Advance Australia Fair officially became Australia’s national anthem on 19 April 1984.

Quick Scoop: When did “Advance Australia Fair” become the national anthem?

  • The song was written in 1878 by Peter Dodds McCormick, but it was just a patriotic song for many decades.
  • It was first used as the national anthem in 1974 when it briefly replaced “God Save the Queen.”
  • After some political back-and-forth and a public vote in 1977, it was finally adopted as the official Australian national anthem on 19 April 1984 by the Hawke government.
  • From that point on, “God Save the Queen/King” was kept only as the royal anthem , used when members of the British royal family are present.

In short: if you’re looking for the formal, legal answer to “when did Advance Australia Fair become the national anthem?” — the key date is 19 April 1984.

TL;DR: “Advance Australia Fair” became Australia’s official national anthem on 19 April 1984 , after public polls and a long debate over replacing “God Save the Queen.”

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.