Friday, March 29, 2024

Gannawarra Shire Council adopts flag policy

Recent stories

Gannawarra Shire councillors have endorsed Council’s Flag Policy and accompanying Community Flag Schedule at its May 2023 Council Meeting.

The new policy governs the flying of flags outside the Kerang Council building and Garden Park, Cohuna and locations in the municipality where flags can be flown on a temporary basis, and the process to apply for a request to fly additional flags.

The policy was called for after two flag requests were made in 2022. 

Gannawarra Shire Council accepted a petition from 29 Gannawarra residents at the October 2022 Council meeting to fly the rainbow flag on May 17, 2023 for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).

At the time, controversy reared its head after Councillor Smith put forward an amendment to deal with the petition at the time of receiving it, raising the question of whether 29 signatures were enough for anyone to change the flag flown at Council. 

Cr Smith asked the question that if 29 people could come up and say we should fly the Nazi flag, would Council?

The comments created a stir with the Victorian Pride Lobby. Campaign lead for the Victorian Pride Lobby, Sean Mulcahy, said the comments were underpinned with homophobia, telling the ABC, “The comments from Councillor Garner Smith [are] incredibly disappointing and the kind of homophobia that underpins them has no place in society.”

The petition to fly the flag was later passed at the November meeting. 

A second petition was put forward to Council with 30 signatures, authored by myself (Lloyd). My petition titled ‘Fly the flag, be the change’ was to highlight a grave inequity and discrimination that existed, one based on what appeared to be fear and phobia more than logic or science.

The petition requested to fly a dove flag from Gannawarra Shire Council installations for reconciliation on International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2023.

Council shelved the request, citing the need for a flag flying policy. 

The day commemorates the 1948 UN General Assembly Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and I felt strongly that Gannawarra Shire Council had failed in its duty to ‘ensure our communities are welcoming and inclusive’, which is at the heart of The Gannawarra Shire Council Social Inclusion Strategy 2019-2023.

The lofty policy states ‘the Gannawarra Shire Council will continue to foster the spirit of inclusiveness’ and ‘Council will [should] seek to identify and remove barriers that people face – particularly those within the Council’s immediate sphere of influence’ and ‘Every individual is able to feel welcome in their community and have the opportunity to fully participate in all aspects of rural community life’.

What noble intent, so why did we have a minority in our community excluded from Council buildings, employment, libraries and services?

As a rate payer, it wasn’t your sexuality, your gender, your skin colour that determined this social exclusion. It wasn’t even your infection status that deprived these fellow humans, it was your vaccine pass.

Maybe I’m a duck that paddles the wrong way in the pond, but if I consider we have a non-sterilising vaccine that doesn’t stop transmission, PPE was present and the facilities weren’t testing for infection, where was the logic? Residents could go to the supermarket and co-mingle. The clean and the unclean, as opposed to the infected and uninfected because once again, we weren’t testing. Mind you, in the supermarket, equality was reserved for those who were spending their money, not those being paid, Covid-19 knew the difference. Much like sitting versus standing, or eating versus talking. 

If we are to apply values, morals or standards, should they not be applied universally and even when it is uncomfortable? 

The petition did make some people uncomfortable. One author, who penned to the Gannawarra Times, rationalised that calling for equity today was detracting from Second World War atrocities. 

Maybe it’s okay because the prejudice spewed was condoned by our political leaders, maybe it was okay if you were in the clean crowd. I’m sure history has no examples of how that plays out…

When it came to world war atrocities, I would often wonder how human beings could degrade to such a level where their fellow human was worthless. After witnessing the last two years, I realise it’s not that much of a stretch for the “burn the witches” or “cleanse the unclean” to bubble to the surface. It might have been the standing in line at the bank and listening to one gentleman describe how the unvaccinated should be lined up and shot, the political grandstanding promoting hatred, or the countless accounts I would receive of families or lifelong friends who now wished harm on their fellow human?    

The churches sat silent. Sorry, Jesus, your lepers are not worthy. International agreements and protective policies like The Gannawarra Shire Council Social Inclusion Strategy appear flexible.

For new applications, an application to fly an additional flag not listed in the Community Flag Schedule can be done by writing to the Chief Executive Officer. The application must indicate:

  • How the flying of the flag would recognise the social, inclusive, cultural, environmental, economic or historical matter of local, state and/or national significance that has a direct relevance to the Gannawarra Shire Council community;
  • What time period the flag is requested to be flown and the reason for the duration. Flags will not be permitted to be flown for longer than 7 days, unless Council resolves for the flag to be flown for a longer period of time;
  • Who will raise and lower the flag; and
  • If the occasion requires a mayor or councillor to be in attendance, and whether they are required to make a speech.

All requests to fly additional flags will be determined by Council resolution.

Any flag proposed to be flown must be provided by the applicant at his/her cost, be in good condition and meet appropriate dimensions noted in the Flags Act 1953.

Council will not enter into agreements to raise flags with parties:

  • That are involved in or encourage unlawful activities or causes;
  • That promote gambling, alcohol or tobacco products;
  • Who do not share Council’s views on promoting a diverse, tolerant and inclusive community;
  • That are associated with religious, political or extremist groups or which may incite unrest or ill-feeling within the community;
  • Whose purposes to display the flag requested for flying misrepresent the flag’s intent; or
  • That are for advertising purposes, unless it is for a Council related event.

Under the new guidelines, it seems unclear whether either of the flags would pass the new policy. 

The rainbow flag may fail on political grounds as the campaign driven by political group the Victorian Pride Lobby, who advocate for flying the rainbow flag as one of the five LGBTIQA+ priorities for Rainbow Local Government. 

The dove flag on the other hand might fail as it may incite ill-feeling or unrest within the community. Unrest and ill-feeling appear only acceptable when it aligns with Council policies.

The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper 25 May 2023

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 25 May 2023.

KEEP IN TOUCH

Sign up for updates from Australian Rural & Regional News

Manage your subscription

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

For all the news from The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, go to https://www.thebridgenews.com.au/