‘Removing flags doesn’t stop racism’: regional NSW council abandons plan to stop flying Aboriginal flag

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Douglas Smith Indigenous affairs reporterMarch 17, 2026 at 06:34 AM

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AI Summary

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Federation Council in regional NSW abandoned a controversial plan to ban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags after public consultation revealed strong opposition. The proposal, which also included restrictions on Welcome to Country ceremonies, received almost 700 submissions against it. Despite the council voting against the ban, the flags were temporarily removed from the council chambers in Corowa because their initial installation lacked formal approval. Councillor Derek Shoen proposed developing a reconciliation action plan with traditional owners, arguing that the current situation was divisive and that flags should be flown outside. Shoen's motion passed, but the flags remain removed until a formal resolution is made.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Newell Highway 40% Farrer 50% Bangerang 60% Wiradjuri 60% Corowa ×260% Urana ×260% Reconciliation Action Plan ×265% Cheryl Cook 70% Derek Shoen ×475% New South Wales 80% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags ×585% Federation Council ×390%

Keywords

aboriginal flag 100% council 90% reconciliation action plan 70% federation council 70% community consultation 60% traditional owners 50% tokenism 50% racism 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

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Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

New South Wales

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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aboriginal flag council reconciliation action plan federation council community consultation traditional owners tokenism racism

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