Anthem-gate: It’s a question of ‘who done it?’

“A COMPLETE cop out!” That’s how one of the inquirers termed the response by the Bass Coast Shire Council, in the past week, about why the National Anthem wasn’t played at the Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony in the shire.

Kevin Griffin of Wonthaggi was one of three people who took the Council to task over the issue, when he posed a question at Wednesday’s council meeting, but he wasn’t at all happy with the response.

“There were three people with specific questions about the failure to play the anthem and none of them has received a proper answer,” said Mr Griffin.

“Rob Langford asked ‘whose decision it was not to play the anthem’. Not answered. I asked ‘what procedures were being put in place’ to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Not answered. And the Coronet Bay resident wanted to know if council thought the ‘Welcome to Country’ was more important. Again not answered.”

Mr Griffin said he had heard that it wasn’t a staff member who was at fault, but he wanted the matter clarified.

In fact, the Sentinel-Times has been told, by an unimpeachable source, that it was the Mayor himself, Cr Michael Whelan, who made the decision that the National Anthem would not be played, but whether he directed staff not to play it on the day has not been confirmed.

Councillors are specifically prohibited from directing staff to do anything.

The Sentinel-Times put a question to Cr Whelan about his involvement, but he has so far declined to provide any details, or to offer an apology.

Instead, it was the Shire CEO, Ali Wastie, who was tasked with the job of responding, and no councillor sought clarification, despite expressing concern “off the record”.

Here’s how the questions were asked and (not) answered at the Wednesday, February 15 council meeting:

On the topic ‘Australian National Anthem’.

• Rob Langford (Phillip Island): Could you explain why the Australian National Anthem was not scheduled to be sung at the 2023 Australia Day Bass Coast Citizenship ceremony? Whose decision was that and will you commit to ensuring it does not happen at all future citizenship ceremonies
• Kevin Griffin (Wonthaggi): The Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code advises that the Australian National Anthem ‘Advance Australia Fair’ should be played. The failure of Council not to play the national anthem at the recent citizenship awards ceremony should concern all councillors. What procedures will Council put in place to ensure that such oversights are not repeated?
• Levinus Van Der Neut (Coronet Bay): It seems to me that the ‘Welcome to Country’ and the apology to our Aboriginal people was deemed more important than singing the national anthem at our recent citizenship ceremony for our 33 new Australian citizens. Could you please explain to me why this happened? Why do some members of this Council and its office sector to listen to minority politics?

Answer: In recent years the practice of playing the national anthem at citizenship ceremonies has been inconsistent and Council commits to playing it at all future ceremonies.