Key facts
- CPAC used 'I Am Australian' without permission at its Brisbane opening ceremony.
- Co-writer Bruce Woodley stated no permission was sought or given.
- The song's theme of unity is seen as contradictory to CPAC's anti-immigration views.
- Pauline Hanson was previously threatened with legal action over using the song.
- Permission was denied to both 'yes' and 'no' campaigns for the voice referendum.
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Brisbane has drawn criticism from Bruce Woodley, a member of the legendary Australian band The Seekers, for using their song 'I Am Australian' without authorization.
Woodley confirmed on Monday that no permission was sought or granted for the song's performance during the conference's opening ceremony on Saturday. The song, co-written by Woodley and Dobe Newton in 1987, features the line 'We are one, but we are many, and from all the lands of earth we come,' a sentiment Woodley and Newton feel is at odds with the anti-immigration views expressed at CPAC.