Our Preambles
We the people of Australia,
Recognise the dignity, which is the essence of humanity, and resolve to build
together a political, economical and social system to protect the equal rights of all
Australians;
Are a free, sovereign and independent people of many origins but a single destiny
and embrace our richly diverse multiculturalism;
Acknowledge Indigenous Australians as the original occupants of the land and
honour them for their ancient and continuing cultures;
Endeavour to serve as an example of a harmonious and welcoming society dedicated
to freedom, justice and equality under the law, where all citizens can realise their
potential;
Pledge to uphold the right of all to preserve, develop and express their ethnic,
cultural, linguistic and religious identity;
After one hundred years of Federation, at the start of a new century and
millennium - secure in our identity, mindful of our history and confident of our
future, commit ourselves to this Constitution.
In my preamble above, I have included all the relevant points that I think
are essential in describing what Australia is and what we, as Australians, believe
in. I have highlighted the major points that have been publicly disagreed on
recently. I credit the Aborigines, but have not used the word "mateship" nor "Queen"
or "Crown". Mate is not a gender-neutral word, and I personally think all three words
are unnecessary. I have not mentioned God in my preamble because despite my belief in
Him, I accept that not all Australians share this belief. I have included
multiculturalism, because that is what makes Australia such a great place to live in
as exposure to other cultures and languages educates you as a person and makes you
more tolerant. I specifically like my ending because it sums everything up very well
and ties all the loose ends together. If it was ultimately up to me, I would not even
have a preamble because the bickering it has caused may be the major factor in the
defeat of a republic. I have made it relatively short because it is only a minor
statement preceding the important thing that people have overlooked - the
Constitution.
A. Paspaliaris
This is my country made up of Aussie blokes and sheilas.
We cruise the outback in our HJ Holdens. We stop off at all the pubs for a couple
of Fosters.
We got bikini babes bronzing at Bondi, while the beer belly blokes laze on the
lounge watchin' the telly.
We love footy, cricket and throwin' shrimps on the barbie.
We wrestle crocs, throw boomerangs and play our didgeridoos in our dreamtime at
Uluru.
We are true-blue, green and gold.
We are the best country on this planet.
Crows rule.
Cheers.
Z. Stokes
We the citizens of Australia:
Respect the country and all its occupants as equals;
Recognise the Aborigines as the first true inhabitants and
Honour their sacred connection with the land;
Embrace the diversity of culture and religion that comprises our population.
The identity of Australia embodies freedom and justice for all,
And independence and unity as a whole.
We strive to exist in harmony and value each individual's rights.
I believe that a preamble will not change anything, it simply reflects. This
is why I think that a short, simple preamble that includes everyone (although not
specifically) would better reflect the position of Australia. A preamble really has
no power, however, if we are to have one I believe there should be references to
everyone, which is why I included the diversity of multiculturalism, religion,
sexuality and acknowledged the Aborigines. A preamble should not be biased or
intolerant to any aspects of citizens.
M. Livaditis
We, the people of Australia,
Having come together on
the 1st of January 1901,
As a federation under the crown,
Respecting and
valuing beliefs and religions
Of all ethnic backgrounds among us,
Are proud
of our indigenous heritage.
Valuing acceptance and democracy
And embracing
freedom of speech and equal rights,
Respecting those who have worked hard
To
build and to develop our country,
We commit ourselves to this constitution.
Even though I am not a born Australian, my preamble still means quite a lot
to me. I really value the diversity and the multiculturalism of this country, and the
freedom of speech of every person living in Australia - no matter their race or
background. I also respect those who have worked so hard to make Australia what it is
today. Living in Australia for four years already, and seeing the freedom of speech
and the equal rights - I commit myself wholly to this constitution.
I. Mitina
We, the free people of The Land Down Under wish to be detached from the crown
to become an independent nation of yobbos who watch footy on the T.V. and drink beer
by the gallons.
It seems ironic that our favourite dinner or lunch is a good barbecue and we are
being barbecued under the sun from the depletion of the ozone layer caused by idiots
in the northern hemisphere. Despite this, we live in the best piece of scorched earth
on this rock.
We recognise our past injustices to our next door neighbours who throw things at
us because we beat them at their sport, cricket.
You are welcome here any time. Just bring yourselves, your recipes and your money
but not your enemies. The people of Oz wish to get it through that this is our
country and hopefully always will be.
We should forget the past and plan for the future. We are not a paranoid race of
people so we don't need guns. We prefer a good fist fight if that's what it comes
down to. We should settle our differences at the Olympics where people from all
other foreign countries battle it out. We love our sport.
We may seem a bit silly importing foreign wines when we have one of the best wine
industries in the world but we think of the rest of the world as our mates, and with
our mates we share. We Australians tend to think of war as a kind of sport. We yell
at and abuse the other team until they sink but we prefer to settle the score over a
beer, watching the footy. We may seem loud, and sports obsessed but we are really a
friendly, accepting lot of humans.
We're not a serious bunch of people, but we are not an impotent lot either.
Every man and woman drinks his or her own beer.
Amen.
C. Wilcox
We, the people of Australia, united as a Federation in
1901, blessed by Almighty God, have come together to form our nation, Australia.
United by freedom, equality, justice and embracing democracy, we commit ourselves
to this, our Constitution.
We recognise indigenous Australians and our multicultural society and respect
their history, customs and beliefs.
New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland,
Tasmania and Western Australia come together to form the Federal Commonwealth, and
will strive to make this country one to be proud of.
I thought it was important to mention when we became a federation because
this was the time the people of Australia came together and became independent from
the United Kingdom. I recognised indigenous Australians, but I did not mention
anything about our land. I did not do this because in the newspaper articles they
said it was a good idea not to mention this. I also mentioned all the states and
territories and how they came together because John Howard left out Tasmania in his
preamble. Tasmania is most definitely part of Australia and I clarified this.
Basically we came together to make this country, Australia, a better place for all
that live here.
J. Hoffrichter
We, the people of Australia,
Under the ruling of almighty God,
Residing under the crown,
Recognise the original Australian inhabitants,
And their right to be treated equally,
As all Australians deserve.
Freedom is the key to a great country,
especially one as unique as ours, and we
Commit ourselves to this constitution.
The Preamble above is obviously about Australia which was controlled by
Britain under the crown. The original Australian inhabitants have to be recognised
and they have the right to be treated equally like all Australians. We have to
preserve our country as one of the best. These above beliefs are needed to have a
good constitution.
M. Wong
The people of Australia of the independent nation
United as a federation under the crown, with the blessing of Almighty God,
Being drawn from across the globe,
Recognise the indigenous Australians as the first inhabitants of our land,
Believe in freedom and that all are equal; to renew our nation as a republic,
being free from the union jack,
Commit ourseIves to this constitution.
This preamble is about the Australian colony. The first sentence is when all
states were united in 1901 as a federation that was ruled by the British. The second
sentence shows that we need the blessing of god. "The people of this independent
nation being drawn from across the globe" means that Australia is a multicultural
country and that we have many migrants from different countries. The "indigenous
Australians" is referring to the Aborigines as the first inhabitants of Australia.
Now Australia is thinking of being a republic and then we won't be a part of the
British Commonwealth. This means that our flag would not contain the Union Jack. The
last sentence means that every Australian is contributing to their country.
M. Chen
We, the people of Australia,
having come together as a federation in 1901,
being an independent nation valuing democracy, equality and freedom,
who love our diverse and unique land,
commit ourselves to this constitution.
I intentionally made my preamble a lot shorter than the previous ones as I
believe that the other drafts are too long and generally lose the readers' interest.
In making my preamble shorter I omitted most of the lines that had caused the
controversy in previous drafts. I omitted God, the monarchy and the original
inhabitants bit as I feel that everything that happened before 1901 was not to do
with the country of Australia but with the land on which our country is built.
N. Couch
The citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia believe all to be equal and
united under the flag of our freedom and embrace democracy. In the hopes and values
which are unique in the culturally diverse fabric of our society and in the spirit of
reconciliation with the original occupants of this vast land, we celebrate our
multicultural people by setting down this, our constitution.
This preamble was written without fuss and hopefully without a lot of poetic
fillers that I've seen in every other proposed preamble. It flows smoothly and
defines what I think of Australia. We shouldn't be focusing on the past atrocities of
our European settlers against the Aboriginal people, we should be reconciling our
differences and looking to the future. This is a big issue and I think we recognise
that yes, they were the original inhabitants, but today, in reality, they are an
integral part of our society as a whole. And that is what defines Australia. The
stereotypical Aussie nowadays can't be defined-there is no stereotype or there
shouldn't be. We are multicultural and as a nation we embrace and rejoice in our
freedom and the democracy which we live in. Our values and hopes are unique to the
Australian way of life and with this in mind I wrote this preamble.
S. Schonfeldt
We are of the great southern land, the commonwealth of
Australia.
Our people have travelled far, from all corners of the world in order to live in
a nation of new hope, which has been long inhabited by the Aborigines and Torres
Straight Islanders.
The vast land from coast to coast endures diversity with adversity.
All people abide by the rules and laws of our democracy and all believe in
freedom.
Australians are proud of their heritage and are free to pursue any dreams or
hopes that they may have.
People from the states and territories united as a Federal Commonwealth in 1901
and we have since become an independent nation.
We highly value excellence and fairness.
In this spirit we, as citizens of Australia, commit ourselves to the
constitution
For my content I used different aspects from John Howard's draft, the Labour
Party's draft and the Constitutional Centenary Foundation draft. I tried to find the
most important points and then reconstruct them in my own words.
I believe that I
have commented on the most important points aboutt the Aboriginals and the Torres
Straight Islanders and also referring to multiculturalism in saying that we have come
from all parts of the Earth. I also think that I conveyed Australia's beliefs and
thoughts on this topic. My ending was well constructed first saying about excellence
and independence and then saying that we commit ourselves to this constitution.
R. Hopkins
Australia was formed in 1901 and has become more multicultural and is looking
forward to becoming a republic now.
We are proud of our country and are trying to make it even better.
We know everyone deserves freedom and equality and an equal say in their
government.
Immigrants have contributed greatly to the nation we have become today.
Australians are encouraged to fulfil their hopes and ideas. We are all
individuals working together for the good of our country.
We are committed to this and our constitution.
K. Walker
We, the people of Australia,
Proud of our country,
Celebrating our diversity,
Loving our ancient and unique land,
Believing
in freedom and equality,
Embracing democracy
To build a united Australia,
Commit ourselves to this, our constitution.
I think this preamble works better than the others do because it is very
simple and short; it leaves out anything that could be construed as offensive. It
talks about every Australian as one, not as cultural groups, or original custodians.
So in that way is doesn't go into much detail, which means groups don't feel left out
as it is so small. Preambles do not need to be long so why make them long? All they
are is an introduction to the constitution. That's what actually matters. So why make
such an effort over it? A short, to the point preamble like this one is all the
constitution needs.
D. O'Connell
We, the people of Australia,
Recognise the dignity which is fhe essence of human activity.
The Australian nation is made up of differen* cultures and backgrounds.
By
the blessing of God, our continent, including Tasmania, has helped to mould this new
generation of futures, in the spirit of the people.
Aboriginals and Torres Straight Islanders are recognised as original occupants of
this land and are commended for continuing their ancient cultures.
Proud of our diversity, loving our ancient, unique land, being an Independent
nation, we believe in freedom and equal rights for all people.
I believe that the Indigenous people were the first occupants of this land
and that they should be recognised for that. I also think that all the different
cultures of people should be recognised as they share this land with us and live
here, so why not mention them? I think that most people who live on our continent our
proud of the diversity we have chosen, they also love it. The most important thing
that is written in this preamble is that everyone has freedom and equal rights.
Another thing is we are an independent nation which is the best thing that could be
mentioned.
K. Kohler
We as Australians,
Come together as one.
Our hope
and our tolerance,
Our sweeping plains and ragged mountain ranges,
Are a
backdrop for a beautiful land.
We are free to believe in any religious concepts,
and in doing so,
Have the right to feel safe and free from harm.
We honour
the people who have worked to make Australia the wonderful place in which we live
today.
We are made of six states; Western Australia, South Australia, New South
Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania and two Territories; The Northern Territory
and the Australian Capital Territory.
And together we make one big land,
AUSTRALIA.
In this preamble I wanted to acknowledge the tolerance and acceptance of the
Australian people. I believe that we are accepting to people of different, race,
colour, background, and I thought this should be included.
I wrote that `We the Australian People come together to form One' and this is
what I believe we do. We all stick together in times of need and support each other,
and this, in my opinion, is a great asset. I also wanted to describe a bit about the
Australian land, so I took a few lines from the poem by Dorothea Mackellar `My
Country.' This poem is known world wide and is used all the time in describing the
Australian land. I also think it is a well written poem, and this is why I used it. I
basically wanted to write about Australia being a multicultural land, that is known
for its acceptance and tolerance.
S. Dodd
Having come together in 1901
As a federation under the crown,
As a democratic and open society,
The Commonwealth of Australia
Is
constituted by the equal sovereignty
of all its citizens.
We recognise indigenous
Australians
As the original occupants
of our land and
Believe in freedom and
equality.
In this sprit, we, the Australian
people,
Commit ourselves to this constitution.
D. Harvey