Luritja artist and land rights activist Harold Thomas, the designer of the Aboriginal flag, was paid $13.75 million dollars by the federal government for the copyright of the flag.

The government announced it had reached a $20.5 million dollar deal to secure the copyright in January, after a years-long legal controversy over the use of the Aboriginal flag.

The National Indigenous Australians Agency confirmed in Senate estimates on Friday that the lion’s share of the $20.5 million was paid to Mr Thomas.

$5.2 million was paid to non-Indigenous company WAM Clothing, which was granted exclusive use of the flag in 2018.

The agency also confirmed that it spent roughly half a million dollars on legal advice over the issue.

Meanwhile, a stoush between Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe and Liberal Senator Amanda Stoker broke out after Senator Thorpe accused the government of “colonising” and “assimilating” the Aboriginal flag.

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“The people I am bringing voice to in this place, are very concerned that our flag has been colonised given this is the colonisers headquarters and they’ve just purchased our flag,” Senator Thorpe said.

Senator Stoker, who was representing the Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt, denied the government had “colonised” the flag.

“I want to reassure those people … that we have taken the flag from a situation where it was effectively being privately owned to a situation where, in accordance with the wishes of the Indigenous designer of the flag, it has been put in a position where it is safe, where it is available to all Indigenous Australians,” she said.

After Senator Thorpe quipped that the flag was now “Australian”, Senator Stoker responded that all it was “just like all Indigenous people” in being Australian.

“I’m being whitesplained, I’m not going to be told by a white senator that I’m an Indigenous Australian, that is insulting,” Senator Thorpe said.