West Australian Premier Colin Barnett has ordered the Carnarvon shire to fly the Aboriginal flag during NAIDOC week, but the council is refusing to do so.

The WA Gascoyne-region shire has been slammed for refusing to fly the flag during the national celebration of Aboriginal culture.

Carnarvon Shire Council president Karl Brandenburg explained the city’s view in an ABC radio interview this week.

He said he believes flying the flag outside council offices would be divisive, arguing that the Australian flag is more representative of all nationalities.

“From my point of view I've got to take citizenship ceremonies in there quite regularly ... I think it's only fair that [different nationalities] should do it under the Australian flag,” he said.

Cr Brandenburg claims to be “respectful of the Aboriginal communities”, but says that “the NAIDOC flag can be flown at their buildings or buildings where they're having events and all those areas”.

“The shire offices are not where they're holding the event, so they need to understand and reflect the fact that we are one nation and we are all Australian, and that's what citizenship's under.

“What do I do next, have a sporting club come and say; ‘We've got a big sporting event, I want to raise our flag’?”

Carnarvon residents who want to join in the national celebration of the country’s first people has put up Indigenous flags around the town, while over 100 people have gathered in protest outside the shire offices.

WA Premier Colin Barnett will order the council to fly the flag.

“They will receive a direction from the Premier of Western Australia to fly the flag,” he said.

“Carnarvon council needs to do the right thing and fly the flag out of respect for Aboriginal people.”

“I am extremely disappointed by the approach of the Carnarvon Shire council. I went to the extent of saying the State Government would provide a flag and a flagpole for them to do that, if that's the problem.

“They, as I understand now, are refusing to change their policy. So as Premier I'm going to give them a direction to fly the flag.”

But the Premier has been forced to concede that as the Carnarvon Shire, like any other shire or council, operates under the Local Government Act, his “direction” will not actually be enforceable.

Even so, he expects Carnarvon will comply.

“It's probably not legally binding, but if the Premier of the state gives an instruction to a council to fly that flag in respect of NAIDOC day and Aboriginal people, in a town with a big Aboriginal population, I would expect that shire to comply,” he said.

He said Carnarvon’s blunt refusal could undermine Western Australia’s moves towards reconciliation.

“This state is making some strong moves towards an ultimate reconciliation with Aboriginal people,” he said.

“I very much resent the actions of the Carnarvon council to stop that momentum that is building across Western Australia.”