A grassroots protest is being organised to take place outside Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Rosebud office as tensions escalate over a controversial proposal that could allow unelected staff to block the display of the Australian flag on official materials.

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The protest, spearheaded by the Australian Peacemakers group, is set to begin at 6pm on Tuesday, 22 July, ahead of the 6.30pm council meeting at 90 Besgrove Street.

The demonstration is in response to a draft policy that could see bureaucrats override councillors and exclude the national flag from publications targeting certain community groups — citing “cultural safety” concerns.

According to the report scheduled for debate at the meeting, staff from the council’s communications team would be able to deny the inclusion of the Australian flag in materials directed at “Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Intersex or culturally diverse communities”.

Mornington Peninsula Shire Council replaced the Australian flag with a trans flag on KINDERGARTEN promotional material.

This isn’t inclusion — it’s the erasure of national identity and the promotion of radical gender ideology to little children.

Disgraceful. Full stop. pic.twitter.com/jcHrf5vIL7

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) June 3, 2025

“In these cases, it may be more appropriate to display only the flag or flags relevant to that audience,” the report states. “This supports cultural safety and respectful representation and may help avoid unintended impacts associated with broader flag use.”

The controversial clause would give final decision-making power to communications and engagement manager Randal Mathieson — a move that has alarmed councillors who voted last month to shift control of flag usage from staff to elected representatives.

“It is our national symbol, it should always be recognised, never overlooked,” said Councillor Bruce Ranken, who introduced the original motion on 3 June. That motion passed, declaring the Australian flag should be “most prominent” and that the matter be enshrined in a councillor-led policy.

Mayor Anthony Marsh backed the decision, saying, “The majority of councillors wanted a council-led policy that was explicitly inclusive of the Australian flag.”

But the latest report appears to reverse that stance, prompting community backlash and the planned protest.