As of the 1st January 2021, the Australian national anthem was changed – one word was substituted for another.
Instead of singing: For we are young and free, the words are now: For we are one and free. Not a big difference, but it was done to make our national anthem inclusive, to recognise our indigenous history.
If you don’t know what Australia’s national anthem is, the words are below, and further down is a clip of it being sung (it’s pre-2021 so it’s the “young” version).
Has your national anthem every changed?
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM
Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are one and free;
We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history’s page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.
Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We’ll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who’ve come across the seas
We’ve boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.
January 21, 2021 at 3:02 am
They’re talking about changing our entire anthem. Oh my.
January 21, 2021 at 9:03 am
Oh, wow! I would never have expected that! Was that a Trump thing?
January 21, 2021 at 3:37 am
They changed ours too a few years ago from “In all our sons command” to “in all of us command” and I will not sing the new version. Its ridiculous. Like as a female, I do not feel oppressed because of that line. Completely unnecessary to change it.
January 21, 2021 at 9:05 am
Our change was a bit different, because “young” didn’t exclude anyone, but it was the logical place to make it “one”. So we went form neutral to inclusive.
January 21, 2021 at 6:03 am
Yes, our national anthem was changed as Giggling Fattie noted. I did feel oppressed by the “sons” word and feel now that as a woman I am included in the anthem. I’m very happy it was changed.
Deb
January 21, 2021 at 9:09 am
I don’t know all the words to your national anthem, so I don’t have context in how the phrase fits into your anthem. Based on just the phrase (so, out of context), I don’t think it would have bothered me, because it would have been written at a different time and I get that. I tend to focus more on day-to-day equality than worrying about things like that as well, I guess. Having spent a life working in male-dominated industries (although that’s changed in recent years) I have had way bigger things to contend with!
January 22, 2021 at 1:23 am
As a female scientist in a leadership position, as have I. However, words are powerful and when the times change, the language needs to reflect that. So the following generations of little girls don’t have to wonder why it is “sons” only and no mentions of daughters, as I did growing up.
Deb
January 22, 2021 at 9:48 am
That’s a really good point, Deb.
January 21, 2021 at 9:12 am
Ahhh yes for sure. I understand wanting to be inclusive and our change was the same but I felt at the time it was unnecessary. And still do lol
January 21, 2021 at 12:46 pm
I’d have to look up if ours was changed. Not recently, anyway. We used to play it before football games in high school (I was in the band), and it’s rather major key-ee. All on the arpeggios.
January 21, 2021 at 5:30 pm
Ahh, easy to play then. We have a band piece that is “ours”. It’s a march but it isn’t so friendly (plus it is crazy fast so fingers have to fly).