Politicians have let activists desecrate our flag for too long and Aussies are fed up.

That’s the message from a poll just released by the Institute for Public Affairs showing a whopping 77 per cent of Australians believe it should be illegal to burn the flag.

63 per cent think flag-burners should face jail time.

And 71 per cent think non-citizens should be deported if they burn the flag.

You can understand why after some of the scenes at protests recently.

Our national flag is a unifying force. It represents all of us in Australia, no matter your background, colour, or creed.

While the right to free speech and the right to protest peacefully are part of our national character, Aussies understand physically burning a national symbol like this is a more serious issue than offering an opinion.

The IPA’s Daniel Wild puts it well:

“Australians have had an absolute gutful of radical activists burning the Australian flag. It is a wake-up call for our out-of-touch and weak political class – mainstream Australians want harsh consequences for the desecration of their flag.”

We have a political and media class devoted to dividing us and eroding our social cohesion.

So it’s no wonder Australians are returning to the things that unify us, and want to see destructive division dealt with.

The poll also reveals that young people want to see the flag respected, with three-quarters of Aussies aged 18-24 agreeing flag burning should be illegal, and 66 per cent wanting to see non-citizens deported for it.

This finding is a big boost for ADVANCE’s ongoing One Flag campaign effort to stop other flags like Indigenous flags and Pride flags being given equal standing with our national flag at official events.

You can sign on to the campaign here.