Ausflag is an apolitical, non-profit organisation seeking to secure the popular support of the Australian people for the adoption of a truly Australian flag. The Southern Cross is shown on the flag in white. Furthermore, Mr Benwell questioned the necessity for a change. As the blue flag … The flag has three elements on a blue background: the Union Jack, the Commonwealth Star and the Southern Cross. Why do New Zealand and Australia use a similar pattern of stars on their flags? national flag consisting of a red field (background) with a large yellow star and four smaller stars in its upper hoist corner. From the flagstaff to the end, these colors are blue, white, and red. Australia first unveiled its national flag in 1901, and the flag hangs from … That bastard flag is a true symbol of the bastard state of Australian opinion. The blue color is called "sea blue", which is a dark to medium blue. The Australian National Flag was born on September 3rd, 1901. Despite this, other countries with the Union Jack on their flags have changed them in the past, so a change is certainly possible. Last modified: 2020-02-08 by ian macdonald Keywords: australia | southern cross | stars: southern cross | stars: 7 points | Links: FOTW homepage |search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors image by António Martins, 28 Nov 2005 1. It was not strictly correct, but it happened at every level of the community. The southern cross, a symbol of freedom and national identity, is represented in dots, reminiscent of Indigenous Australian artwork, an acknowledgement of the traditional owners of the land. Minds move slowly: and Australia is still Britain's little boy. The stars of the Southern Cross emphasise this country's location in the South Pacific Ocean. Use these color values if you need their national colors for any of your digital or print projects. Australian National Flag. These represented the six states. To set themselves apart form Great Britain they adopted a flag with a unique Canadian symbol, the maple leaf. Before importing items bearing images of the flag (or closely resembling the flag), importers mus… However, 116 years on and there is a debate on why the Australian flag should be changed. Yes sir. The debate about changing the flag is almost as old as the Australian nation. Australia’s national colours – as used in sport and elsewhere – are the vibrant green and gold, not the red, white and blue of the flag. the flag to be flown by private citizens on land. [41], Ausflag's 2000 professional designers' competition was won by Franck Gentil with a design that replaces the Union Flag with a gold Commonwealth Star, Flag worn by Sam Neill in Event Horizon (1997; set in 2047), Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Australia Day | New Union Jack Flag Debate", "Monarchists Prove Case for Australian Flag Change", "I did not fight under that flag: Whitlam", "The threat to Democracy in English speaking nations", "Aussie TV channel uses NZ flag to promote Australia Day", "Australian Red Ensign – Myths and Facts", Australia's Forgotten Flag. The flags of British North America used in colonial Canada showcased ties to the British Empire. Supporters of changing the flag have made the following arguments: The Australian National Flag Association was formed to maintain the status quo. formerly the Australian Blue Ensign also called the Commonwealth Ensign: Gettysburg Flag offers country flags from around the world. Red and yellow are used in the coat of arms that appears on the state flag. Photographer: Andrew Merry. Australia’s current Coat of Arms was granted by King George V in Spetember of 1912 and is the second Commonwealth Coat of Arms. Red, white and blue stripes? The flag at Old Parliament House is much smaller but no less symbolic. The Museum of Australian Democracy acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of country throughout Australia. The Australian flag, like those of other nations, contains a unique set of colors, designs and patterns that distinguish Australia from other independent countries around the world. The Arrival of Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York at the Opening of Federal Parliament Building, Canberra, 9 May 1927. This flag remained in use during Napoleon’s rule, which lasted until 1814. From 1901 to 1954 the Red Ensign was in practice, used as Australia′s Civil Flag, i.e. [25], The Bulletin magazine launched an Australian National Flag Quest on 1 August 1971 in time for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to open the Sydney Opera House in October 1973; 10 designs were chosen from the 2,000 submitted and these were displayed by major stores in the capital cities and main provincial centres during 1972. This followed the Federation of Australia on January 1st, 1901, which was the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia. The star is also featured on the Commonwealth Coat of Arms. Australian Flag HTML Hex, RGB, PANTONE and CMYK Color Codes. Why It Should Not Be Changed; The Australian flag was designed in 1901 after a competition was held to allow Australians to design our own flag – something that had never been done before. The rising red sun symbolized the dawn of freedom and the hope across the continent as the flag was designed at a time when many African countries were gaining self-rule. In 2002, the Howard government supplied ANFA's promotional video free to all primary schools and in 2004 required all schools receiving federal funds to fly the Australian flag. Organisations can be notified when flags should be flown at half-mast or flown for special events by joining the Victorian Flag Notifications Network. The flag was the winner of a nationwide design competition, with five entries that were almost identical. They have everything ranging from Australian flags to U.S. flags.While they specialize in American flags, they have flags of … Australian Flag - National Flag of Australia-0. No national vote is technically necessary to change the flag in Australia, but an amendment to the Flags Act in 1996 means a national vote must be held to enact any official change. [32], In the 1997 film Event Horizon, set in the year 2047, Sam Neill, playing an Australian astronaut, wears an Australian flag patch on his spacesuit with the Union Jack in the canton replaced with the Aboriginal flag. Political colours are colours used to represent a political ideology, movement or party, either officially or unofficially. [29], In opposition from 1983–1996, coalition MPs unsuccessfully sponsored 10 private members bills to amend the Flags Act 1953 (Cth) to prevent the existing Australian flag from being replaced by the agreement of both houses of federal parliament alone, without the views of the Australian people being taken into account. Follow this link for the rest of the Oceania flag colors. This is almost certainly a move away from the colours that are found in the British flag. The flag used to be orange-white-blue instead of red-white-blue, but these recent colors were standardized in 1949. The earliest example, dating from January 13, 1815, had a red horizontal stripe added in the centre of each blue stripe. Flying the Uni… The roots of New Zealand's present flag lie in the United Kingdom’s Colonial Naval Defence Act of 1865, which ruled that all ships owned by a colonial government must fly the Blue Ensign with the badge of the colony on it. On August 25 of that year, the flag was changed to equal horizontal stripes of blue-white-red. Most recently, New Zealanders voted on, and rejected, a change to the national flag in 2015. Below the Union Jack is a white Commonwealth, or Federation, star. Die australische Flagge basiert auf der Blue Ensign und kann in drei Elemente eingeteilt werden: . Before 1953, it was technically illegal for non-Commonwealth agencies and individuals to even fly the blue ensign on land! The Flag Act of 1953 affirmed the blue ensign as the official Australian flag, and allowed private citizens to fly it. It has come to a head on a number of occasions, such as the period immediately preceding the Australian Bicentenary in 1988 and during the prime ministership of Paul Keating, who had publicly raised the topic of flag change during the early 1990s. What Is The Meaning Behind The Colours of The Australian Flag? History of the flag 3. Cross of St George. They have everything ranging from Australian flags to U.S. flags.While they specialize in American flags, they have flags of … What more natural than that he should accept his father's cut-down garments, – lacking the power to protest, and only dimly realising his will. Why Australia shouldn't rush to change the flag Our national standard's three elements all play a part in speaking to our past, present and future. [21], Initially the Department of Defence resisted, considering it to be a marine ensign and favouring King's Regulations that specified the use of the Union Jack. Canada, a former British colony did not originally have a distinct flag which set them apart form other countries, as their flag was derived form Great Britain's flag. Centenary Flag(official "flag of state") 7. The national flag was first flown on 3 September 1901 over the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. The flag of Australia is a national flag. It was adopted in 1902, replacing the Union Jack. They were ordered by their captain to remove the flags. The Flags Act 1953 subsequently proclaimed the Australian blue ensign as the Australian National Flag and the Australian red ensign as the flag for merchant ships registered in Australia. It may be substituted for heraldic tincture azure. "The Australian flag as it stands, represents the people that built up modern Australia," he said. The Flags Act 1953 subsequently proclaimed the Australian blue ensign as the Australian National Flag and the Australian red ensign as the flag for merchant ships registered in Australia. During World War II, Prime Minister Menzies issued a directive that there should be no restriction on the flying of the "Commonwealth Blue Ensign", and Prime Minister Chifley gave his support to that view in 1947. “This is the beginning of what some people call the cult of the flag, the almost religious feeling that many Americans have for the red, white and blue,” he said. It wasn't until 1953 that the blue ensign officially became Australia's national flag. It consists of a "federation star" on a blue field representing the Australian night sky shared through the Australian rich history and a golden chevron representing a boomerang pointing to a white field representing the bright future, the daybreak. The Flags of Valor Thin Blue Line wood flag incorporates the original design expanded onto subdued Old Glory wooden American flags, below.. The roots of New Zealand's present flag lie in the United Kingdom’s Colonial Naval Defence Act of 1865, which ruled that all ships owned by a colonial government must fly the Blue Ensign with the badge of the colony on it. The "Thin Red Line" flag is in support of firefighters. It was chosen through an open public competition. ", The prime minister, Bob Hawke, subsequently announced in the House of Representatives that the design of the Australian flag would not be reviewed by the Australian government before or during the bicentenary year.[27]. Appearance: Blue canton, white stars, 13 alternating red, white and blue stripes. It is an endemic tree to Australia which served as a source of food and medicament as well as wood for the boomerangs for the Aborigines. The stars on the Australian Flag are white and have more points than the New Zealand Flag to show their brightness in the sky. Opponents of changing the flag have made the following arguments: The Southern Cross is thought to represent Australia's position in the Southern Hemisphere (see Southern Cross Flag). Between 1834 and 1840, the flag of the United Tribes was recognised as our first 'national' flag. It does not accurately connote Australia's status as an independent nation. The French flag contains three vertical stripes of equal width. The flag has horizontal rectangle symmetry and features three stripes of black, red, and green arranged from top to bottom with the center of the black stripe being charged with a rising red sun. This was published 5 years ago. ¹ Power, Harold Septimus. Blue and gold have heraldic significance as the colour of the wreath in the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, which was granted by royal warrant in 1912. It has been used as a symbol of Australia since in the 1820s when there were crown colonies of the British Empire in Australia. Start the day smarter. The case for changing the flag has been led by the organisation known as Ausflag. Red, white and blue stripes? The Union Jack in the upper left corner represents the history of British settlement. It was very close to the design of Victoria’s flag, which didn’t sit well with the other five states. Because the Blue Ensign (Commonwealth Ensign) was the official flag and it's use by ordinary citizens was discouraged many people from the Attorney General down used the Red Ensign as a de-facto Civil Flag. The Australian flag has been the subject of considerable debate over time, with some people believing it is inappropriate that it bears the Union Jack in the modern era, while others believe it represents the country’s national heritage. the flag to be flown by private citizens on land. In 1908, the current Commonwealth star of seve… France’s history of flags dates back to at least the Middle Ages when the flag of Saint Denis was used. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the elders past, present and emerging. Campbell has been the Curatorial Officer at the Museum since 2012 and has worked in the sector for almost a decade. These are the colours of my flag … The flag of Australia is based on the British maritime Blue Ensign – a blue field with the United Kingdom flag in the canton or upper hoist quarter – augmented with a large white seven-pointed star (the Commonwealth Star) and a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars – one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars. The inclusion of the Union Jack of the United Kingdom is a mark of the British Empire's historical relations with the Hawaiian Kingdom, particularly with King Kamehameha I. Malcolm Turnbull, former chairman (1993–2000) of the Australian Republican Movement and head of the official "Yes" case committee for the 1999 Australian republic referendum, left the board of Ausflag in 1994 after being asked for his resignation and in 2004 joined the Australian National Flag Association. Its royal blue background is derived from the ensign of the Blue Squadron of the Royal Navy. The Golden Wattle is one of Australia's first national symbols dating back to Lord Hobart. By law, only the Australian government was allowed to fly the blue Australian flag. The ensign was described as being a "white flag with the Union Flag in the upper canton at the hoist with six blue stars positioned as in the Australian flag". However, in 1909, a seventh point was added to represent Australian territories. The organisation has not consistently supported one design but is opposed to the Eureka Flag and has sponsored a number of design competitions to develop alternative flag candidates. Red, white and blue form the colours of the Australian National Flag and the first version of the Commonwealth Coat Of Arms. However, like many other Argentine provinces, Uruguay developed a flag of its own. The Minister for Housing and Construction Mr Chris Hurford publicly revealed yesterday that the Government had not allowed economic discussions to completely swamp cabinet debate on the flag. From 1901 to 1954 the Red Ensign was in practice, used as Australia′s Civil Flag, i.e. Flag Date Use Description 1908–present Australian National Flag, naval jack and state ensign: A Blue Ensign defaced with the seven-point Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter and the five stars of the Southern Cross in the fly half. [30], Frequent Morgan polls showed the percentage of Australians wanting a new flag increasing from 27% in 1979 to 42% in 1992, to a majority of 52% in 1998. More than 20 countries use these three colors in their flag, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The design that you’ll most commonly notice, and which is most often used to represent Austria, is the simple red and white horizontal three-striped design – which officially became the country’s national flag in 1945. Austria has had a few varieties of flags in its lifetime, and currently uses two different styles which you’ll often see around the city of Vienna today. The design of the flag should meet the guidelines for the commercial use of the flag and importers and designers can consult PM&C during the initial design phase, before manufacturing the items. The town has since painted the line red, white, and blue, the colors of the US flag. The Australian flag debate is a periodic question over whether the Australian flag should be changed, particularly to remove the Union Jack from the canton, but also to possibly introduce a completely new design without the Southern Cross.[1]. Actress Megan Gale with Australian flag. The flag atop the massive steel flagpole is the size of a double decker bus. Australia also has several other official flags including the Australian Aboriginal Flag, the Torres Strait Islander Flag, and the ensigns of the Australian Defence Force. In particular, the flag is difficult to distinguish from a variety of flags based on the British. Not everyone liked the design. The flag of Hawaii (Hawaiian: Ka Hae Hawaiʻi) has previously been used by the kingdom, protectorate, republic, and territory of Hawaii.It is the only US state flag to include a foreign country's national flag. Initially started by the Melbourne monthly magazine The Review of Reviews for Australasia, the new Federal Government announced a further competition (Gazetted 29 April 1901) and the earlier competition entries were transferred and the prize was increased to 200 pounds. Several different flags were used in Canada before our current National Flag. Appearance: Blue canton, white stars, 13 alternating red, white and blue stripes. The British Flag has been situated in the canton area or advance position and the Australian image has been in the fly or subordinate area for nearly two centuries now. It is a constellatio… Meaning of the Flag. The original variety of points was an indication of the relative brightness of each star as it appeared in the night sky. In representing only Australia's British heritage, the flag is anachronistic and does not reflect the change to a multicultural, pluralist society. The flag of Australia is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union Jack in the canton (upper hoist quarter), and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter.