Anti-Labor critics riled up by false claim Australian flag banned on corrections officers' uniforms
- Published on June 2, 2026 at 06:02
- Updated on June 2, 2026 at 06:15
- 2 min read
- By Dene-Hern CHEN, AFP Australia
Corrections Victoria says no flags are permitted on prison officers' uniforms, contradicting a state opposition lawmaker's false claim that the guards are barred from wearing the Australian flag while the Aboriginal and LGBTQ flags are allowed. The department told AFP the uniforms include the Victoria State Crest, and they fly the national flag outside every prison.
"This flag is banned from the uniform of Corrections officers," says Brad Battin, a lawmaker from the opposition Liberal Party in Victoria, in a May 22 Instagram video while pointing to an Australian flag.
"These flags are not banned," he goes on to say, while pointing to an Aboriginal and an LGBTQ flag. He then questions why the Australian flag is "divisive" and why Corrections officers are banned from wearing it.
The clip has been viewed at least 218,000 times since it was uploaded to his account, where he has over 377,000 followers.
Similar posts appeared in anti-Labor Party Facebook groups, generating more than 1,000 shares, as well as on TikTok. Some have also attributed the supposed ban to Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan.
A comment on one of the posts reads: "They hate our country. Vote them out."
"Praying that @JacintaAllanMP loses both government and her seat in November," says another comment in reference to the coming Victoria election.
But Allan has neither banned Australian flags on prison officers' uniforms nor allowed other flags to be displayed.
This is not the first time the Victorian premier has been hit with flag-related misinformation -- in April, false claims circulated that she had displayed the LGBTQ and transgender pride flags, as well as the Palestinian flag, behind her during a press conference.
The Department of Justice and Community Safety, which oversees Corrections, told AFP that "no flags of any kind are approved for use as part of the Corrections Victoria uniform" (archived link).
"Our uniform insignia already includes the Victorian State Crest with the Crown, as is appropriate for a state entity," the spokesperson said in a May 28 email.
They added: "Corrections Victoria proudly flies the Australian flag outside every prison."
A recruitment video posted on the department's official YouTube page showed various examples of the officers in their uniform, with the Victoria State Crest displayed on the sleeves (archived link).
Battin did not respond to an AFP request for comment.
AFP has previously debunked other false claims surrounding flags displayed with Australian politicians.
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