Sydney, June 19 (BNA) New South Wales Premier Dominic Beirut said on Sunday that the Aboriginal flag will be raised permanently on the Sydney Harbor Bridge as part of the “healing process” and reconciliation efforts with the Aboriginal community in Australia.
The flag featured in black, red and yellow, alongside the Australian flag and the state flag of New South Wales, will be hoisted atop the historic bridge, Reuters reports.
The Aboriginal flag, recognized as the official flag of Australia since 1995, is flown from government buildings and embraced by sports clubs and Aboriginal athletes.
The government of Australia’s most populous state has said it will spend A$25 million ($17 million) to permanently install a third flagpole on the bridge by the end of the year to raise the flag.
Perrottet said the move represented a continuation of the “healing process as part of the broader move toward reconciliation,” efforts that seek to strengthen ties between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
“It’s an important decision we’ve taken that I think brings unity to our country and it’s a small price to pay for that unification,” he told reporters in Sydney.
This year the federal government acquired the copyright to the Aboriginal flag so it could be used freely, resolving a commercial dispute that limited sports teams and Aboriginal communities from reproduction of the image. Read more
The colors of the flag represent the indigenous people and their spiritual connection to the land. It was first raised in 1971 at a rally around land rights in Victoria.