Senator Andrew Bartlett
Sunday, January 30, 2005
 
Flags and Flagpoles
The Republic and the flag are separate issues, as campaigners for change on both issues are frequently at pains to point out. However, there is the obvious commonality that both impact on how we feel about and view ourselves as a nation. In our case and New Zealand’s, they also both involve more clearly demonstrating our independence from our British heritage.

There hasn’t been that much talk on the topic in Australia lately, but it sounds like a serious effort is building up in New Zealand for a change to their flag Supporters of changing their flag include Catherine Tizard, a former Governor-General of the country, and a raft of Mayors. Although the removal of the Union Jack to reduce the visual association with the UK is part of the issue, its very close similarity to the Australian flag is another, as noted in this report (which unfortunately gets its description of Australia’s flag wrong.)

At the same time New Zealand debates its flag, the Australian Government has released the guidelines that schools must follow to be eligible for a very small grant to install a flagpole.

Incumbent MPs already have a massive advantage over others due to the huge postage and communications resources at their disposal. Government members have the extra advantage on top of that of being able to dip into the pre-election porkbarrelling trough for Government grants. In addition we have the ignominy of having to literally watch tens of millions of taxpayer dollars being spent in Government promotional advertising under the guise of ‘public information’. As if all that isn’t enough, the Government is trying to tie self-promoting opportunities to the smallest amount of school infrastructure spending!

You can read the full guidelines here, but among things listed the school:

  • should place a plaque on the flagpole stating the pole is a gift from the Australian Government;
  • should put an article, and photo if possible, in the school newsletter promoting the purchase of the flagpole and noting the Federal Government’s assistance;
  • should contact the office of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education, Science and Training to arrange attendance by an Australian Government representative at an opening ceremony;
  • must fly the Australian flag on the pole (or in the centre pole if it is a yardarm style pole for 3 flags).

Note in particular that the school can’t just contact their local Member of Parliament or Senator to attend, because they might not be a Government MP. They have to contact the Minister’s office so a Liberal Party person can be there, get their photo taken for the newsletter, etc. I’m amazed they aren’t requiring putting the Liberal person’s name on the plaque.

If there’s one thing worse than public funding for schools being prostituted in such a blatantly self-serving way, it’s that they are going to get away with – presumably because public cynicism has been cultivated in such a way that people think there is nothing they can do about it.



posted by Andrew Bartlett @ Sunday, January 30, 2005 Permalink
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