One Nation's South East Metro candidate for the state election, Colleen Harkin, arrived at the University of Melbourne on 3 September—Australian National Flag Day. Standing outside Building 168, she complained about the lack of an Australian flag while condemning the presence of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

"This is what we talk about when we say this is divisive," Harkin said in a reel posted by the official One Nation Instagram account. "There's no Australian flag here, it's dividing us by ethnicity and heritage. We are one nation, we are one country, we stand under one flag."

Building 168 is home to Murrup Barak, the University's support service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, which relocated into the building as part of a renovation aimed at creating a more inclusive space for First Nations students and staff.

The reel drew a wave of comments, the majority echoing Harkin's framing, including calls to "revoke government funding for that university effective immediately" and claims that the incident was "typical of how Australia has changed." 

One commenter wrote: "To think of those Aussies who went to war to fight for this country and died to protect it under the Aussie flag. All of this nonsense is so divisive." A smaller number of commenters pushed back, calling the sentiment itself "disgusting and divisive”.

The skew is perhaps unsurprising given the page's audience. Victorian One Nation’s Instagram followers are unlikely to reflect the views of the broader student body. On 13 August, many University of Melbourne students rallied against Pauline Hanson, the leader of One Nation, and her policies, making their opposition clear.

The following day, UMSU President Lushy Chinganya responded with her own reel, following the same format. "Behind me are two flagpoles, one with the Aboriginal flag and one with the Torres Strait Islander flag, and we love it," Chinganya said. 

She then argued that One Nation continues to target oppressed groups and normalise what she called "disgusting" politics, adding that UMSU condemns the comments made on campus and is proud to fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

Ahead of UMSU Annual Elections beginning in Week 7, Together for UMSU also released a statement on the incident. "We condemn everything One Nation stands for. Every single student deserves to feel safe and respected on campus. Hate has no place here," the ticket wrote on its official Instagram.

Together's Indigenous Officer candidate, Cate Fardon, echoed the sentiment: "Displaying the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags at our university, with such beautiful and diverse students and staff of First Nations backgrounds, is an act of pride and solidarity."

Community for UMSU also condemned the incident, with councillors unanimously passing a motion against One Nation at Council 4 (2026). 

In a statement provided to Farrago, a representative of Community said: "Community opposes One Nation. Community will always oppose One Nation. This extends to the party's candidates, policies and entire founding philosophy."

The incident, and the responses to it, come as tickets prepare to campaign for the UMSU Annual Elections in Week 7.

Image source: Reconciliation Australia