Adam Bandt slammed as ‘idiotic’ for divisive anti-Aussie flag stunt

The PM has slammed Greens leader Adam Bandt for ‘promoting division over unity’ after a controversial slight of the Australian flag in a press conference on Monday.

Anthony Albanese has urged Greens leader Adam Bandt to reconsider removing the Australian flag from his press conferences.

Mr Bandt’s controversial move to stand in front of only the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags on Monday sparked backlash from fellow politicians, including those who are Indigenous.

The Prime Minister also backed the design of the national flag amid calls from outspoken Victorian Senator Lidia Thorpe to replace it.

“I’m always very proud to stand in front of the Australian flag and I think anyone who is a member of the Australian Parliament should do so as well,” Mr Albanese said.

“I just say to Mr Bandt that he needs to think about the responses that have been made and reconsider his position and work to promote unity and work to promote reconciliation.”

ABC journalist Isobel Roe tweeted a photo of the stunt.

Adam Bandt, leader of the Australian Greens, described the Australian flag as “hurtful”. Picture: Josh Woning

Mr Albanese warned that reconciliation is undermined if people look for division over unity.

Asked if a new flag would be created if Australia becomes a republic, he said that was a “long way” away, and his priority was to get an Indigenous Voice to Parliament enshrined in the constitution.

Indigenous leader Warren Mundine says the Greens’ leader’s comments and actions are “idiotic”. Picture: John Feder/The Australian

“What the voice does is say that if an issue affects First Nations people, we should actually consult them,” Mr Albanese said.

“I want to get it done.”

Adam Bandt’s publicity stunt, which saw the Greens leader hold a press conference with the Australian flag pushed off to the side of the room with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders flags front and centre, has been labelled “idiotic”.

The event occurred Monday afternoon in Sydney shortly before Bandt was to hold a press conference with Deputy Greens leader Mehreen Faruqi at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices in the CBD.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said we should be consulting First Nations people. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Shortly before Bandt and Faruqi appeared a staffer moved the Australian flag to the side.

When asked why the flag was moved from behind the speakers, Mr Bandt said the symbol was “hurtful” to many Aboriginal Australians, a charge that was rejected by Indigenous leader Warren Mundine.

“It’s idiotic,” Mundine said.

“Are the Greens actually in the Australian Federal Parliament? Seriously? Do they actually hate Australians that much,” he asked.

“Aboriginals call themselves Australians all the time.

“The Greens are just a fringe university type group trying to run down the country.”

Dr Bella d’Abrera, Director of the Foundations of Western Civilisation Program at the Institute of Public Affairs said the actions were “completely out of touch with real Australians who are proud of their country, and proud of their history”.

“As an elected member of the Commonwealth parliament, Adam Bandt has shown he is unfit to be a member of parliament when he demonstrates contempt for one of Australia’s most unifying symbols.”

“This is exactly the type of empty virtue signalling we have come to expect from the Greens Party.”

“The Australian flag is a unifying symbol that is a pillar of our history and the Australian way of life,” she said.

Dr d’Abrera pointed to polling by her organisation which in January found that 84 per cent of Australians agreed they were “proud to be Australian”, with only five per cent disagreeing.

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan likewise called the move a “disgrace.”

“If the Greens are not proud of our Commonwealth they should not be using taxpayer funded Commonwealth offices for their press conferences,” he said.

The Greens’ actions come after NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet pledged $25 million to fly an Aboriginal flag permanently from the Harbour Bridge, despite not knowing why it would cost so much to add an extra flagpole to the structure.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s office declined to comment on the Greens leader’s actions, however one Coalition source said that Bandt’s behaviour “spoke for itself”.

Originally published as Adam Bandt slammed as ‘idiotic’ for divisive anti-Aussie flag stunt