Jacinta Nampijinpa Price (NT, Country Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Hansard source

Today is National Flag Day. On 29 April 1901 Australia's first prime minister, Edmund Barton, announced a competition to design our federal flag. Despite there being only 32 days to submit designs, more than 32,000 entries were received. Five entrants, who submitted similar designs, were declared equal winners and shared in the 200-pound prize. They were Ivor Evans, Leslie Hawkins, Egbert Nuttall, Annie Dorrington and William Stevens. How fitting that a schoolboy, an optician's apprentice, an architect, an artist and a ship's officer had the same vision for our national flag. How fitting that the flag to represent the people of Australia was designed by Australian people.

On 3 September 1901 our national flag was first flown over the dome of Melbourne's Exhibition Building, the site of our first Commonwealth parliament. The Brisbane Courier captured the sentiment of that moment, stating:

Nationhood is better for the concrete expression; and nothing will stir up enthusiasm or rouse the sense of regard for the country in which we live like a constant sight of the flag of Australia.

It wasn't until 1953 that the parliament passed legislation to formalise what had become the routine practice of flying the national flag.

So, what are our national flag's symbols? There's the constellation of five stars, the Southern Cross, a reminder of our unique place in the world and the common geography that Australians share. My elders, from a tiny community near Tennant Creek, have spoken about how the Southern Cross is part of Dreaming, or Jukurrpa. So, contrary to the views of activists, Indigenous Australians certainly are represented by our national flag. Then there's the Union Jack, a reminder of our British heritage and the Christian ethos that forged a modern nation. And there's the seven-pointed Commonwealth or federation star—six points for our six states and a seventh point for our territories—a reminder of our unity.

Together, these symbols remind us of our nation's history and the contributions of generations of Australians: of the Indigenous Australians who knew and cared for the land; of the British settlers who gifted us the institutions and ideas that have underpinned democracy, modernity and progress; of the farmers, miners, labourers, builders, manufacturers and constitutional drafters who transformed colonies into a federated country; of the soldiers, sailors and airmen who served to defend our nation and defeat evil, including more than 103,000 who gave their lives; and of the migrants who arrived after the Second World War and in the decades after, to this day, who embraced our values, helped build our nation, and became cherished Australians. When we look at our flag, we remember our history in the round. Yes, we remember the dark chapters, like the mistreatment of Indigenous Australians and returned Vietnam veterans. But we also recognise that our achievements and successes far outweigh our wrongdoings and failures. Australia was formed without civil war or the level of bloodshed most other countries have known. We haven't experienced the enduring enmities of difference or separatism that have beset other nations. A defining national achievement has been the weaving together of Indigenous, British and broader migrant threads of our story. Each bestows an inheritance.

Today, we Australians naturally have many differences: differences of where we live and work; differences of ancestry and heritage; differences of faith and fellowship; differences of age and gender; differences of opinion. Despite these differences, our flag reminds us that we're united by our common values. We're aspirational, egalitarian and compassionate. We believe in reward for hard work. We treasure individual freedom. We respect the rule of law. We want our nation to be defended. We have a sense of duty to those we love, to our families, to our communities and to our nation. Our national flag represents so much: our history, story, geography, resources, people, mateship, deeds, sacrifices, institutions, traditions, values, unity, loyalty and patriotism. Our national flag signifies our common citizenship and the fellowship that makes strangers acquaintances. Our national flag is for times of celebration and times of commemoration. And, as historian Geoffrey Blainey said, our national flag 'links the living and the dead'.

When one appreciates our national flag's symbolism, it's impossible to not have a sense of gratitude—gratitude for the fortune to live in this great southern land; gratitude for our forebears and all they did to protect this country and ensure it prospers. With gratitude comes something more important—a sense of responsibility. Our national flag reminds us that we are the custodians of a remarkable legacy. We have a duty to hand over to the next generation a country better than the one we inherited. Our national flag reminds us of the duty of responsible citizenship, doing something that is bigger than ourselves—for example, raising a family, contributing to one's community, working hard in a chosen field or serving the nation in some capacity.

When one understands the history behind our national flag, when one values its symbolic weight, it's beyond comprehension that the burning of our national flag is not a criminal offence. Like most Australians, I was appalled by the footage of pro-Palestinian protesters burning our national flag in Melbourne on Sunday 3 August. That event coincided with the disruptive, disgraceful and divisive rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, a rally where some protesters chanted genocidal slogans, displayed Hamas symbols and Nazi swastikas, waved flags of terrorist organisations and carried a photograph—