A Northern Territory minister with special responsibility for young people has labelled the Aboriginal children who burned an Australian flag in Canberra last week "little pricks".

The flag was burned at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy on Friday, one day after protesters from the embassy confronted Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and Prime Minister Julia Gillard as they attended an awards ceremony at a nearby restaurant.

The Minister for Young Territorians, Rob Knight, says he is disgusted with the children who were involved in the burning.

Mr Knight says that with the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin approaching, the children involved and their parents have defaced a flag that Australians fought under.

"For some little pricks to get there and stomp on our flag and set fire to it - there should be laws against it," he told radio station Mix 104.9.

"There should be laws against burning the Territory flag as well.

"I think it's absolutely disgusting, and they've lost my support, and I think they've lost the majority support of Australians."

The Territory Opposition says the Minister's intemperate language is unfairly targeting children, when he should be focusing his anger on the adults involved.

One of the founders of the tent embassy says Mr Knight should be disendorsed by the ALP because of his comments.

Michael Anderson says the comments are inappropriate and Mr Knight should be stood down.

"To use that sort of language against children, this man is not fit for office," he said.

"I think he should be immediately stood down and I think the Labor Party should disendorse this man."

Meanwhile, Territory Indigenous Affairs Minister Malarndirri McCarthy wants Prime Minister Julia Gillard to apologise for the Aboriginal tent embassy clashes in Canberra.

She says the scenes were disgraceful and involved "underhanded tactics" by the Prime Minister's office.

Ms McCarthy is a Yanuwa woman from the Gulf country of the Territory and has been the Labor MLA for Arnhem since 2005.

The former ABC journalist and newsreader says Julia Gillard should apologise to the nation, Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and the tent embassy organisers.

"Certainly, the (actions of the) office of the Prime Minister was very questionable," she said.

"I think there were many Indigenous people who went to Canberra with genuine interest to keep the plight of Indigenous people at the forefront nationally.

"I think it is incredibly unfortunate that it descended in the way it did."

Ms McCarthy says the scenes in Canberra were disgraceful.

"I am deeply disappointed by the underhanded tactics of Labor members to really bring forth quite a messy outcome," she said.

Indigenous leader Pat Dodson says the Australia Day tent embassy protest has not harmed the campaign for changes to the Australian Constitution.

Professor Dodson is part of a panel that is recommending constitutional amendments to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

Speaking in Sydney last night, he said the protest may have damaged the public's view of the tent embassy but the campaign to change the Constitution is on track.

"It is a reality of our unresolved issues," he said.

"It is a reality of the frustration.

"Let's see it for the ugliness of what it was and let's move on to dealing with the constructive things that we are capable of that can help diminish the necessity for that kind of behaviour in the future."

He says that while they were ugly, to condemn the protests outright was simplistic.

"You have got to look to why people are frustrated and why people feel that aggressive behaviour like that is required," he said.

Professor Dodson says Indigenous people still feel frustrated, and they have a right to express that.