A powerful trade union has called on the Labor Party to change the Australian flag, arguing the Union Jack on it is a symbol of ‘oppression’ and colonialism.
The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) issued the demand in its Union Blueprint for Action, released ahead of Labor’s national conference in Adelaide this week.
In a section titled ‘Solidarity with First Nations Peoples’, the union set out four actions to advance Indigenous recognition and address the legacy of colonialism.
The third point specifically calls for the removal of what the union labels ‘symbols of oppression’, including the Union Jack on the national flag.
‘We need to strip away the constant reminders of the old ruling class and colonial empire,’ the document says.
‘Symbols of oppression, like the Union Jack on our flag and offensive colonial statues, must be removed from public life.’
The blueprint says Australia should no longer publicly celebrate symbols linked to the dispossession of Indigenous Australians.
‘A fair country should not celebrate the very symbols used to commit violence and dispossession against its First Peoples,’ the document says.
The AMWU argues that the Union Jack on the Australian flag is a ‘symbol of oppression’
The AMWU is one of Labor’s most influential affiliated unions, with several federal parliamentarians among its members.
Those affiliated include Industry and Innovation Minister Tim Ayres, NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister, and senators Ellie Whiteaker, Nita Green and Anne Urquhart.
The document also urges the Albanese Government to fully implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart, including an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, treaty-making and truth-telling processes.
Australians overwhelmingly rejected a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament at the 2023 referendum.
Nearly 60 per cent of voters opposed the proposal, and it failed to gain a majority in any state, with only the ACT returning a majority ‘Yes’ vote.
The union goes on to argue that, while modern Australians were not directly responsible for past colonial actions, they still live within the structures those governments created.
‘While working class people today did not commit these colonial crimes, we inherited the system that emerged from them. A system that favours the rich and powerful,’ the document says.
‘We therefore inherit the obligation to fix its biggest wrongs.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured) will address the Labor National Conference later this week in Adelaide
Labor’s National Conference, which begins on Thursday, will be the party’s first since its landslide federal election victory last year.
Held roughly every three years, the conference brings together Labor MPs, party members and affiliated unions to debate policy and help shape the party’s future direction.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is understood to be keen to keep the gathering focused on the government’s agenda and avoid divisive internal disputes.
Party leaders are working behind the scenes to minimise potential flashpoints, particularly around contentious issues such as the AUKUS defence pact and the conflict in the Middle East.
The conference is expected to provide a key platform for Labor to set priorities for its second term in government while managing competing demands from unions and party factions.
