The Reading / Listening - Aboriginal Flag - Level 2

Australia has bought the rights to the Aboriginal flag. Now, anyone can use or fly the flag for free. The flag was owned by its designer, and a clothing company. Anyone who used the flag had to get copyright permission from them. Australia paid $20 million for the flag's copyright. Nova Peris, a former Aboriginal politician, led the Free the Flag campaign. She was very happy that the government bought the flag. She said: "The flag represents 50,000 years of history and it's a way of unifying…this country." She added: "It's a magical day for all Australians."

Indigenous artist Harold Thomas made the flag in 1971. He wanted Australia's indigenous peoples to have their own flag. It was used as a protest for indigenous rights. However, it became widely used and became an official national flag of Australia in 1995. The government said: "Over the last 50 years, we made Harold Thomas' artwork our own. We marched under the Aboriginal flag, stood behind it, and flew it high as a point of pride." He added: "In reaching this agreement…all Australians can freely display and use the flag to celebrate indigenous culture."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Aboriginal Flag - Level 0 Aboriginal Flag - Level 1   or  Aboriginal Flag - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/7593236/indigenous-advocates-welcome-freed-flag/
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-60120997
  • https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/free-for-all-copyright-for-aboriginal-flag-transferred-to-public-hands-in-20m-deal-20220124-p59qpb.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Australia has bought the rights
  2. The flag was owned
  3. get copyright permission
  4. a former Aboriginal
  5. the government bought
  6. The flag represents 50,000
  7. it's a way of
  8. It's a magical day
  1. years of history
  2. from them
  3. unifying this country
  4. by its designer
  5. for all Australians
  6. politician
  7. the flag
  8. to the Aboriginal flag

Paragraph 2

  1. have
  2. It was used as a
  3. it became widely
  4. We marched under the
  5. flew it high as a point
  6. reaching this
  7. freely display and
  8. celebrate indigenous
  1. of pride
  2. culture
  3. Aboriginal flag
  4. their own flag
  5. use the flag
  6. protest
  7. agreement
  8. used

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Australia has (1) ___________________ to the Aboriginal flag. Now, anyone can use or (2) ___________________ for free. The flag was owned by its designer, and a clothing company. Anyone who used the flag had (3) ___________________ permission from them. Australia paid $20 million for the flag's copyright. Nova Peris, a former Aboriginal politician, (4) ___________________ the Flag campaign. She was (5) ___________________ the government bought the flag. She said: "The flag represents 50,000 years of history and it's a way of unifying...this country." She added: "It's a (6) ___________________ all Australians."

Indigenous artist Harold Thomas (7) ___________________ in 1971. He wanted Australia's indigenous peoples to have their own flag. It was used (8) ___________________ for indigenous rights. However, it became widely used and became (9) ___________________ flag of Australia in 1995. The government said: "Over the last 50 years, we made Harold Thomas' artwork our own. We (10) ___________________ Aboriginal flag, stood behind it, and flew it high as a (11) ___________________." He added: "In reaching this agreement...all Australians (12) __________________ and use the flag to celebrate indigenous culture."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AustraliahasboughttherightstotheAboriginalflag.Now,anyonecanus
eorflytheflagforfree.Theflagwasownedbyitsdesigner,andaclothingc
ompany.Anyonewhousedtheflaghadtogetcopyrightpermissionfromt
hem.Australiapaid$20-millionfortheflag'scopyright.NovaPeris,afor
merAboriginalpolitician,ledtheFreetheFlagcampaign.Shewasveryha
ppythatthegovernmentboughttheflag.Shesaid:"Theflagrepresents5
0,000yearsofhistoryandit'sawayofunifying...thiscountry."Sheadde
d:"It'samagicaldayforallAustralians."IndigenousartistHaroldThoma
smadetheflagin1971.HewantedAustralia'sindigenouspeoplestohav
etheirownflag.Itwasusedasaprotestforindigenousrights.However,it
becamewidelyusedandbecameanofficialnationalflagofAustraliain19
95.Thegovernmentsaid:"Overthelast50years,wemadeHaroldThom
as'artworkourown.WemarchedundertheAboriginalflag,stoodbehind
it,andflewithighasapointofpride."Headded:"Inreachingthisagreeme
nt...allAustralianscanfreelydisplayandusetheflagtocelebrateindigen
ousculture."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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