Greens leader Adam Bandt removed the Australian flag from behind the lectern at a press conference on Monday, saying it represented "the lingering pains of colonisation".

The Prime Minister said the move helped undermine the country's journey towards reconciliation while speaking to reporters on Wednesday.

"[Mr Bandt] needs to think about the responses that have been made, and reconsider his position and work to promote unity and work to promote reconciliation," Mr Albanese said.

"I'm always very proud to stand in front of the Australian flag and I think anyone who is a member of the Australian Parliament should do so as well.

"Reconciliation is about bringing people together on the journey that we need to undertake. It's undermined if people look for division rather than look for unity."

Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten said the move was "virtue signalling" and only encouraged division.

"Antics like this, this virtue signalling saying, 'I love First Nations people more than anyone else' ... It turns more people off than turns them on," he said speaking to Today on Tuesday.

"He's counterproductive to the cause. At the end of the day, Australians want us to try and work together."

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Flanked only by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags on Monday, Mr Bandt pushed for a republic.

"For many Australians this flag represents dispossession and the lingering pains of colonisation," he said.

"We have these discussions about being a republic, as we have discussions about having a treaty with our First Nations people, it's time to understand that the history of this country and the symbols that represent the history of this country are very hurtful to the First Nations people of this country."