Australia National Anthem — Advance Australia Fair

"Advance Australia Fair" is a celebration of the country itself — its "golden soil", its wealth "for toil", a home "girt by sea" and a land abounding in "nature's gifts of beauty rich and rare". Rather than war or a monarch, it exalts the land and the shared project of advancing the nation.

Its most talked-about line was updated in 2021, from "For we are young and free" to "For we are one and free", a change made to recognise the tens of thousands of years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and to strike a more unifying note.

Scottish-born schoolteacher Peter Dodds McCormick wrote "Advance Australia Fair" in 1878. It competed with "God Save the Queen", "Waltzing Matilda" and "Song of Australia" before a 1977 plebiscite favoured it, and it was proclaimed the official anthem in 1984. The wording has been amended over time, most recently in 2021.

The switch from "God Save the Queen" to "Advance Australia Fair" marked a step in Australia's distinct national identity, and the 2021 "one and free" change reflected ongoing conversations about inclusion and reconciliation. Only the first two verses are official; the anthem is sung at civic and sporting events nationwide.

"Advance Australia Fair" is the national anthem of Australia, part of the world's family of national anthems. Both words and music were written by Peter Dodds McCormick in 1878.

It became the official national anthem in 1984 after a national vote. The lyrics are in the public domain; the current official first line reflects a 2021 amendment.