The biggest hurdle for republicans is the reality that Australia is already an independent nation. Only sentiment and inertia links us to the British crown.
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Articles on Plebiscite
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The abolition of citizen referendums in the Netherlands will do little to remedy the distrust in the political system – and could strengthen Geert Wilders’ far-right party.
Politics Podcast: Mathias Cormann on the same-sex marriage postal survey.
Since announcing that the ABS would be responsible for carrying out the same-sex marriage postal survey, Mathias Cormann has had no shortage of questions.
Cabinet minister Peter Dutton has strongly renewed his push to have same-sex marriage settled this term via a postal vote on the issue.
Some Puerto Ricans voted, but most stayed home amid a looming financial debt crisis and political protests. Will this vote matter?
After a Royal Commission and a citizens’ jury, South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill has enough advice to decide on his nuclear waste dump plan. Which makes his decision to hold a plebiscite baffling.
For the more modest aim of delivering steady, competent government – well, it’s no wonder Malcolm Turnbull is raging.
It’s the plebiscite Australia doesn’t have to have. But if the plebiscite on marriage equality goes ahead, how should it be designed?
Tiernan Brady was the political director of the 'yes' campaign during the Irish referendum on same-sex marriage. He is in Australia to help advise local advocates.
If they genuinely want to get same-sex marriage achieved, and as soon as possible, Labor and the Greens need to do some hard thinking.
By increasing their numbers within the government, the Nationals were the surprise success story of the election, with a very locally focused campaign.
Putting a human rights issue to a national vote is a crude means of legalising same-sex marriage.
Malcolm Turnbull says while the plebiscite on same-sex marriage was not his idea, Australians like it.
It is easy to envisage a number of arguments that MPs might use in an attempt to justify ignoring the result of a same-sex marriage plebiscite and voting contrary to its result.
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Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
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Emeritus Professor, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University
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Dennis Altman is a Friend of The Conversation.
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Associate Professor of Political Science and El Instituto, University of Connecticut
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Chair/Professor of Latin American and Caribbean Literatures and Cultures, Depts. Spanish and Portuguese, African and African Diaspora Studies, The University of Texas at Austin
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Professor of Political Science, City University of New York
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Chair of Applied Political Science, Coventry University
