Tom Elliott’s question to those pushing a republic and change to Australia Day

Tom Elliott says there is no doubt momentum is growing for changing the date of Australia Day, as well as Australia becoming a republic.

But there is something about both topics that frustrates the 3AW Drive host.

He’s yet to hear the case for alternatives.

“It’s easy to tear something down, but it’s much harder to build consensus around an alternative date,” Tom Elliott said of Australia Day being on January 26.

“All I hear is people saying let’s get rid of this, I don’t hear too many people having many sensible suggestions about what it should be replaced with.”

He said the same goes for the case for ditching the monarchy.

He said it was easy to think “emotionally” about the issue and remove the Queen as our head of state, but said it would require wholesale changes to Australia’s political system, and perhaps another layer of government.

But he hasn’t heard anybody who supports the move explain what they want it replaced with.

“The silence is deafening,” Tom Elliott said.

Press PLAY below to hear Tom Elliott’s thoughts

Tom spoke with Dr Benjamin Jones, senior lecturer in history at Central Queensland University & author of the 2018 book This Time: Australia’s Republican Past and Future, about how a republic might work.

Press PLAY below to hear more on 3AW Drive