Editing Advance Australia Fair (section)

===Recognition of Indigenous Australians===
The song has been criticised for failing to represent or acknowledge [[Indigenous Australians|Australia's Indigenous peoples]] and aspects of the country's colonial past, leading to modification. The lyrics have been accused of celebrating British colonisation and perpetuating the concept of ''[[terra nullius]];'' the now-changed second line of the anthem ("for we are young and free") was criticised in particular for ignoring the [[History of Aboriginal Australians|long history of Indigenous Australians]].<ref>{{cite news|title=New version of national anthem cuts 'offensive' lyrics|url=https://thewest.com.au/news/indigenous-australians/alternative-version-of-advance-australia-fair-recognises-aboriginal-culture-ng-b88484280z|work=[[The West Australian]]|date=22 May 2017|access-date=13 August 2017}}</ref> It has also been suggested that the word "fair" celebrates the "civilising" mission of British colonists.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kelen|first=Christopher|author-link=Christopher Kelen|title=How fair is fair? The colour of justice in Australia's official anthem|journal=M/C Journal|volume=5|number=4|date=July 2002|doi=10.5204/mcj.1964 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Since about 2015, public debate about the anthem has increased. Boxer [[Anthony Mundine]] stated in 2013, 2017 and 2018 that he would not stand for the anthem, prompting organisers not to play it before his fights.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/anthony-mundine-won-t-stand-for-anthem|title=Anthony Mundine won't stand for anthem|date=23 October 2018|website=SBS News|language=en|access-date=2019-09-14}}</ref> In September 2018 a 9-year-old [[Brisbane]] girl was disciplined by her school after refusing to stand for the national anthem;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-12/national-anthem-protest-school-brisbane/10235792|title=9yo refuses to stand for the anthem because it's for 'white people of Australia'|last=Siganto|first=Talissa|date=2018-09-12|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-09-14}}</ref> her actions were applauded by some public commenters, and criticised by others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/advance-australia-fair-is-an-anthem-that-is-racist-at-so-many-levels-20180916-p5043s.html|title=Advance Australia Fair is an anthem that is racist at so many levels|last=McFadyen|first=Warwick|date=2018-09-16|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2019-09-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2018/09/12/australian-lawmakers-attack-year-old-girl-who-refused-stand-during-their-national-anthem/|title=Australian lawmakers attack 9-year-old girl who refused to stand during their national anthem|newspaper=The Washington Post|language=en|access-date=2019-09-14}}</ref> In 2019, several [[National Rugby League]] football players decided not to sing the anthem before the first match of the [[State of Origin]] series<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/indigenous-rapper-briggs-takes-down-advance-australia-fair-line-by-line/news-story/24679293a25df65623f4ed29ed8d53b7|title='This song sucks': Rapper slams anthem|date=2019-06-05|website=www.dailytelegraph.com.au|language=en|access-date=2019-09-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/cody-walker-to-remain-silent-during-advance-australia-fair-20190528-p51s2d.html|title=Cody Walker to remain silent during Advance Australia Fair|last=Pengilly|first=Christian Nicolussi, Adam|date=2019-05-28|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2019-09-14}}</ref> and before the [[Indigenous All Stars (rugby league)|Indigenous All-Stars]] series with New Zealand;<ref name="Meninga">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/02/16/mal-meninga-australia-needs-referendum-on-national-anthem/|title=Australia needs referendum on national anthem|last=Meninga|first=Mal|date=2019-02-16|website=National Rugby League|language=en|access-date=2019-09-14}}</ref> NRL coach and celebrated former player [[Mal Meninga]] supported the protesting players and called for a referendum on the subject.<ref name="Meninga"/>

Several alternative versions of "Advance Australia Fair" have been proposed to address the alleged exclusion of Indigenous Australians. [[Judith Durham]] of [[The Seekers]] and [[Muthi Muthi|Mutti Mutti]] musician [[Kutcha Edwards]] released their alternative lyrics in 2009, replacing "for we are young and free" with the opening lines "Australians let us stand as one, upon this sacred land".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/nitv-news/article/2015/11/06/judith-durhams-new-anthem-lyric-contemporary-australia|title=Judith Durham's new anthem: 'Lyric For Contemporary Australia'|website=NITV|date=6 November 2015 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-13}}</ref> In 2015, Aboriginal Australian soprano [[Deborah Cheetham]] declined an invitation to sing the anthem at the 2015 [[Australian Football League|AFL]] grand final after the AFL turned down her request to replace the words "for we are young and free" with "in peace and harmony". She has advocated for the lyrics being rewritten and endorsed Durham and Edwards' alternative version.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theconversation.com/young-and-free-why-i-declined-to-sing-the-national-anthem-at-the-2015-afl-grand-final-49234|title=Young and free? Why I declined to sing the national anthem at the 2015 AFL Grand Final|last1=Cheetham|first1=Deborah|website=The Conversation|date=19 October 2015 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2017 the Recognition in Anthem Project<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rap.org.au/|title=Recognition in Anthem|website=Recognition in Anthem|access-date=13 September 2019|archive-date=25 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225012438/https://www.rap.org.au/|url-status=dead}}</ref> was established and began work on a new version, with lyrics written by poet and former Victorian Supreme Court judge [[Peter Vickery]] following consultation with Indigenous communities and others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2017/04/06/new-call-update-national-anthem|title=New call to update the National Anthem|website=NITV|date=6 April 2017 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-13}}</ref> Vickery's proposed lyrics replaced "we are young and free" with "we are one and free" in the first verse, deleted the second and added two new ones; the second verse acknowledging Indigenous history, immigration and calls for unity and respect, and the third adapting lines from the official second verse. It was debuted at the Desert Song Festival in [[Alice Springs]] by an Aboriginal choir.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.smh.com.au/national/we-are-one-not-young-change-to-national-anthem-proposed-20190912-p52qs7.html |title = We are 'one', not 'young': Change to national anthem proposed |last = Power |first = Julie |date = 2019-09-13 |website = The Sydney Morning Herald |language = en-AU |access-date = 2019-09-14 }}</ref> Former prime minister Bob Hawke endorsed Vickery's alternative lyrics in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rap.org.au/milestones|title=Milestones|website=Recognition in Anthem|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-13|archive-date=29 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229135026/https://www.rap.org.au/milestones|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2017, the federal government under then prime minister [[Malcolm Turnbull]] granted permission for Vickery's lyrics to be sung at certain occasions as a "patriotic song", but said that before making any official change to the anthem, "The Government would need to be convinced of a sufficient groundswell of support in the wider community".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thewest.com.au/news/indigenous-australians/alternative-version-of-advance-australia-fair-recognises-aboriginal-culture-ng-b88484280z|title=New version of national anthem cuts 'offensive' lyrics|date=2017-05-22|website=The West Australian|language=en|access-date=2019-09-13}}</ref>

In November 2020, NSW Premier [[Gladys Berejiklian]] proposed changing one word in the opening couplet, from "we are young and free" to "we are one and free", to acknowledge Australia's Indigenous history.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/a-small-change-can-make-advance-australia-fair-a-better-anthem-20201111-p56dpe.html|title=A small change can make Advance Australia Fair a better anthem|date=11 November 2020|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=11 November 2020}}</ref> The proposal was supported by the federal [[Minister for Indigenous Australians]], [[Ken Wyatt]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/anthony-mundine-and-latrell-mitchell-speak-out-on-indigenous-language-national-anthem|last=Young|first=Evan|title=Anthony Mundine and Latrell Mitchell speak out on Indigenous-language national anthem|website=SBS News|date=7 December 2020|access-date=1 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/changing-the-national-anthem-is-real-reconciliation-20210101-p56r6v.html|last=Wyatt|first=Ken|title='Changing the national anthem is real reconciliation'|work=Sydney Morning Herald|date=1 January 2021|access-date=1 January 2021}}</ref> and in December 2020 Prime Minister [[Scott Morrison]] announced that he would be [[Advice (constitutional law)|advising]] the [[Governor-General of Australia|governor-general]] to proclaim the change, to take effect on 1 January 2021.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-s-national-anthem-changed-to-reflect-stories-of-the-many-first-nations-peoples|last=Khan|first=Biwa|title=Australia's national anthem changed to reflect 'stories of the many First Nations peoples'|website=SBS News|access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/not-forever-young-australia-now-a-nation-that-is-one-and-free-20201231-p56r2x.html|last=Curtis|first=Katina|title=Not forever young: Australia now a nation that is 'one and free'|work=Sydney Morning Herald|date=31 December 2020|access-date=1 January 2021}}</ref>  The new wording was highlighted in the No case of the official referendum pamphlet of the [[Voice to Parliament referendum]] to support arguments against purported "divisive" constitutional changes.<ref>The Referendum Pamphlet. Published by the AEC on behalf of the No Campaign. From {{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/referendums/files/pamphlet/your-official-yes-no-referendum-pamphlet.pdf|title=Your official referendum 2023 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=www.aec.gov.au |publisher=[[Government of Australia]] |access-date=5 September 2024 |quote= |page=5}}</ref>