In Sydney, primary school students are being taught to put their hands up in acknowledgement of the Aboriginal land before the start of the Acknowledgements of Country ceremony.
It’s believed that many schools are also playing the traditional Aboriginal instruments instead of the national anthem during assemblies.
One mum from NSW’s Blue Mountains said she didn’t know a lot about the country’s Aboriginal culture.
She noted that the new national anthem, which has been accompanied by the stick and didgeridoo, should be played at the start of every school assembly.
The use of the didgeridoo and stick in some schools has been acknowledged for several years.
The versions featured in the official recordings of the national anthem are also included on the government’s website.
One parent said that the practice of placing hands on the ground has been a part of the school’s regular assembly routines for a long time.
The NSW Department Of Education supports the use of Acknowledgements Of Country as a way of showing respect to the state’s Indigenous communities.
The phrase “Always was, always will be”, which originated from the land rights movement of the Aboriginal community during the 1980s, has become a common rallying cry for protesters.
Thomas Mayo, a leading proponent of constitutional recognition for Aboriginal Australians, will release a book next month that will provide a comprehensive guide to the process.