Torres Strait Islander Flag

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Torres Strait Islanders
Flag of the Torres Strait Islanders.svg
Proportion2:3 or 1:2 (here)
Adopted14 July 1995
Designed byBernard Namok

The Torres Strait Islander Flag is the official flag of the Torres Strait Islanders, an Indigenous people of Australia. It was designed in 1992 by Bernard Namok, winning a local competition held by the Islands Coordinating Council, and was recognised by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission in June 1992. It was granted official status in 1995 under the Flags Act 1953 along with the Australian Aboriginal Flag.

Contents

Status

On 14 July 1995, Governor-General Bill Hayden issued a proclamation under section five of the Flags Act 1953 declaring the flag to be "recognised as the flag of the Torres Strait Islander people of Australia and a flag of significance to the Australian nation generally". [1]

An "administrative oversight" caused the 1995 proclamation not to be lodged to continue in force indefinitely; hence, it automatically expired on 1 January 2008. It was therefore almost identically replaced, on 25 January 2008, with retroactive effect as from 1 January. [2]

In the 2008 proclamation, the flag "is recognised as the flag of the Torres Strait Islander people of Australia and a flag of significance to the Australian nation generally" and appointed "to be the flag of the Torres Strait Islander people of Australia and to be known as the Torres Strait Islander Flag". The design is reproduced in Schedule 1 and described in Schedule 2.

Although Namok has since died, the Torres Strait Islander Flag is still subject to copyright under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The copyright was administered by the Island Coordinating Council until 2008, when that body was superseded by the Torres Strait Island Regional Council, which is willing to permit reproductions of the flag that are accurate and acknowledge Namok as the designer. [3]

Colours

The official colours of the flag of the Torres Strait Islanders are as follows:

SchemeGreenBlueBlackWhiteSource(s)
Pantone 3288 C or 342 C301 C or 280 CBlack CSafe [4] [5]
RGB

(Hex)

0–153–102

(#009966)

0–0–153

(#000099)

0–0–0

(#000000)

255–255–255

(#FFFFFF)

 [4]
CMYK 100%–0%–80%–40%100%–70%–0%–0%0%–0%–0%–100%0%–0%–0%–0% [4]

Symbolic meaning

Memorial plaque explaining the meaning of the Torres Strait Islander flag, displayed on Thursday Island. Torres flag.jpg
Memorial plaque explaining the meaning of the Torres Strait Islander flag, displayed on Thursday Island.

The green panels at the top and the bottom of the flag symbolise the land, while the blue panel in the centre represents the waters of the Torres Strait. The thin black stripes between the green and blue panels signify the Torres Strait Islanders themselves. The white five-pointed star at the centre of the flag represents the five major island groups—the Western, Eastern, Central, Port Kennedy and (N.P.A.) Mainland—and the white dhari (also spelt dari, a ceremonial dancer's headdress [6] ), around it also symbolises the Torres Strait Islands people. White symbolises peace, while the star is a symbol for navigation. [5]

Public display

The Australian national, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags as they are often displayed at official events The 3 Flags of Australia.jpg
The Australian national, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags as they are often displayed at official events

The Torres Strait Islander flag is permanently flown alongside the Aboriginal flag in front of Adelaide Town Hall in Adelaide, South Australia. [7]

Following the 2022 Australian federal election on 21 May 2022, the incoming Anthony Albanese-led Labor government started displaying the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag alongside the national flag at ministerial press conferences. [8] Upon the opening of the new Parliament, both flags began to be displayed in the House of Representatives and Senate chambers. [9]

From 27 May 2022, at the start of National Reconciliation Week, both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags were hoisted on the front lawn of Government House, Adelaide, to be permanently flown alongside the national flag and the South Australian flag. [10]

Local flags

Murray Island

The flag of Murray Island, located in the eastern section of the Torres Strait, consists of three vertical stripes: red ochre, white, and black representing the Torres Strait Creole. In the canton, there is a depiction of a beach hibiscus symbolizing peace and authority, placed on a white disc surrounded by eight six-pointed mullet stars representing the 8 Meriam tribes. The flag was designed by local artist Andrew Passi senior. [11]

Saibai Island

The flag of Saibai Island, situated four kilometres from the nation of Papua New Guinea. It consists of a green triangle symbolizing the land and a dark blue field representing the sea. Within the green triangle there is a yellow leaf, symbolizing peace. Additionally, an eight-pointed star represents Australia. The flag was chosen by members of the Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torres Strait Islands</span> Group of islands in the Torres Strait between Australia and New Guinea

The Torres Strait Islands are an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait, a waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea. They span an area of 48,000 km2 (19,000 sq mi), but their total land area is 566 km2 (219 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torres Strait Islanders</span> Ethnic group of Australia

Torres Strait Islanders are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal peoples of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped with them as Indigenous Australians. Today there are many more Torres Strait Islander people living in mainland Australia than on the Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Aboriginal Flag</span> Officially proclaimed flag representing Aboriginal Australians

The Australian Aboriginal Flag is the official flag of Aboriginal Australians. It was granted official status in 1995 under the Flags Act 1953, together with the Torres Strait Islander Flag, in recognition of their status as Indigenous peoples of Australia. The two flags are often flown together with the Australian National Flag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies</span> Australian research institute for Indigenous studies

The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, publishing, and research institute and is considered to be Australia's premier resource for information about the cultures and societies of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Thomas (artist)</span> Australian artist and activist

Harold Joseph Thomas, also known as Bundoo, is an Aboriginal Australian artist and former activist, known for designing and copyrighting the Australian Aboriginal Flag. He claims to have designed the flag in 1971 as a symbol of the Aboriginal land rights movement, and in 1995 it was made an official "Flag of Australia". After this, his assertion of copyright over his design was upheld by the Federal Court, eventually transferring that copyright to the Commonwealth of Australia and making it freely available for public use in January 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saibai Island</span> Suburb of Torres Strait Island Region, Queensland, Australia

Saibai Island, commonly called Saibai, is an island of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago, located in the Torres Strait of Queensland, Australia. The island is situated north of the Australian mainland and south of the island of New Guinea. The island is a locality within the Torres Strait Island Region local government area. The town of Saibai is located on the north-west coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, Saibai Island had a population of 465 people.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moa Island (Queensland)</span> Island in the Torres Strait, Queensland

Moa Island, also called Banks Island, is an island of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago that is located 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Thursday Island in the Banks Channel of Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia. It is also a locality within the Torres Strait Island Region local government area. This island is the largest within the "Near Western" group. It has two towns, Kubin on the south-west coast and St Pauls on the east coast, which are connected by bitumen and a gravel road. In the 2016 census, Moa Island had a population of 448 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coconut Island (Queensland)</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Coconut Island, Poruma Island, or Puruma in the local language, is an island in the Great North East Channel near Cumberland Passage, Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia. One of the Torres Strait Islands, Coconut Island is 130 kilometres (81 mi) northeast of Thursday Island. Administratively, Coconut Island is a town and Poruma Island is the locality within the Shire of Torres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yam Island</span> Island in Queensland, Australia

Yam Island, called Yama or Iama in the Kulkalgau Ya language or Turtle-backed Island in English, is an island of the Bourke Isles group of the Torres Strait Islands, located in the Tancred Passage of the Torres Strait in Queensland, Australia. The island is situated approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) northeast of Thursday Island and measures about 2 square kilometres (0.77 sq mi). The island is an official locality known as Iama Island within the local government area of Torres Strait Island Region. The town, also called Yam Island, is located on the north-west coast of the island. In the 2021 census, Iama Island had a population of 275 people.

Richard Bell is an Aboriginal Australian artist and political activist. He is one of the founders of proppaNOW, a Brisbane-based Aboriginal art collective.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Island (Torres Strait)</span> Island in the Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia

Stephens Island, called Ugar in the local Meriam language, lies in the eastern group of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago of Queensland, Australia. The island is within the locality of Ugar Island within the local government area of the Torres Strait Island Region.

The Torres Strait Island Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia, covering part of the Torres Strait Islands. It was created in March 2008 out of 15 autonomous Island Councils during a period of statewide local government reform. It has offices in each of its 15 communities, and satellite services in Thursday Island and in Cairns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torres Strait Regional Authority</span>

The Torres Strait Regional Authority is an Australian Government body established in 1994 to administer the Torres Strait Islands. It consists of 20 elected representatives. The primary function of the authority is to strengthen the economic, social and cultural development of the peoples of the Torres Strait area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Trinity Church, Saibai Island</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Holy Trinity Church is a heritage-listed Anglican church at Saibai Island, Torres Strait Island Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1917 to 1938. It is also known as Holy Trinity Church of England. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Saints Anglican Church, Darnley Island</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

All Saints Anglican Church is a heritage-listed church at Darnley Island, Torres Strait Island Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1919 to 1938. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umagico, Queensland</span> Suburb of Northern Peninsula Area Region, Queensland, Australia

Umagico is a town and coastal locality in the Northern Peninsula Area Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Umagico had a population of 394 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dauan Island</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Dauan Island is an island in the Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia; it is also known as Cornwallis Island. Dauan Island is also a town and locality in the Torres Strait Island Region, Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masig Island, Queensland</span> Suburb of Torres Strait Island Region, Queensland, Australia

Masig Island is an island and locality in the Torres Strait Island Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Masig Island had a population of 283 people.

References

  1. ↑ "Flags Act 1953 Proclamation". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (S258). 14 July 1995. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "Flags Act 1953—Proclamation (Australian Aboriginal Flag)". ComLaw. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2014. The only significant change from 1995 is that "Torres Strait Islander flag" has been altered to "Torres Strait Islander Flag".
  3. ↑ "Torres Strait Islander flag". Torres Strait Island Regional Council. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Australia. (2002). Style manual for authors, editors and printers. Snooks & Co. (6th ed.). Canberra: John Wiley & Sons Australia. p. 300. ISBN   9780701636487. OCLC   49316140.
  5. 1 2 Cabinet, Prime Minister and (27 June 2016). "Australian flags". www.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  6. ↑ Whitford, Maddie (13 April 2020). "Producers reflect on profound experience walking with Indigenous artists on country". ABC News. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "Australian Aboriginal flag". City of Adelaide . 13 May 2019. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  8. ↑ Knowles, Rachael (23 May 2022). "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flags flank Prime Minister's debut". NITV . Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  9. ↑ Mahony, Jack (28 July 2022). "Senate President Sue Lines no longer wants the Lord's Prayer read before each sitting day in Parliament". Sky News Australia . Archived from the original on 28 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  10. ↑ Opie, Rebecca (27 May 2022). "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags permanently fly at Government House". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  11. ↑ "Mer Island (Murray Island) Flag Circa 1980's". Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  12. ↑ "Saibai Island Flag 2001". Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.

Further reading

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