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, who won a local competition held by the Islands Coordinating Council.
On 14 July 1995, the Keating government advised, under section five of the Flags Act 1953, the proclamation of Namok's flag as "the flag of the Torres Strait Islander people of Australia",. The proclamation noted that the flag was "recognised as the flag of the Torres Strait Islander people of Australia and a flag of significance to the Australian nation generally".[2]
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 almost identically replaced, on 25 January 2008, with retroactive effect as from 1 January.[3]
The Torres Strait Islander flag retains copyright protection under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), despite the death of Namok in 1993. The Torres Strait Island Regional Council (the body that superseded the Island Coordinating Council in 2008) asserts ownership of the copyright. It is willing to permit reproductions of the flag on request, provided that are colours used accurate and Namok is acknowledged as the designer.[4] Bernard Namok Jnr has argued that he and his family should own the copyright stating "it still isn't clear to me who really should own copyright to the flag".[5]
Colours
The official colours of the flag of the Torres Strait Islanders are as follows:
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.[14]
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.[15]
↑ "Flags Act 1953 Proclamation". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (S258). 14 July 1995. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
↑ Shnukal, Anna (2001). "Torres Strait Islanders"(PDF). In Brandle, Maximilian (ed.). Multicultural Queensland 2001: 100 years, 100 communities, a century of contributions. pp.22–23. ISBN0724228004.
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Flag of Murray Island
