Close crop to blame in Albanese false flag claims

Matthew Elmas Published September 19, 2025 at 9.00am (AWST)

fact check

A close crop is being used to suggest the prime minister appeared without the Australian flag. (Image: AAP FactCheck)

WHAT WAS CLAIMED

Anthony Albanese delivered a speech without the Australian flag behind him.

OUR VERDICT

False. The flag is to the prime minister's right, just outside the frame of the closely cropped image.

AAP FactCheck - Images showing Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaking at an event in front of First Nations flags but no national flag are a victim of perspective.

The image is closely cropped, so the Australian flag hanging behind Mr Albanese as he delivered a speech opening federal parliament in 2022 isn't visible

The image has been shared widely by social media users claiming the Australian flag was absent behind the prime minister.

"I've had a gut full of this BUMBLING SOCIALIST BOOF HEAD!" the image's misspelt headline begins.

The photo shows Mr Albanese delivering a speech in front of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags with the headline "Where is my flag?".

An image of the Prime Minister in front of the national flag. — *The national flag is visible in differently angled shots of Mr Albanese at the time. (Image: Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)*

The image and caption have been around for several months, first appearing on social media in April 2025.

The original image is from a speech Mr Albanese gave in July 2022 to open the 47th parliament, after Labor won the election earlier that year.

The image appears to be the opening shot from a video of the speech, which was published widely, including by Nine News, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

The close crop in the video means only the First Nations flags are visible, but other photos and video from the event clearly show the Australian flag displayed to the prime minister's right.

A video of the speech posted on Mr Albanese's Facebook page includes an opening shot of the prime minister standing in front of all three flags.

Multiple photos taken by media organisations at the event, including Australian Associated Press (AAP), clearly show all flags displayed.

One AAP photo of the event appears to show just the Aboriginal and Australian flags, with no Torres Strait Islander flag visible, demonstrating how images shot from different angles and with certain crops can make it seem one of the flags is missing.

Matthew Elmas - AAP FactCheck