The meaning of a republic

Australia is a country that has already embraced so many of the finest features of republican philosophy. We believe in freedom, equality, civic duty and the common good. Cicero claimed that a republic is not just a group of people collected together in any old way but a community of people committed to justice and the common good. When the Australian states federated in 1901, a commitment was made to look beyond narrow individual interests and to serve the common good. The hand of republicanism has been on Australia's shoulder from colonial times to the present day. As the renowned English republican Algernon Sidney put it, the crew does not exist for the ship but the ship exists to serve the people. Australia is destined to grow and prosper as a free and independent republic, the champion of democracy and the home of freedom.