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{{short description|Voluntary association promoting the Australia's monarchy}}
The '''Australian Monarchist League''' is a [[non-profit organisation]], headquartered in [[Sydney]], [[Australia]] promoting the [[Constitutional Monarchy of Australia]].
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2011}}
{{Infobox organisation
| name = Australian Monarchist League
| formation = {{Start date and age|1993}}
| logo = Australian Monarchist League logo.jpg
| predecessor = Branch of the [[International Monarchist League|Monarchist League]]
| type = [[Voluntary association]]
| registration_id = {{plainlist|
* [[Australian Business Number|ABN]]: 50 476 001 156
* NSW incorporation no.: INC9888784
}}
| status = Unincorporated association<ref>{{URL|https://abr.business.gov.au/ABN/View?abn=50476001156}}</ref>
| purpose = Promotion of [[Monarchy of Australia|Australia's constitutional monarchy]]
| headquarters = [[Sydney]], Australia
| website = {{URL|https://www.monarchist.org.au/}}
| leader_title = Chairman
| leader_name = [[Philip Benwell]]
| leader_title2 = National spokespersons
| leader_name2 = {{plainlist|
* [[Eric Abetz]]
* [[Jarrod Bleijie]]
* [[Beverley McArthur]]
* [[Rachel Merton]]
}}
}}
The '''Australian Monarchist League''' ('''AML''') is an [[voluntary association]] that promotes and advocates for the retention of [[Monarchy of Australia|Australia's constitutional monarchy]].The organisation advocated for a "no" vote in the unsuccessful [[1999 Australian republic referendum|1999 republic referendum]], which asked whether the [[Australian Constitution]] should be amended to make [[Republicanism in Australia|Australia a republic]].


==Structure==
The League has established a Trust with a number of prominent Australian businessmen as Trustees. The most important role of the Trust is to raise and administer funds for opposing any future change to the constitution through a [[republican]]-inspired [[plebiscite]] or [[referendum]].
The Australian Monarchist League is incorporated in [[New South Wales]]. Originally a branch of the London-based [[International Monarchist League|Monarchist League]], later the International Monarchist League (IML), the league severed any affiliation with the IML and established itself as an independent Australian body.{{Refn|A separate organisation, the International Monarchist League in Australia, was formed in 2006 as an affiliate of the IML.<ref name="Mitchell2006-06-11">{{cite news | last = Mitchell | first = Alex | date = 11 June 2006 | title = Naming tiff divides wild colonial fan groups | work = [[The Sydney Morning Herald]] | url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/naming-tiff-divides-wild-colonial-fan-groups/2006/06/10/1149815366716.html | accessdate = 19 December 2009 }}</ref>}} The organisation is not formally associated with any political party or other organisation, and it has no paid staff, relying on volunteers to keep the group functioning.<ref name="AboutUs">{{cite web | title = About | work = Australian Monarchist League | url = https://www.monarchist.org.au/about | accessdate = 3 December 2020 }}</ref> The league is governed by a National Council comprising representatives from branches in each state and territory. All positions in the league are subject to election in accordance with the league's constitution.{{cn|date=May 2023}}


The elected chairman and CEO of the league is [[Philip Benwell]] who has served on a volunteer basis for over 25 years.<ref name="AMLPhilipBenwell">{{cite web | title = Philip Benwell | work = The Australian Monarchist League | url = http://www.monarchist.org.au/philip-benwell.html | accessdate = 4 January 2010 }}</ref> In 1978, Benwell was charged with fraudulent misappropriation and obtaining money under false pretences. He fled to Sri Lanka, where his family owned tea plantations. He was eventually extradited back to Australia in 1987, after a period of imprisonment at [[Welikada Prison]], but was never prosecuted for the earlier charges. When it was feared that the press was about to publish details of this, Benwell stood aside from being chairman during the height of the 1999 referendum campaign.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theage.com.au/news/national/old-fraud-charges-haunt-mr-monarchy/2005/08/20/1124435182532.html|title=Old fraud charges haunt Mr Monarchy|newspaper=[[The Age]]|date=21 August 2005|access-date=28 August 2018}}</ref>
The Australian Monarchist League was originally a branch of the [[Monarchist League]] in [[London]]. However, League members in [[Sydney]] felt that it needed to be seen as a wholly Australian body because of criticisms that it was an offshoot of the UK group. In 1993, the league severed affiliation with the London body. The League was part of the "no" campaign in the [[Australian republic referendum, 1999]], which asked whether Australia should become a republic and whether Australia should alter the constitution to insert a [[preamble]]. Neither of the amendments passed.


==Chairs==
The League has over 2,500 members with branches in each State and in the [[Australian Capital Territory]]. Many of its members are young people under the age of thirty. All office bearers are elected by the membership and serve on a voluntary basis.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!# !!class=unsortable|Chair!!Start!!End!!Time in position
|-
|1 || [[Philip Benwell]] {{small|[[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]}} || 1993 || present || {{age in years|1993|1|1|}} years
|-
|}

==Activities==

=== 1999 republic referendum ===

{{main|Australian republic referendum, 1999|Australian Constitutional Convention 1998}}

During the 1998 Constitutional Convention on the future of Australia's [[constitutional monarchy]], the league along with the five other constitutional monarchist groups formed a united front led by [[Lloyd Waddy]] QC, the National Convenor of [[Australians for Constitutional Monarchy]] which was by far the dominant monarchist group. <ref name="Symons1999-03-02">{{cite news | last = Symons | first = Emma-Kate | date = 2 March 1999 | title = Queen ignored in fight against republic | work = [[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]] | location = Sydney| page = 18 }}</ref> Positions on the official Vote No Committee were filled according to votes received at the Convention election where the league had won 6.05% of the vote. Accordingly, all eight monarchist seats went to an alternative organization which had won 72.39% of the monarchist vote, [[Australians for Constitutional Monarchy]] (along with two supporting an elected head of state).<ref name="Warhurst2009-08-27">{{cite news | last = Warhurst | first = John | date = 27 August 2009 | title = League's booklet sets battlelines for the monarchy debate | work = [[The Canberra Times]] }}</ref> Nevertheless, the Australian Monarchist League played a role in the proceedings, including Benwell privately taking the [[Australian Electoral Commission]] to the [[Federal Court of Australia|Federal Court]] in an unsuccessful attempt to gain a firmer definition of what would count as a "yes" vote in the referendum, arguing that the planned approach (accepting any vote in which the voter's intention was clear) was such that the counting would be weighted towards "yes" and "opened the door for electoral fraud".{{doubtful|date=January 2014}}<ref name="Benwell1999-11-04">{{cite news | last = Benwell | first = Philip | date = 4 November 1999 | title = Valid votes | work = [[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|The Advertiser]] | location = Adelaide | page = 17 }}</ref><ref name="Crabb1999-11-04">{{cite news | last = Crabb | first = Annabel | date = 4 November 1999 | title = The Republic Vote Monarchist league's non-non to oui oui | work = [[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|The Advertiser]] | location=Adelaide| page = 7 }}</ref><ref name="Hilferty1999-11-03">{{cite news | last1 = Hilferty | first1 = Tim | last2 = Luff | first2 = David | date = 3 November 1999 | title = Queen case claims bias | work = [[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]] | location = Sydney| page = 8 }}</ref><ref name="HobartMercury1999-11-05">{{cite news | date = 5 November 1999 | title = Setback for monarchists | work = [[The Mercury (Hobart)|Hobart Mercury]] | location = Hobart }}</ref>

=== Post-1999 actions ===

Both prior and subsequent to the referendum, the Australian Monarchist League has acted to protect the image of the constitutional monarchy. Some examples of successes in this area include complaints lodged by the organisation in 2005 regarding an image depicting [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess Diana]] by photographer [[Erwin Olaf]] at the [[Australian Centre for Photography]].<ref name="O'Connor2005-08-12">{{cite news | last = Shaunagh | first = O'Connor | date = 12 August 2005 | title = A right royal shocker | work = [[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]] | location = Sydney| page = 87 }}</ref> Similarly, they wrote to the Japanese ambassador in 1998 after [[Toyota]] ran an advertisement showing a [[Range Rover]] with the words "Don't worry, Your Majesty, you're not the only British export that's had its day", resulting in Toyota withdrawing the advertisement<ref name="Watson-Smyth1998-03-20">{{cite news | last = Watson-Smyth | first = Kate | date = 20 March 1998 | title = Ford forced to pull Full Monty ad | work = [[The Independent]] | location = London | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ford-forced-to-pull-full-monty-ad-1151187.html | accessdate = 4 January 2010 }}</ref> and in 2008 complained to both the Coopers Brewery and the Advertising Standards Bureau after Coopers ran an advertisement stating "Forget the monarchy, support the publicans", forcing its withdrawal.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/28/2316512.htm?site=local Monarchists upset by beer ad], [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]], 28 July 2008</ref> The league continues to maintain vigilance, more recently lodging complaints against the ABC, claiming bias.

Along with their actions during the referendum, the league have been active in protecting the symbols of Australia's constitutional monarchy; they acted to ensure that the pledge of loyalty to the monarch remained a part of [[Scouts Australia]],<ref name="Harvey2000-06-24">{{cite news | last = Harvey | first = Claire | date = 24 June 2000 | title = Scouts prepared to back Queen | work = [[The Weekend Australian]] | location = Sydney| page = 18 }}</ref> and spoke against the removal of references to the Queen from the Victorian legal system.<ref name="HeraldSun2009-12-19">{{cite news | date = 19 December 2009 | title = Smokers, royalists butted out | work = [[Herald Sun|The Herald Sun]] | location=Melbourne| page = 9 }}</ref> Aside from campaigning, the AML distributed copies of [[William Dargie]]'s [[Wattle Queen|portrait of Queen Elizabeth II]] after the Commonwealth Government Bookshops ceased selling photographs of the monarch.<ref name="AMLAboutUs">{{cite web | title = Dargie's 'Wattle Queen' | work = [[National Museum of Australia]] | url = https://recollections.nma.gov.au/issues/vol_6_no_1/refereed_papers/dargies_wattle_queen | accessdate = 3 December 2020 }}</ref>

=== Recent activities ===

Other activities include disseminating literature and maintaining a library on [[History of Australia|Australian history]] and the [[Constitution of Australia|Australian Constitution]] and conducting public seminars.

The league condemned Prime Minister [[Anthony Albanese]] in June 2022 for the appointment of [[Matt Thistlethwaite]] as Assistant Minister for the Republic.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/undemocratic-monarchist-fury-over-republican-ministry-appointment-20220602-p5aqmj.html |title='Undemocratic': Monarchist fury over republican ministry appointment |date=2 June 2022 |access-date=2022-06-02 |publisher=[[Sydney Morning Herald]]}}</ref>

Following the coverage of the [[Coronation of Charles III and Camilla|Coronation of King Charles III]] on the 6 May 2023, the league accused the [[ABC News (Australia)|ABC]] of "despicable" news coverage of the coronation and claimed that it was biased. Resultingly, the league submitted a signed letter of dissatisfaction from members to the Chair of the ABC later that month, demanding an apology. From this, the ABC completed an internal investigation into the way the Coronation was broadcast after 1,000 people voiced their disproval of the coverage.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Butler |first=Josh |date=2023-05-08 |title=Australian monarchists accuse ABC of 'despicable' coverage of King Charles's coronation |language=en-GB |work=[[Guardian Australia|The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/may/08/king-charles-coronation-australia-monarchists-accuse-abc-of-despicable-tv-coverage |access-date=2023-05-24 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name="Sky.News">{{cite web| url = https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/australian-monarchist-league-accuses-the-abc-of-stacking-live-coronation-discussion-panel-with-republican-activists/news-story/79aa9e8db277672f2b56096e5f399f3e. | title = ABC under Fire over King Charles Coronation Live Panel| first = Miriah| last = Davis | author-link= | date = 5 May 2023| website = [[Sky News Australia]]| access-date = 17 May 2023}}</ref>

=== Notable members and patrons ===
* [[Eric Abetz]]
* [[Matt Stratton]]
* [[Tony Abbott]] <small>[[Order of Australia|AC]]</small>
* [[John Howard]] <small>[[Order of Merit|OM]] AC</small>
* [[John Fuller (Australian politician)|Sir John Fuller]]<ref name="AGE">{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/old-fraud-charges-haunt-mr-monarchy/2005/08/20/1124435182532.html|newspaper=[[The Age]]|archivedate=13 July 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713005350/http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/old-fraud-charges-haunt-mr-monarchy/2005/08/20/1124435182532.html|first=Alex|last=Mitchell|date=21 August 2005|title=Old fraud charges haunt Mr Monarchy|publisher=[[Fairfax Media]]}}</ref>
* [[Pro Hart]] <small>[[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]</small><ref name="AGE"/>
* [[Malcolm Murray, 12th Earl of Dunmore]]<ref name="AGE"/>
* [[Bruce Ruxton]] <small>[[Order of Australia|AM]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]</small><ref name="AGE"/>
* [[Nancy Wake]] <small>AC [[George Medal|GM]]</small><ref name="AGE"/>
* [[David Leach (admiral)|David Leach]] <small>AC [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] [[Royal Victorian Order|LVO]]</small><ref name="AGE"/>
* [[Mary Fairfax|Lady Mary Fairfax]] <small>AC OBE</small><ref name="AGE"/>
* [[Noël Deschamps]]<ref name="AGE"/>

==Membership==
{{As of|2005}}, the league had approximately 100 financial members, 20,000 official members and a support base of over 53,000 people.<ref name="AGE">{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/old-fraud-charges-haunt-mr-monarchy/2005/08/20/1124435182532.html|newspaper=[[The Age]]|archivedate=13 July 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713005350/http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/old-fraud-charges-haunt-mr-monarchy/2005/08/20/1124435182532.html|first=Alex|last=Mitchell|date=21 August 2005|title=Old fraud charges haunt Mr Monarchy|publisher=[[Fairfax Media]]}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Constitutional history of Australia]]
*[[Australian Constitution]]
*[[Australian Constitutional History]]
*[[Constitutional monarchy]]
*[[Constitutional Monarchy]]
*[[Australians for Constitutional Monarchy]]
*[[Australians for Constitutional Monarchy]]
*[[1999 Australian republic referendum]]
*[[Monarchist League of Canada]]
*[[Australian constitutional history]]
*[[Monarchist League of New Zealand]]
*[[Commonwealth realms]]
*[[Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942]]
*[[Republicanism in Australia]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.monarchist.org.au/ Australian Monarchist League]
*{{official website|http://www.monarchist.org.au/}}

*[http://www.monarchist-league.com.au/ Monarchist Forum]
{{Commonwealth monarchism}}


[[Category:Organisations based in Australia]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Sydney]]
[[Category:Monarchist organizations]]
[[Category:Monarchist organizations]]
[[Category:Political advocacy groups in Australia]]
[[Category:Political advocacy groups in Australia]]
[[Category:1993 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1993]]
[[Category:Monarchism in Australia]]

Latest revision as of 13:44, 21 October 2024

Australian Monarchist League
PredecessorBranch of the Monarchist League
Formation1993; 31 years ago (1993)
TypeVoluntary association
Registration no.
  • ABN: 50 476 001 156
  • NSW incorporation no.: INC9888784
Legal statusUnincorporated association[1]
PurposePromotion of Australia's constitutional monarchy
HeadquartersSydney, Australia
Chairman
Philip Benwell
National spokespersons
Websitewww.monarchist.org.au

The Australian Monarchist League (AML) is an voluntary association that promotes and advocates for the retention of Australia's constitutional monarchy.The organisation advocated for a "no" vote in the unsuccessful 1999 republic referendum, which asked whether the Australian Constitution should be amended to make Australia a republic.

Structure

[edit]

The Australian Monarchist League is incorporated in New South Wales. Originally a branch of the London-based Monarchist League, later the International Monarchist League (IML), the league severed any affiliation with the IML and established itself as an independent Australian body.[3] The organisation is not formally associated with any political party or other organisation, and it has no paid staff, relying on volunteers to keep the group functioning.[4] The league is governed by a National Council comprising representatives from branches in each state and territory. All positions in the league are subject to election in accordance with the league's constitution.[citation needed]

The elected chairman and CEO of the league is Philip Benwell who has served on a volunteer basis for over 25 years.[5] In 1978, Benwell was charged with fraudulent misappropriation and obtaining money under false pretences. He fled to Sri Lanka, where his family owned tea plantations. He was eventually extradited back to Australia in 1987, after a period of imprisonment at Welikada Prison, but was never prosecuted for the earlier charges. When it was feared that the press was about to publish details of this, Benwell stood aside from being chairman during the height of the 1999 referendum campaign.[6]

Chairs

[edit]
# Chair Start End Time in position
1 Philip Benwell MBE 1993 present 31 years

Activities

[edit]

1999 republic referendum

[edit]
Main articles: Australian republic referendum, 1999 and Australian Constitutional Convention 1998

During the 1998 Constitutional Convention on the future of Australia's constitutional monarchy, the league along with the five other constitutional monarchist groups formed a united front led by Lloyd Waddy QC, the National Convenor of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy which was by far the dominant monarchist group. [7] Positions on the official Vote No Committee were filled according to votes received at the Convention election where the league had won 6.05% of the vote. Accordingly, all eight monarchist seats went to an alternative organization which had won 72.39% of the monarchist vote, Australians for Constitutional Monarchy (along with two supporting an elected head of state).[8] Nevertheless, the Australian Monarchist League played a role in the proceedings, including Benwell privately taking the Australian Electoral Commission to the Federal Court in an unsuccessful attempt to gain a firmer definition of what would count as a "yes" vote in the referendum, arguing that the planned approach (accepting any vote in which the voter's intention was clear) was such that the counting would be weighted towards "yes" and "opened the door for electoral fraud".[dubious – discuss][9][10][11][12]

Post-1999 actions

[edit]

Both prior and subsequent to the referendum, the Australian Monarchist League has acted to protect the image of the constitutional monarchy. Some examples of successes in this area include complaints lodged by the organisation in 2005 regarding an image depicting Princess Diana by photographer Erwin Olaf at the Australian Centre for Photography.[13] Similarly, they wrote to the Japanese ambassador in 1998 after Toyota ran an advertisement showing a Range Rover with the words "Don't worry, Your Majesty, you're not the only British export that's had its day", resulting in Toyota withdrawing the advertisement[14] and in 2008 complained to both the Coopers Brewery and the Advertising Standards Bureau after Coopers ran an advertisement stating "Forget the monarchy, support the publicans", forcing its withdrawal.[15] The league continues to maintain vigilance, more recently lodging complaints against the ABC, claiming bias.

Along with their actions during the referendum, the league have been active in protecting the symbols of Australia's constitutional monarchy; they acted to ensure that the pledge of loyalty to the monarch remained a part of Scouts Australia,[16] and spoke against the removal of references to the Queen from the Victorian legal system.[17] Aside from campaigning, the AML distributed copies of William Dargie's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II after the Commonwealth Government Bookshops ceased selling photographs of the monarch.[18]

Recent activities

[edit]

Other activities include disseminating literature and maintaining a library on Australian history and the Australian Constitution and conducting public seminars.

The league condemned Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in June 2022 for the appointment of Matt Thistlethwaite as Assistant Minister for the Republic.[19]

Following the coverage of the Coronation of King Charles III on the 6 May 2023, the league accused the ABC of "despicable" news coverage of the coronation and claimed that it was biased. Resultingly, the league submitted a signed letter of dissatisfaction from members to the Chair of the ABC later that month, demanding an apology. From this, the ABC completed an internal investigation into the way the Coronation was broadcast after 1,000 people voiced their disproval of the coverage.[20][21]

Notable members and patrons

[edit]

Membership

[edit]

As of 2005, the league had approximately 100 financial members, 20,000 official members and a support base of over 53,000 people.[22]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ abr.business.gov.au/ABN/View?abn=50476001156
  2. ^ Mitchell, Alex (11 June 2006). "Naming tiff divides wild colonial fan groups". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  3. ^ A separate organisation, the International Monarchist League in Australia, was formed in 2006 as an affiliate of the IML.[2]
  4. ^ "About". Australian Monarchist League. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  5. ^ "Philip Benwell". The Australian Monarchist League. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  6. ^ "Old fraud charges haunt Mr Monarchy". The Age. 21 August 2005. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  7. ^ Symons, Emma-Kate (2 March 1999). "Queen ignored in fight against republic". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. p. 18.
  8. ^ Warhurst, John (27 August 2009). "League's booklet sets battlelines for the monarchy debate". The Canberra Times.
  9. ^ Benwell, Philip (4 November 1999). "Valid votes". The Advertiser. Adelaide. p. 17.
  10. ^ Crabb, Annabel (4 November 1999). "The Republic Vote Monarchist league's non-non to oui oui". The Advertiser. Adelaide. p. 7.
  11. ^ Hilferty, Tim; Luff, David (3 November 1999). "Queen case claims bias". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. p. 8.
  12. ^ "Setback for monarchists". Hobart Mercury. Hobart. 5 November 1999.
  13. ^ Shaunagh, O'Connor (12 August 2005). "A right royal shocker". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. p. 87.
  14. ^ Watson-Smyth, Kate (20 March 1998). "Ford forced to pull Full Monty ad". The Independent. London. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  15. ^ Monarchists upset by beer ad, ABC, 28 July 2008
  16. ^ Harvey, Claire (24 June 2000). "Scouts prepared to back Queen". The Weekend Australian. Sydney. p. 18.
  17. ^ "Smokers, royalists butted out". The Herald Sun. Melbourne. 19 December 2009. p. 9.
  18. ^ "Dargie's 'Wattle Queen'". National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  19. ^ "'Undemocratic': Monarchist fury over republican ministry appointment". Sydney Morning Herald. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  20. ^ Butler, Josh (8 May 2023). "Australian monarchists accuse ABC of 'despicable' coverage of King Charles's coronation". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  21. ^ Davis, Miriah (5 May 2023). "ABC under Fire over King Charles Coronation Live Panel". Sky News Australia. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mitchell, Alex (21 August 2005). "Old fraud charges haunt Mr Monarchy". The Age. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 13 July 2014.
[edit]
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