This was provoked by a well-meaning but needlessly inflammatory Facebook post on a local page. I thought a more considered comment would be better.
To those who find the flying of three flags divisive – they are not, they merely reflect our history of division. If we want to be united, we need to acknowledge our history and negotiate our way to a unity we have never had, as we whitefellas have been invited to do. So far we have not taken up that invitation.
Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (TSI) were here first and their claims to their Countries have never been ceded. The rest of us are the beneficiaries of a violent invasion (illegal even by the loose standards of the British Empire of the time).
The Aboriginal and TSI flags represent quite legitimate claims to be here, and the flying of them is about the least we can do to acknowledge their priority. Whitefellas (meaning all subsequent immigrants) are clearly not going away, so we are certainly here too, even if our presence is not legitimate.
In the Uluru Statement from the Heart the First Peoples of this land spelt out ‘the torment of their powerlessness’, insisted on their worth and dignity, and invited the rest of us to walk with them ‘in a movement of the Australian people for a better future’. That was not a divisive or threatening gesture, it was a very generous gesture, an invitation to acknowledge the past and then move on as one.
Some of us, including me, think we need to start again, and negotiate a treaty that establishes joint sovereignty over this land that we all care about. Notice I said ‘negotiate’, not ‘give away’. There is no cause to panic. The First People are not exactly in a strong bargaining position. We can sit down respectfully and look for an agreement that gives all of us respect and legitimacy. All of us. If you don’t like division, that is how we can overcome it.
And yes, let’s grow up and have only one flag, one that does not include the silly British flag in the corner.
Thrival Economics 