Advance Australia Fair

Peter McCormick, the composer of Advance Australia Fair, was a patriotic young man who was determined that Australia should have its own national anthem. Inspired, he produced the words and music of Advance Australia Fair in 1878.

Although the tune was used on some major occasions in Australia’s history, such as the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia in January 1901 and at the inauguration of the national capital in 1913, a hundred years would pass before Peter McCormick’s patriotic inspiration of the 1870s became the song which now identifies Australia to the world.

During that time a number of competitions were held to find a unique song for Australia, but it was not until the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956 that the Australian people started a determined search to find an anthem unique to our country - one that would better identify Australians globally.

In 1977, a national poll was held to find a national song. Of the 4 tunes offered, Advance Australia Fair was the preferred choice of 43 per cent of voters, with Waltzing Matilda preferred by 28 per cent of those voting. God Save the Queen, which was the national anthem in 1977, found support with 18 per cent of voters and just under 10 per cent of voters supported Song of Australia, a patriotic song by Carl Unger.

Finally on 19 April 1984 Peter McCormick’s Advance Australia Fair with slightly amended words was proclaimed as Australia’s National Anthem.

On 1 January 2021, the words of the Australian National Anthem were changed from ‘For we are young and free’ to ‘For we are one and free’ by proclamation of the Governor-General His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd).

Permission to use

You don’t need permission to use, perform, record or reproduce the Australian National Anthem for non-commercial purposes as the music and the words are in the public domain. However permission must be sought to use the national anthem for commercial purposes. Permission is granted at the discretion of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and may be subject to certain conditions.

For more information on the appropriate use of the Australian National Anthem, visit the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s website at Australian National Anthem use and protocol (https://www.pmc.gov.au/honours-and-symbols/australian-national-symbols/australian-national-anthem/australian-national). 

Proposals to use the Australian National Anthem for commercial purposes should be submitted to:

Parliamentary and Government Branch
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
PO Box 6500
Canberra ACT 2600
Phone: 02 6271 5601
Email: nationalsymbols@pmc.gov.au

The Australian National Anthem

Australians all let us rejoice,

For we are one and free;

We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil;

Our home is girt by sea;

Our land abounds in nature’s gifts

Of beauty rich and rare;

In history’s page, let every stage

Advance Australia Fair.

In joyful strains then let us sing,

Advance Australia Fair.

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross

We’ll toil with hearts and hands;

To make this Commonwealth of ours

Renowned of all the lands;

For those who’ve come across the seas

We’ve boundless plains to share;

With courage let us all combine

To Advance Australia Fair.

In joyful strains then let us sing,

Advance Australia Fair.