ĐẢNG LAO ĐỘNG (LABOR) HIỆN CẦM QUYỀN ÚC ĐANG HÌNH THÀNH DỰ TRÙ LOẠI BỎ "UNION JACK" (GỐC CỜ ANH) RA KHỎI LÁ CỜ CỦA NƯỚC ÚC./-Mt68
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Labor plays down calls to remove Union Jack from the
Australian flag as critics accuse unions of fuelling division.
The push to remove the Union Jack has sparked a political
firestorm, with the government downplaying the proposal ahead of their national
conference.
The
Albanese Government has distanced itself from a controversial union
push to remove the Union Jack from the Australian flag, insisting its focus
remains firmly on cost-of-living relief rather than symbolic debates.
The proposal, put forward by the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) ahead of Labor’s national conference in Adelaide this week, forms part of a broader “blueprint for action” aimed at addressing justice for First Nations Australians and removing what it describes as “symbols of oppression”.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Labor being urged to remove the
Union Jack from the Australian Flag
In the proposed policy, the union argues the Union Jack
should be removed from public life.
“We need to strip away the constant reminders of the old
ruling class and colonial empire,” the policy states.
“Symbols of oppression, like the Union Jack on our flag and
offensive colonial statues, must be removed from public life.”
The proposal sits alongside calls for greater solidarity
with Indigenous Australians, higher top marginal tax rates, wealth and
inheritance taxes, significantly higher taxes on gas exports and universally
free essential services.
Speaking to Sunrise from Adelaide ahead of the conference,
Housing Minister Clare O’Neil repeatedly downplayed the proposal, saying
Labor’s priorities were the issues Australians were discussing “around the
kitchen table”.
“That’s the cost of living, the bills that they’ve got that
are piling up, it’s about making sure that we take those next steps to get the
young people around our country fair opportunities for home ownership; it’s
about how we protect Medicare and aged care for Australians who will need them
and how we build a better future for the next generation,” she said.
Published: 22 Jul 2026
Updated: 22 Jul 2026
4 min read
Labor plays down calls to remove Union Jack from the
Australian flag as critics accuse unions of fuelling division
The push to remove the Union Jack has sparked a political firestorm, with the government downplaying the proposal ahead of their national conference.By Aimee Edwards
Labor being urged to remove the Union Jack from the
Australian Flag
(Source: Sunrise)
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The
Albanese Government has distanced itself from a controversial union
push to remove the Union Jack from the Australian flag, insisting its focus
remains firmly on cost-of-living relief rather than symbolic debates.
The proposal, put forward by the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) ahead of
Labor’s national conference in Adelaide this week, forms part of a broader
“blueprint for action” aimed at addressing justice for First Nations
Australians and removing what it describes as “symbols of oppression”.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Labor being urged to remove the
Union Jack from the Australian Flag
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In the proposed policy, the union argues the Union Jack
should be removed from public life.
“We need to strip away the constant reminders of the old
ruling class and colonial empire,” the policy states.
“Symbols of oppression, like the Union Jack on our flag and
offensive colonial statues, must be removed from public life.”
The proposal sits alongside calls for greater solidarity
with Indigenous Australians, higher top marginal tax rates, wealth and
inheritance taxes, significantly higher taxes on gas exports and universally
free essential services.
Speaking to Sunrise from Adelaide ahead of the conference,
Housing Minister Clare O’Neil repeatedly downplayed the proposal, saying
Labor’s priorities were the issues Australians were discussing “around the
kitchen table”.
“That’s the cost of living, the bills that they’ve got that
are piling up, it’s about making sure that we take those next steps to get the
young people around our country fair opportunities for home ownership; it’s
about how we protect Medicare and aged care for Australians who will need them
and how we build a better future for the next generation,” she said.
“There’s going to be a lot of debate, a lot of discussion
about how much the government has achieved on these matters in the time that we
have been in office, but we recognise that we’ve got a lot more work to do, and
that will be the topic of discussion.”
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When asked whether she supported changing the Australian
flag, O’Neil insisted the issue was not the focus of the conference.
“That’s just not what the conference is about,” she said.
“Labor is focussed on you, the things that you care about,
that your family is talking about and we’re gathering to talk about what our
government can do to make your life easier.”
Pressed again by Sunrise host Nat Barr, O’Neil said she
hadn’t “had a moment to think about” the proposal.
“Let’s not go through it again,” she said.
“I’m not going to get involved in a debate, because what I’m
focussed on is what matters to people at home.
“My personal view is no, but I’m not going to get into a
debate about that.”
National Party Senator Bridget McKenzie told Sunrise the
proposal should be rejected outright.
“I’m really proud of our country, and I don’t know why the
Labor Party and their union backers are continually trashing our country and
our heritage,” she told Sunrise.
“We should be very proud of our British heritage. Our flag
represents not only our British heritage with the Union Jack but also,
importantly, the Southern Cross, which uniquely speaks to our ancient heritage
here in Australia. If it wasn’t for our British heritage, we wouldn’t be in a
parliamentary democracy... we wouldn’t be as free and fair as we are, we
wouldn’t be equal under the law as we are in this country.”
“If I was at the Labor party conference, I wouldn’t find it
very hard to say its a hard no to changing the flag.”
Speaking to Sunrise later on Wednesday morning, Independent
MP Dai Le also criticised the proposal, calling it “unbelievable”.
Union Jack a 'symbol of oppression', workers union calls for
change to flag.
(Source: Sunrise)
Union Jack a 'symbol of oppression', workers union calls for
change to flag.
Le, who made headlines when she wore the Australian flag
while delivering her maiden speech after being elected in 2022, said it
remained a powerful symbol of opportunity.
“I’m very proud as a refugee; it’s a flag that has welcomed
myself and my family... It’s a flag that represents this country that’s given
them as second chance,” she said.
She argued Australians wanted the government focused on
practical issues instead of symbolic debates.
“What that failed voice referendum told the government was
that the government has to focus on the lives of people, not about symbolic
moves and policises,” she said.
Le said the union should instead prioritise protecting
Australian jobs and businesses rather than pursuing what she described as a
“symbol war”.
She added that while Australia has a day of reconciliation
to acknowledge past wrongs, the focus should now be on the future.