FED: Labor won t accept new question

AAP General News (Australia)
08-09-1999
FED: Labor won t accept new question

CANBERRA, Aug 9 AAP - Opposition Leader Kim Beazley today accused Prime Minister John
Howard of being tricky with his amended question to be put at the November republican
referendum.

Mr Howard said the coalition had agreed to a question to establish Australia as a republic,
with the Queen and Governor-General being replaced by a president appointed by a two-thirds
majority of the parliament.

"All we have in the PM's announcement today is another phase in his trickiness on the
referendum issue on the republic," Mr Beazley told reporters.

"It's another effort to get a question which he hopes the Australian people will defeat."

Mr Beazley said Labor would be moving its own amended question to incorporate the community
consultation involved in choosing the president and the need for a bipartisan recommendation
to parliament on the nominee based on that consultation.

"None of that is incorporated in Mr Howard's words," he said.

Mr Beazley said the prime minister had omitted referring to the president in the question
as an Australian.

Labor would persist with recommendations on the question put by an all-party committee, he
said.

AAP sc/mfh/cjh

KEYWORD: REPUBLIC BEAZLEY

1999 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.