Australia flies indigenous flags above its oldest public office

Members of the Australian Defence Forces salute as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags are raised along with the New South Wales and Australian national flags during a ceremony at Government House in Sydney, Australia, June 28, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray

(Reuters) - Australia raised indigenous flags to fly alongside its national standard over its oldest public building on Wednesday, another step on a long and often troubled road to reconciliation with its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The flags, representing the oldest living cultures in the world, were raised as Australia marks the 50th anniversary of Aborigines being counted as part of the population, and the 25th anniversary of a milestone court case that paved the way for recognition of indigenous land ownership.