The first 10 songs inducted into the National Songbook Beds Are Burning by Midnight Oil (1987)

Down City Streets by Ruby Hunter (1990)

Earth Cry by Peter Sculthorpe (1990)

Friday on My Mind by the Easybeats (1966), written by Harry Vanda and George Young

I Am Woman by Helen Reddy, written by Reddy and Ray Burton (1971)

My Island Home, written by Neil Murray and released by Warumpi Band (1987) and Christine Anu (1995)

My People by the Presets (2007)

The Boys soundtrack by The Necks (1998)

Treaty by Yothu Yindi (1991)

Waltzing Matilda (1927)

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[–] [S] 5 points 4 days ago

The most recent Australian song on the list is another call to arms disguised as an electronic banger: 2008’s My People by the Presets. Written by Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes, the track is a protest song about Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers. Its lyrics – “I’m here with all of my people / locked up with all of my people” – were written as a declaration of solidarity. “Its political message may be less immediately apparent to listeners today, but its ferocity remains,” the panel said.

This is one of my go to's. Although I didn't realise it was specific to Asylum Seekers in Australia. I'd thought it was about the insane amounts of people (refugees) just sitting in camps wasting away while the world carries on blithely ignoring their cry for help. Cool to find out something new about a song I listen to regularly.

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