Maggie
Senior Member
Registered: 10/27/06
Posts: 11,872
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When the Australian colonies federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901, there was an urgent demand for a new national flag as an emblem for the new country.
An official competition for a design was arranged, which attracted 32,823 entries. Five of these contained almost identical designs and were placed equal first. Apart from later changes in the size of the stars and the number of points, they had produced the present Australian National Flag.
The Australian National Flag consists of three parts set on a blue field. The first part is the Union Jack, acknowledging the historical link with Britain. The second part is the Southern Cross (a constellation of stars only visible in the Southern Hemisphere), representing Australia?s geographical location in the world. Finally, the Commonwealth Star represents Australia's federal system of government. Originally, the Commonwealth Star had six points (for the six states), but in 1908 a seventh point was added to represent the Territories of the Commonwealth of Australia
Did you know?
The Australian National Flag is the only national flag to fly over a whole continent.
Did you know?
One of the five near identical designs that shared first prize in the competition to design the Australian flag in 1901 was from Ivor Evans from Melbourne, a 14-year-old school boy.
The Australian Government encourages the flying of the Australian National Flag by all Australians and is committed to promoting pride in the flag.
As well as displaying the flag in their communities at home, Australians around the globe fly the Australian flag with pride. The flag can nearly always be seen in the stands of international sporting arenas when Australians are competing and is used to commemorate and honour those Australians who have died in conflict on battlefields around the world.
In 1996, the Governor-General proclaimed 3 September of each year as Australian National Flag Day. This is the anniversary that commemorates the first flying of the Australian National Flag on 3 September 1901 from the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne.
To find out more about the Australian National Flag, contact your Senator or Federal Member to request a copy of the booklet Australian Flags, which explains the history of the flag and outlines flag protocol issues. |
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