The Australian National Flag has three elements on a blue background. The Union Jack in the upper left corner (or canton) acknowledges the history of British settlement. Below the Union Jack is a white Commonwealth or Federation star.
The Australian Red Ensign is an official flag of Australia and is proclaimed under the Flags Act 1953. The Australian Red Ensign is generally only flown at sea by Australian registered merchant ships or on land by organisations and individuals for ceremonial purposes such as Merchant Navy Day.
The Australian National Flag should always be flown on the far left of a person facing the building. With the exception of a flagpole fitted with a gaff, a house flag or club pennant should never be flown above a national flag.
The Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag were appointed flags of Australia in 1995, while a version of the Australian National Flag has been in use since 1901.
The flag's design consists of a coloured rectangle divided in half horizontally. The top half of the flag is black to symbolise Aboriginal people. The red in the lower half stands for the earth and the colour of ochre, which has ceremonial significance. The circle of yellow in the centre of the flag represents the sun.
Australian flags include the Aboriginal flag, Torres Strait Islander flag and many ensigns used in defence and civilian organisations.
The Australian Aboriginal Flag and Torres Strait Islander Flag were proclaimed flags of Australia under section 5 of the Flags Act 1953 on 14 July 1995.
The Australian National Flag Association (ANFA) believes that the existing design is an integral part of the Australian heritage and an appropriate expression of our national identity. The existing design of stars and crosses should therefore be retained and not altered in any manner whatsoever.
The flag has changed little since the 1901 competition, although in 1908, when Australia acquired Papua as an external territory, a seventh point was added to the Federation Star to represent Papua and all subsequent territories.
The original flag was slightly different to its present day form (which started in 1908), in that each star on the original flag had a unique number of points. In 1901, the Commonwealth Government sanctioned the publication Review of Reviews to hold a public competition to design the Australian National Flag.
The rules also state that the flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery.
Images of the flag can be used on clothing, as long as it's not defaced or covered, and the main symbolic elements are identifiable.
The Australian Government's policy in relation to the flying of other nations' flags is to fly only the official flags of nations recognised by Australia.
The current design for the flag serves as a reminder for Aboriginal Australians regarding a period in Australian history where "the rights of Indigenous people were overlooked", and as such "symbolises dispossession and oppression" and "doesn't reflect the reality of Australian life."
White: White, in general, stands for peace and purity. It symbolizes light, innocence and even death. The countries that have the colour White as a major part of their flags are Japan, South Korea, Nepal, Israel and Finland, among others.
The Australian National Flag has the Union Jack in the upper left-hand quarter nearest the flagpole (the 'canton') to acknowledge the history of British settlement in Australia.
Simon Labriola 2023 - The Flag of Freedom Down Under - a map of Australia on a field divided vertically, black and white, with the map counterchanged white and black. The design is intended to be a reconciliation flag for harmony and peace between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.
The Danes won the battle, and since then the Dannebrog has been the official flag of Denmark. In fact, it holds the world record of being the oldest continuously used national flag in the world!
Long associated with Australian sporting achievements, the national colours have strong environmental connections. Gold conjures images of Australia's beaches, mineral wealth, grain harvests and the fleece of Australian wool. Green evokes the forests, eucalyptus trees and pastures of the Australian landscape.
The Australian National Flag, the Australian Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag can be obtained free of charge by contacting the electorate office of your local Senator or Member of the House of Representatives .
Montenegro
Replacing the old red, white, and blue design – associated with its past as a socialist republic – the new flag is red with golden edges and a historical coat of arms representing the Montenegrin people.
Malawi's Flag Change
The original banner, in place from independence in 1964 until its replacement in 2010, was voted back in by the national parliament on May 28, 2012.
This means that the Aboriginal flag is freely available for public use and can be used on apparel such as sporting jerseys and shirts, included on websites, artworks, used digitally and in any other medium without payment, fear or permission.
There is nothing wrong with non-Indigenous people wearing or embracing Indigenous material culture, provided that culture was made locally, and was made for sale. Wear Aboriginal iconography and jewellery, but do it with integrity.
New Zealand and Australia
Both flags are based on the British Blue Ensign (blue field with a Union Jack in the canton, or top inner corner) and feature a stylized version of the Southern Cross constellation.