“Does not represent all that we are”: Council staff confiscate City of Sydney flag
Image: Clover Moore announced on Instagram that the City of Sydney flag will no longer be flown at Sydney Town Hall. Dan Himbrechts, AAP Image
by GRACE JOHNSON
Staff at City of Sydney have confiscated the council’s flag, dating back to 1908, with Lord Mayor Clover Moore saying the ensign “contains no acknowledgement of First Nations people.”
The mayor took to Instagram following the revelation, saying the flag “centres colonial maritime history, the impact of which is particularly poignant here in Sydney – the first site of invasion.”
The City of Sydney flag is made up of a horizontal triband of white, gold and blue. The top third of the flag features three designs: the arms of Thomas Townshend, Viscount Sydney, after whom the city was named; the English Naval Flag overlaid with James Cook’s arms; and the arms of the first Lord Mayor of Sydney, Thomas Hughes.
The remaining field of the flag depicts a ship at full sail, referencing Sydney as a maritime port.
Ms Moore declared that the flag will no longer be flown above Town Hall.
“The City of Sydney flies the Australian flag, Aboriginal flag and Torres Strait Islander flag,” she wrote on Instagram.
“Sydney’s history, particularly in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, includes events and attitudes that our current policies and initiatives need to redress.”
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Councillor Adam Worling commented, “Thank you Clover for swiftly pointing out the facts that this flag from 1906 does not represent the city we are today.”
A City of Sydney spokesperson confirmed to City Hub that they are in the process of commissioning a review of emblems and symbols in the Sydney Town Hall “to ensure that they accurately reflect the City’s aspirations and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage. ”
The Lord Mayor first called for a review into Sydney’s emblems and symbols in August 2022, in a motion which was adopted by council.
The City of Sydney’s flag was reportedly taken from Liberal Councillor Lyndon Gannon’s office after it was spotted in his background during a Zoom meeting last month.
Cr Gannon told City Hub he is “sick of people trying to cancel things.”
“Instead of spending the last 18 months fixing the rubbish crisis, the rat plague of Kings Cross, and the highly politicised NYE children’s fireworks, the City has gone around confiscating inoffensive symbols. It really boggles belief,” he said.
Council reportedly took the flag from his office when it was unoccupied. A spokesperson confirmed that “staff took the item for safe storage in the City’s civic collection.”
However, Cr Gannon said confiscating the flag was unnecessary.
“Old histories should not be burned or town down, rather they should be challenged and complimented with new ones,” he said.
“By confiscating the flag, the message being sent is that we should be ashamed of ourselves.”
