"It is not because our affections for Great Britain are reduced or the friendship between us frailer that we are considering the option of becoming a republic. It is not because the machinery is broken; it is because a great many Australians - in all likelihood a majority of Australians - believe the machinery is no longer the most appropriate."
Keating Speaks on Republicanism Paul Keating was the first Australian prime minister to initiate an open debate about the growing movement towards making Australia a republic. He supported the movement, and although he lost the general election in 1996, the national convention that met to discuss the issue in 1998 strengthened the momentum towards change in the run-up to the referendum on the question in 1999.
