Palaszczuk: Anthem lyrics change ‘not a bad idea’

The Queensland and NSW premiers don’t agree on much, especially during Origin week. But there’s one subject on which they appear to have found common ground.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she doesn’t think it’s a “bad idea” to change the lyrics in the Australian national anthem, following calls for the song to better acknowledge the nation’s Indigenous history.

And the state’s Communities, Housing and Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch – who is the first Aboriginal woman elected to the Queensland Parliament – also says she supports a change to the lyrics.

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Asked yesterday if she would get behind a call to change the anthem so it says “we are one and free” instead of “young and free”, Ms Palaszczuk said she did not have a problem with the idea.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

The proposed change was floated last week by Ms Palaszczuk’s NSW counterpart, Gladys Berejiklian, as she called for a national discussion on the topic.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea,” Ms Palaszczuk said yesterday, also acknowledging it would be a matter for the Federal Government.

Ms Enoch told The Courier-Mail that a change to the lyrics of the national anthem was “well overdue”.

“Our national anthem should reflect the ancient origins of this country and the fact that we are home to the oldest continuous living cultures on the planet,” she said.

Communities, Housing and Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch

Ms Berejiklian last week said she loved the national anthem, but believed a one word change would “make such a difference”.

She said singing we are ‘one and free’ instead of ‘young and free’ would “acknowledge our proud Indigenous history”.

“There should be a national discussion on this involving all Australians including Indigenous Australians,” the NSW Premier said at the time.

The LNP’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships spokesman John-Paul Langbroek yesterday said: “There are other priorities that we must be focusing on during these uncertain times like the economy and jobs for Queenslanders.”

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian

Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt also backed the call to change the line to “one and free”, last week saying many Indigenous people were “troubled” by the anthem’s failure to recognise their long history on the land.