9.6.1 Australian Flag
Description
This article is from the soc.culture.australian FAQ, by Stephen Wales with numerous contributions by others.
9.6.1 Australian Flag
In vexillogical terms, the Australian flag is a defaced blue ensign.
In the upper hoist (top left corner) is the Union Flag (ie the flag of
the United Kingdom). On the fly (right) of the flag, are 5 white
stars, representing the Southern Cross, a constellation of stars
generally only visible in the southern hemisphere. Each of these
stars has 7 points except for the smallest star which has only five.
Directly below the Union Flag is a large 7 pointed white star called
the Federation Star, representing the federation of the colonies of
Australia in 1901 to become an independent nation of the British
Commonwealth. There is one point for each of the six states, and one
to represent all of Australia's internal and external territories.
The length:height ratio of the flag is 2:1.
* History of the Australian Flag
Australia's national flag was chosen from a national flag competition
held in 1901. Initially started by a Melbourne newspaper, the
competition was taken up by the new Federal Government, and it
attracted 32 823 entries. Although not a part of the official entry
rules, the judges proscribed that the design must contain the Union
Flag. The winning design was in fact shared by five people who
submitted almost identical entries. Australia's first Prime Minister,
Edmund Barton, announced the winning design in Melbourne on 3
September 1901. The design had a mixed reception and caused much
controversy at the time.
The original design was as described above, except the Federation Star
contained only 6 points and the Southern Cross was represented by
stars ranging from 5 to 9 points to indicate their relative apparent
brightness in the night sky. The design was modified to the current
design on 22 May 1909, but in fact the flag did not have official
sanction as Australia's national flag, and wasn't always flown as
such, until the Flags Act of 1953 was passed by the Menzies
Government.
There is some agitation to change the current design to one that does
not include the Union Flag in view of Australia's changing
relationship with Britain.
[BJ] The main organisation advancing the case for a new Australian
flag is Ausflag. Ausflag is an apolitical, non-profit organisation
seeking to promote high quality debate about Australia's national
symbols.
Ausflag was established in 1981 by Harold Scruby and other interested
Australians with the objective of securing the popular support of the
Australian people for the adoption of a truly Australian flag.
Ausflag has an excellent World Wide Web site at:
http://www.ausflag.com.au
This site provides detailed, accurate information about Australian flags of
the past and present and many proposed designs for a new Australian flag.
Continue to:
My Books
