The Aboriginal flag, which has been waved on the Sydney Harbor Bridge as part of the NAIDOC Week celebrations, will permanently replace the New South Wales flag.
Key points:
- The NSW government decided not to spend $ 25 million on installing a new flagpole
- This money will now go to indigenous initiatives
- An NSW flag will be raised as part of the government’s remodeling of Macquarie Street East
Last month, the government announced plans to spend $ 25 million on the installation of a third flagpole and the renovation of the two existing poles.
However, public reaction to the cost of the project has led NSW Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet to reconsider and instead make the temporary arrangement of the NAIDOC flag permanent.
Indigenous leaders described the debate over the flag project as “a joke” and said it was used to divide people.
The executive director of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Lands Council, Nathan Moran, congratulated the decision and said it had been 20 years of campaigning in successive governments to achieve this result.
“They know how to argue in an empty house, creating such a long and prolonged battle for a flag,” he said. “I’m glad it’s settled.”
Nathan Moran says replacing the NSW flag is a common sense solution. (ABC News: Taryn Southcombe)
Moran said replacing the NSW flag was a common sense solution.
“We had been warned, in 2014 with Mike Baird, that there was a problem around the placement of a new stick,” he said.
“We always wondered if it could be a case of replacing the Australian or New South Wales flag with the Blackfella flag.”
A spokesman for Mr Perrottet’s office said the government would erect an NSW flag as part of the remodeling of the Macquarie Street East precinct.
“As of today, one of Australia’s most recognizable landmarks will celebrate our Indigenous people and provide a daily reminder of our nation’s rich history,” the spokesman said.
“The history of our nation is rich and enduring, and carrying the Aboriginal flag permanently over the Sydney Harbor Bridge is a celebration and a recognition.”
Aboriginal Secretary of State Ben Franklin said the $ 25 million for a third permanent flagpole had already been included in the budget and would instead go to indigenous initiatives.
“This is based on the NSW government’s commitment to improving Aboriginal outcomes across NSW, following a $ 716 million investment in this year’s budget to prioritize gap-closing initiatives,” he said. dir Franklin.
Posted 3 hours, 3 hours ago, Sunday, July 10, 2022 at 11:23 PM, updated 2 hours, 2 hours ago, Monday, July 11, 2022 at 12:27 AM