Philip Benwell

Philip Gordon James Benwell MBE is a constitutional monarchist who has been the National Chairman of the Australian Monarchist League since its founding in 1993.

Benwell first worked as a banker in the late 1960s until the mid 1970s. In that time, he also joined the Liberal Party of Australia and vied for the New South Wales seat of Heathcote and also the Federal seat of Hughes, which he lost to both Labor’s Rex Jackson and Les Johnson in the early 1970s respectively.

This work in Australian banking subsequently led Benwell to be honoured in the 1976 Queen’s Birthday Honours list with a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his service to the community.

Benwell has argued for the preservation of the Australian monarchy in various capacities. Benwell has spoken at the House of Lords in London and has been a major conservative voice for constitutional monarchism in the Australian Realm, including the 1999 Republic Referendum.

Selected works

Benwell has authored a number of books that detail Australian constitutional history and how he views the Crown an important part of that framework.

• Benwell, Philip (2016). Australia ~ Our Country ~ Our Constitution ~ Our Governance. Philip Benwell. ISBN 978-0646963303.
• Benwell, Philip (12 September 2014). A Very Public Affair: The Crown and the Australian Constitution. BookBaby. ISBN 9781925171471.
• Benwell, Philip (2003). In defence of Australia's constitutional monarchy. Mellen Press. ISBN 0773466967.