<P> In Coleman v Kinbacher & Anor (Qld Police), Coleman was successfully prosecuted for flag burning, not because of its political nature, but because given the size of the flag, the use of petrol as an accelerant, and the fact that it was in an open park area, many members of the public experienced "concern, fright and anger", and in these circumstances flag burning could be considered disorderly conduct . </P> <P> There have been several attempts to pass bills making flag burning illegal in Australia, none of which have yet been successful . As of May 2016, the most recent bill which attempted to ban flag burning was the Flags Amendment (Protecting Australian Flags) Bill 2016, which was introduced by National Party MP George Christensen and is not proceeding . </P> <P> During the 2005 Cronulla riots, a Lebanese - Australian youth, whose name has been kept secret, climbed an RSL club building and tore down its flag before setting it on fire . The youth was sentenced to 12 months probation not for flag desecration but for the destruction of property of the RSL . In October of that year the youth accepted an invitation from the RSL to carry the Australian flag along with war veterans in the Anzac Day march the following year . However, the RSL was forced to withdraw this invitation as it received phone calls from people threatening to pelt the youth with missiles on the day . The head of the New South Wales RSL was quoted as saying that "the people who made these threats ought to be bloody ashamed of themselves". </P> <P> In 2006, Australian contemporary artist Azlan McLennan burnt an Australian flag and displayed it on a billboard outside the Trocadero artspace in Footscray, Victoria . He called the artpiece Proudly UnAustralian . </P>

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