A newly elected One Nation MP has declared he will display indigenous flags in his offices, despite party leader Pauline Hanson’s long-standing opposition to the practice.
Federal MP for Farrer David Farley, who earlier this month became the first One Nation candidate to be elected to the House of Representatives, also said he was prepared to embrace the ABC after the national broadcaster was banned from media conferences and events during his campaign.
Mr Farley was asked by The Border Mail on Thursday about whether he would exhibit aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags in his offices in Albury and Griffith in the NSW seat, which is the largest in the state and was previously held by dumped ex-Liberal leader Sussan Ley.
“We all live in three worlds, we live in the world of our forefathers and those that came before us, we live in the presence today and we live in the future,” he said.
“I hope that we in today’s world are preparing the future, in preparing that future we will be bringing every Australian along with it – aboriginal, Torres Strait Islanders and new immigrants, so in answering the question off the top of my head it will be a yes.”
Mr Farley’s statement puts him at odds with Ms Hanson, who has strongly opposed the indigenous flags being displayed in parliament, previously saying “I think it’s wrong and it should not be allowed” and “we should be united under the one flag, the Australian flag”, and with a local council.
Federation Council, which stretches from Corowa on the Murray River on the Victorian border to Urana in the Riverina region, voted 5-4 late last year to stop displaying indigenous flags in its chambers in Corowa and Urana and on flagpoles, and for “welcome to country” performances to require approval.
Then in March a heated council meeting, which was disrupted by far-left activists who accused the mayor of racism and shouted abuse, ended up deadlocked 4-4, but the non-Australian flags were removed anyway as there had never been a formal resolution to display them.
At the time of the 2021 Census Federation Federation Council was 2.3% non-indigenous, while Farrer was 4.9% indigenous.
Mr Farley, who was pre-selected by One Nation despite previously donating to the Labor Party and campaigning to fill abattoir jobs with Indian immigrants, caused controversy during the campaign when he declared that immigration was not too high, before winding back his comments a day later.
One Nation’s preselection process came under scrutiny again last week when newly elected South Australian MP Jason Virgo confirmed he was homosexual in his maiden speech, and cried as he thanked his Indonesian Muslim boyfriend and declared “I love migrants”.
