Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Pat Gorman has just appeared on Sky, urging respect for the Australian flag on National Flag Day.

Just like respect, you teach respect, you teach people how to be respectful of the flag, you teach them how to be respectful of our national symbols. That’s the appropriate course. I recognise that we need to respect the Australian flag.

Australians’ relationship with the national flag has always been complicated.

First and foremost, it’s one of the few national flags which includes another nation’s flag in its corner.

It’s a flag which represents only a tiny bit of this nation’s history.

And on the weekend it was effectively weaponised as a symbol of division in those silly little marches against immigration.