If we can’t talk about Welcome to Country, are we truly one and free?

If we can’t talk about Welcome to Country, are we truly one and free?

Events in Melbourne have shown how strongly differing political views can dominate mainstream discussions. It’s concerning that past political perspectives might shape how we address important national topics today.

The left and right of politics do not go off in a straight-line ad infinitum, they curve towards each other. Extremes on both the left and right can lead to authoritarianism, which is a concern for our democracy. Having these two political extremes play out on Anzac Day serves as a reminder to protect our social cohesion.

Writing in the Morning Double Shot newsletter, Terry Barnes had this to say:

Your scribe has never made an Acknowledgement of Country, and never will. Michael de Percy makes the point that if those on the left shut down a national conversation about whether such things are ‘overdone’, can we be truly be ‘one and free’ as in the Morrison-bastardised version of the national anthem? His is an interesting article, written from a perspective you may not expect.

My commentary on the Welcome to Country for ANZAC Day Dawn Service in Melbourne for The Spectator Australia, If we can’t talk about Welcome to Country, are we truly one and free?

I felt that the Welcome to Country at the Dawn Service had a political tone that detracted from the unity of the occasion. While there was no excuse for ‘booing’, the event highlighted social discontent, the discussion of which has become taboo.https://t.co/5UPxmCvmqT

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) April 30, 2025