During an interview with Sunrise, Dutton was pressed by presenter Nat Barr on whether he believed the Aboriginal flag should be flown atop the iconic bridge.
“You’re facing criticism after revealing you will refuse to put the Indigenous flag behind you, like Anthony Albanese has. You’re going to get rid of it on the Harbour Bridge too, according to Jacinta Price,” Barr said.
“The argument is how can you be united as a country if we’re asking people to identify under different flags? No other Western democracy does that,” Dutton responded.
“So, I believe very strongly we should have an enormous amount of respect for the Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander flags, but they are not our national flag. I want practical reconciliation. I want kids in Alice Springs to live in a safe environment.
“Is it going off the Sydney Harbour Bridge?” Barr pressed.
“We’ll work with the state government … and obviously, the state government has made a decision to put the flag up there, but for us, at a federal level, I’m not going to pretend that our country can be united when we’re asking people to identify in different ways.
“We have an incredible migrant story in this country. We should be talking more about it. Should be very proud of our Indigenous heritage. But I don’t believe that serving under three flags can unite the country.
“We have more social disharmony in our country today than we have for decades. I want to bring the country together. We can do that if we unite under one flag,” Dutton said.
Dutton conceded that whether the flag would stay on the bridge was “a decision for the NSW Government”.
The Aboriginal flag replaced the New South Wales flag atop the Harbour Bridge in 2022 under then-Liberal premier Dominic Perrottet and the Coalition state government.
The Opposition leader drew backlash earlier this week when he told Sky News he would never address the nation with all 3 of Australia’s flags behind him, saying the practice “divides people unnecessarily”.
During his time in opposition, Dutton has chosen not to have the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander flags behind him during public appearances.
