It is true, we have egotistical self-interested,opportunistic politicking moneyed politicians from both sides of politics (more so Labor i'm afraid) who would dearly love to re-write their own laws, modify/dump/rewrite our protective constitution to suit themselves, without having to consult with the Australian public on all manner of legislation, ie, same-sex marriage, the way we vote, legislation concerning our civil liberties, rights and freedoms, the way they have to now should they wish to pass radical legislation, or risk electoral annihilation.
I suppose, there are some genuine pro-republicans out there (I think Joe Hockey probably has his heart in the right place, not Turnbull and Keating however) who would like to propose a genuinely 'fair' republican model for the Australian public to decide either for or against themselves, though few have been forthright in providing their models for public scrutiny.
It's not just a matter of "Should Australia become a republic"... it's a matter of if this is what Australians want "What kind of Republic should Australia become" and or if it'll be better than our existing system of government.
This appears to be where the conflict among our politicians lies also, whereby neither side of politics can decide between the main 4 proposed models and agree on just one it seems.
I am by no means a royalist, nor a fan of Queen Elisabeth II ..(Though I did and still do think highly of a more personable, perceptive and politically astute Queen Mother) it's the protective and comparably fair (to that of other nations) system of government we enjoy here in Australia that appeals to me most.
The Queens mummy was no dummy.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... ssion.html