The Aboriginal flag has joined the Australian national flag this NAIDOC Week in Parramatta, following a recent City of Parramatta Council decision.
The latest council meeting saw Lord Mayor Donna Davis raise a Minute to call for support in raising the Aboriginal flag on the Parramatta River foreshore, a decision she felt was long overdue.
“The members of the council’s former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander committee had advocated for many years to have an Aboriginal flag flying in the city, It is present at our official ceremonies [but] it doesn’t fly anywhere in our city,” she said.
“I initiated this council resolution really as a mark of respect and acknowledgement and reconciliation.”
The Lord Mayor Minute received a positive response from fellow councillors, which Lord Mayor Davis believes “says it all.”
“We’re so proud of the Barramatagal people and as a council we’ve been leaders in terms of having an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander committee and engaging with the Dharug community,” she said.
The Aboriginal flag was officially raised on Monday and is set to fly on an ongoing basis down at the Parramatta River foreshore.
“Council officers are also going to provide further advice to the council on a future CBD location for both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag,” she said.
“At the moment, with all the works that are being done at Centenary Square and Town Hall, we don’t have our permanent flag poles there but when those buildings are refurbished we’ll have an opportunity to reinstate our flag poles there as well.”
The decision comes after the NSW Government revealed its plan to install a third flagpole to fly the Aboriginal flag on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, a project that comes with a controversial $25 million price tag.
Following the divided reaction to the cost of the Harbour Bridge flag decision, Cr Davis said the council have ensured flying the Aboriginal flag in Parramatta will have “minimal cost involved”.
“I’ve actually been working on this with staff over several months to ensure that we did have a flag pole and that we could actually achieve this, so it was really a coincidence that the Premier’s announcement came when it did,” she said.
“The focus here in Parramatta is actually on recognising our Burramattagal people of the Dharug nation and all First Nations people who live, work and visit our city and acknowledging the importance of their connection to land.”
Lord Mayor Davis said the recent Sorry Day ceremony, held at Old Government House, further reinstated the city’s understanding of the importance of acknowledging First Nations people.
“The number of people who attended on that day really does [show] that the population of Parramatta really do see this as an important thing,” she said.
NAIDOC Week will run until July 10.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.