Rather than disagreeing with what Governor-Gener al Bill Hayden says but defend ing his right to say it, the con servative side of politics has both disagreed and said he had no right to say it.Mr Hayden’s comments on eu thanasia and same-sex mar riages have challenged the com munity, both for their content and on the question of whether the Australian Deputy (and de facto) Head of State should have made them.
One of the roles of an Austra lian Head of State, aside from the formal and ceremonial, is to somehow be an embodiment, symbol or representation of the Australian nation. That neces sarily means saying things be yond the trite.
Republic or not, the Australia resident de-facto Head of State is juxtaposed to the forceful single- issue minorities who sometimes get their way with MPs. MPs cannot afford to upset those mi norities because they will change their vote on that single issue, irrespective of other poli cy matters. For example, opin ion polls show consistently that people agree with tighter gun controls and a more liberal eu thanasia regime than current law provides.
From time to time a Head of State might also say things against majority opinion, as in deed it appears that Mr Hayden has done on same-sex marriages.
It seems that this week, Mr Hayden has given us a dress re hearsal for the Head of State of << End of Column 1 an Australian republic.
But there are limits. Formally, the limit is set by dismissal. In practice, the Head of State is constrained only by convention, good sense and personality. Be cause dismissal is a drastic step it would require drastic over- stepping of the convention for it to be exercised. It would re quire, say, taking sides in a de bate on a contentious matter that is before the Federal Parlia ment; some bizarre or false alle gation against someone or pro motion of some bizarre cause; or some furtherance of personal ends.On this occasion, Mr Hayden was certainly contentious, but he did not overstep the mark.
On euthanasia he stated a view that is widely endorsed and which has been adopted by one legislature. It is not a Federal is sue, nor are the other two mat ters he referred to.The sky has not fallen in.
Whether the position is Deputy Head of State in a constitutional monarchy or President in a Re public, the Australian political system is robust enough occa sionally to have this sort of speech from the occupant of the position. Whatever the ultiamte fate of the position, spare us the stiff formality of the fete-opening robot.
In any event, to the extent that Mr Hayden’s speech was politicised is was poiticised by the response of elected MPs far more than by the original deliv ery.