Home Australia Gold Coast City Council backs down on Australia Day flag change after public outrage: ‘Ignorance’

Gold Coast City Council backs down on Australia Day flag change after public outrage: ‘Ignorance’

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Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has described the idea of ​​the flag at the Gold Coast City Council's Australia Day citizenship ceremony as

A council has canceled controversial plans to hand out double-sided Australian and Aboriginal flags at citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day following a backlash.

The flags were first distributed at a ceremony hosted by Gold Coast City Council in September, but were discarded and Indigenous Australian opposition spokesperson Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price described them as “ridiculous”.

Price doubled down, claiming the Gold Coast City Council was ignorant and caused unnecessary controversy on an already sensitive day.

“The Australian flag is representative of the Australian people and therefore I believe it should be the only flag applied during Australian citizenship ceremonies,” he said. The Australian.

‘The Aboriginal flag is not a national flag. If you really knew anything about the Australian flag, you would understand that Aboriginal people are represented through the Southern Cross.

‘It is ignorance on the part of the council. Activism and division do not unite communities.’

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate’s office said the flags, which were paid for by taxpayers, had been permanently canned for the hundreds of new Australians who will become citizens this Sunday.

“A mistake was made and we have corrected it,” said a mayoral spokesman.

Councilor Brooke Patterson said only Gold Coast residents had informed her about the flags and their distribution had not been approved by the mayor or other councillors.

Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has described the flag idea at Gold Coast City Council’s Australia Day citizenship ceremony as “ridiculous” and “ignorant”.

“I didn’t believe it,” Mrs. Patterson said.

“Citizenship ceremonies are a time to really respect our tradition and recognize the future of our new Australians.”

In 2022, the Labor government removed the mandate for councils to host citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.

This led to more than 80 councils across the country moving their annual citizenship ceremonies from January 26 due to feedback from Indigenous communities.

But councils now face greater scrutiny if they boycott Australia Day.

Patterson said his council’s decision to create double-sided flags was “completely bureaucratic” and led by the events team, which plans and manages the city’s citizenship ceremonies.

“It seems like it was a young team that had the inspired idea to change our flag,” he said.

“This was an idea that arose within the bureaucracy, without the elected representatives being able to give their opinion on the matter.”

Southport resident David Keys first alerted Patterson’s office about the flags after learning about them on New Year’s Day.

He told Mrs. Patterson that she would lose her vote if something was not done.

‘It’s something I don’t agree with. “It’s not about the Aboriginal flag at all, it’s about pledging allegiance to the Commonwealth of Australia,” Mr Keys said.

Australian national flag protocols state that the flag must be “used with respect and dignity” and that no two flags may be flown on the same flagpole.

Australian flags will now be distributed at Gold Coast Council citizenship events and the code outlined for citizenship ceremonies by the Department of Home Affairs will be adhered to.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has continually pressured Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to force mayors to host citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.

Dutton has said he would consider legislating January 26 as the country’s national day if he wins this year’s federal election.

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