Division as Scott Morrison flags change to national anthem

It was a small tweak to the national anthem designed to unify the country, but it has caused division across the country.

It was a gesture meant to unify the nation heading into the New Year, but the Federal Government’s change to the national anthem has caused division across Australia.

Members of Queensland’s Aboriginal community have voiced their opinions on the change, which saw the verse “we are young and free” become “we are one and free”, in recognition of Aboriginal Australia’s 60,000 years of history.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he believed it to be “a sensible change” that would be “well received” when he announced it yesterday, but it has been met with mixed reactions.

Yugambeh man John Graham said the change “makes a difference” because it was more inclusive, but was “a little bit cosmetic”.

Kombumerri woman Emerald Brewer said the change was more inclusive but “tokenistic” and would also like to see part of the anthem sung in an Indigenous language. Bundjalung woman and lawyer Dani Larkin also labelled the change a “token gesture”.

Indigenous Labor MP Linda Burn said the change was welcome, but there needed to be greater progress. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jenny Evans

“We’ve had these meaningful political campaigns that have been going on for over ten years for large substantial change, and this is a small, dictated response that means little.” Ms Larkin said.

“To say we’re all ‘one’ is just wrong, Australia is a multicultural country, with many types of people now, to make it seem we all confine to ‘one’ group isn’t the right wording. We’ve had people dying in custody, we’ve had all these movements and black lives matter rallies, and all they can do is change one word? It’s not good enough to me.”

Springfield’s Hymba Yumba independent School principal Peter Foster called the new verse “an absolutely outstanding decision” and “well due”.

“It’s a great small step in solving a larger problem.” Mr Foster said.

The federal opposition welcomed the “common sense” amendment to the anthem but called on the Morrison Government to go further.

“Changing a single word in the national anthem, whilst First Nations people aren’t even recognised in our national constitution, is simply not good enough,” Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said.

Indigenous Labor MP Linda Burney said the change was “welcome and it is part of the process of truth telling” but said constitutional change was also needed.

Aboriginal boxer Anthony Mundine (inset) labelled the change a “kick in the face”.

“The ‘one’ can mean all sorts of things. Obviously it (could mean) wanting inclusivity of all the cultures and people that we have in our country today,” he said.

“Or could it mean the one people who colonised the land ... Cut the whole song and rewrite it so the song will have black history and white history that’s combined together.”

The newly tweaked national anthem could be sung for the first time publicly at the third Test against India in Sydney next week.