I welcome the agreement between Minister Ken Wyatt and Harold Thomas.
The Aboriginal flag is one of Australia’s great symbols and it will now enjoy the same status as the national flag.
I participated in the Senate Select Committee on the Aboriginal Flag in 2020. The anguish in community is real. It is a disgrace that Aboriginal charities and organisations cannot freely display the Aboriginal flag.
Without the consent of Mr Thomas, the flag was gazetted into the Flags Act. The legal status and treatment of this flag has been a wretched part of our history. Mr Thomas was forced to secure his copyright in Court. This should never have happened.
Minister Wyatt and the Government have now righted this wrong and finally the Aboriginal flag will be as free as the Australian flag, as it should be.
Care and sensitivity should be used in handling the flag. I believe the National Voice should oversee its management.
I pay tribute to Harold Thomas and Minister Wyatt for vesting the flag in perpetuity for all Australians.
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