Mr BEAZLEY —My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, do you support a new preamble to the Australian constitution which, amongst other things, would recognise prior ownership of this land by Australia's indigenous people? Will you put the question of a new preamble to the people as a separate question in a referendum? If so, will you give an unambiguous commitment to support that question?

Mr HOWARD (Prime Minister) —I thank the Leader of the Opposition for giving me an opportunity to say something about this. About a year ago, when we had the Constitutional Convention, I gave a number of undertakings to the Australian people through that convention. The first of those undertakings was that, if a clear view about a republican model came from the convention, I would put it. The second undertaking I gave was that, on matters relating to the republic, the coalition parties would have an open vote.

I remind the Leader of the Opposition that I have now been involved in two elections as leader of the coalition, and on both of those occasions I have been completely frank and open about my own personal view.

Mr Lee —How many, John?

Mr HOWARD —In the context of the debate on the republic.

Mr Lee —He's forgotten.

Mr HOWARD —If the opposition wants to score a little point, okay, score one to the boy wonder from Dobell. But let us return to a serious subject, because I think the Leader of the Opposition asked this as a serious question. I have been completely open with the Australian people. I do not think the constitution ought to be changed to create an Australian republic, and nothing that I have heard in the debate over the past few months has altered my view on that. There will be a completely open vote amongst my colleagues in relation to that. Some of my colleagues agree with me, some of them differ from me.

Mr Bevis —What choice did you have in that?

Mr SPEAKER —Order! The member for Brisbane.

Mr HOWARD —I would say to those opposite that, if you really want to get an affirmative vote for your majority proposition, you will not politicise this issue. You will do enormous damage to your own cause if you try to score a lot of political points off us on this issue.

Let me tell you my view on the preamble. I think that, as we approach the Centenary of Federation, there are a growing number of Australians—Liberal and Labor, republican and anti-republican alike—who would like to see embedded in the basic document of this country some recognition of the prior occupation of the landmass of Australia by the indigenous people. That is my view. As I go around Australia, I find a greater unanimity of support for that than I do on the issue of the republic.

Over the last three months, I have perceived quavering views about the republic. I do not know what is going to happen in the referendum on the republic. I really do not. I think people who get up and say, `Oh, it's in trouble' are deluding themselves—I do not know that it is. But people who run around saying that it has 60 per cent or 70 per cent support are deluding themselves too. I think there are a large number of people in the Australian community who genuinely have not made up their minds on this issue. There are a lot of direct-election republicans who want to have a direct election for the president, a stance which I am personally far more strongly opposed to than I am to the mainstream model that is being put at the referendum, although I am strongly opposed to both.

I think we ought to talk rather openly about this issue. I think it is an issue which challenges the political maturity of both sides of Australian politics. The Leader of the Opposition asked me a question about the preamble. I have given you my personal view about it. Then, in typical political style—which is fair enough for a Leader of the Opposition—he asked me for some kind of unequivocal guarantee. I am not going to give an unequ ivocal guarantee, because I have already told my party and the National Party that they can have a free vote on matters related to this issue. The unequivocal guarantee that I will give to the Leader of the Opposition and to the Australian people is that, at all times, I will be completely open and direct with the Australian people.

I have been twice elected as Prime Minister of this country as an anti-republican. I remain an anti-republican, but, as Prime Minister of this country, I think that the national unity of this country would be enhanced—and I think this parliament would be ennobled and enhanced—if we could find a workable way to recognise in the basic document of our country the prior occupation of the landmass of this country by the indigenous people.