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NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian Calls For A Change In Australia's National Anthem

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian Calls For A Change In Australia's National Anthem

The Premier reckons if we change just one word it could make the anthem more inclusive.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

The New South Wales Premier has revealed her belief that the Australian national anthem should be changed.

Gladys Berejiklian has explained her thoughts in the middle NAIDOC week, which seeks to raise awareness for Aboriginal and Islanders issues and celebrates Australia's indigenous history before European settlers arrived in 1770.

The Premier told Channel 7's Sunrise: "We have a very proud Indigenous culture of tens of thousands of years on this continent, so I guess to say 'we are young and free' ignores that.

"I just feel hurt for people who don't feel the anthem includes them."

Ms Berejiklian believes the words 'young and free' should be altered to 'we are one and free' as it would be more inclusive of everyone who lives in Australia, particularly our First Nations people.

Saying that Australia is 'young' is a slap in the face to Indigenous Aussies who have been living on the land for a good 60,000 years, says campaigners.

PA

She hopes that by airing her concerns about the current anthem that it can start a national conversation.

"As a very young school child I remember learning 'Australia's sons let us rejoice'," the Premier said. "Today we sing 'Australians all let us rejoice'.

"Similarly I believe singing we are 'one' and free rather than 'young' and free will acknowledge our proud Indigenous history."

This isn't the first time this has been suggested.

Liberal MP Craig Kelly told the ABC in June last year he reckons there would be lots of people who would support changing the one word to make it relevant to everyone.

"These words of our national anthem are not something carved in stone," he told AM. "If these gentlemen said [they] would be happy to sing the national anthem with changing that one word, I think a lot of Australians would sit down and they would say, OK let's change that word.

"Let's sing, 'We are strong and free' and let's all get on and make sure we are, as the anthem says, Australians all."

While Mr Kelly thought it would have the support of many Aussies, a poll done by Sunrise showed an overwhelming swing in the opposite direction. After more than 40,000 votes, 79 percent of people want it kept the same.

'Advance Australia Fair' has been around since 1878 but was only installed as the country's national anthem in the 1980s after a plebiscite was taken to see whether people wanted to get rid of 'God Save The Queen'.

But switching up the words isn't new.

The original lyrics used to say 'Australia's sons let us rejoice', but that was changed to make it 'Australians all let us rejoice' to make it more gender inclusive.

Featured Image Credit: Gladys Berejiklian/Facebook

Topics: News, Australia