Lexi Webster
The Australian flag was created in 1901, following the federation of the Australian states into the Commonwealth of Australia. The design was chosen from a public competition that received over 30,000 entries. The winning design, which is still in use today, features the Union Jack in the canton of a blue field, displaying five white stars in the form of the Southern Cross constellation, and a seven-pointed Commonwealth Star. The Blue Ensign was designated as the Australian National Flag in 1954 with the passage of the Flags Act 1953, which also gave it precedence over the Union Jack for the first time.
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What You'll Learn
The Australian flag's design
The Australian flag was created soon after the Federation of the Australian States into the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. The design was the result of a public competition that attracted over 30,000 entries. The winning design, announced on 3 September 1901, is still in use today, with only minor modifications. The flag is based on the British Blue Ensign, which was the official flag of Australia for the next 50 years.
The Australian flag has a dark blue background, or field, with the Union Jack in the canton, or upper hoist quadrant. The Union Jack incorporates three heraldic crosses representing the nations of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as they were constituted in 1801. The Australian flag also features five white, multi-pointed stars in the form of the Southern Cross constellation, and a seven-pointed "Commonwealth Star", representing the six Australian states and the Northern Territory. The six-pointed Commonwealth Star was changed to a seven-pointed star on 8 December 1908.
The Australian flag has a width-to-length ratio of 1:2, and the Blue Ensign is twice as long as it is wide. The Blue Ensign has a different motif in each of the upper and lower hoist quadrants, with the remaining two quadrants of the fly sharing another different constellation motif. The Blue Ensign was designated for government use and was rarely used by the public until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, when it began to enjoy some popularity.
In addition to the Commonwealth Ensign, there are three other official Australian ensigns: the Australian Red Ensign, the Australian White Ensign, and the Sky-blue Ensign. The Red Ensign is generally restricted to privately owned vessels, while the White and Sky-blue Ensigns are used by the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force, respectively.
The Australian Aboriginal flag, designed by Aboriginal artist Harold Thomas in 1971, is also an official flag of Australia, representing Aboriginal Australians. The flag has a black and red region divided horizontally, with a yellow disc superimposed over the centre.
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The flag's adoption
The Australian flag was created in 1901, soon after the federation of the Australian States into the Commonwealth of Australia. A public competition was held, with over 30,000 designs submitted, and the winning design was announced on 3 September 1901. The flag was first flown on this date from the dome of the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. The design incorporated the Union Jack, representing Australia's historical links with Great Britain, and featured five white stars in the form of the Southern Cross constellation, as well as a six-pointed "Commonwealth Star" representing the six Australian states and the Northern Territory.
The competition-winning designs were submitted to the British Colonial Secretary in 1902, and on 11 February 1903, Prime Minister Edmund Barton announced that King Edward VII had officially approved the design as the flag of Australia. Minor modifications were made to the design, including a change from a six-pointed to a seven-pointed Commonwealth Star, and the flag became official for use on government vessels on 22 May 1909.
Despite the existence of an official flag, for the next 50 years, Australia's official flag was the British flag, the Union Jack. The Australian Blue Ensign was designated for government use, and the Australian Red Ensign was used on merchant ships. During World War I, the Blue Ensign began to gain popularity, appearing in pro-war propaganda posters and occasionally being taken into battle.
It was not until the Flags Act of 1953, which came into effect in 1954, that the Blue Ensign was designated as the Australian National Flag. This act also gave the Australian flag precedence over the Union Jack for the first time. The Flags Act encouraged the public use of the Blue Ensign, and by the 1970s, most Australians considered it the national flag.
The Australian Aboriginal flag was granted official status in 1995 under the Flags Act 1953, recognising the importance and acceptance of the flag by the Australian community. This flag was designed by Aboriginal artist Harold Thomas in 1971 and represents Aboriginal Australians.
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The Blue Ensign
The Australian flag is based on the British Blue Ensign, a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter. The Blue Ensign was selected as the basis for the Australian flag in 1901, following a public competition that received over 30,000 entries. The competition was held after the federation of the Australian States into the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901, and the winning design was chosen alongside a merchant naval red ensign.
Initially, the Blue Ensign was restricted to government and shipping use, and flying the ensign without the Union Jack was seen as expressing disloyalty to the British Empire. However, over time, the Blue Ensign gained prominence as a popular Australian symbol, and in 1954, with Australia's increasing independence from the United Kingdom, the Blue Ensign was designated as the Australian National Flag through the Flags Act 1953.
It is worth noting that each of Australia's six states has its own Official State Flag, consisting of a Blue Ensign defaced with the badge or heraldic device of the state. These state flags are based on the British Blue Ensign, reflecting Australia's colonial history and historical links with Great Britain.
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The Red Ensign
The Australian flag was created following a design competition that attracted nearly 33,000 entries. The competition was held in 1901, after the federation of the Australian States into the Commonwealth of Australia. The winning design, announced on 3 September 1901, is still in use today, with only minor modifications.
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The Aboriginal flag
Thomas was inspired to design the flag after attending a protest march in 1970, where he noticed the absence of a unifying symbol for Aboriginal people. He chose specific colours for the flag, opting for red, black, and yellow, which would be eye-catching and striking at protests. The flag is divided horizontally into two equal halves, with a circle in the centre. The top half is black, symbolising Aboriginal people, and the bottom half is red, representing the spiritual relationship of Aboriginal people with the land, as well as the red ochre used in ceremonies. The yellow circle in the centre represents the sun, the giver of life.
The flag was first flown on National Aborigines Day in Victoria Square, Adelaide, on 9 July 1971. It was created as a symbol of unity and national identity for Aboriginal people. Since then, it has become a powerful emblem of Indigenous identity and unity and a symbol of hope for reconciliation for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Australia.
In 1995, the Aboriginal flag was recognised by the Australian Government as an official 'Flag of Australia' under the Flags Act 1953. This decision faced opposition, but subsequent governments upheld it. The flag's designer, Harold Thomas, was officially recognised as the author and owner of the copyright of the flag's design in 1997. In 2022, Thomas transferred the copyright to the Commonwealth government for $20.05 million, retaining moral rights over the design.
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Frequently asked questions
The Australian flag was designed following a public competition that received over 30,000 submissions. The winning design was announced on 3 September 1901 and featured the Union Jack in the canton of a blue field, displaying five white multipointed stars in the form of the Southern Cross constellation, plus a seven-pointed Commonwealth Star.
The Australian flag is based on the British Blue Ensign, a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter. The Union Jack symbolises Australia's historical links with Great Britain. The five white stars represent the Southern Cross constellation, and the large white seven-pointed Commonwealth Star symbolises the six Australian states and the Northern Territory.
The Australian flag was first flown on 3 September 1901, but it was not officially recognised until 1954 when the Flags Act came into effect, designating the Blue Ensign as the Australian National Flag. Minor modifications were made to the design over the years, with the current design being adopted on 8 December 1908.
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