Poster released by Ausflag prior to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, displaying some of the many other flags containing the Union Jack in the canton
The Australian flag debate is a 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]
The debate has often arisen in connection with the issue of republicanism in Australia. 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.
Arguments for a new flag
A 1918 World War I-era Australian postcard congratulating Australia on winning the war; includes the Union Jack and the Australian Red Ensign
The case for changing the flag has been led by the organisation known as Ausflag. 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.
Supporters of changing the flag have made the following arguments:
The flag is not distinctive because it contains the national flag of another country in a position of prominence. In particular, the flag is difficult to distinguish from a variety of flags based on the British Blue Ensign, most notably the national flag of New Zealand and the state flag of Victoria. For example, when Australian prime minister Bob Hawke visited Canada in 1984, Ottawa was decked out with New Zealand flags in his honour.[2] The Australian Monarchist League, during their "No" campaign for the Australian republic referendum in 1999, displayed the New Zealand flag instead of the Australian flag in one of their pamphlets.[2] Again in 2013, the Australian Monarchist League mistakenly captioned the New Zealand flag as being the Australian flag on their website.[2]
It does not accurately connote Australia's status as an independent nation. The Union Jack at the canton suggests Australia is a British colony or dependency. New Zealand, Tuvalu and Fiji are the only other independent nations in the world to feature the Union Jack on their national flags. Other Commonwealth countries whose flags originally depicted the Union Jack have since changed them without becoming republics, while Canada, whose unofficial pre-1965 national flag was the Canadian Red Ensign, also adopted a new flag design without becoming a republic. The Australian flag's colours of red, white and blue are neither Australia's official national colours (green and gold) nor its traditional heraldic colours (blue and gold).
The current design of the flag acts as reminder of the history of unjust treatment towards Indigenous Australians, with Aboriginal activist Lowitja O'Donoghue arguing in the 1990s that it symbolises "dispossession and oppression" and that it "doesn’t reflect the reality of [modern] Australian life".[3]
The Australian flag was not historically the prime national symbol. For most of the time since Federation, it was flown alongside the British Union Jack which took precedence as the national flag from 1924 to 1954. Until the late 1920s, the Australian Federation Flag remained more popular than the Australian flag for public and even some official events. For example, the Federation Flag was flown during the 1927 visit to Australia of the Duke and Duchess of York.[4] The number of points of the stars have varied since 1901 and the present blue version was not adopted as the "national" flag until 1954. Before then, the Union Jack took precedence and confusion reigned between whether the red or blue version of the Australian flag was to be preferred, with the red often winning out.
It is wrong to claim that Australians have "fought and died under the flag", given that during most of the wars Australians have been involved in, they have usually "fought under" various British flags or the Australian Red Ensign.[5][6] Prior to 1941 only 10 percent of military ensigns were Blue and in 1945 Red ensigns were flown along the route of the official end of war parades.[7] The flag made in secret by the Changi prisoners-of-war was a red ensign.[8] The coffins of Australia's war dead were draped with the Union Jack.[9]
Although the flag was designed by four Australians, including two teenagers, and a man from New Zealand[10] and chosen through a public competition, the choice of designs was not completely free. Specifically, the conditions of entry for the Review of Reviews and subsequent government competition, were highly suggestive that the winning design must include the Union Jack and Southern Cross.[11][12][13] Additionally, final approval lay with King Edward VII and the British Admiralty, because both the red and blue versions were considered naval ensigns.[9]
Opponents of changing the flag have made the following arguments:
It is a popular symbol.[15] No alternative national flag has attained the same degree of acceptance accorded to the existing flag.[1]
The flag is a unique combination of devices recognised by law, custom and tradition as Australia's chief national symbol. It represents all Australian citizens regardless of background, race, religion or age.[16]
According to Nigel Morris of the Australian Flag Society, it is of historical importance, being the flag "that Australia has grown up under, and the flag that has been associated with all of her many achievements on the international scene".[17]
The flag is popular generally, and has particular support among young Australians, who do not appear to consider it a colonial symbol. The flag was the first national flag ever produced by a competition amongst the citizens themselves. The three elements of the flag represent Australia's heritage and values: the Southern Cross indicates Australia's geographic position, and is highly significant in Aboriginal mythology; the Union Jack acknowledges the large British settlements, which brought with them the national language, parliamentary government, and the rule of law; the "Commonwealth Star" represents the shared democratic future, the "ballot not the bullet".[18]
It was chosen through an open public competition. The competition was won by five entrants who had submitted similar designs, four Australians and a man from New Zealand, who would share the honour of being declared the designers.[10][19]
Some claim that the Southern Cross is not explicitly Australian but could represent any nation in the Southern Hemisphere. As well as the Australian flag, it also already appears on the flags of Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, New Zealand and the Mercosur trade bloc.[20]
a staled réchauffé of the British flag, with no artistic virtue, no national significance... Minds move slowly: and Australia is still Britain's little boy. 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. That bastard flag is a true symbol of the bastard state of Australian opinion.
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. After being approached by the Department of Defence, Prime Minister Chris Watson stated in parliament that he was not satisfied with the design of the Australian flag and that implementation of the 1904 resolution could wait until consideration was given to "adopt another [flag] which in our opinion is more appropriate."[24]
On 14 April 1954 the Flags Act 1953 was introduced by the Menzies government and became law with bipartisan support. It formally designated the current flag as the "Australian National Flag" and gave it priority for the first time over the Union Jack. This formalised the transition from the Union Jack as the pre-eminent national symbol, which began in 1941 with the lifting of restrictions on flying the red and blue ensigns, followed by the designation by then prime minister Chifley of the blue ensign as the "national emblem" in 1947 and finally the decision of the Menzies Cabinet in 1950 to proclaim the blue ensign the "Australian National Flag" and present one to every school for the 50 year anniversary of Federation.[25]
Flag proposed by the Republican Socialist League in 1956
One of the first proposals for a new Australian flag with the Union Jack removed was made in 1956 by the Republican Socialist League. It removed the Union Jack and it replaced with a slightly larger Commonwealth Star.[26]
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.[27]
In July 1982 changing the flag became official Labor Party policy, after being included in the party's official platform at that year's National Conference.[28]
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,[29] with the commitment dropped in the National Platform of 1988.[30]
Later, the debate was revived in the Labor Party with the change to Paul Keating as prime minister, who publicly championed the cause of a new flag. On a state visit to Indonesia he said:[31]
I do not believe that the symbols and the expression of the full sovereignty of Australian nationhood can ever be complete while we have a flag with the flag of another country on the corner of it.
On 6 June 1994, the Sydney Morning Herald reported cabinet minister Kim Beazley, as saying that the Labor government was committed to its timetable for changes to Australia's flag by the Centenary of Federation in 2001; however, beyond commissioning a national survey that year, no further action was taken.[32]
In 1998 the Howard Government amended the Flags Act 1953 to require a public vote before the Australian flag could be changed, after unsuccessfully supporting several private members' bills with the same effect whilst in opposition.[33] Additionally, the government advised the governor-general proclaim 3 September Australian National Flag Day in 1996. 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.[33]
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 Australian Aboriginal flag. This was at Neill's suggestion, as he thought the flag might have been changed by that point in the future.[34][35][36][37]
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.[38]
In 2015, with the flag debate in New Zealand continuing, discussion on the Australian flag arose in the media. This included the issue being raised publicly by Labor MP Tim Watts.[39]
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.[41]
A 2010 Morgan Poll that asked: "Do you think Australia should have a new design for our National Flag?" was supported by 29% of respondents and opposed by 66%, with 5% uncommitted.[41]
The Union Jack or Union Flag is the de facto national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. The flag continues to have official status in Canada, by parliamentary resolution, where it is known as the Royal Union Flag. However, it is commonly referred to in Canada as the Union Jack.
An ensign is a maritime flag that is used for the national identification of a ship. It is the largest flag and is generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. Depending on the ship's origin, it may sometimes be identical with a jack on the bow of the ship when in a port. Jacks are more common on warships than on merchant ships.
The Red Ensign or "Red Duster" is the civil ensign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is one of the British ensigns, and it is used either plain or defaced with either a badge or a charge, mostly in the right half.
The current state flag of Tasmania was officially adopted following a proclamation by Tasmanian colonial Governor Sir Frederick Weld on 25 September 1876, and was first published in the Tasmanian Gazette the same day. The governor's proclamation here were three official flags, they being the Governor's flag, the Tasmania Government vessel flag, and a Tasmania merchant flag. Up until 1856 when Tasmania was granted responsible self-government, the Union flag and the British ensign were primarily used on state occasions.
In British maritime law and custom, an ensign is the identifying flag flown to designate a British ship, either military or civilian. Such flags display the United Kingdom Union Flag in the canton, with either a red, white or blue field, dependent on whether the vessel is civilian, naval, or in a special category. These are known as the red, white, and blue ensigns respectively.
The flag of New Zealand, also known as the New Zealand Ensign, is based on the British maritime Blue Ensign – a blue field with the Union Jack in the canton or upper hoist corner – augmented or defaced with four red stars centred within four white stars, representing the Southern Cross constellation.
The national flag of Fiji was adopted on 10 October 1970. The state arms have been slightly modified but the flag has remained the same as during Fiji's colonial period. It is a defaced cyan "Blue Ensign", with the shield from the national coat of arms. It has remained unchanged since Fiji was declared a republic in 1987, despite calls from some politicians for changes.
The flag of Solomon Islands consists of a thin yellow diagonal stripe from the lower hoist-side corner, with a blue upper triangle and green lower triangle, and the canton charged with five white stars. Adopted in 1977 to replace the British Blue Ensign defaced with the arms of the protectorate, it has been the flag of Solomon Islands since 18 November of that year, eight months before the country gained independence. Although the number of provinces has since increased, the number of stars on the flag that originally represented them remained unchanged.
The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign because of the simultaneous existence of a crossless version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cross on a white field, identical to the flag of England except with the Union Flag in the upper canton.
The current state flag of New South Wales was officially adopted in 1876. The flag is based on the defaced British Blue Ensign with the state badge located in the fly. The badge, based on the coat of arms, is a white disc with the cross of St George, a golden lion passant guardant in the centre of the cross and an eight-pointed gold star on each arm of the cross.
The Australian white ensign is a naval ensign used by ships of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from 1967 onwards. From the formation of the RAN until 1967, Australian warships used the British white ensign as their ensign. However, this led to situations where Australian vessels were mistaken for British ships, and when Australia became involved in the Vietnam War, the RAN was effectively fighting under the flag of another, uninvolved nation. Proposals were made in 1965 for a unique Australian ensign, which was approved in 1966, and entered use in 1967.
The Australian red ensign is the civil ensign of Australia, the flag of nationality flown by Australian registered ships. It is a red version of the national flag, which is mainly blue. Both flags resulted from the Commonwealth Government's 1901 Federal Flag Design Competition which required two entries: an ensign for Commonwealth Government use and another for the merchant navy. The winning design for the merchant ensign was based on the traditional British red ensign and featured the Southern Cross and Commonwealth Star.
The Great Canadian flag debate was a national debate that took place in 1963 and 1964 when a new design for the national flag of Canada was chosen.
The Flags Act 1953 is an act of the Parliament of Australia which defines the official Australian National Flag and the Australian Red Ensign.
The national flag of Australia is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star and a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars. Australia also has a number of other official flags representing its people and government bodies.
The historical flags of the British Empire and the overseas territories refers to the various flags that were used across the various Dominions, Crown colonies, protectorates, and territories which made up the British Empire and overseas territories. Early flags that were used across the Empire tended to be variations of the Red and Blue Ensigns of Great Britain with no colonial badges or coat of arms attached to them. In the first half of the 19th century, the first colonies started to acquire their own colony badges, but it was not until the UK Parliament passed the Colonial Naval Defence Act 1865 that the colonies were required to apply their own emblems.
The 1901 Federal Flag Design Competition was an Australian government initiative announced by Prime Minister Edmund Barton to find a flag for the newly federated Commonwealth of Australia. In terms of its essential elements the winning entries are the official flag of Australia.
The New Zealand White Ensign is a naval ensign used by ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) from 1968. Based on the Royal Navy's White Ensign, it features the Southern Cross from the New Zealand national flag in place of the Saint George's Cross. One of the earliest flags associated with the country, that used by the United Tribes of New Zealand, was a white ensign. This was replaced by the Union Flag when New Zealand became a British colony. A blue ensign with the Southern Cross was introduced for ships of the colonial government in 1867 and this soon became a de facto national flag. Ships in New Zealand naval service wore the Royal Navy's White Ensign until 1968 when the distinct New Zealand White Ensign was introduced. The ensign was implemented out of a desire to distinguish New Zealand vessels from those of the Royal Navy and this decision is regarded as an important step in the development of the RNZN.
The following is a timeline of the flag of Australia.
↑ "Australian Red Ensign – Myths and Facts". Ausflag. 12 June 2006. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2007. Australian forces in the Sudan War (1885), the Boxer Rebellion (1900–1901) and the Boer War (1899–1902) fought under the Union Jack. The First World War was the first to use the Red Ensign although the Union Jack dominated. World War II saw the Blue Ensign used for forts while the Red Ensign was used by the troops. In the Korean War, Australians fought under the United Nations' Flag. The first war to be fought under the Blue Ensign was Vietnam (1965–1972).
1 2 Commonwealth Document. "Documenting a Democracy". National Archives of Australia: Flags Act 1953: History. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
↑ Competition For A Flag The Evening Herald flag competition had stipulated that the flag must include both the Union Jack and the Southern Cross. The Review of Reviews competition specifically stated that "such absolute limitations" would not apply but that any entry "which omitted these symbols might have small chance of success." The Federal Government 1901 competition combined the Review of Reviews with their own. Of the 32,823 designs entered in the Government competition the "great majority" contained both the Union Jack and the Southern Cross. The judges in choosing the winners stated "it was apparent that a Commonwealth flag, to be representative, should contain: the Union Jack... it was felt that the only additional emblem required was one representing the Federation of the six States".
↑ Kirby, Michael (2000). "The Australian Referendum on a Republic – Ten Lessons". Australian Journal of Politics & History. 46 (4): 510–535. doi:10.1111/1467-8497.00111.
↑ "The Flag". The Bulletin. Vol.22, no.1128. Sydney, N.S.W. 28 September 1901. p.9. Retrieved 7 August 2023– via National Library of Australia.
↑ Kwan, Elizabeth (2006). Flag and nation: Australians and their national flags since 1901. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press. pp.93–107. ISBN978-0-86840-567-4.
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Ausflag's 2000 professional designers' competition was won by Franck Gentil with a design that replaces the Union Flag with a gold Commonwealth Star
The Triple Union Flag
The Unity Flag designed by Murray Bunton
Flag worn by Sam Neill in Event Horizon (1997, set in 2047)
