Prime Minister Tony Abbott has conceded the Australian flag might need updating if the Northern Territory becomes the nation’s seventh state.

NT is hoping to achieve statehood by July 1, 2018 after winning support from federal and state leaders.

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Mr Abbott said he was not in favour of drastically changing the flag but argued that tweaking the Commonwealth star to have seven points rather than six was “hardly a massive change”.

“I would say that that is an evolution rather than a revolution,” he told reporters in Sydney after a meeting of the Council of Australian Governments.

The Commonwealth star already has seven points – six to represent the six states and one point for the territories.

Chief Minister Adam Giles has thanked his federal and state counterparts for backing a push for the Northern Territory to become Australia’s seventh state.

“With second tier status in the nation … I was very pleased to have support from colleagues,” he said after a Council of Australian Government’s meeting in Sydney on Thursday.