{"id":917551,"date":"2026-10-06T00:16:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T00:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/917551\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T00:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T00:16:12","slug":"sydneys-strathfield-council-votes-to-stop-displaying-indigenous-flag-outside-its-offices-after-removing-acknowledgement-messages-from-welcome-signs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/917551\/","title":{"rendered":"Sydney’s Strathfield Council votes to stop displaying Indigenous flag outside its offices after removing acknowledgement messages from welcome signs"},"content":{"rendered":"

An inner-west Sydney council has voted to remove the Aboriginal flag from outside its chambers, marking the body\u2019s latest pushback against Indigenous displays within its jurisdiction. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

News24 can reveal Strathfield Council is printing a new council flag to stand alongside the Australian and NSW state flag near the War Memorial outside Strathfield Town Hall after voting in favour of a motion put forward in June.<\/p>\n

Liberal Councillor Esther Kim, who has since been elected Deputy Mayor, moved the motion to install two new flagpoles at the site.<\/p>\n

Cr Kim pushed for an official council flag, with the option of raising another nation\u2019s flag in the event of a diplomatic visit. \u00a0<\/p>\n

One independent councillor argued it is \u201cimproper\u201d to put another nation\u2019s flag near a World War I and World War II Memorial.<\/p>\n

Fellow Liberal and former Strathfield Mayor John-Paul Baladi backed Cr Kim\u2019s move but proposed three flagpoles instead of four, replacing the Aboriginal flag with a council flag.<\/p>\n

Two Labor councillors voted against the motion, that was carried, \u201cin accordance with any State or Federal protocol or guidelines\u201d.<\/p>\n

In response to the vote, Cr Baladi told News24.com.au: “The national flag represents all Australians no matter their creed or colour, and there are few things more unifying. It is the flag for which countless Australians have sacrificed and fought for our freedoms, and so the National flag ought to always take pride of place.”<\/p>\n

Labor councillor Rory Nosworthy said: “Liberals are busy removing symbols of Strathfield\u2019s Aboriginal history, while residents complain about illegal dumping and stray cats”<\/p>\n

The move follows another council decision to remove an Indigenous acknowledgment from six entry signs that line the local government area.<\/p>\n

They pay tribute to the area’s First Nations community with the phrase, “Always was, always will be Wangal Country”.<\/p>\n

Cr Baladi led the charge to alter the signs which he argues are \u201cdivisive\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAllowing these divisive signs to stay up is not in the interests of the people of Strathfield,\u201d he told News24.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat kind of divisive, political language doesn\u2019t belong on our welcome signs and it is my view that this virtue signalling should stay out of local government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Initially, council staff were directed to cover the acknowledgment with black plastic and tape until a replacement could be determined.<\/p>\n

A report on the matter is due in the coming months.<\/p>\n

News24 has since seen the wording taken off entirely, with small holes left behind in the sandstone.<\/p>\n

The signs were put up by the previous Labor-dominated council at a cost of about $400,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to get political activism out of local government,\u201d Cr Baladi argued.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another of Cr Kim\u2019s motions has also generated discussion.<\/p>\n

Businesses are now required to prominently display English on shopfronts, alongside other languages.<\/p>\n

Cr Kim migrated to Australia from Korea almost 40 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have many migrants coming in and they insist on speaking their languages,\u201d Cr Kim said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need some discipline.\u201d<\/p>\n

She says the mandate would help to bring the community together.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy motion is not assimilation, it is to use two cultures together,\u201d Cr Kim said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they put some English together, everyone will understand what is going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

At last Tuesday\u2019s council meeting, Cr Kim was elected Strathfield\u2019s new Deputy Mayor, with fellow Liberal and former Deputy Sandy Reddy elected Mayor.<\/p>\n

Labor councillor Rory Nosworthy said forcing businesses to change their signage is \u201can added cost that is poorly timed\u201d in a cost-of-living crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a certain authenticity of going to a Chinese restaurant with a Chinese sign and having authentic Chinese food,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a concerning step to police communication, to police language.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cr Nosworthy could not attend the meeting which determined the future of the acknowledgment signs but launched a petition to rescind the move.<\/p>\n

It gathered more than 800 signatures but did not change the outcome of last Tuesday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a fact of history and all of our community, diverse as it is, are happy to acknowledge the First Nations, previous owners of this land,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The moves have sparked fierce debate in one of Sydney\u2019s most multicultural communities.<\/p>\n

Strathfield is a highly diverse, growth corridor.<\/p>\n

More than half of the population are born overseas, from countries such as India, China and Nepal.<\/p>\n

More than 70 per cent of households speak a non-English language at home, with the most common being Mandarin.<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal councils are best placed to consider the needs and views of their local communities when developing local policies,\u201d NSW Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Read related topics:NSW Politics<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An inner-west Sydney council has voted to remove the Aboriginal flag from outside its chambers, marking the 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