WA shire refuses to fly Aboriginal flag

A local government in regional Western Australia is refusing to fly the Aboriginal flag during NAIDOC Week, with the shire president saying it would be divisive.

The Shire of Carnarvon voted against flying the Aboriginal flag during the national week celebrating indigenous culture, with president Karl Brandenburg saying the Australian flag already encompassed all cultures.

"The building has to represent everyone holistically. I mean what do I do next, have a sporting club come in and say 'we've got a big sporting event on and we want to raise our flag'?" Mr Brandenburg told ABC radio on Thursday.

He stressed that his beliefs on country or cultural emblems were not reserved to indigenous Australia.

"The Yugoslav Club have their flag flying at their club and that's fine ... I have no problem with that," he said.

"I would have the same feeling for any entity from whatever nation that said 'can I have our flag flown at the shire offices?' because then it becomes them-and-us sort of stuff - it's divisive.

"I believe that we should be all one nation."

Indigenous Labor MP and opposition aboriginal affairs spokesman Ben Wyatt tweeted during the interview that he would send an Aboriginal flag to the Shire of Carnarvon.

National MP Vince Catania, who represents the North West Central electorate including Carnarvon, told the broadcaster he would do the same.