A fresh bid for the daily flying of the Indigenous flag in Millicent will be made when Wattle Range Council meets in Millicent tonight.

Letters of support will be tabled from Millicent residents Lisa McCourt and Terry and Jenny Bishop and there will be a deputation from Robyn Campbell, from the Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation in Mount Gambier.

Furthermore, a formal notice of motion to this end has been lodged by Mayor Des Noll.

He had urged his council to change its flag-flying policy at the November monthly council meeting but the status quo prevailed.

In his submission to tonight’s meeting, Mayor Noll has strongly advocated for the indigenous flag to fly outside the council chambers.

“As Mayor, I am the elected voice for this local government and for all people who live within it,” he said.

“To demonstrate inclusiveness for all, we need to fly the Aboriginal flag daily during business hours.

“The Aboriginal flag has become a symbol of enduring Aboriginal strength, representing Aboriginal people (First Nations People) and their ongoing spiritual connection to the land.

“In view of the flag’s wide acceptance and importance in Australian society, the Commonwealth of Australia took steps in 1994 to give the flag legal recognition.

“Aboriginal Elder Harold Thomas, a Loritja man from Central Australia, designed the Aboriginal flag in 1971.

“It was created as a symbol of unity and national identity for Aboriginal people during the land rights movement of the early 1970’s and the flag continues to do that.

“The Aboriginal people respect and value their flag, living their life of culture under their flag.

“Some say all Australians (including Aboriginal people) should live under the traditional Australian flag as we know it.

“Aboriginal people see this flag representing an invasion of their people by Europeans.”

Mayor Noll said if he was of Aboriginal descendant, he would be “extremely hurt and feeling excluded by my community, with my people’s flag not being flown and recognised by local government”.

“As a community we all need to be part of the solution, not the cause of exclusion,” he said.

“The Wattle Range Council has the core value of embracing and recognising diversity within our communities.

“The financial cost is not a factor.

“I encourage all elected members to further unite our community and carry this motion for what it truly stands for.”

In her letter, Ms Bishop said the local Boandik people had suffered horrendously from colonisation in this area.

Ms Bishop said she was honoured to be a part of the flag party at three Anzac Day commemorations at Beachport and she flew the Indigenous flag.