So Much for Patriotism: Australian Flag Banned on National Flag Day
As if we couldn’t get any more un-patriotic, the progressive-left has struck again, this time against a country’s most iconic symbol: the national flag.
Wednesday was Australia’s National Flag Day, the anniversary of the first reveal of the national flag. Also known as the “Australian Blue Ensign”, the symbol has a remarkable history of its own.
Following Federation in 1901, the Commonwealth Government announced a design competition for the new Federal Flag. The competition was open to anyone who wished to submit a design, and over the course of a few months over 30,000 entries were submitted by men, women, and children too.
One entry featured a kangaroo firing a shotgun through the Southern Cross constellation, and another proposed a six-tailed kangaroo to represent the six Australian states (what happened to the two territories??). Furthermore, another design idea featured native animals playing a game of cricket with a winged cricket ball. Howzat?! Of course, none of these were chosen, and sadly, many of the other unselected entries were destroyed.
On 3rd September 1901, the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne housed the announcement ceremony, where Prime Minister Edmund Barton announced the five combined winners: an architect, an artist, a ship’s officer, and two teenagers. Together, their designs created what we know today as the Australian flag, which has since flown proudly for 124 years.
Horrifyingly, however, some people even within the Australian government look upon the national symbol with scorn and shame.
On Wednesday, Liberal Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson draped the Australian flag over their shoulders in honour of National Flag Day. This display of patriotism, however, resulted in a heated argument across both the Senate chamber and the media.
We should have known it would end badly… why would anyone dare to wear the national flag on National Flag Day??
Greens Senator Nick McKim interrupted a patriotic speech from Price, questioning if the flags are considered props (which are banned in the Senate). The events transpired a bit like this:
PRICE: “Today is National Flag Day, which is a proud event that celebrates the beautiful history of the Australian National Fla—”
MCKIM: “Hold up! Even though today’s a day to be patriotic, could you please stop being patriotic?”
Senator McKim went on to argue that if Price wished to wear “this flag”, he’d like to wear the Palestinian flag—because, apparently, the Palestinian flag is worthy of being worn in another country’s parliament.
“I do want to make the point that if it's okay for Senator Nampijinpa Price to wrap herself in this flag, I would intend to wrap myself in a Palestinian flag and come into the chamber and exercise the same rights that Senator Nampijinpa Price is currently exercising”
Yes, of course! If one Australian senator can wear the Australian flag, surely another Australian senator can wear a Middle Eatern flag! That totally makes sense.
Nationals Member Bridget McKenzie argued the ruling. She explained that if the national flag cannot be worn on a senator’s shoulders, perhaps it should also be banned from being displayed on the chamber walls too. (She’s got a point.)
Sadly, Slade Brockman, the judge-like Acting Senate President, told Price to continue speaking but remove her flag, arguing that he did not wish to “set a precedent” for the chamber.
Price complied, but sent quite a fiery tirade back at the Greens for their snarky natures and distaste for Australia and basic core Australian values.
“So disappointing from the Greens, but also, so typical. You can wear a keffiyeh in here—perhaps you should remove that article from you whenever you walk through these chambers, for the benefit of ALL Australians in this country!
“Yes, snark all you like! It’s revolting. You don’t love this country the way I do, and certainly not like most Australians do.”
Left-wing reporters ate all this up, using it as a way to show how “racist” and despicable the conservative senators are. I say, good for her.
Flag in Headlines
The Australian National Flag has been in the news quite a bit since last Sunday, when thousands of Australians participated in the March for Australia protests across the nation. Unfortunately, some of the protests were compromised by the presence of a small handful of neo-Nazis, which the left-wing media was thrilled to mention in their coverage.
Senator Price addressed this on Channel 7 when asked about the neo-Nazis’ usage of the Australian Flag in the protests:
“I utterly condemn those who call themselves neo-Nazis who are basically inciting hate in our country, just as much as I condemn those who wave flags that belong to terrorist groups. […] there is no room in this country for that level of extremism”
Double Standards
The Greens might argue that they do love Australia… but do they really? All of this reeks of double standards from the loopy party. You see, the entire existence of the Greens is basically based solely on their usage of props in the Senate.
In an interview on Sky News, Liberal Senator Alex Antic acknowledged that, while rules regarding props in the Senate are extremely strict, it’s completely hypocritical for the Greens to be the ones to complain about someone using props in the chamber.
“This is the political party that spends most of its days in there with one [...] of them carrying a prop in there of some sort.”
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young expressed her concerns regarding this patriotic debacle on an interview on Sky News, including that the “use of a flag as a prop” will be reviewed by the Procedures Committee, of which she is a proud member. My biggest confusion point, though, is that Senator Young herself made great headlines a few months ago when she entered the Senate with her own prop: a big, stinking old salmon, which appalled fellow members in the chamber.
Hypocritical Hanson-Young further dug herself into a hole when she gave her own zealous tirade about the usage of the Australian Flag by neo-Nazis. She argued that her point is what people are associating the national flag with, and that as a sacred symbol of Australia, the national flag should not be associated with neo-Nazis.
Sounds good, right? Well… the “good” part ends about there.
Sky News presenter Peter Stefanovic asked Senator Young if, then, she condemns the pro-Palestinians who burned the Australian Flag at a protest. Her response says it all:
“Well, I think the use of political expression, and the freedom of political expression, is something that is dear to democracy.”
Political expression…democracy…riiiight… So let me get this straight… you can burn the national flag, but you can’t wear it in a House of Parliament? Yes, something certainly does smell quite fishy here…
The left continues to fight against pride in one’s country, deeming it “racism”, but thankfully there are great political leaders who are willing to stand apart, such as Senators Alex Antic, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, and Pauline Hanson.
Following the shocking events of Wednesday’s proplem, Senator Price has promised that she and her colleagues will make every effort to criminalise the burning of the national flag. As the national anthem says, for we are ONE and free. Free? Yes. But united? Also yes.
So let the true blue Aussies—politicians included—unite themselves under one flag, and one flag alone. 🇦🇺🇦🇺
Historical fiction author and opinion commentator Christopher J. Watt loves nothing more than good books, epic movies, and hot chocolate with a dose of common sense. With experience in political history and revolutions, he knows what it means to be truly patriotic. When he isn’t writing, Christopher loves to spend time with his black Lab named Shadow. Visit www.christopherjwattauthor.com for more.
I enjoyed reading your take on the whole debacle Christopher. I say ‘no’ to fishy politics!
Ouch. Many apologies for the way your country is going, Christopher. I can’t say we’re doing much better on this side of the ocean, but all of that is just sad. (Although I will note, just because it’s interesting, that wearing an American flag is considered discourteous according to flag etiquette. I don’t know why, but I thought I’d throw it out there 🤣)