Page 1579 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 27 September 1989
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I want to take up a matter that has been occupying my mind for some time, and again it was the Raiders' success that prompted my raising it today, because I saw flying from City Hill the other day an enlarged Raiders' flag. It looked quite impressive, and it brought to my mind again the need for this Territory to get its own flag.
Mr Kaine: We will adopt it, Bill.
MR WOOD: A little time ago I took the trouble of getting out all the literature that the Administration has on file on proposals for a coat of arms and a flag. It certainly makes interesting reading, and it is good to know that steps are under way to give us a flag, after, I am sure, suitable consultation.
To respond to your interjection a little while ago, Mr Kaine, it looked all right.
Mr Kaine: It looks a lot better than some of the others that have been up.
MR WOOD: Well, it looks a lot better than some of the State flags, too, I might tell you. But I do ask the Assembly and the Government to hasten the steps that are necessary to give us a flag that is truly representative of the ACT. I know that all members will have a view on this matter and they will have personal ideas about what is good and what is bad about a flag. I draw attention to the collection of flags that used to stand on the display area of the building site of the new Parliament House. Each State had a flag flying. The one flag that we noticed, the one that stood out, the one that could be identified, was that of the Northern Territory - the only one that did not have a Union Jack in the corner. That was the noticeable flag, the one that had some particular identity. As the Government, the people and the parliament of the ACT take steps to bring about their own flag, I would urge upon them all to make it original, and not to forget our heritage and the new heritage that is developing in Australia. I think we can comfortably do that without putting into a corner, in an odd little way, a Union Jack.
I know that in due course members may make some comment on this and I would encourage that because, like fluoride, it is a subject that people have strong feelings about. I think that perhaps the first anniversary of self-government in this Territory on 11 May next year might be a suitable target, the day on which we raise on City Hill and elsewhere around the city, a new, distinctive and representative ACT flag.
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