NT statehood might force flag update

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has acknowledged the Commonwealth star on the Australian flag might need a seventh point if the Northern Territory gains statehood.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott in front of the Australian flag (AAP) Source: AAP

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has conceded the Australian flag might need updating if the Northern Territory becomes the nation's seventh state.

Mr Abbott said he was not in favour of drastically changing the flag but argued that tweaking the Commonwealth star to have seven points rather than six was "hardly a massive change".

"I would say that that is an evolution rather than a revolution," he told reporters in Sydney after a meeting of the Council of Australian Governments.