If you're going to do a news piece on Australia Day, one of the first things you should probably check is that you have the correct national flag to use as a graphic backdrop.

Australian broadcaster Channel Nine today made the totally unpatriotic blunder of introducing a news piece on the country's national holiday with the distinctive red southern cross stars of New Zealand's national flag fluttering in the background.

To add to the irony, the news presenter begins the piece with the line: "If you're looking for a twist on tradition this Australia Day."

And, as if the negativity surrounding Australia Day could get any worse, commentary on the Nine News stuff-up was scathingly online.