Ballarat City Council is moving ahead with a plan to approach the Governor General’s Office and request the Eureka Flag be proclaimed as a flag of Australia.
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The move would pave the way for steps to be taken to permanently protect the flag from use deemed inappropriate.
It followed months of debate surrounding a far right-wing political party’s plans to use the flag as its emblem.
Earlier this year, the anti-multiculturalism Australia First Party lodged its draft logo with the Australian Electoral Commission.
City leaders condemned the move amid fears it would align Ballarat with the party's controversial policies including wiping out multiculturalism and slashing immigration.
Cr Glen Crompton lauded the move to protect the flag’s use during the council meeting on Wednesday evening.
He said he found it "incomprehensible” steps had not already been taken to protect the flag from the threat of misuse.
His words were echoed by Cr Vicki Coltman who said immediate action was needed.
“A number of people and leaders in the community have indicated they would support us and lobby the Governor General on our behalf to get the flag protected,” she said.
The move was also supported by Cr John Philips who said the flag “belonged to everybody” not one single entity or political party. Cr Amy Johnson said while she had initially felt it was not the role of council to dictate the use of the flag, she supported the sentiments of the motion.
Several options to protect the flag have already been considered, including Trade Marks Act legislation, Copyright Act legislation or proclamation under the Flags Act 1953.
The council has deemed a proclamation to be the appropriate avenue, a move that may then allow for the publication of rules associated with the flag’s use.
The process is expected to take up to three months and cost under $10,000.
Ballarat Trades Hall secretary Brett Edgington told The Courier earlier this week his organisation supported moves to protect the flag via proclamation rather than using trademark or copyright.
“If they went down the trademark or copyright route, that would be a really slippery slope,” he said at the time. ““There would be a huge legal fight over who owned that trademark.”
Australia First claims the Eureka Flag is a symbol of Australian nationalism and identity, “raised in the struggle to eject...multiculturalism and alien mass immigration”.
Ballarat councillors unanimously voted in favour of pushing for a degree of protection of the Eureka Flag to remove the threat of improper or inappropriate use.