Fears of covert move towards Aust. republic

Press, 7 May 1984, Page 26

Fears of covert move towards Aust. republic

NZPA Perth The Australian Government was moving covertly to make the country a republic and it could do so in less than four years, said the last Governor-General of Uganda, Sir Walter Coutts. The Government was moving to make Australia a republic in a “sneaky, underhand way,” he said. “I would like to see a fullblooded statement from the Government on the issue. The Government is already behaving in a very Presidential manner.” Sir Walter has governed during the birth of two republics. He was the last GovernorGeneral of Uganda and was Administrator of St Vincent, in the Windward Islands, in 1949. He also held several Government posts in Kenya between 1936 and 1961. He has retired to live in Perth near his two children. “In a way it is probably a piece of cheek to stick my nose into another country’s affairs like this,” he said. “But I do feel I can contribute something to this issue because of the experience I have had.” Sir Walter, aged 71, said

that he was a complete royalist but was not against Australia’s becoming a republic, which he believed was inevitable. But he would not like to see it happen before the end of the century and certainly not without the total support of the people. He said that the latest example of a move to a republic was (Prime Minister) Mr Bob Hawke’s announcement of Australia’s new national anthem. The decision to halt the building of the Franklin River dam and the reinstatement of Mick Young to the Ministry had been two other examples of “this sort of behaviour,” Sir Walter said. He was a great admirer of the Royal Family. “I have had the honour of meeting the Queen on several occasions and have come to know her incredible encyclopaedic knowledge of world affairs,” he said. “I’ve seen her in action. She moves, in very high circles and can talk to the right people at the right time. “For that reason I think Australia would do well to stay with the present system.”