An Australian Constitution
Should we have an Australian Constitution?
The information on this website has been provided to explain a proposal to move or ‘relocate’ Australian’s Federal Constitution from its current location - as part of a United Kingdom Act of Parliament - to an Australian document.
To see where Australia’s Constitution sits in the United Kingdom Act, go to Find our Constitution.
For a snapshot of the proposal, go to either:
For a more detailed account of the proposal, go to The Essay.
To see the proposal in a suggested legislative form, go to The Concept Draft (not yet available).
For an account of steps taken to promote the proposal, go to On the Road.
To find out more about Australia’s Constitution and its history, go to The Links.
Author
John Christensen is a retired lawyer with 40 years experience as a legislative drafter in Australia and overseas. He has been a visiting lecturer in Legislative Processes at the University of Canberra, and has lectured in a similar course at the Australian National University, Canberra.
The relocation proposal is non-political and non-profit
The relocation proposal has no connection with any political party or movement, nor is it funded by any political party, movement or government. Its promotion is a self-funded activity of two retired Australians who happen to live in Canberra, neither of whom are, or have ever been, members of a political party. The proposal is not part of any political movement or intended to create any kind of political movement.
The proposal has been promoted since 2016 by a series of talks around Australia. This activity might be described as a ‘Mum and Dad’ project, conducted from a motorhome moving from caravan park to caravan park, and from State to State. No charge is made for presentation of any talk or for materials distributed at a talk.
Acknowledgements
The author gratefully acknowledges the support and assistance of a number of people. First, Marg Christensen in bringing the proposal to life and, through her extraordinary organising ability (and endurance!), making it possible to take the proposal ‘on the road’. Assistance with graphics was provided, in the early days, by Peter Christensen, and later by Beth Darling, particularly the Handouts. Ian Dalziell, Faye Maron and Elizabeth Maidla gave helpful comments on The Essay. Alex Digan, and colleagues, provided very helpful library services in the early days. Trevor Drover established the website which Tony Sterndale has significantly developed. Doreen and Ian Matters helped the author with the latest website revisions.
