Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reprimanded Greens leader Adam Bandt for his position on the Australian flag and called on him to “reconsider”. Bandt on Monday at Sydney’s Commonwealth parliamentary offices, flanked only by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.
He said the Australian flag was removed because it represented “persistent pain” for First Nations people.
“For many Australians, this flag represents dispossession and the lingering pains of colonization,” he said. Bandt said he would like to see “a flag that represents us all.”
“Through a treaty with the peoples of the First Nations and moving to a republic, we can have a flag that represents us all,” he said.
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On Wednesday, Albanese told reporters in Hobart that he was “very surprised by the comments he made.” Bandt. “I am always very proud to stand in front of the Australian flag and I think anyone who is a member of the Australian Parliament should do the same,” the Prime Minister said.
“Reconciliation is about bringing people together.
“I’m just telling Mr. Bandt that he needs to think about the answers that have been given and reconsider his position … to promote unity and work to promote reconciliation.” The Prime Minister said that his priority for “constitutional change” during this term of office is to “recognize the great privilege we have to live and share a continent with the oldest continuous civilization on the planet” through an indigenous voice. in parliament. “The truth is, Australia didn’t start in 1788. We should be proud that our culture continues to be at least 65,000 years old,” he said. “I want to acknowledge, have a constitutionally consecrated.”