At the February Senate Estimates, I raised concerns that the Australian Flag was absent from The Australia Day Council’s website.
I am pleased to see that it has now been restored.
Our flag is a symbol of our shared values, our democracy and our monocultural society.
Displaying it proudly reminds us of all that we can be united under one flag.
Transcript
CHAIR: We will head straight to questions.
Senator ROBERTS: Thank you for being here tonight. Senator Ayres, you had better be ready for a long session.
Senator Ayres: I’m all ears.
Senator ROBERTS: At the last estimates, I asked you why the Australia Day Council did not have an Australian flag on their website. I’m pleased to see that you now have an Australian flag. Thank you. Well done. It’s good to see.
Mr Ashurst: I would like to say thank you, Senator. As the interim CEO, once that was brought to my attention, as a former soldier myself, I found that was very important to rectify.
Senator ROBERTS: That is gratifying to hear. Thank you. I note that you have removed the flash screen acknowledgement of country and instead displayed the Aboriginal flag in your header, which is a fair compromise that I hope leads to further engagement with Australia Day by the Aboriginal community.
Mr Ashurst: Yes, Senator. It was a deliberate choice in accordance with normal government convention to display not only the Australian national flag but also the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag. We obviously are aiming for Australia Day and the Australian of the Year awards to be inclusive as much as possible and be representative of our entire nation and the make-up of our entire nation.
Senator ROBERTS: Thank you. That’s all.
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