The edited anthem will be performed as a ‘patriotic song’ at certain events.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has offered the compromise after a prominent group of Australians failed to convince him to accept their new version of Advance Australia Fair, which includes a third verse to recognise indigenous history.

Victorian Supreme Court judge Peter Vickery, via the Recognition in Anthem Project, changed the second line of verse one from, For we are young and free to In peace and harmony. The revision acknow­ledges indigenous culture.

He has also written 10 new lyrics for a third verse, which makes mention of Dreamtime, Uluru and respecting country.

Because the Commonwealth owns the copyright, Justice Vickery, who is also a poet, wrote to Mr Turnbull asking if he could make the changes in his campaign to overhaul ­Advance Australia Fair.

Justice Vickery said the project, which he had undertaken as a private citizen, planned to embark on a process to consult with Australians to gain support for the changes.

“Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people find the words For we are young and free hurtful and offensive, and find it difficult – if not impossible – to stand or sing the anthem with these words,” he said.

Victorian Supreme Court judge Peter Vickery rewrote the anthem to be inclusive of indigenous Australians.Source:News Corp Australia

“This situation needs to be put right and without delay. Our national anthem needs to be inclusive of all Australians and restored to what it always should have been: a truly inclusive national hymn.”

Prime Minister and Cabinet Assistant Secretary Peter Rush responded on behalf of Mr Turnbull earlier this year, advising Justice Vickery, “I appreciate the effort and intent of your thoughtful and creative proposals for changes to the anthem.

“It would not be appropriate for alternative versions of Advance Australia Fair to be presented as the Australian national anthem, which should be performed as proclaimed.

“However, there may be occasions when your version of Advance Australia Fair could be performed as a patriotic song.

“The Government would need to be convinced of a sufficient groundswell of support in the wider community to warrant changing the anthem.”

The Courier-Mail asked the Prime Minister’s office what types of occasions Mr Rush was referring to, but at the time of print a response had not been received.

The push to recognise First Australians in the national anthem has the personal support of Mark Leibler, a Referendum Council co-chairman appointed by Mr Turnbull.

Mr Leibler, a leading tax lawyer. Mr Leibler also supports changing the date of Australia Day but he told The Courier-Mail the date nor the anthem change had not been part of discussions by the Referendum Council.

Originally published as ‘What it always should have been’