"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...
By JAMELLE BOUIE Donald Trump knew as well as anyone that he had lost the 2020 presidential election fair and square. He knew there was no conspiracy to commit voter fraud — no mysterious mail bal...