Daniel Wild:
This business of changing our national flag has got to stop. Australians do not want it, and it is divisive. Just take the most recent example of the Labour Party at its national conference being held in Adelaide over this weekend. The Australian Manufacturing Union says it wants its delegates to vote to remove the Union Jack from our national flag because it is a symbol of oppression, and it reminds us of the old ruling class and colonial empire. Now, who exactly the image of the Union Jack oppresses? Well, of course, they never say.
Now, crazy motions by delegates are put up all the time. That doesn’t make it party policy, much less government policy. So this should have been easy for the government to deal with. Just say everyone is entitled to their opinion, but this government supports the flag as it is and it will not be changing. But here’s what Senior Minister Clare O’Neil said when answering a question put to her on the channel 7 Sunrise programme earlier this week.
Natalie Barr:
Are you up for changing the flag?
Clare O’Neil:
I’m here in Adelaide for Labor’s National Conference.
Natalie Barr:
Would you be up for changing it, Clare?
Clare O’Neil:
Look, Nat, that’s just not what the conference is about.
Natalie Barr:
Yes or no, Clare?
Clare O’Neil:
Again, Nat, sorry, it’s not something that I’ve had a moment to think about.
Natalie Barr:
Yes or no, I’m changing the Union Jack.
Clare O’Neil:
I’m telling you as housing minister, I don’t spend my time thinking about the national flag.
Daniel Wild:
I mean, seriously, is it any wonder Australians are fed up with politicians who refuse to back our flag, national symbols, songs, and monuments? Mind you, our prime minister isn’t any better either. He refuses to even stand in front of the national flag without the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags there as well. Maybe he also thinks it’s a symbol of oppression. So what do Australians think? Now listen to this because it’s really important, because mainstream Australians, people like you and I, who believe our country’s a good country, can sometimes feel as if we are in the minority, but I assure you we are not.
Polling commissioned by the Institute of Public Affairs shows the following. 77% of Australians are proud of our flag and only 7% are not. While 75% of Australians believe we should keep the flag as is, only 10% want to change it. Just 10%. Whose side are you on? Clare O’Neil and Anthony Albanese. And check out this one. 61% of Australians believe we should have only one national flag. Only 29% reckon we should have the three, including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags as well. Again, whose side are you on?
Now, this is really important stuff. The flag which is unveiled in 1901 is and always has been a product of the Australian community, not a mandate from the political elite, which is now behind the divisive campaign to raise Australia’s flag. Australia’s national flag is the most inclusive flag because it does not seek to represent any specific group. Instead, it represents Australia’s entire history and all Australians who live here, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or gender. And at a time when social cohesion is in decline across the country, mainstream Australians understand that our national flag and our symbols are unifying and they need to be cherished and celebrated at all times. And as you know, our flag is a symbol of our shared history and the destiny that we all share together, proclaiming that we are all one and in this together, that there is far more that unites us than what divides us. How hard is it for this government to get that?
This transcript of Daniel Wild on Opinionated Sky News Australia from 24 July 2026 has been edited for clarity.
