I am Australian by Various

Title:
I am Australian by Various
NFSA ID
321473
Year
1997
Warnings
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the following program may contain images and/or audio of deceased persons
Access fees

‘I Am Australian’ (also known as ‘We Are Australian’) is one of the most recognisable patriotic Australian songs, written in 1987 by Bruce Woodley and Dobe Newton.

Its lyrics feature many references to Australian and First Nations history, environment and culture, from dusty red-soil plains to Albert Namatjira.

The song was initially released on Woodley's 1987 double album Roaring Days / I Am Australian, with vocals by Woodley and his daughter Claire.

It is more widely known through this 1997 cover version which featured Judith Durham (1943-2022), Russell Hitchcock (born 1949) and Mandawuy Yunupingu (1956-2013), which reached No. 17 on the ARIA singles chart.  

The song was used by the Australian Republican Movement in radio and television ads during the 1999 republic referendum. It has regularly been covered for significant national events, such as the 2003 Rugby World Cup, 2008 Olympic Games and 2009 National Day of Mourning for the victims of the Black Saturday bushfires.