Australian flag on Parliament House has a giant hole in it after wild Canberra weather
Debate over ‘tattered flag’ takes turn as Lidia Thorpe celebrates her ragged status by waving over Parliament: ‘Adjustment’
- Parliament House in Canberra flies a huge Australian flag on top
- The flag usually changed every month, but left an extra week
- Now very frayed around the edge and looking like a mess.
- Lidia Thorpe used it to attack Australia’s colonial history
Controversial Senator Lidia Thorpe has used the tattered state of the Parliament House flag to criticize Australia’s history.
Coalition MPs complained about the ‘huge hole’ in the giant Australian flag this week and casual observation reveals that the fabric is badly frayed around the edge.
Senator Thorpe, a frequent critic of Australia’s system of governance, which she sees as a colonial hangover hostile to indigenous peoples, referred to The Queens as ‘her majesty’s colonization’ when she was sworn in last year.
‘Isn’t it fitting that the colonial flag has a huge hole in it?’ she wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
The giant Australian flag that flies over Parliament House is in tatters after weather prevented it from being changed
Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan complained on Wednesday about the state of the flag and demanded Prime Minister Anthony Albanese fix it.
“Parliament will sit today under a flag that will fly over Parliament House with a gaping hole in it,” he said.
“I hope Prime Minister Anthony Albanese can fix this…we need to be proud of our institutions, we need to be proud of our parliament and we need to be proud of our flag.”
Albanese is on a plane to India for a three-day business and security tour with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but President Milton Dick and Senate Speaker Sue Lines have vowed to resolve the flag issue.
“The national importance and significance of the Australian flag cannot be overstated,” they said.
“We are aware of the unacceptable condition of the current Australian flag that flies over Parliament House.”
Their joint statement explained that the flag is usually changed on the first Wednesday of each month, from a rotating flag stall.
However, high winds and storms meant that the flag could not be changed last week, as it usually is, and it suffered from the elements.
“Changing the flag is a dangerous and complex task due to the large size of the flag and the strong wind conditions at that altitude,” they explained.
‘Weather conditions need to be favorable to ensure a safe change can take place. Recent weather conditions have posed an unacceptable risk to the safety of personnel replacing the current flag.
High winds and storms made the flag unchangeable last week, as it usually is, and it suffered from the elements.
“When there was an opportunity for personnel to safely ascend the pole, the lifting mechanism experienced a mechanical failure.”
The couple said the elevator was undergoing urgent maintenance and the flag would be changed as soon as possible.
Mr. Tehan’s response seemed to not understand the security issues.
“I hope your long list of excuses for the disrepair of the current flag doesn’t delay this from happening. Let’s also hope that we don’t go through this again,’ she said.
Parliament House’s massive flagpole is 81m long and the flag itself measures 6.4m by 12m, larger than a double-decker bus tipped on its side.