Celebrities like Ray Martin want to change the Australian flag, but it is the national anthem that needs changing. I do not believe there is enough support for changing the flag. After all we do not yet have a republic so there is no call to remove the Union Jack from the corner. Moreover, the Southern Cross is a star constellation that truly represents the country and is the natural view of the heavens from here.
Ray Martin is about twenty percent Aboriginal so he calls himself a native Australian. Just why he believes that he has more right than anyone else to decide on what happens to this country is beyond me. There is one thing that will push Australians to choose to become a republic. That is Prince Charles becoming king. If Prince William is the next King of England many Australians could want to keep him as head of state.
Getting back to the Australian flag. Ray Martin would obviously want the Aboriginal flag in the corner. But I personally do not want this. Aboriginals have been here for perhaps 60,000 years, yet they did not at any time form a nation. If the British flag is irrelevant to new Australians then certainly the Aboriginal flag will be as well. It is unlikely that the Aboriginal flag will ever be incorporated into a new national flag. Tasmanian Aboriginals own rights to the Aboriginal flag, or so they say. And they have put a caveat on its use demanding land, a treaty and more rights than white Australians.
A possible alternative could be the Eureka flag. It denotes rebellion, a fight against a tax on gold mining. Not enough Australians would agree on anything else. So prospects are not strong on changing to a new flag.
When people from other countries think of Australia they can hum a tune about the country and that tune is not Australia Fair. That song is Waltzing Matilda. And everyone knows that Matilda does not refer to a woman. The reason why this is not the Australian National Anthem, the tune at least, it due to a copyright problem. Apparently, the melody is owned by an American company. Though this ownership is contentious. After all these years if the company is not forthcoming in an agreement for Australia to use the tune this nation should go ahead and use it anyway. A little international "tango" would liven up debate.
Ray Martin is about twenty percent Aboriginal so he calls himself a native Australian. Just why he believes that he has more right than anyone else to decide on what happens to this country is beyond me. There is one thing that will push Australians to choose to become a republic. That is Prince Charles becoming king. If Prince William is the next King of England many Australians could want to keep him as head of state.
Getting back to the Australian flag. Ray Martin would obviously want the Aboriginal flag in the corner. But I personally do not want this. Aboriginals have been here for perhaps 60,000 years, yet they did not at any time form a nation. If the British flag is irrelevant to new Australians then certainly the Aboriginal flag will be as well. It is unlikely that the Aboriginal flag will ever be incorporated into a new national flag. Tasmanian Aboriginals own rights to the Aboriginal flag, or so they say. And they have put a caveat on its use demanding land, a treaty and more rights than white Australians.
A possible alternative could be the Eureka flag. It denotes rebellion, a fight against a tax on gold mining. Not enough Australians would agree on anything else. So prospects are not strong on changing to a new flag.
When people from other countries think of Australia they can hum a tune about the country and that tune is not Australia Fair. That song is Waltzing Matilda. And everyone knows that Matilda does not refer to a woman. The reason why this is not the Australian National Anthem, the tune at least, it due to a copyright problem. Apparently, the melody is owned by an American company. Though this ownership is contentious. After all these years if the company is not forthcoming in an agreement for Australia to use the tune this nation should go ahead and use it anyway. A little international "tango" would liven up debate.
