Adam Bandt’s speech to Qld Media Club devoid of flag controversy

He courted controversy by refusing to stand in front of the Australian flag, but there was no such incident when Adam Bandt spoke in Brisbane. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Griffith University and Brisbane Airport signage were highly visible, but there was no sign of the Australian flag as federal Greens leader Adam Bandt began his address to the Queensland Media Club this afternoon.

Mr Bandt drew criticism when he removed the Australian flag from behind the lectern at a press conference in Sydney on Monday, saying it represented “the lingering pains of colonisation’’.

He spoke only in front of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags.

But the stage at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre was devoid of any national emblem as Mr Bandt congratulated Brisbane for voting Greens and promised the electorate that once people vote Greens, they tended to like the outcome.

The city has become a power centre for the Greens, with three new federal Lower House MPs as well as state and local representatives.

Greens leader Adam Bandt addresses the Queensland Media Club at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre today. Picture: Richard Walker

Mr Bandt said the Greens were about addressing climate change and stopping billionaires like Clive Palmer getting richer on Labor’s planned stage-three tax cuts.

Mr Bandt said he was not talking about the cross benches blocking Labor’s Budget.

“It’s very clear we are not blocking supply,’’ he said.

But he suggested legislation related to budgetary measures could be amended in the Senate.

Mr Bandt said he was also supportive of the Queensland Labor Government’s move in this week’s Budget to increase taxes on mining companies.

“In general terms it is always good to have gas and coal corporations paying their fair share,’’ he said.

But Mr Bandt said the Queensland Government, and governments in general, could not go on relying on coal and gas companies to give them money, because coal and gas companies themselves represented a threat to the environment.