Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] I can see that there are a few Carlton supporters in the chamber. None of us now have a bit of extra time in September—we usually do at this time of the year!

Anyway, I'm pleased to talk about the motion put forward by the member today, and to talk about our flags, because I have a few things to say about our flags. First of all, the Australian flag flies proudly on top of Australia's Parliament House. I see with delight the schoolkids driving into Parliament House, seeing this national monument and seeing our flag—our country's flag—flying on top the building which, frankly, I wish I was in right now. I know that not only the state of the building but the state of the country right now is a difficult one and that there are many challenges which face our country.

But, to be honest, I would take a different position to that of the previous member speaking, in saying that our flags and the state of the flags in this country actually require some reform and updating. First of all, we have three official flags: obviously, the Australian flag is one of them, along with the Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag. Of course I acknowledge the Defence Force ensigns as well. But in terms of our three official flags: the protocol at the moment is that our Australian flag must take prominence and precedence over the other two flags. It must take precedence over our Aboriginal and our Torres Strait Islander flags. In fact, when displaying them in any official circumstance, the Australian flag must be higher than the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

At the moment, we cannot even have the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags displayed in our houses of parliament, in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. Frankly I don't think that's how it should be. I think that we have three official flags and that when displaying our three flags we should treat them equally, with equal respect and equal dignity. That means they should be flown equally and that no one flag takes prominence over the other. And, in respect to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in this country, I would like to see the flags, when displayed in Parliament House, or in schools or in other official capacities, flown equally, respectfully and side by side to represent the different parts of our country.

Obviously, I understand that there's a need for a single flag to be the one that designates our country, and I think that for the moment the Australian flag is one that we all have a fondness for. But that doesn't mean that we should accept the status quo, and it certainly doesn't mean that in certain circumstances—especially in our nation's parliament—and especially in the House where all members are treated equally and where all members of this nation are treated equally, with equal respect, dignity and speaking time—we wouldn't have an arrangement where our flags are given that same level of respect, dignity and equality. So I say that we should have the Aboriginal flag flown proudly in the House of Representatives and I say that we should have the Torres Strait Islander flag flown proudly in the House of Representatives.

I do note that there was a proposal last year in the Senate, moved during NAIDOC Week by Senators McCarthy, Dodson and Thorpe, that both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags be flown in the Senate. I think it is a great shame that the government decided to vote that down. I think this will be a reform that our houses of parliament adopt at some point, and I think the government chose to be on the wrong side of history in that particular debate. I would say to you, Mr Speaker, and to those members debating this that we all hope that our country recovers. But I would say in regard to this debate that we have three flags of equal importance, of equal part of our history, and they should be treated equally by this nation.

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