NSW Premier calls for national anthem change to honour Indigenous Australians

• The NSW Premier is pushing for the national anthem to be changed to better respect Australia’s Indigenous communities
• Gladys Berejiklian argues the line “we are young and free” should be changed to “we are one and free”
• The Premier’s push to change the anthem follows discussions to drop the anthem from NRL State of Origin games
• It also coincides with NAIDOC Week, which focusses on recognising and advancing the rights of aboriginal peoples
• The push comes after the Federal Government voted down a proposal to have the indigenous flag flown in the senate on Tuesday

The NSW Premier is advocating for the national anthem to be changed to better acknowledge Indigenous Australians.

Gladys Berejiklian wants to see one line within the Australian anthem changed from “we are young and free” to “we are one and free”.

The Premier argues changing the line would better recognise the thousands of years of Indigenous history in Australia, as opposed to just the colonial history.

“I feel for Indigenous Australians who don’t feel the national anthem reflects them and their history,” Premier Berejiklian said.

“I think it’s about time we recognise the tens of thousands of years of the First Nations people of this continent,” she added.

“I think if we say ‘we’re one and free’ it acknowledges that we’re not really young as a continent, we’re tens of thousands of years old when it comes to human inhabitants,” the Premier concluded.

Gladys Berejiklian’s push to change the anthem follows a widespread discussion within the NRL community to drop the song from State of Origin games.

It also coincides with NAIDOC Week, the annual event held to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

The NSW Premier’s push to better acknowledge Australia’s Indigenous people comes after the Federal Government stopped a move to showcase the Aboriginal flag in Parliament on Tuesday.

The Liberal-National Coalition defeated a motion in the Upper House to have the flag flown in the Senate alongside the Australian flag.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt defended his Government’s decision to vote against having the Indigenous flag in the Senate, saying the current Australian flag already represents everyone.

I support the Australian Flag being flown in the @AuSenate as it represents all Australians.

We must respect the diversity of views in our community & respect democratic outcomes in Parliament.

Shouting at one another doesn’t bring us together or do anything for reconciliation.

— Ken Wyatt MP (@KenWyattMP) November 10, 2020