
Before 1984, Australia's national anthem 'Advance Australia Fair' started with the line: "Australian sons, let us rejoice."
It had just officially replaced 'God Save The Queen' as the anthem, but not before the Prime Minister of the time Bob Hawke requested a change to the opening line (now "Australians all let us rejoice") to be more inclusive.
Decades later, the debate continues about the song, and one line in particular - "For we are young and free" - because it does not recognise Australia's rich Indigenous history and the oldest continuous culture in the world.
Watch: The Stolen Generations: Why I can't 'get over it'. Post continues below video.
We have known for a long time that not all Australians feel represented by the national anthem, but stating so comes with a risk.
In 2018, a nine-year-old Queensland girl refused to stand for it during assembly. She received a lunchtime detention from her school, and faced the ire of politicians and media.
"Someone needs to give this girl a bit of a lesson. Or, as one of my listeners said using the lingo of my old man, a good kick up the backside," Alan Jones said on his 2GB breakfast show. "Though, my listener didn't use the word backside."
Pauline Hanson used the same "kick up the backside" line.
When Indigenous NRL players decided against singing the anthem before matches in 2019, radio broadcaster Chris Smith said the players were dividing "young, impressionable" fans of the game and guilting the NRL into not celebrating "this great country".
Just one word: The Quicky explores Australia's anthem problem. Post continues below audio.
Now, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has expressed her support for changing that one word: 'young'.
"We need to recognise our Aboriginal heritage and to say we're young and free... it ignores the fact that they've inhabited the continent," Ms Berejiklian told Today.
"I feel upset when others don't feel the anthem reflects them. We have a proud First Nations culture and continuing culture here in Australia, that one word might make a difference to some people."
She said she appreciated how important it is "to bring people together, how important it is to include our history in total and that's why I'm supporting this one word change, which I hope will make a difference."
Calls are growing to change the Australian national anthem to include our Indigenous history.
— The Project (@theprojecttv) November 11, 2020
Today, the campaign has a surprising new ally, in Gladys Berejiklian. Lawyer and campaigner @teelareid shares her thoughts on what more can be done to include our First Nations people. pic.twitter.com/1M6o7AWIxb
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