Primary school students in Melbourne’s west are being made to sing an indigenous version of Australia’s national anthem, sparking fury among parents.
Yarraville West Primary School has been forcing students to perform the “alternative” Advance Australia Fair on assemblies for the past six months, resulting in some children being unable to sing the official lyrics.
“It’s important that children learn the correct anthem,” one parent told the Herald Sun.
“They should be proud of being Australian and confusing them … is not the answer.”
Others said their children were unable to sing along with the actual national anthem at sporting events.
Institute of Public Affairs deputy executive director Daniel Wild: “Yet again, we are witnessing the activists and elites in our society trying to divide us.
“Of course, students should be singing our national anthem and paying respect to our flag. The Premier must immediately pull this school into line.”
The lyrics to the so-called revised anthem was created by Seekers singer Judith Durham along with indigenous artists for the Dulwich Centre in 2015.
Durham said at the time she hoped it would be adopted as the official version.
The official version begins with “Australians all let us rejoice, for we are young and free; we’ve golden soil and wealth for toil; our home is girt by sea”, while the “revised” version goes “Australia, celebrate as one, with peace and harmony; our precious water, soil and sun, grant life for you and me”.
The lyrics also mention “honouring the Dreaming”, “sacred land” and “ancient history and cultures”.
The outrage comes just weeks after parents at a Sydney school complained about a song by an indigenous rapper and activist which called Captain Cook, who discovered Australia, a “White devil”.
The crude protest song, which includes the violent lyric “desire to kill any White devil wanna test my will” was chosen as the school bell song at Ramsgate Public School during reconciliation week.
One angry dad told 2GB he was afraid to complain about the song for fear of being branded a racist, saying: “I just don’t think young children should be exposed to these lyrics, they don’t promote inclusion, they promote hatred”.
Yarraville West Primary School has posted the ahistorical and inflammatory far-left anti-Australian slogan “always was, always will be” on its Facebook page in the past, and regularly promotes indigenous activism.
