The fight over the Aboriginal flag

At this year’s AFL Indigenous round, set up to celebrate Indigenous players and culture, there was one big change – the Aboriginal flag was not painted on the field. This was the result of a growing conflict about how the flag can be used, with AFL clubs and players, Indigenous companies and communities, and the minister for Indigenous Australians, all weighing in. Guardian Australia’s Indigenous affairs editor Lorena Allam explains the history of the flag and why it’s at the centre of such a bitter dispute