Australia changes National Anthem wording to reflect Indigenous history

By Swati Pandey

 

Australia amended its national anthem to remove reference to the country being "young and free" amid calls to recognize that its Indigenous people are the oldest continued civilization in the world. Megan Revell reports.

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia amended its national anthem to remove reference to the country being "young and free" amid calls to recognise that its Indigenous people are the oldest continued civilization in the world.

 

The change to "for we are one and free" took effect on Friday.

 

"We live in a timeless land of ancient First Nations peoples, and we draw together the stories of more than 300 national ancestries and language groups," Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Canberra.

 

"And our anthem should reflect that. The changes we have made and we have announced today, I think, achieve that goal."

 

Australia has struggled for decades to reconcile with Aborigines, who arrived on the continent some 50,000 years before British colonists.

 

Each year Australians have a national holiday on Jan. 26, marking the date the “First Fleet” sailed into Sydney Harbour in 1788, carrying mainly convicts and troops from Britain. Some indigenous people refer to Australia Day as “Invasion Day”.

 

There is now a renewed focus on Indigenous empowerment amid the Black Lives Matter movement.

 

The idea to change the wording was floated in 2020 by New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian who had said the current wording ignored Australia’s "proud First Nations culture".

 

The proposal was welcomed by several lawmakers, including federal minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt as well as firebrand rightwing One Nation party leader Pauline Hanson.

 

When asked if he would want to be the first person to sing the new national anthem, Morisson said: "I think singing by prime ministers is the same as public exercise by prime ministers -- it is best done in private."

 

(Reporting by Swati Pandey; Editing by Kim Coghill)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-01-01

 

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It might help with the report if they showed the "before" and "after" changes.

 

I really cannot be bothered to search  the changes, or in modern day speak "google it"!

 

It would appear to me, without, obviously,  researching the changes, to be more WOK change for WOK change sake!

*Deleted post edited out*

 

Looks like only one word was changed - viz: "young" changed to "one".

 

Quote

The one-word change to Advance Australia Fair, from "For we are young and free" to "For we are one and free" takes effect on Friday.

https://news.sky.com/story/australian-national-anthem-changes-by-one-word-to-reflect-spirit-of-unity-and-indigenous-population-12176613

 

20 minutes ago, fangless said:

It might help with the report if they showed the "before" and "after" changes.

 

I really cannot be bothered to search  the changes, or in modern day speak "google it"!

 

It would appear to me, without, obviously,  researching the changes, to be more WOK change for WOK change sake!

It says it in the article. Changed from 'young and free' to "one and free". Small change but significant in Australian eyes.

The national anthem is not the popular choice of Australians now.

The Seeker's song we are Australian would be a popular choice. The ABC news channel plays it often.

It recognises the indigenous people right at the start of the song aswell as the migrants that help build the Country.The words recognise the indigenous  people first in the song."for 40,000 years"

came from the dream-time
From the dusty red-soil plains
I am the ancient heart
The keeper of the flame
I stood upon the rocky shores
I watched the tall ships come
For forty thousand years I've been
The first Australian

Most Australians do not know words of Advance Australia Fair.

I be honest I don't. Sportsmen just move their mouths also and don't sing without conviction.

I like many others enjoy singing we are Australian. It makes you feel proud from start to finish.

I brought  my wife's son  to Australia from Thailand with her when me married. After I retired and we came to Thailand he wanted to stay. He loves Australia  and is a citizen now.

The song spells out from all the lands on earth we come.

He proud he an Australian.

Ok to much waffling.

????❤????????and????????

 

2 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

Looks like only one word was changed - viz: "young" changed to "one".

 

 

Just beat me to it. ????

Off-topic posts reported and removed.

 

I always thought that the Australian National Anthem was "We Come From A Land Down Under".

 

Gimme a home amoung the gum trees.

10 hours ago, carlyai said:

Not all Aboriginals are black. Same as not all Poms with a Yorkshire accent are white. ????

Pure blood Aboriginal are black, mixed blood, no.

AB-ORIGINAL. Lest we forget

13 hours ago, carlyai said:

It says it in the article. Changed from 'young and free' to "one and free". Small change but significant in Australian eyes.

In what way is Australia 'one'?  This new change is meaningles woke gesture politics. At the time of writing the anthem Australia was a 'young' country in the context of how countries were judged.. Some people might think 'backwards' would be more honest than "young'. The condition of the Aboriginals might be  a tragedy but this silly semantic change will not change that tragedy. Interestingly in over 50 years I have never met an Australian who had any sympathy for Aborigines.

We've boundless plains to share; unless you are a refugee.

1 hour ago, bontang said:

P.O.M     Prisoner of her Magesty,  So the Real POM's are the people who arrived in the Banana Boats back in 1788,

And now Class them selves As Australians, and call The British POM's,  This Group of Aussies, Like the Pot calling the Pan Black Ass, Or they dont know their History, Awaiting a smart ass comment, 

POMS. Potato faces. Used now as an insult by provincial and small minded Australians no different from any other petty racists anywhere in the world.

6 minutes ago, Nout said:

POMS. Potato faces. Used now as an insult by provincial and small minded Australians no different from any other petty racists anywhere in the world.

I've never heard anyone anywhere being called a "potato face". As for the pom "insult", perhaps it's now because the British are still stuck in that wasteland called Britain and the Australians are now "free". (They aren't of course, but if it triggers you, then job done ????).

 

As for the whole indigenous thing... I can't see the point. My kids were shocked at my position on this until I explained it to them. If I were an aboriginal and the only betterment for my people was this name change and some sort of "acknowledgement" of my people being around before the poms turned up before sporting events etc - I'd be furious. they need real help and real change - not platitudes. Perhaps it will lead to more for them in the future.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, bontang said:

P.O.M     Prisoner of her Magesty,  So the Real POM's are the people who arrived in the Banana Boats back in 1788,

And now Class them selves As Australians, and call The British POM's,  This Group of Aussies, Like the Pot calling the Pan Black Ass, Or they dont know their History, Awaiting a smart ass comment, 

Get used to it. POMs losing at cricket against the mighty Aus sides.

1 hour ago, Nout said:

POMS. Potato faces. Used now as an insult by provincial and small minded Australians no different from any other petty racists anywhere in the world.

 

I'm English, lived in the bush and visited all capitals and States across Australia  during different periods over sixty years. Never heard the expression ' potato face'

 

Getting back on topic, well overdue for the first peoples to be recognised in the Oz Constitution

Edited January 2, 20215 yr by simple1

1 hour ago, Nout said:

POMS. Potato faces. Used now as an insult by provincial and small minded Australians no different from any other petty racists anywhere in the world.

What’s a provincial Ozzie I wonder?

4 hours ago, giddyup said:

Pure blood Aboriginal are black, mixed blood, no.

I am confused. A white Australian Aborigine?  Not unless there has been cross breeding in which case they are not Aboriginal. The clue is in the name. Aboriginal Australians are not white. Though I am happy to be educated.

14 minutes ago, Olmate said:

What’s a provincial Ozzie I wonder?

Unsophisticated, not well educated, not travelled, limited life experience, uncultured, narrow minded..not much different from provincial people from most countries.

An offensive post and a reply have been removed

1 hour ago, ncc1701d said:

I've never heard anyone anywhere being called a "potato face". As for the pom "insult", perhaps it's now because the British are still stuck in that wasteland called Britain and the Australians are now "free". (They aren't of course, but if it triggers you, then job done ????).

 

As for the whole indigenous thing... I can't see the point. My kids were shocked at my position on this until I explained it to them. If I were an aboriginal and the only betterment for my people was this name change and some sort of "acknowledgement" of my people being around before the poms turned up before sporting events etc - I'd be furious. they need real help and real change - not platitudes. Perhaps it will lead to more for them in the future.

 

 

 

No the term Potato face is never used but was thought to be the origin of the term POM used to describe the pale, pasty, whey faced passengers disembarking after a long journey. Pom is/ was also slang for potato.

3 minutes ago, Nout said:

Unsophisticated, not well educated, not travelled, limited life experience, uncultured, narrow minded..not much different from provincial people from most countries.

Given your previous confused reply you seem to me rather provincial yourself !

2 minutes ago, Nout said:

No the term Potato face is never used but was thought to be the origin of the term POM used to describe the pale, pasty, whey faced passengers disembarking after a long journey. Pom is/ was also slang for potato. Yet others attribute the term to Pomegranate due to the shiny red cheeks of Brits in the Australian heat. One thing for sure: The origin of the term POM is not some conventional TLA. The etymology of words is rarely that convenient.

 

Everywhere in the world, symbolism is important in national life, culture & politics.

 

The difficulty arises when people substitute symbolism for practical action. Which also happens everywhere in the world.

4 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Given your previous confused reply you seem to me rather provincial yourself !

Confusion is not related to provincalism. Smug complacency is more a feature of small mindedness as is lack of imagination. You seem to be  grasping to interpret meaning just for the sake of insulting me. I have simply no idea why or what has triggered you. Please explain your animus.

1 minute ago, mfd101 said:

Everywhere in the world, symbolism is important in national life, culture & politics.

 

The difficulty arises when people substitute symbolism for practical action. Which also happens everywhere in the world.

But the trend has grown recently thus the growth of virtue signaling and gesture politics.

1 minute ago, digger70 said:

 Original Australian  Aboriginals  Are Black .Any other that call themselves Aboriginals are a Cross Breed .

They call themselves that to get the same  government Benefits as the Real Aboriginals. Why? 

Because they get 10 times more money  from the government than any White Feller.

Thanks for an honest answer. I knew there was more to it.

39 minutes ago, Olmate said:

What’s a provincial Ozzie I wonder?

Native         

 A person born in a specified place or associated with a place by birth, whether subsequently resident there or not.

13 minutes ago, Nout said:

Thanks for an honest answer. I knew there was more to it.

 

There are a number of bigots and racists in Australia, as my Thai wife can attest, as there are on this forum. Aboriginal welfare and a few other indigenous groups are covered in the URL below. However, moving along, IMO, it would be best to stay on topic i.e. government efforts for inclusion of indigenous people in Australia.

 

Generally, Indigenous people receive the same level of public benefits as non-Indigenous people. Individuals do not get extra funding because they are Indigenous. However, specific government programs, not additional income, have been introduced for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples because they are the most economically and socially disadvantaged group in Australia. Special programs are necessary to help overcome disadvantage. Examples of programs specifically designed to meet Indigenous needs include:

 

https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/subjects/payments-and-support-for-indigenous-australians

Edited January 2, 20215 yr by simple1