Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability) Share this | Hansard source

I proudly support this motion put forward by my friend the member for Herbert to criminalise the burning and/or desecration of the Australian flag. I was keen for the opportunity to speak to this motion because this act can only be seen as one thing: a disgraceful and abhorrent criminal act. Our Australian flag is not just a piece of fabric; it's an enduring symbol of who we are. It represents our shared history, our sacrifices and the freedoms earned through generations of courage and service.

Our ADF wear our flag on their shoulders. They have fought under the blanket of our flag, and its draped on the coffins of the dead. To desecrate our flag is deplorable and to dishonour service men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. It's disgraceful. Our veterans fought for the rights of Australians to freely express themselves, but they did not fight to enable protesters to defile our Australian national flag.

As the federal member for Dawson, I make a point to include a supply of flags in my budget, and one of my favourite tasks is presenting an upstanding community member with an Australian flag. It makes me so happy to see, in that moment of handover, genuine pride smiling back at me.

Just last week, I had the privilege of attending my primary school's 160th birthday celebration. This brought back memories of each student parade and how we would say, 'I love my country and I honour the flag.' This is a state school. This should be compulsory in all schools.

Sadly, in recent times, our national flag has come under attack, and with it there's been an attack on our country and what it means to be Australian. More and more frequently, the streets of our major cities have been overrun by extremists' flags and hate filled chants, while the burning of our national flag has been cheered. Despite what we are being told, these are not peaceful protests. These are demonstrations of division and contempt and are worryingly disdainful of the values we hold as Australians. I find this deeply disturbing.

Under this Albanese Labor government, it seems we have become a country that's too afraid to be proud of our flag and who we are. Is it any wonder when we have a prime minister who doesn't proudly fly the flag but hides it? As a country, we must be strong, stand up to this behaviour and say: 'Enough! No more!'

Yesterday, there were peaceful rallies right across our nation, where thousands came together to say, 'We are proud to be Australians and we are proud to fly our flag.' Sadly, at the very same time, there was more burning of our flag by extremists. Recently, at one of those extremist rallies, a lone man emerged with an Australian flag, holding it up with pride against the wave of angry voices. The result was the man was swarmed by protesters and punched in the side of the head before being escorted away by police. Honestly, how is it that someone adorned in a national flag is carted away by the cops, yet our prime minister and government turn a blind eye to our national flag being burnt? This is an absolute disgrace. I honestly cannot believe what I've been witnessing. To burn our flag is to fuel hate of our country and incite future attacks.

If those who carry out these acts of violence are not Australian citizens, they must be removed from our shores. They must be sent back to their country. If they are dual citizens, strip them of their Australian citizenship and deport them, too. If they're Aussies, how can they call themselves Aussies or Australian if they're part of this campaign? That is completely beyond my comprehension. Lock them up, throw them in jail and throw away the key. No-one has the right to desecrate a flag, let alone our national flag. We must honour our soldiers who fought and died under our flag. Our Australian flag is a symbol of what it is to be Australian. I fully support this motion to criminalise the destruction or desecration of the Australian national flag, and I thank the member for Herbert, the honourable Phil Thompson, a returned serviceman himself, for bringing this very important motion. Australia salutes you, sir.

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