Lambie’s outburst on Australian flag
Firebrand Senator Jacqui Lambie has weighed in on the debate about whether Australia has become a republic and says the nation needs a new flag that represents all people.
The Senator made the comments while speaking on the ABC’s QandA program where an audience member asked whether being a part of the British monarchy is contradictory to Australia being an egalitarian society.
She did not hold back on her thoughts about a republic, just days after the Coronation of King Charles III, shouting her answer to the crowd.
“When it comes to republic, we’re all grown ups here in Australia, god forbid it’s time we stood on our own two feet,” she said.
“We don’t need a king and queen to do that we can actually do it all by ourselves, so I say bring on.”
Senator Lambie went onto say that Australia needed a new flag with a special origin.
“I think for me, the flag would have a lot more meaning if we put it out there so it doesn’t just include First Nations people, doesn’t just include white people, but also (includes) any migrants that have come to this country over god knows how many years,” she said.
“The only way to do this and to teach people about our history is to throw it out there to those kids 16 years and under and get them to design the flag and explain to them why we need to change that flag, this is the way it needs to be done.”
Her comments about the flag followed those from former politician and Olympic gold medallist Nova Peris.
“When you look at the Australian flag, it’s got another country’s flag in our flag, and I sort of feel I understand the history...but it’s also it’s a hurtful one for us as First Nations people, because it symbolises the tyranny, it symbolises the massacres, and then the genocide in the attempt to wipe us out,” she said.
“So, that that‘s a conversation to be had, but it’d be great to be able to put it to the Australian people, do we come from the republic do we change our flag?”
