Now is the time to recognise that Australia is ”one and free”

#Like the generations before us, we found that same indomitable #Australian spirit. #We found the grit, the ingenuity and the forbearance. #But most of all, in a period of unprecedented isolation, we found each other.

#Sure, we aren’t perfect. #But as a smart nation, we acknowledge and learn from our mistakes. #We are always prepared to have a go. #We try to ensure that our disagreements don’t hold us back. #And we always strive to do better and be better.

#As #Prime #Minister, I have always had three goals to guide me: to keep #Australia strong, to keep #Australians safe and to keep #Australians together.

#Of these, keeping #Australians together underpins everything else. #At no time in my lifetime have I seen this more on display than in the past year. I know this will continue to be the source of our success as we overcome the many challenges still ahead.

#As a people we have always been more interested in actions than words. #We care more about getting things done.

#Over the past year, #Australians have demonstrated through our actions that we are indeed “one and free”, as NSW #Premier #Gladys #Berejiklian has suggested.

#So I believe the time has now come for us to proclaim in our national anthem what we have lived as a nation, especially during this past year.

#As one country, we draw together the heritage of more than 300 national ancestries and languages, to chart our own unique #Australian journey. #We are the most successful multicultural and immigration nation on earth. #Our national unity is a modern wonder.

#Indeed it was our #Federation father #Sir #Henry #Parkes whose vision for a united #Australia understood this when he said: “What we are doing by this great #Federal movement is not for us, but for them, for the untold millions that will follow us; until this land of #Australia shall gather within its bosom all the fruits of the culture of the world; and until the flag of freedom shall be planted here so firmly and guarded with such a fervent patriotism, that all the powers on earth shall never assault it.”

#This unity draws strength today from many sources. #From the unique connection #Indigenous #Australians have to this land. #From the enlightened liberal democratic nation that was established 120 years ago today. #And from the waves of migration that have shaped the #Australian story since that time.

#Peter #Dodds #McCormick first wrote the words “young and free” almost a century before theybecame part of our national anthem. #At that time,the words undoubtedly captured the energetic spirit of liberty that drove #Australia towards nationhood.

#However, since then we have also come to appreciate the timeless spirit of the ancient land we call home, and the connection to this place of #Indigenous peoples who have cared for our country for thousands of years.

#Australia as a modern nation may be relatively young, but our country’s story is ancient, as are the stories of the many #First #Nations peoples whose stewardship we rightly acknowledge and respect.

#In the spirit of unity, it is only right that we also now acknowledge this and ensure our national anthem reflects this truth and shared appreciation.

#Changing “young and free” to “one and free” takes nothing away, but I believe it adds much.

#It recognises the distance we have travelled as a nation. #It reaffirms our resolve as a liberal democratic people and as one of the world’s oldest democracies. #It honours the foundations upon which our nation has been built and the aspirations we share for the future.

#So in recognition of the extraordinary united effort of #Australians over the past year, the time is now right to make the change.

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#It is not the first time we have made these types of changes. #It has been more than 35 years since #Prime #Minister #Bob #Hawke made the last change in 1984, and I have followed the same process.

#This change is for all #Australians.

#We are one country and have proven so from generation to generation.

#During a time when communities around the world are splintering and identity politics concentrates on our differences, this change affirms our shared national story and shared destiny.

#Our #Australian identity is of one people, made from many.

#We are a common-wealth with a common future.

“One and free” is and must be the story of every #Australian. #It’s the way we truly #Advance #Australia #Fair.

#Happy #New #Year, #Australia.

#Scott #Morrison is the #Prime #Minister of #Australia.