They weren't included in discussion or voting on the issue of Federation. They were excluded from the life of the nation. The Aboriginal flag was first raised in the early 1970s - a period when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were beginning to mobilise politically to fight their exclusion from proper education, health care, housing and employment, and their exclusion from the land they had cared for over countless centuries. In recent years, many non Aboriginal government authorities, organisations and individuals have shown their support for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by raising their flags. For those who take an interest in the history of this country, who recognise its terrible legacy of injustice for indigenous people, the raising of the flag can be nothing but unifying and inclusive.
Official recognition provides a powerful symbol of reconciliation.
They obviously have significance for many Australians, but they are not Australian flags. The Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander flags are fair dinkum home-grown and genuinely and undeniably Australian. They grew out of the experiences and aspirations of Australians - the first Australian peoples. Many commentators seem incapable of grasping this undeniable truth. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were the original inhabitants, owners and occupiers of Australia - as recognised belatedly by the High Court's Mabo decision in 1992.