Turnbull hits the bull’s eye with new stance on monarchy

He urged the Labor party and the Australian democrats, which both support his cause, to abandon their Opposition to a government plan that might advance debate on the issue.

The Conservative Government of Prime Minister John Howard, an avowed monarchist, has announced plans to hold a voluntary vote to elect half the members of a constitutional convention that would discuss ways in which Australia might have its own head of State.

At first, Turnbull opposed that idea. He argued in June that a voluntary vote, rather than a compulsory one, would effectively disenfranchise many young people and migrants.

But Turnbull later changed his mind. He said on Monday that plans for the convention, which was originally to have been held in December, should proceed even if that involves a voluntary vote.

Although unusual in other countries, compulsory voting is traditional in Australia. All of the country’s legislators are elected in that way.But both Labor leader Kim Beazley and democrats leader Cheryl Kernot rejected Turnbull’s latest plea.

“No, that’s an issue of major principle for us,” Beazley said,when asked about Turnbull’s proposal.

Kernot also refused to budge.

“We’re also looking at the longer-term consequences of voluntary voting,” Kernot said.

Though Australia is an independent nation, it still recognizes the British monarch as its head of State, like many other members which form part of the Commonwealth.

But there is a lively debate in Australia over whether the British monarch will still be head of State when the time comes to formally open the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, or whether it will be an Australian.