Senator LUNDY (10:07 PM) —The National Youth Roundtable held in September in Parliament House announced a series of recommendations for the government and important insights into the young people that they had spoken with Australia wide. One of these outcomes was the overwhelming support from young people for an Australian republic to replace the current constitutional monarchy. Young Australians are very clear minded about the lack of relevance the monarchy holds for them and are very enthusiastic about being involved in the process of constitutional change. In fact, 80 per cent of the government's National Youth Roundtable members came out in favour of a republic and would vote yes if given the opportunity.

If you speak to a young person about why they want Australia to become a republic, they give you very clear, simple and cohesive arguments. Young people do not identify with the British monarchy in any sense, and even though England and Australia share a common background in many respects, it does not mean our young overseas travellers are treated with any particular deference in England. Young Australians must apply and pay for a working visa whilst providing proof that they will not stay in the country with no visible means of support or without the capacity to return to Australia. Many young Australians have backpacked through Europe on a shoestring budget and know full well that they are treated no differently in the UK than they are in most other European countries—except for the inevitable questions about what happens on Neighbours.

It is not only young people of voting age who feel strongly about Australia's future. The Youth Roundtable put forward a recommendation that young people be allowed to vote on a voluntary basis at the ages of 16 and 17, in conjunction with the compulsory introduction of civics education in all schools. This is because young Australians feel pas sionate about what is going on in the world around them, and would dearly like the opportunity to have some input into their community at an earlier age.

Young people unable to vote are currently not part of the official decision making process, but they will certainly inherit the results of this process. The outcome of the referendum will have a long-term effect on their aspirations for their country. To help my contribution to hearing their voices, I have constructed my web site to provide a valuable opportunity for a direct input into the parliamentary dialogue for those Australians who are too young to vote in the November referendum.

It is very useful—in fact, invaluable—for us to know how young people are feeling. The results of such a survey, when our decision has such an effect on the interests of those under 18, is an eminently useful mechanism for canvassing that opinion. In order to collect this information, my site will allow people of all ages to vote yes or no to the republic question, using the actual wording of the upcoming referendum. They will also have the capacity to make comment on the process or any aspect of the referendum they choose.

The Internet, the vehicle for this particular web site and survey, is becoming one of the most important communication media for Australians generally, but most importantly it has great relevance for young Australians. With an increase in the public access to the Internet and with the potential to create a more equitable system for Internet access, Australia aspires to becoming a highly connected nation. The Internet has the capability to overcome the communication barriers related to the tyranny of distance, and it has the potential to facilitate the equal involvement of all Australians, be they from rural, regional or metropolitan areas. Most importantly, it allows Australians of all ages, regardless of differing abilities, to participate in political affairs in a real-time environment. In fact, the only contingency is the inability to access the Internet, hence my emphasis on equity of access as underlying any Internet based initiative.

Young Australians, regardless of their ability to vote in the referendum, should be provided with a forum wherever possible to record their views on the issue and to voice their opinions about the proposed change. We older Australians may feel that we have been inundated with information about the republic, and indeed we have. We have had material in our letterboxes, on the television sets and so forth. But the truth is that most of this information that has been disseminated has come through decidedly non-youth-friendly media, such as newspapers and current affairs programs. I believe that the Internet is the preferred medium of young people who have the privilege and the capacity to be connected.

In the 12 months leading up to May 1998, over 74 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds used the Internet. Anecdotal evidence confirms that under 18s are no exception, and the figure could well be higher. I hope that my web site will provide young Australians with a forum in which they can convey their feelings to the Australian parliament, as I will bring their responses to this place in whatever way I can. I hope that that will leave parliamentarians with little doubt as to the overwhelming support that young people feel for moving towards a republic.

Seventy thousand young people have enrolled for the first time to vote in the November referendum. This figure alone is a ringing endorsement of young people's desire to play a significant role in the determination of the future direction of this country. I find it incredibly inspiring that these people have taken on a role and responsibility similar to that in any national general election and put themselves on the roll with the same vigour.

So many young people understand that a yes vote for the republic is not one of dislike for or prejudice against Britain. It is, however, recognition that we were not all born in England but were born in a host of nations, and many of us were deported here or lured by promises of a new start in a land someone forgot to tell us was already inhabited. It is essential that young Australians, children or grandchildren of immigrants from all over the world, have a say in our future because they hold such a great stake in it. With each new generation our young people are less likely to feel any attachment to a foreign queen. Our population has made an amazing metamorphosis in terms of cultural heritage, and it is time our Constitution recognised that we are truly a multicultural nation.

Initially the biggest fear of young people regarding the republic seemed to be that of a government elected President. However, I believe that they are realising that a direct election model would be more likely to result in a politician like President—the very thing they are seeking to avoid—with the ability and money to promote themselves through an election campaign process.

What young people want, what they have expressed to me, is someone who has demonstrated their service and commitment to the public good; someone who has the humility and grace to endear themselves to a nation, regardless of political persuasion; someone who has shown themselves capable of altruistic representation, again regardless of age, gender or race; and someone who can represent us on the world stage with Australian and humanitarian interests at the forefront.

I have already received some terrific comments on my web site from respondents who feel passionately about a republic, and often for widely varying reasons. Huguette Lammens, aged 12 and a supporter of an Australian republic, writes to me:

I used to be a citizen of Belgium, and I was rather offended last time we went overseas to find that at Heathrow Airport there were three rows: British Passport Holders, European Union, and `aliens'.

I then realised that if I had never pledged allegiance to her majesty (which was then unfortunately still the only way of becoming Australian) I would have been considered at least a friendly neighbour, whereas now I am an `alien'! As a migrant I have had the option of going back (which would have been easier than staying in the first year or so). The fact that I, as so many migrants, am still here, shows our love for this country. Long live Australia.

Young Australians have led the way into the future with their overwhelming support for conciliation with our indigenous Australians and for a new beginning. These views were reflected at the roundtable and they continue to be reflected in youth fora around the country. They understand that Australia needs to come to terms with its past and they want to be a part of the process which decides the future of their country.

Young people have put an amazing amount of trust in us, the parliament, and our ability to continue to provide a stable constitutional framework and move towards a republic with dignity and strength. I am confident that the model presented before them in the context of the question on 6 November will afford that, and I look forward to hearing the responses of those who are yet ineligible to vote, by virtue of their age, through the forum that I have provided. I look forward to presenting that to my colleagues in this place.