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List of Australian flags

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This is a list of flags of different designs that have been used in Australia.

National flags

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Flag Date Use Description
  1901–1903 Original 1901 Federal Flag Design Competition winner[1] A Blue Ensign defaced with the six-point Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter and the five stars of the Southern Cross in the fly half (each star had a varying number of points: 9, 8, 7, 6 and 5—with Alpha Crucis being larger than Beta and Gamma and with Delta being smaller than Beta and Gamma[2]). It was first flown in Melbourne on 3 September 1901.
That day is known as Flag Day.
  1903–1908 Historic national flag as approved by King Edward VII[1] Flag modified so that all stars of southern cross have seven points, except the smallest star with 5 points
  1908–present Australian National Flag, naval jack and state ensign[1] Flag modified with the addition of two points to the Commonwealth Star

Nationally proclaimed flags of Indigenous peoples

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Sources:[3][4]

Flag Date Use Description
  1971–present Australian Aboriginal Flag[5] A black and red flag with a yellow circle in the middle. The flag was designed in 1971 by Harold Thomas.
Link to File 1992–present Torres Strait Islander Flag[5] A five-pointed star and traditional headdress in white, on a blue, green and black background. It was designed in 1992 by Bernard Namok.

State and territory flags

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Flag Date Use Description
  1876–present Flag of New South Wales[6] A St George's Cross with four gold stars and a lion in the fly of a British blue ensign.
  1876–present[a] Flag of Queensland[6] A light blue Maltese cross with a crown on a white background in the fly of a British blue ensign.
  1904–present Flag of South Australia[6] A piping shrike on a gold background in the fly of a British blue ensign.
  1876–present Flag of Tasmania[6] A red lion on a white background in the fly of a British blue ensign.
  1877–present Flag of Victoria[6] The Southern Cross surmounted by a crown in the fly of a British blue ensign.
  1953–present Flag of Western Australia[6] A black swan on a gold background in the fly of a British blue ensign.
  1993–present Flag of the Australian Capital Territory[6] One third blue with the Southern Cross, the other two thirds are yellow with the coat of arms of Canberra.
  1978–present Flag of the Northern Territory[6] One third black with the Southern Cross, the other two thirds are Ochre with Sturt's Desert Rose, the floral emblem of the Territory.
  2002–present Flag of Christmas Island[6] The blue and green diagonal panels represent the sea and the island's vegetation, a small map of the island is included in the centre. The main emblem is a golden bosun bird. The flag was selected from a competition held in 1986 and was approved in 2002.
  2004–present Flag of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands[6] The flag is green, with a palm tree on a gold disc in the canton, a gold crescent for the Cocos Malay people in the centre of the flag and a gold southern cross in the fly. The flag was designed in 2003 becoming official in 2004.
  1980–present Flag of Norfolk Island[6] A green field with a white square containing a green Norfolk Island pine.

Historical state flags

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Flag Date Use Description
  1867 Flag of New South Wales
  1870–1876 Flag of New South Wales
  1859 Flag of Queensland
  1870–1876 Flag of Queensland
  1876–1901 Flag of Queensland
  1901–1963 Flag of Queensland
  1870–1876 Flag of South Australia
  1876–1904 Flag of South Australia
  1875 Flag of Tasmania
  1870-1877 Flag of Victoria
  1877 Flag of Victoria
  1877–1901 Flag of Victoria
  1901–1952 Flag of Victoria
  1870–1953 Flag of Western Australia
  1914–1949 Flag of the Territory of New Guinea[7] British blue ensign with a white disk on the fly, filled with the Tudor Crown and the initialism "T.N.G."
  1902–1949 Flag of the Territory of Papua[citation needed] British blue ensign with a white disk on the fly, filled with the Tudor Crown and the word "PAPUA".
  1971–1975 Flag of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea[7] The upper triangle is red with the soaring Raggiana Bird of Paradise and the lower triangle is black with the Southern Cross of four white larger five-pointed stars and the smaller star.

Local flags

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Flag Date Use Description
  1982–present Armorial Flag of the City of Adelaide[8] Blue background divided into four quarters by a Saint George's Cross outlined in gold overlain with the Arms of the City of Adelaide. Flag bordered on three sides by diagonal blue and gold stripes.[9]
  Flag of the local government area of Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara[10] The logo of Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara on a red field.
  1947–present Flag of the City of Brisbane[11] Blue background (representing the Brisbane River) bordered by a golden checker pattern (representing the Sun and Brisbane's warm climate) with the flag divided into six quarters. The upper hoist quarter contains a golden caducei superimposed on wavy white lines, representing the Brisbane River and its ties to the city's commerce. The lower hoist quarter contains two Stafford knots and a white star arranged vertically (all represent the achievements in astronomy of Sir Thomas Brisbane, for whom the city is named). The remaining segments alternate between these two designs. The flag design is based on the shield on the coat of arms of Brisbane.[12][13]
  2009–present Flag of the City of Darwin[14] According to council policy, Darwin maintains both the coat of arms flag and a logo flag.[14]
  Flag of the City of Hobart[11] The flag of Hobart City Council, of Tasmania, Australia. Designed in 1951 by Hobart architect and alderman, I.G. Anderson and first flown in 1953.

The star is derived from the arms of Lord Hobart, 4th Earl of Buckinghamshire (1760–1816), Secretary of State for War and the Colonies at the time of colonial settlement (1804), and after whom Hobart is named. The colour used on the arms Lord Hobart was, in fact, sable (black), rather than blue.

The red lion is from the Tasmanian flag – and its location at the top of the shield signifies Hobart's position as the Capital City.[15]

  Flag of the City of Melbourne[11] White background divided into four quarters by a Saint George's Cross outlined by a concise and overlain with St Edward's Crown. Quadrant features represent the main activities of the economy of the City of Melbourne in the mid 19th century and are, in a clockwise direction from top left, a fleece hanging from a red ring (wool), a black bull standing on a hillock (cattle), a three-mast ship in full sail (shipping), and a spouting whale in the sea (whaling). The flag design is identical to the shield on the coat of arms of Melbourne.[16]
  1949–present Flag of the City of Perth[11] Saint George's Cross overlaid with the City of Perth coat of arms in the centre.[17]
  1908–present Flag of the City of Sydney[11] The flag is a horizontal triband of three colours – white, gold and blue. The top third features three designs. In the top left the arms belong to Thomas Townshend, Viscount Sydney, after whom the city was named. The English Naval Flag in the centre acknowledges the role Arthur Philip played in Sydney's foundation. The red cross is overlaid with a globe and two stars – the principal features of James Cook's Arms, which were granted as a posthumous honour for his service in mapping Australia. The arms in the top right belong to the first Lord Mayor of Sydney, Thomas Hughes. It was during his term of office that the title of Mayor became Lord Mayor, and the official coat of arms for the city was granted. The remaining field of the flag features a ship under full sail, an allusion to the prominence of Sydney as a maritime port.[18]
circa 1960–2008 Flag of the City of Toowoomba[19] The flag of Toowoomba city is a violet coloured ensign which makes reference to the city's floral emblem of the day, the Toowoomba Violet (aka the sweet violet, Lat. 'Viola odorata').[20]

Notable is the city's coat of arms[21] in the centre of the ensign and the city's name on the left of the flag, lettered from top to bottom.[22]

2008–present Flag of Toowoomba[19] A new Toowoomba flag was created in 2007 and became the official flag of the Toowoomba Region on 15 March 2008 with the amalgamation of 8 councils; The councils were Clifton Shire, Crows Nest Shire, Cambooya Shire, Jondaryan Shire, Millmerran Shire, Pittsworth Shire, Rosalie Shire and Toowoomba City.[23]

The predominant colours are white and teal. The three white rings in the flag intersect to create eight spaces from their loops and exterior, symbolising the unity of the eight amalgamated former councils. The colour of teal also represents unity.[24]

Link to file 1965–present Flag of Wagga Wagga[25] The Wagga Wagga City Flag is square. The upper quarter of the flag contains eight stalks of wheat positioned so as to form two capital letters W on a vert (green) field. The lower quarter of the upper half of the flag contains a wavy blue line on gold (yellow) representing the river winding through the wheat fields. The lower half of the flag contains the head of a ram positioned centrally on a vert (green) field.
  1850–present Upper Murray River Flag[26] Flown by vessels on the upper reaches of the Murray River, predominantly in Victoria. The blue bars are said to represent the four major rivers that form the Murray-Darling River system and their dark hue represents the darker colour of the Murray River's darker waters in Victoria and NSW.
  1850–present Lower Murray River Flag[26] Flown by vessels on the lower reaches of the Murray River, predominantly in South Australia. The blue bars are said to represent the four major rivers that form the Murray-Darling River system and their light hue represents the lighter colour of the Murray River's lighter waters in South Australia.
  1998–present Flag of Lord Howe Island, New South Wales[27] Unofficial

Personal flags

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Sovereign

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Flag Date Use Description
  1962–2022 Personal Australian Flag of Queen Elizabeth II[28] Consists of a banner of the coat of arms of Australia, defaced with a gold seven-pointed federation star with a blue disc containing the letter E below a crown, surrounded by a garland of golden roses.

Governor-General

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Flag Date Use Description
  1909–1936 Flag of the governor-general of Australia[28] A Union Flag defaced with a seven pointed star, crowned, surrounded by ears of corn and a gold circlet. The crown used is the Tudor Crown.
  1936–1963 Flag of the governor-general of Australia[29] A crowned lion standing on a crown on a blue field. The crown used is the Tudor Crown.
  1963–present Flag of the governor-general of Australia[28] A crowned lion standing on a crown on a blue field. The crown used is St Edward's Crown.

State governors

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Main article: Flags of the governors of the Australian states
Flag Date Use Description
  1981–present Flag of the governor of New South Wales[28] The state flag with a crowned badge.
  1876–present[a] Flag of the governor of Queensland[28] The Union Flag defaced with the state badge.
  1975–present Flag of the governor of South Australia[28] The state flag with a crowned badge.
  1977–present Flag of the governor of Tasmania[28] The state flag with a crowned badge.
  1984–present Flag of the governor of Victoria[28] The state flag with a yellow field and crowned southern cross.
  1988–present Flag of the governor of Western Australia[28] The state flag with a crowned badge.

Prime minister

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Flag Date Use Description
  1950s–1966 Car flag of the prime minister of Australia The Australian national flag defaced with the coat of arms of Australia placed between the Commonwealth Star and the Southern Cross. Used by Robert Menzies in the 1950s and 1960s.[30][31]

Civil ensigns

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Flag Date Use Description
  1901–1903 Red version of the 1901 Federal Flag Design Competition winner[1] A Red Ensign defaced with the six-point Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter and the five stars of the Southern Cross in the fly half (each star had a varying number of points: 9, 8, 7, 6 and 5—with Alpha Crucis being larger than Beta and Gamma and with Delta being smaller than Beta and Gamma[32]).
  1903–1909 Red Ensign, first version approved by King Edward VII[1] Flag modified so that all stars of southern cross have seven points, except the smallest star with 5 points
  1909–present Australian Red Ensign[1] Flag modified with the addition of two points to the Commonwealth Star
  1935–1948 Australian Civil Air Ensign[33] Based on the British Civil Air Ensign, with the addition of the Southern Cross and Commonwealth Star in yellow.
  1948–present Australian Civil Air Ensign[33] Stars altered to white to improve visibility

Australian Defence Force

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Flag Date Use Description

 

2000–present Australian Defence Force Ensign[33] A tricolour of dark blue (navy); red (army) and light blue (airforce) with the triservice badge.

 

2000–present Personal flag of the Chief of the Defence Force[34] A horizontal tricolour of dark blue (navy); red (army) and light blue (airforce) with the triservice badge and four gold stars.

 

2000–present Personal flag of the Vice Chief of the Defence Force[citation needed] A tricolour of dark blue (navy); red (army) and light blue (airforce) with the triservice badge and three gold stars.

Royal Australian Navy

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Flag Date Use Description
  circa 1910–1967 Royal Australian Navy Ensign[35] British White Ensign
  1967–present Australian White Ensign[33] A version of the national flag with a white field defaced with a blue Commonwealth Star in the lower canton quarter and a blue Southern Cross in the fly.
  1920–1976, 1981– present Personal flag of the Chief of Navy[36] A fouled anchor on a red-blue background. Derived from the flag of the British Admiralty.
  1983–2022 Queen's Colour for the Royal Australian Navy[37]

Royal Australian Air Force

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Flag Date Use Description
  1921–1948 Royal Australian Air Force Ensign[33] British Royal Air Force Ensign
  1948–1982 Royal Australian Air Force Ensign[33][38] The national flag with a light blue field, the Southern Cross tilted and the RAAF roundel placed in the lower fly.
  1982–present Royal Australian Air Force Ensign[33][39] The national flag with a light blue field, the Southern Cross tilted and the RAAF roundel (Kangaroo) placed in the lower fly.

Australian Border Force

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Flag Date Use Description
  2015–present Australian Border Force Flag[33] The Australian national flag defaced with "AUSTRALIAN BORDER FORCE"

Federal and state police

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Flag Date Use Description
Link to file 1982–present Flag of the Australian Federal Police[33] A black-white-black vertical tricolor, with the badge of the Australian Federal Police in the centre of the white stripe. A black-and-white checkerboard borders the flag.
Link to file 1981–present Flag of the New South Wales Police Force[citation needed] An azure-and-white horizontal bicolor with the badge of the New South Wales Police Force in the centre of the flag.
Link to file 2006–present Flag of the Northern Territory Police[citation needed] A variant of the Northern Territory flag with the Northern Territory Police badge replacing the flower in the fly.
Link to file 2006–present Flag of the Queensland Police Service[40] A light blue-and-dark blue horizontal bicolor with the badge of the Queensland Police Service in the centre of the flag.
Link to file 1993–present Flag of the South Australia Police[citation needed] A British Blue Ensign defaced with the badge of the South Australia Police within a white disk.
  ??–present Flag of the Tasmania Police[citation needed] An azure flag with the badge of the Tasmania Police in the centre of the flag.
Link to file ??–present Flag of the Victoria Police[citation needed] A British Blue Ensign defaced with the badge of the Victoria Police.
Link to file 2005–present Flag of the Western Australia Police[41] A white flag with a stylised depiction of a swan and chequerboard in blue, with the Western Australia Police emblem added. Replaced previous flag in use from 1970–2000.

Sporting flags

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Flag Date Use Description
Link to file 1983–present Boxing Kangaroo sporting flag[42] A golden kangaroo wearing red boxing gloves on a green field. A registered trademark of the Australian Olympic Committee.[42]

Ethnic groups flags

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Flag Date Use Description
2021–present Flag of Taungurung[43] A rectangle diagonally divided by a yellow wavy line. (Heraldic) The right side is ocher with the 7 stars arranged into the constellation of the Pleiades, the left side is black.
  1998–present Flag of South Sea Islanders[44][45] Designed in 1994 and formally adopted by the Australian South Sea Islanders United Council in 1998.[46]

Other historical flags

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Flag Date Use Description
  1788–1801 Union Flag The Union Flag of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Raised by Captain Arthur Phillip RN on 26 January 1788 at Sydney Cove upon the landing of the First Fleet.
  1801–1903 Union Flag The Union Flag of the United Kingdom.
  1806 Bowman flag A white swallow-tail fly, with a crest featuring the Rose of England, the thistle of Scotland and the shamrock of Northern Ireland supported by an emu and kangaroo. The design was an inspiration for Australia's national coat of arms.
  1823/24–1831 National Colonial Flag for Australia A British White Ensign, featuring four white stars on the red cross
 
  		1831–1903 (de facto Flag of Australia); 1903–1920s (still commonly used) Australian Federation Flag/New South Wales Ensign A British White Ensign, featuring the Cross in Azure with five Argent Stars often varying between 5–8 Points. It was the de facto flag of Australia from 1 January 1901 to 3 September 1901. It was widely used in New South Wales as a local shipping ensign until 1883 when the Admiralty banned its continued use at sea. The Australian government received approval to fly the Blue Ensign in 1903—but the Australian Federation Flag was still commonly unofficially used by members of the populace as late as the 1920s.
  1849–1853 Australasian Anti-Transportation League Flag British Blue Ensign, with yellow Southern Cross and white border, to which branch names were added
  1850s–1875 Van Diemen's Land Ensign A British White Ensign, featuring six blue bars
 
  		1854 Eureka Flag The battle flag of the Eureka Stockade featured the five stars of the constellation Crux Australis in white on a white cross and blue field
  1859 Queensland Separation Flag The Queensland Separation Flag, flown on 10 December 1859 to mark Queensland becoming a separate colony from New South Wales. A red cross on a light blue field, with the Union Jack in the canton.
 
 [citation needed]
 [citation needed] 		1860s Lambing Flat riots banner, flag and banner flag Flags associated with the Anti-Chinese Lambing Flat riots.
  Post 1910–c. 1945 British Empire flag An unofficial flag of the British Empire featuring its constituent dominions and India. The Australian coat of arms are featured in the bottom right. It was flown by civilians as a display of patriotism on special occasions such as Empire Day. The flag was flown at the official unveiling of the Dangarsleigh War Memorial in 1921, and again at the centennial in 2021.[47]
  1918 Australian Honour Flag Awarded to towns who exceeded double their quota of war funding.
1988 Bicentennial Flag The 200th anniversary of European settlement in Australia[48]
2001 Centenary of Federation Flag The 100th anniversary of Federation – the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia[48]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b The rendition of the crown has changed according to the monarchs' wishes. In c. 1901 it was changed to the Tudor Crown, and in 1963 to the St Edward's Crown.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (2022). "How the Australian National flag was chosen". Australian flags (3rd ed.). Australian Government. ISBN 978-0642471345.
  2. ^ Thomson, Jeff (10 November 2015). "Construction Details of the Australian Flag". FOTW Flags Of The World website. Jon Radel. Retrieved 21 November 2023. The 1901 Southern Cross star-points ranged from nine (Alpha) to five (Epsilon) and inner diameter of each was 4/9 of their outer diameters. Beta, Gamma and Epsilon were the same outer diameter as today, Alpha was 1/6 and Delta 1/10 of the fly width. In 1903 Alpha, Beta and Delta were altered to the same design as the Gamma Star (1/7 fly width, seven points) thus making the Southern Cross the same as on the current flag.
  3. ^ PMC. "Flags Act 1953". www.legislation.gov.au. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  4. ^ Cabinet, Prime Minister and (27 June 2016). "Australian flags". www.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (2022). "Flags of Australia's Indigenous Peoples". Australian flags (3rd ed.). Australian Government. ISBN 978-0642471345.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (2022). "State and territory flags". Australian flags (3rd ed.). Australian Government. ISBN 978-0642471345.
  7. ^ a b "Flags, Symbols & Currency of Papua New Guinea". WorldAtlas. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  8. ^ "City of Adelaide Arms and Flag". City of Adelaide. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017.
  9. ^ "History of Council". Adelaide City Council. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  10. ^ "about-us". Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e Feeney, Katherine (4 April 2012). "The city standard, but do you recognise it?". Brisbane Times.
  12. ^ "Symbols used by Council". Brisbane City Council. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  13. ^ Jonathan Dixon; Ian MacDonald. "City of Brisbane (Queensland, Australia)". Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  14. ^ a b "Council's Symbols" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  15. ^ "Hobart Coat of Arms – City of Hobart, Tasmania Australia". Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  16. ^ "Melbourne Day - Melbourne Day". Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  17. ^ "History of the Council". City of Perth. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  18. ^ "Sydney's flag and flower". City of Sydney. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  19. ^ a b "Toowoomba Flags". www.toowoomba.org. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  20. ^ "Arrowhead Voilet". Toowoomba Plants: Natives of the Region suitable for Gardens. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  21. ^ "Toowoomba". Heraldy of the World. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  22. ^ "Toowoomba Flags". toowoomba.org. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  23. ^ "Toowoomba Region Amalgamation". Toowoomba Regional Council. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  24. ^ "Toowoomba Flags". toowoomba.org. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  25. ^ "Wagga Wagga City Flag". Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  26. ^ a b "Murray River Flags - Lower and Upper Murray River". Discover Murray. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  27. ^ "Lord Howe Island 1993". Australiana Flags. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (2022). "Royal and Vice-Regal flags". Australian flags (3rd ed.). Australian Government. ISBN 978-0642471345.
  29. ^ "Notice" (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. No. 56. 16 July 1936. p. 1297.
  30. ^ ABC Television show "Auction Room", 11 November 2012
  31. ^ Pg 207. Flags of the World, Barraclough, E.M.C., ISBN 978-0-72-322797-7
  32. ^ Thomson, Jeff (10 November 2015). "Construction Details of the Australian Flag". FOTW Flags Of The World website. Jon Radel. Retrieved 21 November 2023. The 1901 Southern Cross star-points ranged from nine (Alpha) to five (Epsilon) and inner diameter of each was 4/9 of their outer diameters. Beta, Gamma and Epsilon were the same outer diameter as today, Alpha was 1/6 and Delta 1/10 of the fly width. In 1903 Alpha, Beta and Delta were altered to the same design as the Gamma Star (1/7 fly width, seven points) thus making the Southern Cross the same as on the current flag.
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h i Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (2022). "Australian ensigns". Australian flags (3rd ed.). Australian Government. ISBN 978-0642471345.
  34. ^ "CDF Change of Command". Defence. Australian Government. 10 July 2024.
  35. ^ "Australian White Ensign". Royal Australian Navy Website. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  36. ^ "Chief of Navy's Personal Distinguishing Flag". Royal Australian Navy Website. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  37. ^ Davidson, Bill. "The Sovereign's Colours". Royal Australian Navy Website. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  38. ^ "Air Force Ensign". Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  39. ^ "Air Force Ensign". Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  40. ^ QPS Media (5 July 2017). "Flags raised outside Police Headquarters for NAIDOC celebrations". myPolice Queensland Police News.
  41. ^ "WA Police Force Logo, Flag and Banner". Western Australia Police. 3 January 2024.
  42. ^ a b Millar, Lisa (8 February 2010). "Boxing kangaroo here to stay". ABC News (Australia).
  43. ^ "Taungurung Sovereign Flag - Taungurung Land & Waters Council". 14 May 2021.
  44. ^ "Australian South Sea Islanders flag - ASSI".
  45. ^ "Emojis are everywhere, but they can be a painful reminder of exclusion for some". ABC News. 11 May 2019.
  46. ^ "Australian South Sea Islander flag". Australian Museum. 24 August 2021.
  47. ^ Ingall, Jennifer (4 June 2021). "Why the Dangarsleigh war memorial flies the Empire flag and what it means to the community". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  48. ^ a b Historical Flags of Australia
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