BOWMAN MP Andrew Laming wants another verse added to the national anthem as a way of updating it and making it more relevant to modern Australians.
Mr Laming said the anthem was written before Australia became a country and was now at odds with the modern nation.
He said the lyrics should reflect the current Australian way of life, sense of reward for effort, larrikinism and resilience and include something about indigenous Australia.
Mr Laming has already run into opposition, with north Queensland far right LNP member George Christensen saying that it should be left as it is.
Mr Laming said Mr Christensen’s opposition to the move merely showed that he was more conservative.
He said he did not have a replacement verse ready and accepted that it would be tough getting changes through but argued that there was nothing wrong with reviewing things like anthems.
It was something corporations, businesses and other organisations did all the time, like reviewing mission statements or value statements and how they would be applied.
“This hasn’t been done since we were created as a nation, so why shouldn’t we review it?’’ he said
“Why shouldn’t we review it every generation about what our vision is as a nation?’’
Mr Laming said he had no plans to change the flag given it was a symbol under which Australians had fought.
He also saw no need to incorporate the sunburnt colours of the Murri flag.
“I support the flag as it is,’’ he said. “There are plenty of ways to recognise our indigenous heritage and the anthem is potentially one of them.
“We simply have to allow an element where local indigenous language can be applied to the words that we place in there.
“So we could potentially change it 200 times depending on where you sang the final version… You could sing it in the local language.’’
Mr Laming said the anthem’s first verse could focus on Australia’s natural attributes while the second could be on values.
While indigenous people needed to be recognised, no particular race of people who had come to Australia dominated.
Mr Laming’s idea follows PM Malcolm Turnbull's proposal to rewrite the Australian citizenship test to incorporate what he deemed were Australian values.
Mr Laming said he preferred Waltzing Matilda to the current anthem.
Advance Australia Fair became the national anthem in 1984. It was first performed in Sydney in 1878.
