Out of respect for indigenous peoples: Australia changes text of national anthem – International news



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The Australian government has already implemented one of its biggest resolutions for 2021.

Just in time for the start of the new year, Australia has given its national anthem a new wording. With the change of a few letters, the 60,000 years of history of the indigenous peoples of the continent will be honored since Friday. The line “We are young and free” became “We are one and free”, because, in the opinion of many Australians, the previous formulation narrowed the view of the modern history of the country, but ignored that Aborigines, for example, long ago time the arrival of white settlers lived there.

“As a modern nation, Australia may be relatively young, but our country’s history stretches back to ancient times,” wrote Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a guest article for The Age newspaper. Changing the text doesn’t take away anything, “but I think it adds a lot.” The new second line of the anthem “Advance Australia Fair” was chosen by Morrison as a demonstration for his New Year’s tweet to all compatriots.

The revision of the anthem, which has been debated for about a year, is, from the point of view of many, a sign of appreciation to the indigenous people of the country. They have become a minority since colonization and now represent only around three percent of the 25 million people in Australia.

Britain had chosen the continent in 1788 as a penal colony for criminals exiled from their homeland. With the amalgamation of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South and Western Australia, and Tasmania to form the state of Australia, independence followed in 1901.

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