Australian flag above parliament will have a hole in it for two more days

The Australian flag will fly above Parliament House with a gaping hole in it for up to two more days before being replaced.

Coalition MPs this week lamented the damage to the giant Australian flag, and casual observation reveals that the fabric is fraying badly at the edge.

Speaker Milton Dick explained on Wednesday that the flag was usually changed every month, but wild weather prevented this from happening safely.

The flag lasted an extra week, suffering from the elements, and when it finally hardened enough to replace it, the equipment broke.

Mr Dick informed parliament of the situation on Thursday, revealing that it would take up to two days to resolve the issue.

“I understand and recognize the importance of the Australian national flag. I am pleased to report that the process has been accelerated to replace the flag,” he said.

“Weather permitting, protocols will be put in place to replace the flag within two days.

“Moreover, alternative options and contingencies for this will occur again sometime in the future.”

Controversial Senator Lidia Thorpe used the torn state of the House of Parliament flag on Wednesday to scrutinize Australia’s history.

Senator Thorpe, a frequent critic of Australia’s system of government, which she sees as a colonial tomcat hostile to Indigenous people, referred to The Queens as “Her Majesty’s colonizing” when she took her oath of office last year.

“Isn’t it appropriate that the colonial flag has a gaping hole?” she wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan complained about the state of the flag on Wednesday and demanded Prime Minister Anthony Albanese fix it.

“Parliament today sits under a flag waving above the parliament building with a gaping hole in it,” he said.

“I hope Prime Minister Anthony Albanese can fix this…we should be proud of our institutions, we should be proud of our parliament and we should be proud of our flag.”

Albanian is on a plane to India for a three-day business and security trip with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but President Milton Dick and Senate President Sue Lines vowed to resolve the flag issue.

“The national significance and importance of the Australian flag cannot be overemphasized,” they said.

“We are aware of the unacceptable state of the current Australian flag flying over Parliament House.”

High winds and thunderstorms prevented the flag change last week, as it normally would, and suffered from the elements

Their joint statement explained that the flag is usually changed every first Wednesday of the month from a rotating flag shed.

However, strong winds and thunderstorms prevented the flag from being changed last week, as usual, and suffered from the elements.

“Changing the flag is a dangerous and complex undertaking due to the sheer size of the flag and the high winds at that altitude,” they explained.

‘Weather conditions must be favorable to allow for a safe changeover. The recent weather conditions posed an unacceptable risk to the safety of personnel replacing the current flag.

“When the staff had a chance to safely climb the pole, the lift mechanism experienced a mechanical failure.”

The pair said the elevator was undergoing urgent maintenance and the flag would be changed as soon as possible.

Mr. Tehan’s response seemed to lack understanding of the security issues.

“I hope their long list of excuses for the poor state of the current flag won’t delay this. Let’s also hope we don’t experience this again,” he said.

Parliament House’s massive flagpole is 81 meters long and the flag itself measures 6.4 meters by 12 meters – taller than a double-decker bus tilted on its side.