Nine-year-old school girl refused to stand up when playing the national anthem on the grounds that the anthem was for "white Australians."
Teachers at a primary school in Brisbane took disciplinary action against a 9-year-old girl who refused to stand up for the national anthem at the time of the gathering.
On Friday, Harper Nielsen, a Kenmore South public primary school student, was remanded for lunch for what peace protest thought was the wrong national anthem.
"when it says,`We`re young,`it doesn`t respect the indigenous people who lived 50, 000 years before we arrived," she said.
"when it was first written, `forward, Beautiful Australia` refers to white people who move forward in Australia."
Harper told ABC she was annoyed that she had been punished by the school for expressing her views.
"I feel like they`re trying to take away my power, and I`m a little disappointed because everything I fight is for everyone`s equality," she said.
The fourth grader said her decision to do so was largely her own, but she discussed it with her parents.
His father, Mark Nielsen, an associate teacher at the University of Queensland`s School of Psychology, said he fully supported her daughter and her point of view.
"I`m very proud of her," he said. "I`m very proud of her to show great courage and stand for what she believes is the right thing to believe in," he said.
He said he had discussed it with the school, but the school said school rules did not allow her daughter to continue with protest.
"they said she either stood up or left the assembly," he said.
"what she wants is to raise awareness and make people think about institutionalized discrimination," he said.
He said it was important to give everyone the opportunity to take a stand on what they believed in.
"it`s not that a person can do whatever he wants to do, it`s a particular isolated event, it`s about human rights," he said.
"it`s not like a man says he doesn`t want to take a math class."
Harper`s mother is an associate professor at the School of Public Health, Kunzhou University of Science and Technology.
Sam Watson, an indigenous community leader in Brisbane, says Harper`s parents deserve congratulations.
"obviously they have brought up a very smart and lively girl who can do big things when she grows up," he said.
He praised the school girl, for correctly pointing out that the country was not young as "wisdom and courage."
Radio Brisbane, Australia and Guangzhou, called in a dissenting audience, some saying it was "total disrespect", while others said that children`s freedom of speech. Should be encouraged.
But in a video posted on Facebook, Senator Hansen opposed the 9-year-old`s point of view, saying "the child was brainwashing."
"this child knows nothing about history-whatever cultural background we come from, what we need to do, what we need to do to unite everyone-we are Australians.
(her point of view) is divisive. I don`t know what the other kids around her think, but where`s the idea? The child was in the wrong direction and I accused her parents of encouraging her to do so. "
In a statement, a spokesman for the Queensland Department of Education said he had seen the student and his parents.
"the school respects the students` wishes and offers other ways to sing the national anthem."
"Public schools have clear standards of conduct, and they want students to act in accordance with the Student Accountability behavior Plan."
