MP wants to add Australian values in the national anthem's lyrics

australia flag — Australian flag flutters in front of the Great Hall of the People during a welcoming ceremony for Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (not in picture) in Beijing, China, April 14, 2016. Reuters/Jason Lee

Queensland Liberal MP Andrew Laming has thought of adding new lyrics in Australia's national anthem. He said that he was happy with the two existing verses in the national anthem but they both said the same thing. He said that adding a third verse was necessary to the current version.

Laming said that the anthem was originally written in 1878. He said that Australia has not yet existed as a country during the time it was written and he asked how could the old lyrics reflect the current Australian values. He said that he thought that the nation was mature and diverse enough to talk about it. " We are now firmly established as a medium sized political Pacific power. It’s probably a good time, in the 21st century, to think about the values we want to see us through this century,” he told news.com.au.

The Liberal MP said that he believed the verse should reflect values that were unique to Australians. He said that values including larrikinism, sense of humour and informal style should be added along with the basic freedoms that the Australian people shared with other countries.

He suggested that the first verse should focus on the natural attributes while the second verse should focus on values. He said that the new lyrics should reflect the jocular sense of humour of the citizens and how the people come from blends of many backgrounds. "I'm no great fan of our current national anthem, to be honest," Laming said. "If you're going to contemplate a new verse you should contemplate a new national anthem." However, Queensland LNP George Christensen said he thought that the national anthem was just fine as it was along with the flag.

Laming's suggestion came after the announcement that questions about Australian values would be included in the country's citizenship test. The new test would test prospective citizens on their views on several issues including the acceptability of hitting a woman as well as the female genital mutilation.

In 1984, Advance Australia Fair has won in a song competition beating Song of Australia and Waltzing Matilda. It has also beaten the former anthem God Save the Queen. He said that Advance Australia Fair was chosen as Australia's national anthem because people wanted to move away from God Save the Queen. Even though Waltzing Matilda was likable, it was completely unsuitable. The anthem was written by Scottish teacher Peter Dodds McCormick.