Our flag is a noble symbol that unites all Australians, whether new citizens or those born here, embracing all of our heritage.
I can remember first becoming aware of the flag in my school assemblies as a preppie. Every Monday morning in my public school, we gathered in the open courtyard (rain, hail or shine), each class standing together to sing the national anthem as the flag flew above us.
While some may consider such practices anachronistic, for me even as a child, the flag symbolically united us, students and teachers alike, as Australians. It was clearly our national flag – a symbol and sense of pride for our nation.
What is so troubling about Mr Bandt’s behaviour this week is that he is not proud of our shared democratic values as Australians. He would prefer we despise ourselves and our history. I adamantly disagree with him.
I have read many statements by veterans who are justifiably angry at the stance taken by the Greens’ leader. Australia has lost 100,000 lives in our armed forces, including our Indigenous servicemen, who fought for our freedoms so that we can proudly fly our national flag.
Mr Bandt’s intent is to divide us as a nation, on the basis it “is hurtful to” Indigenous people, which is frankly offensive.
My colleague Senator Jacinta Price, a proud Indigenous woman, has rightly described Bandt’s behaviour as racist because he “continues to paint Aboriginal Australians as helpless victims that only privileged Greens MPs are capable of rescuing”. She is right when she says the Greens “don’t represent the voices or feelings of Aboriginal Australia …”.
While Mr Bandt believes he is combating racism, in fact he is in full swing promoting it. If the Greens refuse to stand with our Australian flag, maybe they should not be receiving taxpayer funds to represent Australians in the very house that proudly flies the Australian flag above it.
