National anthem will change a line from young and free to one and free
The change is meant to reflect the rich and long history of Aboriginal people
Mr Latham says Australia is a young nation because we were federated in 1901
Mark Latham has hit out at the Prime Minister s decision to remove the line young and free from the national anthem - arguing Aboriginal tribes didn t see themselves as a nation before colonisation.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the second line of Advance Australia Fair would be changed from for we are young and free to for we are one and free as of New Year s Day after critics argued the line was disrespectful to Aboriginal history.
Australian National Anthem News and Videos onenewspage.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from onenewspage.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Olympic champion Freeman welcomes change to Australian national anthem Friday, 1 January 2021
Olympic gold medallist Cathy Freeman has led welcomes for a change to the Australian national anthem which has been introduced today. What a way to start the year , Freeman 400 metres champion at Sydney 2000, wrote in a social media message. A phone call from our Prime Minister to say that we are One and Free! Thank you!!!
A stanza of the anthem has been altered from young and free to the words one and free in a move announced by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. 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, said the Prime Minister.
Scott Morrison called an Australian sporting legend just moments after the clock hit 12 on New Year s Day to tell her he had changed the words to the national anthem.
The prime minister immediately picked up the phone and called Olympic gold medalist and sporting hero Cathy Freeman to deliver the news in person.
The sprinting legend of the 2000 Olympics tweeted her astonishment at 2.38am on January 1 - before the New Year was even three hours old. What a way to start the year!!! A phone call from our Prime Minister to say we are one and free ! Thank you, she tweeted.
Loading
In early December, 16-year-old student and Wiradjuri woman Olivia Fox sang a verse of the national anthem in the Dharug language ahead of the Wallabies playing Argentina, eliciting a wave of positive feedback. Mr Morrison has recounted on several occasions how children in the Sutherland Shire, including his own, learn the anthem in Dharawal language.
However, the Prime Minister does not want the change to the wording to be seen purely through the prism of Indigenous recognition, which is behind his recommendation to Governor-General David Hurley it take effect from January 1 rather than Australia Day.
Advertisement In recognition of the extraordinary united effort of Australians over the past year, the time is now right to make the change, Mr Morrison says.