Opinions on “I Am Australian”
"I Am Australian" really should become our national anthem. It solves the problem with the lyrics of "Advance Australia Fair" by celebrating that "We are one, but we are many", rather than "We are one and free" (the recent replacement to "We are young and free", which was even more problematic). We may be united as one country, but what makes us strong as a nation is our diversity and celebration of difference. Singing "We are one" on its own really reeks of Australia's past policies of assimilation (and Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party, but that's a post for another time). "I Am Australian", on the other hand, really does celebrate how we Australians come from all different backgrounds and experiences, but somehow we simultaneously, almost paradoxically, become one and many, a proud collective of diverse individuals working together to support our nation. Also, it's a great song in general. And there are so many historical and cultural references!!!