Australia’s national anthem, Advance Australia Fair, is being changed to better reflect Australia’s Indigenous and multicultural history, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
The opening line “For we are young and free” will be changed and the word “young” replaced with “one”.
The change will take effect from 1 January, 2021.
Mr Morrison said the change is appropriate on a number of different levels, capturing the spirit of Australians whilst also paying tribute to Aboriginal and migrant stories.
“It reaffirms our resolve as one of the world’s oldest democracies, while honouring the foundations upon which our nation has been built and the aspirations we share for the future,” he said.
The change to replace the word “young” with “one” was one of the ideas initially proposed by a committee of Australians seeking to change the lyrics of the anthem, Recognition in Anthem, which includes Peter Vickery, the writer of the new second and third verses of Advance Australia Fair II.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said in November that she publicly supported the push.
“I think it’s about time we recognise the tens of thousands of years of the First Nations people of this continent,” she said in an interview on ABC TV. “Unity is so important.”
In a year marked by bushfires and a pandemic, Mr Morrison said the response of Australians has been remarkable.
“During the past year we have showed once again the indomitable spirit of Australians and the united effort that has always enabled us to prevail as a nation. It is time to ensure this great unity is reflected more fully in our national anthem.”
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He said the change to the anthem also reflects Australia’s Indigenous heritage, home to the oldest continuous living culture of Indigenous Australians dating back 65,000 years.
“Also, while Australia as a modern nation may be relatively young, our country’s story is ancient, as are the stories of the many First Nations peoples whose stewardship we rightly acknowledge and respect,” Mr Morrison said.
Almost half of Australians were either born overseas, or had one or both parents born overseas, according to the 2016 Census.
Mr Morrison said that fact is important to acknowledge.
“It recognises the distance we have travelled as a nation. It recognises that our national story is drawn from more than 300 national ancestries and language groups and we are the most successful multicultural nation on earth.”
Advance Australia Fair replaced God Save the Queen as Australia’s national anthem in 1984 after a referendum.
Prior to the latest change, the words of Advance Australia Fair have been changed three times since it was written in 1878 by Scottish Anglophile Peter Dodds McCormick.
Mr McCormick changed the lyrics twice in his lifetime: in 1901, the year of Federation; and then again in 1914 during World War One. The revised phrases were “Australia’s sons let us rejoice” and “Britannia rules the wave”.
The anthem was subject to a drastic re-write before the new version was adopted in 1984.
Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt said it is important that a conversation is had about finding lyrics that will resonate with all Australians.
“We have to get this right because it is our National Anthem.”
Labor’s spokesperson for Indigenous Affairs, Linda Burney, said the change is overdue.
“We [Australia] have in this country a remarkable story of 65,000 years. Everyone should be proud of that and that’s what anthems and that’s what flags help us do.”
The leader of the One Nation party, Pauline Hanson, said she did not oppose the move.
“When I called the party One Nation, I think we should be one nation as all Australians, regardless of race, colour or creed, whether you’re migrants who have come here to this nation.
“I have no problem with changing the wording to ‘one’ if that will unite our nation.”
The change comes after the Wallabies were praised for performing the first-ever joint-language version of the national anthem at an international event.
In early December, the team sang the national anthem in the Eora then English language ahead of their Tri-Nations rugby match against Argentina in early December.
Wiradjuri woman Olivia Fox co-performed the anthem, telling SBS World News afterward that she was “overwhelmed with pride” to take part in the historic event.
The new anthem
Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are one and free;
We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts Of beauty rich and rare;
In history’s page, let every stage Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing, Advance Australia Fair.
Beneath our radiant Southern Cross We’ll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours Renowned of all the lands;
For those who’ve come across the seas We’ve boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine To Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing, Advance Australia Fair.
