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02-09-2015, 08:16 AM
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Heir Apparent
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Tintenbar, Australia
Posts: 4,128
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chubb Fuddler
Some Australian monarchists have painted themselves into a corner by insisting that the Governor-General is The Head of State, as it begs the question of what then is the Queen? The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia does not mention a Head of State, so I don't see the point of getting bogged down in establishing beyond doubt who is and who isn't. I prefer to call the Queen the Queen, and the Governor-General the Governor-General. Either of them can be described, if necessary, as functioning as a head of state depending on the circumstances.
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There is an argument that the G-G is our Head of State, but I have not wrapped my brain around it fully yet. I need to do so. I think it would be rather nice if it could be decided, and accepted, that the G-G is our Head of State, and that the British Monarch is our ... something else. It would save so much money if we could avoid changing all the paperwork.
__________________
"That's it then. Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings, -- and call off Christmas!!!"
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02-09-2015, 05:08 PM
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Imperial Majesty
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Bathurst, Australia
Posts: 14,101
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Why not call the GG something else - like President - and not have anything to do with a woman who lives on the other side of the world? Then we would truly have an Aussie as our Head of State.
Fortunately there will probably be minimal coverage in the mainstream Aussie press as they rarely report on the visits of foreign royals other than the Windsor's and the Danes or even the leaders of any other nation except maybe the US and China.
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02-09-2015, 09:59 PM
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Aristocracy
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: Victoria, Australia
Posts: 228
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The argument that the Governor-General is the head of state, while the Queen is the sovereign, is strongly based on Section 61 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia, which states that the "executive power of the Commonwealth is vested in the Queen and is exercisable by the Governor‑General as the Queen's representative". If the Queen moved to Canberra permanently, we would still need a Governor-General to carry out the functions assigned to him by the Constitution, such as his role in the Federal Executive Council.
I like the eccentricity of our odd constitutional set up, it adds a bit of colour to a world dominated by dull republics and even duller presidents. I like colonial relics; the country is full of them (state parliaments, universities, hospitals, railways, sporting clubs, wonderful architecture etc. etc.) If people are fixated on the title Head of State, all it would take is an act of parliament to give it to the Governor-General, but I don't see the point really.
The visit by the King and Queen of Norway probably won't get much coverage in the press, but I can't see what is so fortunate about that. I'm sure the King and Queen will come here with the intention of making a positive contribution to Australian/Norwegian relations. It's a bit of an insult to our guests to say it is fortunate if their visit is ignored.
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02-21-2015, 04:44 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: -, France
Posts: 22,971
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State visit by Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway
PM of Australia announcement
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02-21-2015, 06:18 PM
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Aristocracy
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: Victoria, Australia
Posts: 228
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The invitation came from the Governor-General so this sort of official announcement should be made by the Governor-General, not the Prime Minister. It's one of the problems of our system that Prime Ministers, Labor and Liberal alike, will always upstage the Governor-General. Unfortunately I still can't find a detailed itinerary so a day trip to Sydney is not likely.
Here's a funny clip from an interview with the King and Queen in which they discuss their upcoming activities.
The Queen Troll?
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02-22-2015, 12:47 PM
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Royal Highness
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Posts: 1,989
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02-22-2015, 03:56 PM
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Heir Apparent
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Tintenbar, Australia
Posts: 4,128
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A report from The Canberra Times with photos:
Norwegian royalty touch down in Canberra
I'm a little disappointed this is all I could find in our newspapers.
__________________
"That's it then. Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings, -- and call off Christmas!!!"
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02-22-2015, 06:56 PM
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Aristocracy
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: Victoria, Australia
Posts: 228
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I hope there will be more later today after the official welcome by the Governor-General and, I assume, a visit to the Australian War Memorial. It's a shame a detailed itinerary was not released, and that the Governor-General's website doesn't include upcoming engagements (and is so slow on updating).
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02-22-2015, 07:45 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 8,783
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Feb 22 - AUS: King Harald V And Queen Sonja Of Norway Visit Australia - Day 1
Pictures & News Photos | Getty Images
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02-23-2015, 02:08 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: -, France
Posts: 22,971
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02-23-2015, 10:39 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: -, France
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Official brief on first day's visit
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02-23-2015, 03:28 PM
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Imperial Majesty
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Bathurst, Australia
Posts: 14,101
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roslyn
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I have seen nothing in any of the major papers or on the main news stations - it simply isn't 'news' here.
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02-24-2015, 12:48 AM
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Commoner
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Darwin, Australia
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No suprise really! Most Australians are only aware of the British Royals and The Danish Royals and have no idea other Monarchies exsit
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02-24-2015, 01:34 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: -, France
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His Majesty King Harald V (R) and Queen Sonja of Norway are shown around the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, Australia, 24 February 2015. King Harald and Queen Sonja are on an officials visit to Australia.
ANP
Image Upper.com - Free Image Hosting - View Image
Day 3 picture gallery
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02-24-2015, 12:08 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: -, France
Posts: 22,971
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Opened seminar on Antarctica
His Majesty the King opened Antarctica seminar at the Australian National Maritime Museum today. The second day of the King and Queen's state visit takes place in Australia's largest city, Sydney.
More information
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02-24-2015, 05:32 PM
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Imperial Majesty
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Bathurst, Australia
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And still no mention of this visit in the major media outlets. This visit simply isn't making the news down here.
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02-24-2015, 05:50 PM
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Imperial Majesty
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: san diego, United States
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02-24-2015, 07:31 PM
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Heir Apparent
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Tintenbar, Australia
Posts: 4,128
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I'm glad TRH have had a chance to have a good look at Sydney Harbour. It's very beautiful.
__________________
"That's it then. Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings, -- and call off Christmas!!!"
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02-24-2015, 07:46 PM
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Heir Apparent
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Spring Hill, United States
Posts: 3,010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Iluvbertie
And still no mention of this visit in the major media outlets. This visit simply isn't making the news down here.
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They are very lovely people, but I doubt they would make news here either. Your Head of State is a foreign person who lives in a different country, so no fancy State Dinners, etc. I think it was a break from the cold.
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02-24-2015, 11:52 PM
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Aristocracy
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: Victoria, Australia
Posts: 228
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The Governor-General hosts fancy State Dinners if they are scheduled as part of a State Visit. It is irrelevant that the Queen does not live here. We don’t have a constitutionally or legal defined head of state. I prefer to call the Queen the Queen, and the Governor-General the Governor-General. Either of them can be described, if necessary, as functioning as head of state depending on the circumstances. The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia does not help clarify the situation by the interesting implications of Section 61, which states that the “executive power of the Commonwealth is vested in the Queen and is exercisable by the Governor-General as the Queen’s representative, and extends to the execution and maintenance of this Constitution, and of the laws of the Commonwealth.”
If the Queen moved to Canberra permanently, we would still need a Governor-General to carry out the functions assigned specifically to him by the Constitution, such as his role in the Federal Executive Council. It is this separation between power vested and power exercisable that gives the Governor-General the authority to act without consulting the Queen. But the Queen still has the upper hand because she can sack the Governor-General. It also means that any discussion on Australia’s head of state is likely to get stuck in a never-ending loop.
Back to our royal visitors. I'm having great difficulty remembering more than a handful of State Visits that made it onto the evening news. The President of Ukraine was here last year, who knew? Not I. Unless it's a State Visit from one the Great Powers, as they used to be called, it will not make the news here. As for Norway, a brief glance at NRK and Aftenposten suggests that the Norwegian media is as indifferent to the visit as is the Australian media, though there is some coverage if you dig deep enough. But media attention is only one aspect of a State Visit. The main point is the personal encounters at the numerous engagements undertaken by the visitors. This is what will help maintain a good relationship between the Kingdom of Norway and the Commonwealth of Australia.
Kongeparet får kritikk for å fremme norsk våpenindustri - Nyheter, tv og radio fra hele verden - NRK.no
Kong Harald fronter norsk industri i Australia - Dagen.no
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