Women Say...on the Republic

It may come down to a battle of scones conducted over a trestle table in a Country Women’s Association hall, but if it does, members of the Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy are confident that the traditional portrait of the Queen will stay on the wall.

The Australian Republican Movement, now trying to raise a profile that has sunk lower than the Titanic since its 1999 referendum defeat, has begun a women’s network and is unashamedly eyeing off that bastion of monarchist sympathisers, the Country Women’s Association.

"The republic will not get up without the support of women," one of the founders of the ARM women’s network, Anne Witheford says.

But the monarchists are playing it cool over the threat of a raid by those city slicker ARM-types on one of their core groups – rural women. The monarchy’s most ardent female supporter, ACM’s executive director, Kerry Jones, scoffs at the idea that the CWA would ever give the ARM the time of day, let alone succumb to its advances.

"Not worried in the slightest," she says when asked if she is considering mounting a counter offensive.

"They’re making a big mistake because our support has never been stronger.

"We’ve got huge branch structures right across Australia and our strongest support is in the country where 70 percent of people voted NO".

The republicans are serious when they name the CWA and its formidable women all over the country as one of the groups it will target to back the recently formed women’s network. If it takes cake stalls and lamington drives to change the Constitution, they will grab for the aprons.

While little research has been done on the differences in male and female attitudes towards constitutional change, one Newspoll conducted in the week of the 1999 referendum on the republic suggested 50.3 percent of men would vote for it compared with 46.5 percent of women. A Herald poll at the same time suggested a much bleaker situation for the change agents, indicating as few as 27 percent of women would vote for a republic.

But with the Federal Government’s woes, the ARM has realised that the republic may be back on the agenda sooner rather than later if a change of government occurs later this year.

Meanwhile, there have been attempts to feminise the organisation whose public image during the referendum was largely carried by frontman, Malcolm Turnbull – lined up against Kerry Jones and the Queen.

The republicans have many high profile female advocates. They were less successful in claiming the vote of "ordinary" women, however.

During the referendum, the republican movement was run by two men, Turnbull and Greg Barns. It now has a broader decision-making base. Five of the 16 members of its new national executive are women, among them Australian Democrats’ deputy leader, Natasha Stott Despoja. Two, Witheford and former Labor Minister, Susan Ryan, are also the movements deputy conveners, while Barns remains Convener.

As one of the State conveners during the failed referendum campaign, Witheford realised that an essential missing ingredient was women’s support.

"Many women only have time to have a minimal involvement so if what they can do is donate time to a cake stall, then that contribution has to be seen as valuable. The ARM has to be flexible in terms of what it sees as a contribution," she says.

"We can help but we want to give local ownership to the debate.

"It’s just about getting people to talk about the issues and raising awareness. It’s about generating debate and reaching areas we haven’t reached before.

"It’s organisations like the CWA that know people in their area. These people organise events all the time, so they know what works and they’re trusted.

"It’s not about some people from the city coming in, giving a speech and leaving again. If it was just that, it wouldn’t work."

The idea of targeting rural women has never really occurred to Jones and her fellow royalists.

"Eighty percent of the CWA are supporters of our cause," says Jones.

[The display box accompanying the article is headed "The Two Camps" and lists "Top Women Republicans": Natasha Stott Despoja, Hazel Hawke, Janet Holmes a Court, Rachel Ward, Nova Peris, Faith Bandler and "Top Women Monarchists": The Queen, Kerry Jones, Bronwyn Bishop, Dame Joan Sutherland, Dame Leonie Kramer]

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Last modified: November 04, 2003

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