Shane Howard Receives Australia Day Honour Then Calls For A Republic - Noise11.com
Shane Howard performed in Forever Young - The Songs of Bob Dylan at Memo Music Hall: Photo by Ros O'Gorman

Shane Howard performed in Forever Young - The Songs of Bob Dylan at Memo Music Hall: Photo by Ros O'Gorman

Shane Howard Receives Australia Day Honour Then Calls For A Republic

by Paul Cashmere on January 26, 2016

in News

Singer songwriter and producer Shane Howard was today awarded a Member of the Order of Australia and immediately called for Australia to become a republic.

Ever since the British invaded Australia and near wiped out a 30,000 year old culture Australia still remains under British rule.

“Our national character is evolving; that’s why I think it’s really important that we move towards a republic and we stand on our own two feet in the world and identify clearly who we are,” Howard told the ABC.

“And I don’t think you can have a republic without having a treaty with your First Nation’s People, if you want to stand as an honourable nation in the world”.

Howard sees the irony in the award telling AAP, “It’s a two-edged sword for a number of reasons. Australia Day is a complicated day and as a nation we have to deal with that and it’s become a symbol of division and not unity. It’s lovely and ironic in a way that you are recognised for a song that criticises government policy.”

Shane’s band Goanna signed with Warner Music in 1982 and released the epic ‘Spirit of Place’ album featuring ‘Solid Rock’ and ‘Razors Edge’. ‘Solid Rock’ was the first mainstream hit to address the inequality of indigenous Australians and opened the dialogue for repair, a dialogue that is continually derailed whenever a LNP government controls the country.

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Never miss a story! Get your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to the Noise11 Music Newsletter here

Listen to the Noise11 Music News channel now at iHeartRadio

Follow Noise11.com on Facebook and Twitter

NOISE11 UPDATES are now in Apple News

Related Posts

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings performing live with acoustic guitars during their Australian tour
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings Announce Australian Tour Leg For 2026

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings will return to Australia in February and March 2026 for a second run of their Woodland tour following a completely sold-out stretch earlier this year. After packing the Sydney Opera House across three nights and filling Hamer Hall in Melbourne across five performances, the Americana folk icons will once again bring their acclaimed two-guitar, two-voice format to Australian audiences.

November 11, 2025
Eddie Izzard performing one-person Hamlet live on stage
Eddie Izzard To Stage One-Person Hamlet Across Australia In 2026

Eddie Izzard will return to Australia in June 2026 to present a daring one-person staging of The Tragedy Of Hamlet, an ambitious theatrical feat that sees the Emmy-winning and Tony-nominated performer embody all 23 characters in Shakespeare's most enduring drama. The production arrives following sold-out runs across the United States and United Kingdom and a wave of acclaim for Izzard's transformation of the classic tragedy into a modern, intimate showcase of performance craft.

November 7, 2025
Sofi Tukker announce 2026 Australian tour
Sofi Tukker Announce First Australian Tour In Four Years For 2026

Grammy-nominated New York duo Sofi Tukker will return to Australia in 2026 for their first headline tour in four years, bringing their colourful, high-energy live show to Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane.

October 23, 2025
Wu-Tang Clan performing live during their Final Chamber Tour farewell
Wu-Tang Clan To Say Farewell To Australia With ‘Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber Tour’ In 2026

Wu-Tang Clan, the world's most influential hip-hop collective, will return to Australia for the last time in March 2026 with Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber Tour. The shows will mark the end of an era for fans who have followed the Clan's groundbreaking 30-year journey from the streets of Staten Island to the global stage.

October 21, 2025
Cameron Whitcomb performing live on stage
Cameron Whitcomb To Bring The Hard Way Tour To Australia And New Zealand In May 2026

Canadian country singer-songwriter Cameron Whitcomb will make his long-awaited debut in Australia and New Zealand in May 2026 with his Hard Way Tour. The five-date run will take Whitcomb's explosive live show to Auckland, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, marking his first performances down under.

October 16, 2025
Akaash Singh To Tour Australia and New Zealand With Generational Triumph
Akaash Singh To Bring Generational Triumph Tour To Australia and New Zealand

Akaash Singh, one of the sharpest voices in modern American comedy, will make his Australian and New Zealand debut early next year with his Generational Triumph Tour, bringing his fearless brand of humour to stages in Auckland, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney.

October 7, 2025
Teddy Swims performing at the 2025 NRL Grand Final in Sydney wearing a leopard print coat.
Teddy Swims Divides Fans with Bold NRL Grand Final Performance

When American soul-pop star Teddy Swims took to the pre-game stage at Sydney's Accor Stadium for the 2025 NRL Grand Final, it wasn't just the Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm gearing up for battle, it was also the American singer's moment to prove himself to an Australian audience who, until that night, largely knew him only as “the guy who sings Lose Control.”

October 6, 2025