Australia has reflected the Prime Minister’s “spirit of unity” and the country’s indigenous population by changing a word in its national anthem. On New Year’s Eve, Prime Minister Scott Morris announced that the second line of the national anthem, the Advance Australia Australia Fair, had been changed from “We are young and free” to “We are one and free.”
The change took effect on Friday.
“It is now certain that this great unity is more fully reflected in our national anthem,” Morrison said. Australia is “the most successful multicultural nation on earth.”
“Australia as a modern nation may be relatively young, but the story of our country is ancient, as are the stories of many first nation people whose stewardship we rightly accept and respect,” Morrison said.
“In a spirit of unity, it is only fitting that we make sure that our national anthem reflects this truth and shared appreciation.”
Indigenous Austral Australian Minister Ken Wyatt said in a statement that he was asked about the change and gave his support.
The one-word change was “small in nature but purposefully important,” said Wyatt, the first Indigenous Australian to be elected to the lower house of the federal parliament.
“It is an acknowledgment that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are 65,000 years old,” he said.
The change comes less than two months after New South Wales state premier Gladys Berezkilia expressed support for the indigenous Austral Australians, who said the national anthem did not reflect them and their history.
Megan Davis, a law professor at the University of New South Wales, criticizes the lack of consultation with Indigenous people about change.
“This is a frustrating way to end 2020 and start 2021. Without us, everything about us,” he wrote on social media.
Last month, Australia became the first sports team to sing in the indigenous language before a match against Australia’s national rugby team, Lab Labs, Argentina.
The Advance Australia Fair was composed by Peter Dodds McCormick and first introduced in 1878. It was adopted as the national anthem in 1984.
Lee Jin-man / A.P.
.
