CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – Australia changed a word in its national anthem to reflect what the prime minister called “the spirit of unity” and the country’s indigenous population.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on New Year’s Eve that the second line of the hymn, “Advance Australia Fair”, has been changed from “For we are young and free” to “Because we are one and free”.
The change took effect on Friday.
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“It is time to ensure that this great unity is reflected more fully in our national anthem,” he said, adding that Australia was the “most successful multicultural nation on Earth”.
“While Australia as a modern nation may be relatively young, our country’s history is old, as are the stories of many First Nations peoples whose management we rightly recognize and respect,” said Morrison.
“In the spirit of unity, it is only right that we ensure that our national anthem reflects this truth and shared appreciation.”
Australian Indigenous Minister Ken Wyatt said in a statement that he was asked about the change and gave his support.
Wyatt, the first Australian Indigenous elected to the lower house of the federal parliament, said the change in one word was “small in nature, but significant in purpose”.
“It is an acknowledgment that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island cultures date back 65,000 years,” he said.
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The move comes less than two months after New South Wales state premier Gladys Berejiklian expressed support for indigenous Australians, who said the national anthem does not reflect them and their history.
University of New South Wales law professor Megan Davis, a Cobble Cobble woman from the Barrungam nation in southwest Queensland, criticized the lack of consultation with indigenous peoples about the change.
“This is a disappointing way to end 2020 and start 2021. Everything about us, without us,” she wrote on social media.
Last month, the Australian rugby team, the Wallabies, became the first sports team to sing the anthem in an indigenous language before the match against Argentina.
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“Advance Australia Fair” was composed by Peter Dodds McCormick and first performed in 1878. It was adopted as the national anthem in 1984.