FED: Republic referendum to go down in screaming heap: Reith

AAP General News (Australia)
08-08-1999
FED: Republic referendum to go down in screaming heap: Reith

CANBERRA, Aug 8 AAP - The November republic referendum is set to go down in a screaming
heap, frontbench direct-election republican Peter Reith said today.

But Mr Reith said there was no room for complacency and that the "no" message needed to get
out.

"In terms of how the debate's going, certainly the last week has kicked it along a bit, but
I'm certainly as convinced as I'll ever be in politics it'll go down in a screaming heap," he
told the Ten Network's Meet The Press.

"I don't think there is any doubt that this model is seriously flawed. It is unreasonable,
unfair, unaccountable and it should be chucked out."

Mr Reith defended his position that people supporting a directly elected head of state
should vote no to a Republic in November, and that another referendum would follow in the
future no matter who was prime minister.

"I think it's fair to say that it won't be long before we have another one," he said.

"A lot of Australians think that this is an issue to be decided by the people, it's an
issue to be confronted - that's not going to go away.

"That's exactly what happened in 1898 - people voted no for the Federation. Well we got a
federation, we just got a better model."

Mr Reith said he did agree with Treasurer Peter Costello - who supports the "yes" campaign
- the time was right for change to an Australian head of state.

"I agree with Peter on that basic point," he said.

"His opening remarks on this debate this week I thought were absolutely right when he said
that Australia's been changing since 1901, we've been breaking off our links.

"But there is no constitutional crisis, there is no hurry, Australia's not going down the
gurgler."

Mr Reith said Opposition Leader Kim Beazley had a "stupid idea" that another referendum
would be needed if the November poll is successful to finalise the model.

"He's acknowledging that this referendum's proposal in November is a compromise," he said.

He added that during a recent visit to Perth he found: "People were hungry to hear the
argument for and against.

"There's a strong majority in the Liberal Party that wants to hear the arguments and
obviously there is an inclination to vote no," he said.

He also recognised that Republicans were "furious" with his stand on the matter.

Mr Reith reiterated his support for the current phrasing of the referendum question,
following a new all-party committee's recommendation for a change of words to spell out how a
president would replace the Queen in a republic.

"I don't see why it would make it a more simple question," he said.

He said he supported the wording of the preamble, although: "I'm not quite frankly hooked
on a particular set of words".

AAP ear/it/de

KEYWORD: REPUBLIC REITH

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