Signs have emerged of a new willingness by Labor to pursue the reform. This reflects Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's personal commitment to the cause. At a speech delivered in June he argued for change sooner rather than later, rejecting the idea of a republic as a "second-order issue ... that can wait for a better time, at a later date". 

Further steps were taken at the party's national conference over the weekend. A motion by Matt Thistlethwaite MP, co-convenor of Labor for an Australian Republic, committed the party to "establishing a clear plan to build the case for an Australian republic and the process to achieve it". This included a Labor government appointing a minister with responsibility for the issue. 

Even with strong political leadership, achieving a republic will be a Herculean task. Australia spent much of the 1990s debating the issue. This culminated in a referendum in 1999, which failed when only 45 per cent of Australians voted for change.

 The outcome in 1999 was not surprising. It emerged out of a lengthy, but flawed, process overseen at its critical final stages by monarchist Prime Minister John Howard.

The model put to the Australian people in 1999, which involved Parliament selecting a president, also had a conspicuous flaw. Rather than being secure in his or her tenure, the president could be dismissed at the whim of the prime minister.

This exacerbated the notion that the people were not getting a president of their choice, but a head of state beholden to politicians. The key slogan for the No case thus became: "vote no to the politicians' republic".

The process next time must be fundamentally different if the result of 1999 is to be reversed. The people must be given a say in arriving at a model, and not only a yes or no vote at the referendum. Popular ownership is the key, and the aim must be to produce a "peoples' republic".

The first step should be a convention, held in the midterm of parliament. It should be fully elected and it should debate whether Australia should become a republic, and identify up to three safe and sound models for achieving this.

Australians should then vote in a plebiscite at the following election. They should first be asked: should Australia become a republic? 

Those answering yes should then have the chance to nominate their preference of the models developed by the convention. In the event that most Australians vote yes to the first question, the model receiving the most support should then be drafted and put to a referendum soon after.

With this approach, Labor will give itself the best chance of bringing about a successful conclusion to Australia's next republic debate.