ONE NATION NO MORE: Why I Wrote This Song
- Brian AJ Newman LLB
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
There are times when silence becomes a choice.
For me, “ONE NATION NO MORE” was written at one of those times.
It is not simply a political song. It is not a song written because I disagree with one politician, one party, or one particular policy. It comes from something much deeper: my experience as an Aboriginal man, my work in employment and human rights advocacy, and my growing concern about what happens when fear, blame and division are allowed to become normal parts of public debate.
The opening words say exactly where the song begins:
Hear the people Hear the call Fear and division Won’t rule us all
That is the heart of the song.
Human Rights Are About People
For decades, my work has involved standing beside people when they feel that institutions, employers or people in positions of power are not listening to them.
I have represented and advocated for people experiencing discrimination, racial prejudice, sexual harassment, bullying, victimisation and unfair treatment.
Those experiences teach you something very quickly: discrimination rarely begins with the most extreme act.
It often starts with language.
It begins when a group of people is spoken about as though they are the problem.
It begins when complex social issues are reduced to blame.
It begins when somebody decides there must be an “us” and a “them.”
That is why these lines matter to me:
They come with fear, they come with blame They sell division in freedom’s name Pointing fingers, drawing lines Turning neighbours into enemy signs
Human rights advocacy requires us to recognise that every person has inherent dignity.
Whether somebody is Aboriginal, migrant, Muslim, Christian, disabled, gay, straight, young, old, wealthy, unemployed or struggling to survive, they remain human beings deserving of dignity and equal treatment.
Our differences should never become an invitation to dehumanise one another.
