Liberal MP and former minister Dan Tehan took to social media on Wednesday to urge the prime minister to fix the flag, which appears tattered and torn.

He described it as having a “gaping hole”.

The parliamentary presiding officers told AAP they were aware of the “unacceptable condition” of the nationally significant flag.

In regular conditions, the flag that flies above Parliament House is changed every four weeks, typically on the first Wednesday of each month.

But high winds and thunderstorms in Canberra had posed an unacceptable risk for a safe changeover.

Other problems had also occurred in recent weeks.

“When there was an opportunity for staff to safely ascend the pole, the lift mechanism experienced a mechanical fault,” the officers said.

“The transport mechanism is urgently undergoing maintenance and the flag changeover will occur as soon as it is possible and safe to do so.”