Premier Roger Cook accuses Liberal leader Libby Mettam of copying ‘toxic’ Dutton policy over Aboriginal flag

Premier Roger Cook has accused Libby Mettam of a “sad, desperate, cynical” attempt to win votes after the Liberal Leader vowed she will not stand in front of the Aboriginal flag at official press conferences if she wins the State election. Ms Mettam told The West Australian she intends to speak for all West Australians if she becomes Premier after March 8. “Only the State flag and the national flag achieve that,” she said. On Friday, Mr Cook called the comment divisive. “What a sad and desperate, cynical approach to try to attract a few miserable votes,” he said. “Political leaders are charged with the responsibility of uniting their community . . . and Libby is simply going about trying to bring the toxic culture of Canberra into Western Australia. “That’s not the way we do things here in WA. We don’t try to sow division, we don’t try and sow hatred.” He accused Ms Mettam of jumping on the “Peter Dutton bandwagon”, after the Federal Opposition Leader was the first to declare he would not stand in front of the Aboriginal flag in December. But Ms Mettam accused the Premier of sparking the debate, by declaring Mr Dutton unfit to be Prime Minister over his flag stance. “This is an attempt by Roger Cook to distract from his own failings,” she told reporters in Bunbury. “My comments are all about unity. We are talking about the national flag and the fact that there is one national flag. “We support a united country behind one national flag, the Australian flag, and I have deep respect for the oldest continuing culture which is the Aboriginal people.” Mr Cook disagreed with Ms Mettam’s comments about unity, saying her position was having the opposite effect, “What she’s actually doing is repudiating all those efforts over the last four or five decades to unite the community in an inclusive way, and reconciliation is an important part of that,” Mr Cook said. “She’s just trying to get on the Peter Dutton bandwagon of division and hatred, and it’s a sad and miserable effort from a desperate leader.” The Aboriginal flag was designed by Luritja man and artist Harold Thomas in 1971 and first flown in Victoria Square in Adelaide. According to Carroll and Richardson Flagworld, which owns the exclusive manufacturing rights, the flag colours represent the Aboriginal people of Australia, the sun and the red earth. It was recognised as an official “Flag of Australia” under the Flags Act in 1995.