From ABC August 16, 2006
A federal MP is hoping a new petition will help convince his colleagues to change laws to make burning the Australian flag a punishable offence.
Bruce Scott tabled the petition of more than 3,000 signatures in Parliament yesterday.
Mr Scott says the petition was started after a socialist youth group sold flag burning kits at universities earlier this year.
He says the debate is timely as the country this week commemorates Victory in the Pacific (VP Day) and the Battle of Long Tan.
"We've got to make sure that our flag, the Australian national flag, our greatest national symbol, is protected from people who would see it desecrated or destroyed in anyway," he said.
Prospector said:Last night I was watching Ch2 which showed some US citizens tearing up the flag of maybe Palestine? as they wanted to rebuild a Temple that was the fundamental symbol of the Jewish people, but a Mosque was in the way and this would to be knocked down.
I felt really uncomfortable watching it, but not sure that making it illegal is the way to go. You kind of just hope that people won't do it, and maybe I am also living in fairyland too.
The same programme also showed a group of US mainly middle aged women on a boat in the middle of the sea of Galilee singing the US national anthem. Hands over hearts etc Weird!
noirua said:If a person burns the Australian Flag, in Australia, they should be deported. If they are an Australian citizen who burns the flag outside of Australia, they should not be allowed back in again.
Either you'r for or against Australia, and if you are against, get out or be booted out.
visual said:Noirua,the person who tried to burn down said mosque above was an Australian,he more than burned down a flag,had he succeded all hell would`ve broken loose,the Israelis deported him back to Australia who else was going to take him.
rederob said:What a curious petition.
We supposedly fought wars to have freedoms, and enjoy certain rights and privileges.
When Whitlam was sacked by Kerr, and without reference to the Queen, what reason would one have had to honour our flag? Who voted for Kerr?
If we don't want people to burn our flag, we need to give them cause to honour it.
I have only a modicum of respect for our federal government because they have done nothing to protect our weakest members of society, nor taken a stand on human rights issues.
David Hicks' dad probably wonders why so many Australians could be proud of our flag. He might not want to burn it. Yet if he did, I would support his right and understand his convictions.
Smurf1976 said:The words are something like "I may not agree with what you are saying, but I will forever defend your right to say it".
I don't like to see people burning the Australian flag but previous generations have fought wars to defend our right to freedom of speech. So if I see a flag on fire, I'll call the fire brigade and get them to come armed with hoses and water rather than calling the police and asking them to bring paddy waggons and lawyers with them.
Smurf1976 said:I'll call the fire brigade and get them to come armed with hoses and water
From ABC August 23, 2006
RSL welcomes flag burner's sentence
The New South Wales RSL has welcomed a decision by a magistrate to send a youth who burnt an Australian flag to meet with its members.
A 17-year-old has pleaded guilty to removing the flag from Brighton-Le-Sands and setting it on fire after the Cronulla riots last year.
In Bidura Children's Court yesterday he was ordered to undergo a youth justice conference with RSL members.
State RSL president Don Rowe says any apology from the youth will be accepted and the boy will learn an important lesson.
"I think he'd probably be fairly worried about talking to the diggers but they'll probably will tell him the facts of life and what the Australian flag means and the sacrifices made to defend our flag," he said.
"I am sure that he will get a lot out of it and be aware of what it means and will not do it again."
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