human rights advocate Craig Foster and former Olympian and politician Nova Peris were elected co-chairs. In May 2024, co-chairs Peris and Foster both resigned because of their differing responses to the war in Gaza. Arts and cultural leader Esther Anatolitis and management consultant Nathan Hansford were subsequently elected co-chairs.

The Australian republic referendum, held on 6 November 1999, was a two-question referendum to amend the Constitution of Australia. For some years opinion polls had suggested that a majority of the electorate favoured a republic. Nonetheless, the 1999 referendum was defeated due to a range of factors, including a lack of bi-partisanship and division among republicans on the method proposed for selection of the president.

The ARM announced their proposed model for a republic on 13 January 2022, named the Australian Choice Model. Originating from a concept in the 2004 Senate report, the refined model would entail a process where each state and territory parliaments may nominate one candidate to be the head of state, and the Federal Parliament nominates up to three candidates. The eleven candidates would then be put to a vote where the public would elect the head of state, who would serve a five-year term. Similar to the 1998 Gallop model, the model aims to resolve the challenging debate over whether the parliament or people should elect the highest official in a republic.

The model includes specific constitutional amendments drafted and supported by ten constitutional law scholars. The proposed amendments codify the reserve powers of the Head of State with some variance from how they are exercised presently. The ARM claims their research proves this approach has high levels of public support compared to previous direct election or parliamentary appointment models and therefore has the best prospects of success at a referendum.

A majority of ARM members voted to support the policy, however the policy announcement raised concerns and criticisms from the Australian Monarchist League, as well as other republicans, including former prime minister Paul Keating and former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr. Critics such as Carr claim that a head of state who is elected by the public could cause conflict with a prime minister and Parliament. Then-ARM Chair Peter FitzSimons argued against these criticisms, noting that the head of state's powers would be limited and they would be unable to dismiss a prime minister.

• Republicanism in Australia
• 1999 Australian republic referendum
• Ausflag
• Australian Constitutional history
• Commonwealth of Nations
• Commonwealth realm
• Culture of Australia
• Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942

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