\u201cWe need to strip away the constant reminders of the old ruling class and colonial empire,\u201d the policy states.<\/p>\n
\u201cSymbols of oppression, like the Union Jack on our flag and offensive colonial statues, must be removed from public life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The proposal forms part of a broader platform calling for greater solidarity with Indigenous Australians, while also advocating higher top marginal tax rates, wealth and inheritance taxes, significantly higher taxes on gas exports and universally free essential services.<\/p>\n
Questioned repeatedly by Sunrise host Natalie Barr about whether she supported changing the flag, Ms O\u2019Neil declined multiple opportunities to give a direct answer, instead insisting Labor\u2019s focus remained on cost-of-living pressures.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is really about the things that Australians care about,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the nation\u2019s housing minister at a moment where we\u2019ve got a housing crisis that\u2019s been building for 40 years. My big focus is going to be on those questions about home ownership, about how we make sure Australians can pay the rent and how we deal with that rising homelessness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Barr repeatedly pressed the minister for a simple yes-or-no response.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo when that one\u2019s put up, yes or no?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neil again refused to commit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not something that I\u2019ve had a moment to think about. I\u2019m focused on the housing issues that are affecting millions of people around our country.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the interview continued, Ms Barr suggested the government was refusing to rule out a change to the flag.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like the Albanese government is not ruling out a change in the flag this morning,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
After several minutes of avoiding a direct response, Ms O\u2019Neil eventually revealed her own position.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy personal view is no Nat, but I\u2019m not going to get into a debate about that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government\u2019s focused on the things that people at home are caring about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Appearing alongside Ms O\u2019Neil, Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie immediately rejected the proposal.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely not,\u201d Senator McKenzie said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really proud of our country, and I don\u2019t know why the Labor Party and their union backers are continually trashing our country and our heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n
She argued the Union Jack recognised Australia\u2019s British heritage and the parliamentary democracy and legal system inherited from Britain, saying she would give \u201ca hard no to changing the flag\u201d.<\/p>\n
Independent Fowler MP Dai Le also condemned the proposal, saying it ignored the issues Australians were most concerned about.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just think it\u2019s unbelievable,\u201d Ms Le said.<\/p>\n
A Vietnamese refugee who famously wore a dress made from the Australian flag during her maiden speech to Parliament in 2022, Ms Le said the flag represented opportunity and belonging for migrants who had chosen to build a life in Australia.<\/p>\n
![\"Independent](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ef60ddfebb93fae4e9bc48d615621e8d9eae666c.jpg\")
Independent MP for Fawler Dai Le. Credit: AAP Photos<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a flag that has welcomed myself and my family,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor families here in Fowler, the many refugees and migrants who\u2019ve come here, it\u2019s a flag that represents this country has given them a second chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
She accused Labor-affiliated unions of reigniting another \u201cculture war\u201d despite Australians being more concerned about housing, grocery prices and energy bills.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Australian Manufacturing Union … should focus on retaining local jobs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should be fighting and campaigning for that, not on this symbol war.\u201d<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s national flag has featured the Union Jack since Federation in 1901, and previous attempts to redesign it have sparked fierce political and public debate.<\/p>\n
Whether the AMWU proposal gains any traction at Labor\u2019s national conference remains to be seen, but the issue has already reignited divisions over Australia\u2019s identity, history and national symbols.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Labor\u2019s Housing Minister repeatedly dodged questions on changing the Australian flag as a powerful union pushed to strip…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":815280,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44,84],"class_list":["post-815279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news","tag-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=815279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815279\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/815280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=815279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=815279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=815279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}