Scott Morrison says change to national anthem reflects a united Australia
Anthony Mundine has called the government’s plan to change a line in the national anthem as a “kick in the face” while the PM says it will unite Australians. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK.
NSW
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Aboriginal boxer and former NRL player Anthony Mundine has hit out at the government’s plan to change Australia’s national anthem, labelling the move as a “kick in the face”.
The second line of Advance Australia Fair previously read “for we are young and free” and has been the subject of calls for change, led by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
But Mundine said despite the one word change, the anthem would remain a “white supremacy song” until the “whole song is rewritten”.
“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.
“For an Aboriginal person fighting for this (anthem) to be changed over the past decade, it’s a kick in the face.”
Joined alongside his two sons, Anthony Jr and CJ, Mundine said the slight change to the anthem failed to recognise Indigenous Australians.
“The core of the anthem is white supremacy ... We need to make change and not just one word,” he said.
“Cut the whole song and rewrite it so the song will have black history and white history that’s combined together.
“So we can unite and move forward as a one nation.”
Mundine added the Australian flag which has “Aboriginal blood” should also be changed.
“They planted that Union Jack after raping and killing millions of Aboriginals,” he said.
“How do you want a flag still when you have a history like that?.”
Mundine vowed to “sit on a stool” in solidarity with the Aboriginal community if the current anthem plays when he takes to the ring in March against Michael Zerafa.
On Thursday it was revealed the Governor-General had approved a change to Australia’s national anthem to read “we are one and free”, that will come into effect from Friday.
The second line of Advance Australia Fair previously read “for we are young and free” and has been the subject of calls for change, led by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: “Changing ‘young and free’ to ‘one and free’ takes nothing away, but I believe it adds much.
“It recognises the distance we have travelled as a nation. It recognises that our national story is drawn from more than 300 national ancestries and language groups and we are the most successful multicultural nation on Earth.”
Governor-General David Hurley signed off on the change after it was recommended by the government following consultation with Federal Cabinet and state Premiers.
Mr Morrison said it was a change made for the start of 2021 to signal unity for all Australians.
“As we embark on the New Year I have never been more proud of our country,” he said.
“During the past year we have showed once again the indomitable spirit of Australians and the united effort that has always enabled us to prevail as a nation.
“It is time to ensure this great unity is reflected more fully in our national anthem.
“Also, while Australia as a modern nation may be relatively young, our country’s story is ancient, as are the stories of the many First Nations peoples whose stewardship we rightly acknowledge and respect.
“In the spirit of unity, it is only right that we ensure our national anthem reflects this truth and shared appreciation.”
The timing of the change during the COVID pandemic was also intended to show how Australians had stood together the crisis.
“We are making our own Australian way through this crisis … we have done so much better than almost any other country in the world. Our unity has been critical to this achievement,” the PM said.
“’One and free’ is and must be the story of every Australian and it’s the way we truly Advance Australia Fair.
“So in recognition of the extraordinary united effort of Australians over the past year, the time is now right to make the change.”
The anthem was composed by Peter Dodds McCormick and first performed in 1878. The last change to its wording was in 1984 when Prime Minister Bob Hawke cut it to two verses and adopted it as the official anthem.
Calls for the change to better reflect Australia’s Indigenous heritage increased towards the end of the year, with several players remaining silent when the anthem was performed at the start of the NRL State of Origin series.
On the day of the second Origin game Ms Berejiklian said: “I feel upset when others don’t feel the anthem reflects them. We have a proud First Nations culture and continuing culture here in Australia, that one word might make a difference to some people.
“After the horrible year we’ve had, I just really appreciate as a leader how important it is to bring people together, how important it is to include our history in total, and that’s why I’m supporting this one-word change, which I hope will make a difference.”
Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt backed the Premier and called for a discussion: “We have to get this right because it is our national anthem.”
Publicly that discussion won support from all camps.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese said: “I think this is a really practical suggestion by the NSW Premier.”
Labor Families Spokeswomman Linda Burney said: “We have in this country a remarkable story of 65,000 years. Everyone should be proud of that and that’s what anthems and flags help us do”.
Aboriginal leader Warren Mundine said: “The national anthem is about uniting the nation, we shouldn’t have these annual arguments … But I think this helps a lot in making that difference.”
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