Editing Republicanism in Australia (section)

===Keating government proposals===
The [[Australian Labor Party]] (ALP) first made republicanism its official policy in 1991,<ref name=tradrep>{{cite web|last=McKenna|first=Mark|title=The Traditions of Australian Republicanism|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/RP9596/96rp31|publisher=Parliament of Australia|access-date=25 April 2014}}</ref> with then Prime Minister [[Bob Hawke]] describing a republic as "inevitable". Following the ALP decision, the [[Australian Republican Movement]] (ARM) was born. Hawke's successor, [[Paul Keating]], pursued the republican agenda much more actively than Hawke and established the [[Republic Advisory Committee]] to produce an options paper on issues relating to the possible transition to a republic to take effect on the centenary of Federation: 1 January 2001. The committee produced its report in April 1993 and in it argued that "a republic is achievable without threatening Australia's cherished democratic institutions".<ref name=keating />

In response to the report, Keating promised a [[referendum]] on the establishment of a republic, replacing the Governor-General with a president, and removing references to the Australian sovereign. The president was to be nominated by the prime minister and appointed by a two-thirds majority in a joint sitting of the Senate and House of Representatives. The referendum was to be held either in 1998 or 1999.<ref name=keating /> However, Keating's party lost the [[1996 Australian federal election|1996 federal election]] in a landslide and he was replaced by John Howard, a monarchist, as prime minister.