Shire to fly the White Ribbon flag

FLAGS are back on the agenda at the Surf Coast Shire, with the second of the new flagpoles to make its debut in support of White Ribbon Day.

Councillors resolved at their meeting on Tuesday to fly a White Ribbon flag on the Pond flagpole outside the Civic Centre in Torquay North for the entire month of November.

The Pond flagpole was put up at the Civic Centre’s front entrance after a council resolution in June to “periodically fly flags (on the pole) relating to issues of community significance as determined by council through resolution or approved council policy”.

It was installed at the same time as the nearby Front Lawn pole, which the council specifically to set up to fly the rainbow flag continuously in support of the shire’s LGBTIQ community.

The two flagpoles were installed to end an occasionally divisive debate between councillors themselves and the wider Surf Coast community about whether the shire had the mandate to fly the rainbow flag at all, and the rainbow flag’s precedence in relation to other flags (such as the Australian and Aboriginal flags).

White Ribbon is the world’s largest movement of men and boys working to end men’s violence against women and girls, promote gender equality, healthy relationships and a new vision of masculinity.

The Surf Coast Shire is an active participant in White Ribbon programs, organises community events and communication campaigns about the issue, and achieved White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation this year.

The shire regards White Ribbon Day as a Level 1 event (the highest category) on its event calendar.

White Ribbon Day is observed nationally on November 25 each year, and the shire’s community event for 2017 is a White Ribbon Cricket match at Spring Creek Reserve on November 26.

Cr Martin Duke said the shire’s annual White Ribbon gatherings – which have included human White Ribbon symbols at Cosy Corner and at Banyul-Warri Fields – were one of its biggest events for the year, so it was very appropriate to fly the White Ribbon flag in a highly visible location.