Indigenous flag will fly
Govt has funding for Bagot Rd project, says Ah Kit
NAIDOC Week celebrations have sparked renewed calls to permanently fly the Aboriginal flag at the Bagot Rd overpass.
Currently there are two flagpoles on either side of the Stuart Highway permanently displaying the Australian national flag and the Northern Territory flag.
First Nations Union NT organiser Wayne Kurnoth said for three years supporters had been lobbying the NT Government to fly the Aboriginal flag at the site, in what he said would be a step towards reconciliation and acknowledgment.
“The indigenous union network put up a motion in 2016 and the government shelved it for a while,” Mr Kurnoth said.
“Then we did a petition and got hundreds of signatures at the Barunga Festival last year.
“It’s sort of a similar push to what’s going on in Alice Springs with Anzac Hill at the moment. We want the Aboriginal flag to fly here for all to see. It would be a good acknowledgment.
“Darwin has a large Aboriginal population and it’ll bring us together more.
“The older mob that have been in Darwin for years would have loved to see that.
“I honestly thought something like this would be easy to do but I suppose it’s not high on their priority list right now.
“We’re still waiting on an official announcement from the government if they are going to do it or not but we’ve got to start putting on that pressure.”
Member for Karama Ngaree Ah Kit said the government would commit to funding building a third flag pole at the overpass for the Aboriginal flag.
“The Territory Labor Government recognises the cultural significance of flying the Aboriginal flag at the Bagot Rd overpass in acknowledging the indigenous history of the Northern Territory and the Larrakia people as the traditional custodians of Darwin.
“We are working on getting this done with a tender due to be released in the coming months,” she said.