While many Republicans like to talk about how we would become an Australian republic, it is the why that needs to resonate with the people to make it happen.
There has been a clear shift in emphasis and style between Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott, with the former prime minister speaking in terms of doom and gloom and our current PM being more outward and future-focused. It underlines a "new" optimistic outlook that was also central to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.
Optimism is at the core of the arguments made by republicans, but despite many simple, patriotic and heartfelt reasons for an Australian head of state, most people want to see how an Australian republic will impact their everyday life, and it is only by outlining the economic, social, cultural and legal reasons that will persuade Australians to make the change. 
From an economic perspective, Australia has been lucky in recent years with the mining boom, hitching our resource-rich economy to rising China. However, this will not last forever. We are a country that will need to rely on much more than just resources for our wellbeing.
Symbols and images matter; Australia's image matters in the competitive international marketplace. We only have to look at how much large corporations spend on marketing to know that image is critical. This is the same for a country. We send a confused message to our international partners - from being a multicultural, modern country, young and free and with strong links to Asia, but with a British head of state living in a foreign country and an outdated constitution. We live in Asia, an area of the world that has dispensed with colonialism. However, we still carry a constitution steeped in colonialism.
Becoming a republic will give us a "lift". These are Paul Keating's words and he was referring to a sense of pride and an increase of our self-assurance in everything Australian that will come with the move to an Australian republic. This feeds into the optimism that Prime Minister Turnbull is trying to emote to lift consumer confidence, to get people to invest and take risks with the ultimate aim to boost economic growth.
We need an Australian head of state clearly concentrating on Australian interests, representing Australia, at all times, overseas and being a voice for Australian economic interests. The British royal family travels the world representing UK's economic interests. The British royal family does not do this for Australia.
A further important part of Australian life is our social wellbeing. The question of a foreign monarch goes to the heart of what we value - democracy, equality, merit, freedom of religion and a fair go for all. Does a head of state that is chosen by their bloodline, that is gender-biased, racially and religiously discriminatory, follow our egalitarian and democratic beliefs? We expect, and our laws demand, that people should be given employment or preference on merit, not through nepotism. Are we happy for these values and beliefs to permeate through society but not form part of the pinnacle of our country, in our constitution and in our head of state?
Culturally, a republic matters. From the first Australians, to our British heritage and to our immigration culture, the history of Australia is unique. This one is personal to me - as the first generation son of Italian migrants. Should not the Australian head of state truly represent all Australians? Currently, our head of state only reflects our British heritage, not the hard work or history of my family or other migrant families who have been a central pillar of Australia's cultural and, indeed economic, fabric.
Not many people are aware that legally the Queen can still annul law enacted in the Australian Parliament. According to the Australian constitution, section 59 of our constitution gives the Queen a degree of legislative power that reflects colonial beliefs from the late 19th century; a check just to make sure British interests can be protected if necessary. Under section 59 the Queen can annul an Australian law within 12 months of its enactment - even if signed by the Governor-General. This provision, although now considered obsolete, remains in the constitution. This power of the Queen needs to be removed. We cannot be truly independent legally with such a provision in our constitution, the highest legal document in our country. While we might trust Queen Elizabeth to uphold her end of the deal when it comes to never using this part of the constitution and sticking to convention, we might see things very differently when King Charles' reign commences.
The constitution needs to represent Australia, to reflect where we have come from, our growth as well as our future. To bring back the theme of the US president's state of union address, President Obama stated that change "will only happen when the people demand it". Australia will only become a republic if the Australian people demand it. So on this Australia Day, let's ask ourselves the question of whether an Australian should be our head of state with not only an open heart but also a clear head. The constitution needs to represent Australia, to reflect where we have come from, our growth as well as our future. Our head of state needs to be one of us. Let's be optimistic and define our own future.