FED: Murray says he will vote against republic bill

AAP General News (Australia)
08-12-1999
FED: Murray says he will vote against republic bill

CANBERRA, Aug 12 AAP - Australian Democrats Senator Andrew Murray today said he would vote
against the republic referendum legislation in the Senate following the chamber's failure to
change the prime minister's unfettered power to remove an Australian president.

Yesterday, the Senate blocked a bid by Senator Andrew Murray to have his private member's
bill calling for direct election of an Australian president considered alongside republic
legislation.

"I will vote no (to the legislation)," Senator Murray said when asked on ABC radio today
how the defeat of the Democrat amendment would affect his vote.

"I am a direct electionist, I think this model is fatally flawed, but my colleagues are
likely to still vote with the bill," Senator Murray said.

Senator Murray was not confident the Democrats' bid for a simplified referendum question on
whether Australia wanted a republic would succeed, either.

He believed the bill would be passed by the Senate and would then go back to the House of
Representatives, which would decide the wording of the question.

"I think that the question they have decided on is the one which will survive."

Senator Murray did give his support to the Democrats' preamble compromise, already strongly
rejected by many prominent indigenous leaders because it mentions indigenous kinship rather
than custodianship of land.

"I am personally thrilled with the compromise preamble because I think it advances the
issue a great deal," Senator Murray said.

"(The preamble) has many, many components which are a great advance on the previous
preamble and which really advance the texture of the constitution on my view."

He believed the compromise preamble would be passed by the Senate.

AAP msl/kr/br

KEYWORD: REPUBLIC MURRAY (CARRIED EARLIER)

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