It would be wrong for Australia to make a knee-jerk response to the future of the national anthem in the wake of four State of Origin rugby players refusing to sing it at tonight’s game, a Deakin Indigenous studies researcher has warned.
While the planned boycott prompted federal Liberal MP Craig Kelly to suggest changing the anthem, Professor Yin Paradies said it would not be wise to make any quick decisions about what this change should be.
The Origin players argued inclusion of the words “young and free” were disrespectful to 60,000 years of pre-European Indigenous history.
Professor Paradies, an expert on race relations and Indigenous Knowledge and Culture coordinator at Deakin University, said the issue demonstrated the need for a genuine and authentic process of engagement with the Australian people, especially Indigenous Australians.
He said there had also been concerns within the Indigenous and broader Australian community expressed about the phrase Advance Australia ‘Fair’ where fair means white skin, in addition to the problematic nature of the word ‘young’.
“It is not just a matter of getting on with all being Australians. There is no ‘quick fix’ to unity. The path to unity, as a key aspect of reconciliation, requires much more work over a longer period of time,” Professor Paradies said.
“Revisiting racist elements in our national anthem is an important symbolic step within broader reconciliation efforts.”
State of Origin debutante Cody Walker began the movement against the anthem at February’s Indigenous All Stars match, during which he refused to sing it, explaining it did not represent his family.
Then Blues winger Josh Addo-Carr announced plans to join the silent protest. On Friday, Will Chambers and Latrell Mitchell said they too would refuse to sing Advance Australia Fair.
