Concerns Mornington Shire’s Aussie Flag Policy Will Create Backlash For LGBTQ+ Community

A reworked version of the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s Flag Policy — about which flags are placed together on council buildings, flyers and communications, and whether the Australian flag is ‘culturally unsafe’ for certain communities — has prompted concern from LGBTQ+ advocates.

The draft policy was reported to include guidelines that the Australian flag may not be “safe” to be displayed prominently in certain settings, and allegedly cited that it is not “culturally safe” as Indigenous groups and the LGBTQIA+ community do not always feel represented by it.

But the Victorian Pride Lobby’s Rainbow Local Government campaign has told Star Observer that they have no issue with the Australian flag being flown alongside the Pride flag, and that policy that implies otherwise risks sparking “unhelpful debates” about the LGBTQ+ community.

After backlash, Mayor Anthony Marsh has now confirmed that the controversial policy will not go ahead for discussion on Tuesday, and will instead be reworked before being brought back to a future meeting.

Why did Mornington Shire rewrite their Australian Flag policy?

The newly written policy came about after recent local controversy over council flyers sent to local kindergartens that included the Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and the Progress Pride flags — but not the Australian flag.

The Daily Mail reported that it had “sparked outrage online”, citing one unnamed resident who shared the image of the flyer online with the caption, ‘Apparently the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council no longer consider us Australian.’

The Herald Sun reported that in early June, councillors directed staff to update the policy to ensure the Australian flag is given the “most prominent” placement on council materials and displayed wherever other flags appear, both in print and in physical spaces. But it also reportedly proposed that the Shire’s head of communications would have final discretion over whether to include the national flag in communications to diverse or marginalised groups.

Rainbow Local Government: flag policy creates “unhelpful debates” about LGBTQ+ community

The Victorian Pride Lobby Rainbow Local Government campaign has confirmed to Star Observer the group had no objection to the Australian flag being flown alongside the Pride flag.

“We have no objection to other flags, including the Australian national flag, being flown or displayed alongside the pride flag,” Dr Sean Mulcahy, spokesperson for the Victorian Pride Lobby’s Rainbow Local Government campaign, told Star Observer.

The Lobby is urging the Council to consider the potential consequences of framing community inclusion through divisive flag rhetoric.

“We are keen to ensure that the review of Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s Flag Policy does not open unhelpful debates about our community,” Mulcahy said.

This comes at a time when LGBTQIA+ communities across Australia and internationally are facing increasing backlash, including attempts to restrict visibility and symbolic representation. Advocates say that misrepresenting community concerns—particularly those of rainbow groups—as somehow opposed to national symbols only fuels unnecessary division.

Mornington Shire council pulls draft Flag policy, to be re-tabled later

The controversial policy will no longer go ahead for discussion in tomorrow’s council meeting, and will instead be tabled in a future meeting after being reworked, the council has confirmed.

“We are pleased that Mayor Anthony Marsh has announced that the draft Flag Policy will be pulled from tomorrow’s [Tuesday] Council meeting before being re-tabled at a future meeting,” said Mulcahy.

“When the Flag Policy returns in its revised form, it is important that Councillors understand the impacts on the community and ensure our community is treated with dignity and respect.”

Flying the Pride flag on public buildings has become an increasingly visible commitment from councils across Victoria, and the Lobby says they are want to see this continue in the Mornington Shire area.

“We are keen to ensure that the pride flag continues to be flown alongside other flags,” Mulcahy said.

When contacted for comment, a Mornington Shire Council spokesperson told Star Observer:

“The Flag Policy Update report scheduled for tomorrow night’s Council Meeting has been withdrawn. The report will be updated to remove any reference to exceptions and rescheduled for a future meeting.

“We have received community feedback expressing concern about the Australian flag being “banned” — this is incorrect. We remain committed to respectful dialogue on this issue.”