Flag debate under fire
Anger continues over the timing of 60 Minutes' flag debate and now there is criticism of the way the event was staged by producers.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
60 Minutes‘ debate on the Australian Flag is now the subject of a debate in itself with participants angry over the behaviour of some.
Very little of the debate was actually included in Martin’s report.
Filmed at Leichhardt Town Hall recently, it looked like little more than a town hall meeting in itself. If this was a debate to represent opinions in the wider community it seemed poorly staged. Martin seemed to mostly stand on the sidelines as various opinions were given from behind a podium.
Where is Geoffrey Robertson when we need him? Even Q & A does debates better than this. If it was received well on the floor then it didn’t translate through the television set, with sound bites sandwiched in between interviews and background stories.
Today, Sydney Morning Herald notes the presence of the notorious neo-Nazi Ross ”The Skull” May has ignited charges that the producers deliberately stoked conflict.
Columnist Peter FitzSimons, said he was ”frankly shocked at the presence of people like Skull who brought something of a street-brawl atmosphere to what should have been a sensible debate.”
Other participants are blaming each other for poor behaviour in not allowing others to speak.
Where was the moderator when this supposedly happened?
Meanwhile Nine continues to come under fire for the timing of the debate. Ex-services organisations are indignant at Channel Nine’s decision to broadcast the debate on ANZAC Day.
A significant number of first-time posters also vented their anger on TV Tonight last night, no doubt indicative of a bigger trend:
Chrissy: Hands off the flag …shame on both you Ray and 60 Minutes on the timing of this. I refuse to look at it and won’t be watching 60 ever again as telephone calls are coming in saying it was a set up.
Alf: Ray Martin has no respect for serving and ex-service people raising this debate on ANZAC Day. I agree with a host of others, on your bike Ray. We have had enough of you – Channel Nine do yourselves a favour, and sack him!
Cathie: How dare you Ray Martin, bring this up today. I have lost relatives in the wars, my Grandfather was a war correspondant in WW2, and i know peolpe who are serving in the forces today. Today is for them, not you.
Karen: Shame on you Ray Martin, Everyone is entitled to thier opinion but your timing smacks first and foremost at total disresprect to our ANZACS and secondly of a failing celeb who wants airtime. Most of all shame on Channel 9 for giving it airtime. How dare you disrepect our heroes.
Rhonda: Isn’t it wonderful that we live in a democracy and a programme like this can go to air on Anzac Day! Hang your heads, programme department at Nine, that you would schedule this on this of all days.
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- Tagged with 60 Minutes, Q&A
46 Responses
Why don`t we just bite the bullet ,hoist a white flag as we are over run.
We have a flag The Australian Flag. I am an Australian and proud to be Australian. I wish all who live here and have Australian citizenship felt proud to be Australian and didn’t just use it for selfish purposes. I wish we were as proud of our Flag as the Americans and can only see this happening if we embrace it rather than continuing to argue over it. Our current Flag has travelled through the First and Second World Wars and been carried by many brave men and women. Let our nation take pride in our Flag and be united as one nation moving forward into the future, proud and strong.
update update update
Last night on UK Wipreout (sorry i like watching people falling in mud) they used the Kiwi flag twice when referring to Australia and this coming from the motherland. If they can’t get it right what hope do we have getting the rest of the world to recognise us !!!
A flag should be a universally recognisable symbol and we don’t have one that does it !
Canada once had the Union Jack on its Flag ’till it had the courage to change it. Now I recognise the Canadian Flag instantly by its Maple Leaf.
The Australian Flag is so easily confused with the NZ Flag, I am proud of the Union Jack but do not want it on the Oz Flag nor the NZ Flag.
I favour a Yellow and Green Flag for Australia and for NZ, a Black Flag with a White Fern Leaf. Let others know who we are and stop confusing them.
Michael
Any wonder we dont have any history in this country when people like you Ray and your angry sidekick( im not sure what frightened me more his twisted face or that stupid red thing he had on his head) constantly want to change everything , are we not allowed to feel comfortable because im sure alot of people that live in this country feel that way about our flag its what i no if it was pink with blue spots thats what it would be. There is some serious issues you could and should be addressing ,this flag is a huge part of who we are for goodness sakes get over it.
well again we come to this debate, Although the are strong arguments for both sides of the debate i believe that the flag should not be changed. The ANZACS did not fight for the flag persa, instead they fought for what it represents FREEDOM and an allegiance to the empire of England. Although our bonds with england are far from what they used to be, the flag depicts what are soldiers fought for. the argument that the flag does not represent everyone is rubbish. if Australian soldiers didnt stand up against the Japanese at png Australia would have been under attack and maybe taken over, with the reputation that the japanese had at that time, we wouldnt be having this debate we would have had to conform. the Aboriginies have a flag to represent them, the aboriginal flag does not need to be a part of the Australian flag. the Aboriginies have been living under the southern cross for thousands of years, this represents them. ps. ray martin put the debate on ANZAC day to get a reaction from the public, he succeeded.
Come on people – 60 minutes has been trash tabloid “journalism” for years. There’s very little of any substance or quality on the program and this segment on the “flag debate” just goes to reinforce this.
“Indigenous Australian culture is one of the oldest cultures in existence”
@ SJ
Thanks for that, at least for 40,000 years Indigenous people have been here. Before European settlement Australia was called by a different name but of course what you were referring to is right.
@Don. What do you mean the flag will only change “post baby boomers”? Bad news mate. The current flag is growing in popularity, amongst the youth. 15 years ago, you didn’t see huge number of youths walking around with it.
I like the flag it’s the most impressive flag, i know of. Those who say soldiers never fought under it,Are idiots. Even ww1 diggers fought under that flag. Instead of relying on idiots like Fitzsimons. Go google it. There are plenty of pics or film of the current Aussie flag, in ww1. As far as the design goes. Nothing could be more embarrassing than putting a kangaroo on it.
Go away Ray.
George Negus was and always will be the most respected original 60 Minutes reporter. From Dateline to 7PM he knows how to actually educate and entertain people. He’s a true natural and (to quote you Ray) a good Aussie bloke.
“Australia existed well before UK” prove it?
@ Andrew the Indigenous Australian culture is one of the oldest cultures in existence, they are the ones that started Australian history.
I can’t wait to see what bogan designs Australia comes up with for a new flag. The Union Jack needs to stay to remind the country of its history.
Its amazing what happens to a show when you take away the financial support. With Packer’s millions, 60 minutes was a powerhouse program leading the way in current affairs, both nationally and internationally. Now take a look at it – a staged debate on an outdated issue. Of all the great international stories they could have covered, they cobble together juvenile bogan rubbish like this. The 60 minutes reporter who knocked his own show a couple of years ago following the Sam Newman story must be biting his tongue today. These days its hard to know where 60 minutes finishes and ACA begins.
@ant – I agree with you. Frontline had the number on these tabloid hacks back in the mid 90s. The fact that they’re still pulling these stunts just proves the mainstream media will always sink to the lowest common denominator for ratings. Depressing to think that people still watch this trash.
Get over it people. As SJ said, it’s a piece of material that hangs on a pole. Australians have fought for a lot of things over the years – good, bad and just plain stupid – but a flag was never one of them. It’s just mindless patriotic symbolism.
Didn’t help them beat MC in the ratings.
Has Ray replaced the biggest star on our flag, were Australians consulted!
Could we have our star back please! LOL
UK existed before Australia and Holland/Netherlands existed before New Holland and England existed before New England and France existed before Quebec.
“Australia existed well before UK” prove it?
Oh, and i also hope that one day our flag will change, its ugly and stupid. and i hope our national anthem changes, it’s ugly and its stupid. Our anthem should be, “We Are Australian” not this Advance Australian BullCrap.
obviously people over 70 using the Internet.. Wow…. Hey Old people theres an invention we use, its called the Remote. Re-mote use it! No one is forcing you to watch 60 Minutes. So Get Over it and Move on.
I’m disappointed that so many people who want the flag retained, (as I do), refused to watch the Sixty Minutes segment. How can you comment on the opposing point of view if you refuse to listen or watch? I think the main thing I gained from watching is that Peter Fitzsimons is a dill! We know that the early diggers didn’t fight under the current flag, but one(s) which were current then. Australiua was settled as an English-speaking, Christian colony then became a federated country, that’s why the Union Jack is featured.