PM Transcripts

STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE BON P J KEATING MP
MEETING WITH THE REPUBLIC ADVISORY COMMITEE
In Canberra today I attended a meeting with the members of the Republic Advisory
Committee.
We discussed the progress of their work, and the Committee informed me of the
activities they had undertaken to meet their terms of reference. Close to 20,000 copies
of the Issues Paper and of the Australian Constitution have been distributed by the
Secretariat. Since the Committee was established in April this year, it has held three formal
meetings. The members have also had numerous discussions with interested parties,
and consulted widely around Australia.
The Committee will shortly complete its schedule of public meetings in the capital
cities and selected regional centres of all States and Territonies.
To date the Committee has received around 400 submissions, considerably more than
originally expected.
As a result, the Committee became concerned that its reporting deadline of I
September 1993 would not allow sufficient time to consider fully all the public
submissions, and to take account of them in developing options for their paper. They
therefore requested an extension of their reporting date.
I have agreed to the requested extension and the Committee will now provide its
report to me by 30 September 1993.
This one month extension will allow a corresponding extension of the cut-off date for
public submissions to Monday 16 August 1993.
For those wishing to take advantage of the extended deadline for submissions, free
copies of the Committee's Issues Paper and the Australian Constitution will continue to
be available by dialling 008-620186.
CANBERRA 21 JULY 1993
394