Senator Nampijinpa Price talks to Danica De Giorgio on The Kenny Report, Sky News

3 September 2025

Subjects: National Flag Day; The Greens and Labor dividing our nation; reviving national pride.

E&OE……………

DANICA DE GIORGIO:
Well today is National Flag Day celebrating the first time the flag was flown on the 3^rd of September 1901. And I think this celebration is more important than ever. What sort of a country do we want to live in? It's something that I have asked myself many times since October 7, 2023 – because week in, week out, these anti-Israel protests bring shame to Australia and the Australian flag has been replaced on the streets by the Palestinian flag and those of terror groups. Now at the weekend, thousands marched for Australia waving the Aussie flag so proudly, wanting to take their country back and call for lower migration. And of course, right on cue, they were labelled racist. Why? Because a small number of neo-Nazis rocked up and were booed by the crowds, by the way. The majority there were everyday Aussies who are proud of their country and are so sick of it being eroded. So how do we go from being proud to raise the flag for the first time in 1901, to now being called a racist, a bigot or a xenophobe in 2025 if you do the same? Now Indigenous Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has used the day to call for flag burning to be criminalised and to launch a passionate defence of our national symbol.

[Excerpt]

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
Today is National Flag Day. When one understands the history behind our national flag, when one values its symbolic weight, it's beyond comprehension that the burning of our national flag is not a criminal offence. Like most Australians, I was appalled by the footage of pro-Palestinian protesters burning our national flag in Melbourne on Sunday 3 August. That event coincided with a disruptive, disgraceful and divisive rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

[End excerpt]

DANICA DE GIORGIO:
But Surprise, surprise, the mere sight of the flag upset the Greens today.

[Excerpt]

SENATOR NICK MCKIM:
And I do want to make the point that if it's okay for Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to wrap herself in this flag, I would intend to wrap myself in a Palestinian flag and come into the chamber and exercise the same rights that Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is currently exercising.

[End excerpt]

DANICA DE GIORGIO:
I mean, what an absolute disgrace. Now, look, not one to back away from an argument, Senator Price quite rightly hit back at the Greens' hypocrisy.

[Excerpt]

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
So disappointing from the Greens. But also so typical. You can wear a keffiyeh in here. Perhaps you should remove that article from you whenever you walk through these chambers for the benefit of all Australians in this country. Yes, snark all you like. It's revolting. You don't love this country the way I do certainly not like most Australians do.

[End excerpt]

DANICA DE GIORGIO:
And let's bring in Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price now, the Shadow Minister for Defence Industry, she joins me from Canberra. Senator good to see you. Thanks so much for joining me. Look, good on you for taking a stand on this today. I've got to ask you, firstly, what did you make of the Greens response?

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
Oh, it's typical. It's disgusting of the Greens. They're so anti-Australian. I mean, you know, Senator McKim was complaining that if I was going to wear the Australian flag on National Flag Day, of all days, then, you, know, why can't he be wearing, coming in, draped in a Palestinian flag? I mean this is the Greens for you. They care more about other countries than they do our own country. They're part of the reason why our country sees so much division right now. And you know what? I will stand up for Australia all the time. I love this country. We should be able to wear our Australian flag. I'm going to get a dress or something like that made out of the Australian flag and wear that into the Senate next time around. Because the Greens come in, they pontificate, they bring in props all the time including dead fish, for crying out loud. And they want to complain about me wearing the Australian flag.

DANICA DE GIORGIO:
It just doesn't make any sense. And it brings me to my next question: why are the left tying themselves in knots of guilt over the Australian flag? I mean, you know, Nick McKim, the Greens, for example, but I think we are really at a crossroads in this country because if you wave the Australian flags, suddenly you're now a bigot, you're a racist. I mean look what happened over the weekend with those marches. How did we get here?

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
I know. Look, I mean, this has been going on for some time now. And I think, you know, and Australia Day is an example of those that want to see this country, you know, brought down. Australia Day – we've seen this growing anger toward the day; the day that most Australians want to celebrate. And because of that, I think that we've come to this point where, somehow, we're not allowed to be proud of our Australian flag. I mean I tell people I love it every year, driving around Australia over the Christmas period and seeing that the Australian flag is being flown more and more from people's homes. And we've got to get back our national pride, our nation's pride. And what happened on the weekend was exactly that. This was a pro-Australian rally about those everyday Australians, sick to death of the left berating us for being proud to call ourselves Australian; for wanting to teach our children to be proud to call themselves Australian. And we need to continue on with that sentiment because our country needs it now more than it ever has.

DANICA DE GIORGIO:
Oh look, I completely agree with you. We really, really need that camaraderie that we once had when we first raised the flag, as we know, back in 1901.

Now look, you also spoke today about the Prime Minister's decision to stand in front of three flags at most press conferences. Let's take a look.

[Excerpt]

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
The Prime Minister's decision to stand in front of three flags isn't an act of respect. It's an act of disrespect. From disrespect comes division, from division comes disloyalty, and from disloyalty comes greater motive for desecration.

[End excerpt]

DANICA DE GIORGIO:
And I must point out, Senator, I am yet to hear personally any Labor MP come out today and recognise National Flag Day. I think it seems to be they're hiding away from it. But look, you raise a good point. Because you've got the Prime Minister standing in front of three flags. Well, I'm not aware that we have three flags. We have one flag. And that's our national flag.

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
Look, that's exactly right. I mean, as I've said before, in a global setting, we look confused. Are we three people, or are we one country, Australia? And what angers me also is the fact that, well, on this day, today, at the front of our parliament with our rows of flags, usually it's the three flags – the Australian, the Aboriginal, and the Torres Strait Islander flags – for the first time, because it's, wow, National Flag Day, we have just rows of the Australian flag until we get to the point where the grass is. And then it continues on with the three separate flags.

This should not be happening in our Australian Parliament – especially at a time when we're faced with, you know, the geopolitical circumstances that we're face with. We need to instil pride in our country and who we are as Australians, built, whether we're the first people, whether we come from convict heritage – which I certainly am and proud of – and whether we've come from migrant heritage, which, of course, my husband is and many also within my family. But we have built a nation to be proud of. And this is something we should be celebrating every day. Not just on National Flag Day, but every day. And we should have our flag flying proudly here at the front of our parliament without any other flag interfering with who we are as a country.

DANICA DE GIORGIO:
Look I completely agree with you. Now you've written a great piece today in The Daily Telegraph as well about penalties for people who do burn the Australian flag. I mean we've only just seen it recently in Melbourne which was an absolute disgrace. What are you calling for? What sort of penalties do you think would be appropriate?

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
Look, you know, in some cases a fine – depending on what the, you know, the act that takes place and the severity of it, and the conduct of the people who are burning the flag. But, you, know, I would propose even, you know, a short stint in prison, perhaps, for those who want to burn our nation's flag. And this is what, you know, I implore the Albanese Government to do, is to make it illegal to burn our nation’s flag. You know, other countries do it. And we be doing it too. But our Prime Minister is weak when it comes to leadership. He's weak when it comes to calling out terrorism in this country and those that wish to divide us, anti-Semitism. This is why we're faced with the situation that we're faced with. And he's had to recently expel the Iranian Ambassador because of what has occurred. Because on October 7, following October 7, he failed to call out the protest that took place at the Opera House. He failed to call that out. And this is why we've got the situation we've currently got now. So, it's about time this government stood up, made it illegal to burn our flag as a beginning measure – as a start. And start instilling some pride in our country Australia.

DANICA DE GIORGIO:
I agree. And jail them. And if you're not proud to be here, leave. You know, the door is open, off you go. Because this is a fantastic country. And, if you are not proud of it, see you later.

Jacinta Nampajimpa Price, really appreciate your time. Thanks so much for joining me on the show this evening.

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:
Thanks, Danica.