It’s likely that you saw the Aboriginal flag flown on the Harbour Bridge the past few days as part of NAIDOC Week. Now the NSW Government has decided that the Aboriginal flag will permanently replace the New South Wales flag which will be relocated to a new home. The decision comes after the government faced backlash for its plan to spend $25 million on installing a new flagpole. Prior to this, the Aboriginal flag would grace the Harbour Bridge only a handful of times in the year.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced the news earlier today.
“From today, one of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks will celebrate our Indigenous people and provide an everyday reminder of our nation’s rich history,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Honouring this commitment is part of our ongoing commitment to recognise the history, culture, excellence and achievements of Aboriginal people and is a fitting end to NAIDOC week 2022,” he added.
The statement added that the $25 million which was earlier assigned for a permanent third flag pole on the Harbour Bridge will now go towards indigenous initiatives.
“This builds on the NSW Government’s commitment to improve outcomes for Aboriginal people across NSW, following a $716 million investment in this year’s Budget to prioritise Closing the Gap initiatives,” Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Ben Franklin said.
The existing NSW flag is set to be relocated to a prominent NSW location in the Macquarie Street East redevelopment precinct and the Aboriginal flag will now fly permanently on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as of July 11, 2022.
You can read the full statement here.