"Advance Australia Fair" is the national anthem of Australia. Written by Scottish-born Australian composer Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed as a patriotic song in Australia in 1878. It replaced "God Save the Queen" as the official national anthem by the Whitlam government in 1974, following an indicative opinion survey. The subsequent Fraser government reinstated "God Save the Queen" as the national anthem in January 1976 alongside three other "national songs": "Advance Australia Fair", "Waltzing Matilda" and "Song of Australia". Later in 1977 a plebiscite to choose the "national song" preferred "Advance Australia Fair". This was subsequently proclaimed the national anthem in 1984 by the Hawke government. "God Save the Queen" became the royal anthem, and is used at public engagements attended by the King or members of the royal family.
Advance Australia Fair is proclaimed as Australia's national anthem, and green and gold as the national colours.
On April 19, in the year 1984, Advance Australia Fair is proclaimed as Australia's national anthem, and green and gold as the national colours. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of April 19, one of 299 recorded events on this date across all of history.
Key Facts
- This event took place on April 19, 1984 (AD era).
- It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
- Referenced in 3 Wikipedia articles.
- Wikipedia source last updated on 9 March 2026.
On This Date in History 299
This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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