“What is it that offends us when the Australian flag is burnt?”
Let’s find out shall we. What about I round up a seething mob and take them to the Lakemba mosque. Once the mob has assembled I deliver a speech denouncing our government’s dealings with Lebanon and in particular the free hand that country’s government gives to Hezbollah. The mob then produces a few official flags of Hezbollah and Lebanon and we torch them. All of this done under the aegis of our treasured freedom of political speech. There wouldn’t be enough police to handle the riot.

People who lecture on the aridites of the law are truly lost when they try to understand emotions, passions and other human feelings. And the legal club isn’t immune from expressing its version of outrage. It is very quick to slap a contempt of court fine on those who test the theory of freedom of political speech when done inside the court. As a matter of fact one person was locked up for 27 months because he wanted to use his freedom to remain silent when he was in court.

Perhaps we should allow flag-burning or the burning of effigies but such action should guarantee the right to retaliate by the group that takes offence. If the original action was carried out by a group of uni students (at the urging of the uni lecturers) a mannequin with its head filled with sawdust should be torched on uni grounds, just outside the chancellor’s office. I’m sure no one would take offence.

The briefest and most accurate definition of the noun, flag, is a ‘signal or indicator’, and some of us get a little carried away by such an ordinary piece of cloth. The Australia Flag is our ID, and we should be proud of what goes on ‘under’ the flag rather than of the flag itself.

Whether or not flag burning should be illegal in view of the very few instances of the practice is irrelevant because, to date, neither of the major parties seems interested in making it so. Further, there are many Australians who think that flag burning is part and parcel of what it means to live in a democracy. I am not one of those Australians who think that way; seeing the flag burnt makes irritates me mightily. But, should it be an ‘offence’ punishable by law?

No, it should not. The few people who have burned their own flag in Australia are to be pitied, perhaps helped, rather than punished. You need to be in a very bad way to think that burning a flag – or any other inanimate object – will help get what you want.

Flag burners are at the bottom of the heap

It seems bizarre that one would want to burn our flag considering what it stands for.

Indeed, it is only because of what this, as well as other flags with European heritage, that allows this discussion to even take place.

As the post above stated, could you burn even a flag of immoral terrorists like Hezbollah, who deliberately slaughter innocent Israeli's while cowardly firing it's Iranian made rockets from behind it's own women & children?

Get real. This country is paradise. There is no need to burn our flag, I can think of all but a dozen or so flags that deserve to be burnt, but not ours.

This sort of religious thinking of leftists who somehow believe they have the moral high ground, while mixing with bigoted Islamic leaders at functions denouncing the Iraq war, are laughable.

Why not have a Saudi Arabian flag burning kit? This is a nation that doesn't even give females birth certificates, won't allow women to drive cars for fear it may lead to prostitution, where Christianity is illegal, and much much more that would make you want to burn their flag.

Honestly, what is it about Australia you believe warrants such behaviour?

Is it really that you're having a stroke about "the ethnic other" and are reacting in a nihilistic way towards your own culture?

Would the author see the burning of the aboriginal flag as racist (thus being against the law) or is that different?

BURNING THE FLAG...should be illegal.

Protesting what goes on under it, should not.

A national flag is the absolute epitomy of all that a nation aspires to and is. There is no more intense symbol of the nation. To burn it, is to become a traitor, and is deserving of the burner being 'burnt'.

If people don't wish to live under that flag, GO ELSEWHERE.
If they don't have the energy or will to PROTEST and fight politically for a better nation, then SHUT UP.

We should always remember, that those who burn our flag, do so from the viewpoint of OUTSIDE interests. This would apply to the Socialists who are connected to "World wide socialist Revolution" and to Muslims who are connected to "The world and all that is in it belong to Allah and his messenger".

Sunni Muslims protest because 'their' mob has lost its privileged powerful position on top of the Shia's... lets ALways remember, some protests are simply about sour grapes at lost toys. Sunni Muslims don't see an Iraq which includes Shia and Kurds from what I see, or if they do, they only see them as to be downtrodden under the Sunni Gestapo Jackboots.

Sunni insurgents are our enemies. NO ONE can give comfort or support to our (listed) enemies, thats the LAW. It includes Hamas, Hezbollah, and should include 'Shura Council' of Iraq and similiar bodies.

Burning our flag seems to me, to be tantamount to showing your wife of 30 years your marraige certificate, spitting on it, then ripping it up, then burning it and spewing forth with invective of the most callous kind, and after all that.. displaying your new trophy mistress 20 yrs younger than your wife.

Protest.. yell, scream.. jump up and down, hold lawful signs, march in the streets.... wave banners.. but don't...repeat DON'T burn our flag !

Burn pictures of the prime minister... the health minister... the treasurer... beat the crap out of their efigies... but the flag ? nope..sorry. Not negotiable to me.

Interesting take boaz. Few would argue that it is okay to burn the flag.

I don't like it either. I don't really see the point and I think you can probably find more effective means of protest.

But jail terms? here's where I have a problem.

The flag burning is merely a means for protesters to get attention. Most competent protest organisers wouldn't want to open that can of worms, but then again, if your cause is being ignored it would be effective.

So I can see why someone might to it. In response, I would hope that whoever did so was shamed. I'd hope that they'd be crucified in the media, and there would be plenty of people showing their disgust in non-violent means.

But I would hope that there is no jail term. Something like this should only be judged before the court of public opinion.

The flag is a symbol of patriotism. It's up to ordinary Australians to uphold that. If we need our government to do that, then perhaps we don't deserve the flag in the first place.

It's easy to say 'lock them up!' for desecrating the flag.
It's much harder to rouse people from their apathy and get them involved in things that really matter.

Australia isn't about jailing those who do things we don't like. At least, I hope it isn't.