I've been pondering Tangledwood's last post and the best I can do is offer an example. I was personally influenced by The Saints "Stranded". Will that be one of the songs that is meant to make us think about how people have used song to make their voice heard? Maybe. Growing up in Qld in the Bjelke years, that song has special meaning for a particular generation. Does it have meaning to anyone else? It is one of so many songs; the traditional Aboriginal songs of all the different regions of Australia, the seditious songs like Ben Hall, then as Helen wrote - songs by Paul Kelly, Kev Carmody, Archie Roach, Judy Small, and Eric Bogle, to which we can add Bob Randall, Bill Scott, Harry Robertson, John Schumann, Slim Dusty, Neil Murray, Shane Howard, Ted Egan, John Dengate, Danny Spooner, Tiddas, Margret Roadnight, Sara Storer, Midnight Oil. The list goes on.
What about "Treaty" - Youthu Yindi, and "Blackfella Whitefella" - Warumpi Band, Powderfinger's "How Far Have we Really Come" ?
Then there's Helen Palmer's Ballad of 1891, John Warner's Newell Highway? These songwriters and their songs are all important and the Living Democracy section will only ever be able to offer a taste of the wealth of Australian songs. In so doing I am trying to listen as broadly as possible to what people have to say about the matter so that the curators have a good base from which to choose wisely. Your thoughts and suggestions contribute to that understanding.

Except for traditional Aboriginal songs, which are the heart of the country, I haven't yet reached into languages other than English for songs that have meaning for those non English speaking people's who've come to settle in Australia.

One thing that I have been asked to do is to search as representatively as is possible across all aspects of Australia. That is part of what I am learning from this discussion… as well as the way it sorts out stuff like who wrote "The Pub with no Beer". We need to know that. And I'm still wondering where Bondi Pier is located? Did it ever exist except to rhyme with beer?