Australia's flag is a dark blue ensign featuring the Union Jack in the top-left corner, a large white seven-pointed Commonwealth Star below it, and the Southern Cross constellation (five white stars) on the right side, representing British heritage, federation, and its geographical location in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Flags Act 1953 specified the Blue Ensign as the Australian National Flag and the Red Ensign as the merchant shipping flag. In the 1940s, the federal government began to encourage public use of the blue ensign.
The "real" Australian flag is the Australian National Flag, a blue ensign featuring the Union Jack (history), a large Commonwealth Star (6 states + territories), and the Southern Cross constellation (geography), but Australia also has other official flags, notably the Aboriginal Flag and Torres Strait Islander Flag, often flown together to represent shared histories and peoples.
There are actually seven stars on the Australian flag, not six, consisting of the large, seven-pointed Commonwealth Star and the five stars of the Southern Cross constellation; the Commonwealth Star's six points represent the six original states, with the seventh point added later for the territories, while the Southern Cross stars signify Australia's geographic location and its heritage, with some points having specific meanings.
Australia has three official flags: the Australian National Flag, representing the nation; the Aboriginal Flag, symbolizing Indigenous Australians; and the Torres Strait Islander Flag, representing the people of the Torres Strait Islands, often flown together to show unity and respect for all Australians. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags were officially recognized in 1995, acknowledging their importance alongside the national flag.
Australia has 6 states, not 7, which federated in 1901: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania, along with two main mainland territories (Northern Territory and ACT), making a total of eight states and territories.
The National Colonial flag
Captain John Bingle and Captain John Nicholson are credited with the first recorded attempt to design a 'national' flag for Australia. Their flag featured four stars of the Southern Cross on a red cross, against a white background, with the Union Jack in the canton.
Britain's flag, the Union Jack, appears on the top left quarter of the Australian National Flag to acknowledge the history of British settlement in Australia. The Union Jack, the commonly used name for the Union Flag, is the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and has its own history.
Denmark's flag, the Dannebrog, is widely considered the world's oldest national flag still in continuous use, with legendary origins in 1219 and solid evidence from the 14th century, inspiring other Nordic crosses and remaining unchanged for centuries. While other flags like Scotland's Saltire (St. Andrew's Cross) also have ancient roots, the Dannebrog holds the record for unbroken use as a national symbol.
The $20 million paid for the Aboriginal flag's copyright went to Luritja artist Harold Thomas, the flag's designer, and the license holders, with the Australian Federal Government acquiring the rights in 2022 to make the flag freely available for public use, ending long-standing disputes and licensing issues. The deal also included funding for an Indigenous student scholarship and directing royalties to NAIDOC.
New Zealand and Australia
Nonetheless, the design similarities are one of the reasons why New Zealanders have considered replacing their flag.
Colours of the Flag
In the national flag of India the top band is of Saffron colour, indicating the strength and courage of the country. The white middle band indicates peace and truth with Dharma Chakra. The last band is green in colour shows the fertility, growth and auspiciousness of the land.
Australia's national symbols that have been officially chosen (via vote, legislation or proclamation) to represent Australia and its states and territories include: the Australian National Flag. the Commonwealth Coat of Arms. our floral emblem, the golden wattle.
The Australian Commonwealth Government bought the copyright to the Aboriginal Flag in a $20 million deal in 2022 from its creator, Harold Thomas, making it freely available for public use, ending previous licensing restrictions by companies like WAM Clothing. Now, Australians can use the flag on apparel (like sports jerseys), websites, and for personal use without needing permission or paying royalties, although exclusive manufacturing rights for official flags went to Carroll & Richardson Flagworld.
The national flag most similar to and likely to be confused with that of Australia is the New Zealand flag, introduced for restricted use in 1869 and adopted as the New Zealand national flag in 1902.
On January 26, 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet of British ships arrived at Sydney Cove (Warrane) in Australia, raising the Union Jack to establish the first British penal colony, marking the beginning of formal British colonization and a profound, often traumatic, change for the Aboriginal peoples who lived there. This event, initially celebrated as "Foundation Day," is now recognized as Australia Day, a date viewed with deep pain by many Indigenous Australians as "Invasion Day" or "Survival Day" due to the subsequent dispossession and conflict it initiated.
The flag of Mozambique was adopted on May 1, 1983. It includes the image of an AK-47 and is the only national flag in the world to feature such a modern rifle. The flag is based on the flag of the Mozambican Liberation Front (FRELIMO).
Malawi and Libya both have flags that were recently adopted.
The American Legion passed a resolution about flag retirement ceremonies in 1937, and they've been an important ritual ever since. According to the resolution, "The approved method of disposing of unserviceable flags has long been that they be destroyed by burning."
On January 1, 1901, six colonies were joined together to create the Commonwealth of Australia, a self-governing Dominion in the British Empire. While the new nation was sovereign when it came to its domestic affairs, the United Kingdom maintained control over its relations with the wider world.
New Zealand's flag came first, officially adopted in 1902, while Australia's current flag was formally adopted later in 1954, although a version of the Australian flag was flown and won a competition in 1901, making it about a year older in practice but with NZ's formal adoption preceding Australia's final design. Both are British Blue Ensigns with the Southern Cross, but NZ's stars are red and Australia's are white with a Commonwealth Star.
That's over 100 years before the jackstaff became common on ships — meaning the name “Union Jack” predates its use at sea. 🔹 The word “jack” was already in use for small flags, especially those flown at the bow of a ship. So the idea that the flag was only called a jack when flown at sea simply doesn't hold up.
The "real" Australian flag is the Australian National Flag, a blue ensign featuring the Union Jack (history), a large Commonwealth Star (6 states + territories), and the Southern Cross constellation (geography), but Australia also has other official flags, notably the Aboriginal Flag and Torres Strait Islander Flag, often flown together to represent shared histories and peoples.
The New South Wales Governor Lachlan Macquarie endorsed the name Australia to replace New Holland in a dispatch to the Colonial Office in London in December 1817, and the name came into common local usage.
Denmark's flag, the Dannebrog, is widely considered the oldest national flag still in continuous use, with legend placing its origin in 1219, though historical evidence points to adoption in the 14th century, inspiring other Nordic crosses and remaining a symbol of Danish heritage without significant change. Other very old flags with early origins include Scotland's Saltire (9th-14th century) and Austria's red-white-red design (12th century).