Melbourne and Sydney to Fly Aboriginal Flag Permanently Atop Iconic Bridges

The Aboriginal flag is seen alongside the Australian flag on top of the Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia on January 26, 2022. Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Australia’s Victorian state government will fly the Aboriginal flag permanently atop Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge to recognise its importance as a symbol of unity, identity, and resilience for Aboriginal people in Victoria.

This comes less than a month after the New South Wales Government announced the iconic flag would be flying atop Sydney Harbour Bridge by the end of the year.

For the past four years, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags have flown on a rotational basis on the West Gate Bridge during Reconciliation and NAIDOC weeks. The latter of which is currently being celebrated.

NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) week is held annually in July and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ history, culture, and achievements.

At the conclusion of this year’s NAIDOC week on July 10, the Aboriginal flag will remain on the bridge, with work currently underway to look into the feasibility of flying the Torres Strait Islander and Victorian state flags next to the Aboriginal and Australian ones.

Roads minister Ben Carroll and treaty and First Peoples minister Gabrielle Williams announced the new flag arrangement on Monday after receiving permission from traditional owners.

Carroll said in a release on Monday that the West Gate Bridge is one of Melbourne’s most visible landmarks, and thousands of motorists who use the bridge daily will now be able to see the Aboriginal flag flying proudly above the city.

“We are continuing work looking at how we can also fly the Torres Strait Islander and Victorian State flags above the West Gate Bridge at some point in the future,” he said.

The West Gate Bridge is seen in Melbourne, Australia, on August 26, 2020. Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation chairperson Kelly Lehmann said, “The Aboriginal flag represents inclusiveness, recognition and respect, and having it flown permanently atop the West Gate Bridge demonstrates this commitment to Aboriginal communities in Victoria.”

Aboriginal Flag to Fly on Sydney Harbour Bridge by End of the Year

The New South Wales (NSW) government has pledged to have the Aboriginal flag flying atop Sydney Harbour Bridge by the end of the year.

NSW premier Dominic Perrottet said on June 19 that flying the Aboriginal flag alongside the Australian and NSW state flags was a meaningful gesture and part of the state’s Closing the Gap initiatives.

“Our Indigenous history should be celebrated and acknowledged so young Australians understand the rich and enduring culture that we have here with our past,” he said.

“Installing the Aboriginal flag permanently on the Sydney Harbour Bridge will do just that and is a continuation of the healing process as part of the broader move towards reconciliation.”

The flagpole will be approximately the height of a six-storey building at 20 metres high, while the flags themselves are around  9 metres by 4,5 metres, requiring an attachment strong enough to withstand all possible weather conditions.

The government announced the project would cost $25 million, which Perrottet has agreed to review after backlash over the exorbitant price tag.

He told 2GB radio on June 20 that all three flagpoles on the bridge will need to be replaced, the construction is complex, and there are heritage concerns to deal with, but he agreed that the cost was “pretty ridiculous and outrageous”.

“I was surprised by it, and I'll be sitting down and going through line by line to make sure the taxpayers of NSW get value for money,” Perrottet said.