The Australian Flag.

Essay by rice_princess November 2003

download word file, 1 pages 1.0

Every country or national group has a flag of their own. But before Federation, the Australian colonies used the flags of Great Britain. Australia came to have a flag of its own when there was a public competition in 1901. The competition was held for a new flag design. The Commonwealth Blue Ensign was the winner. It has been Australia's flag ever since.

The national flag has a dark blue background with the British Union Jack in the top, left-hand corner. This represents Australia's connections with Great Britain. The four seven-pointed stars and the one star with five points, represent the Southern Cross and show Australia's location in the Southern Hemisphere. Underneath the Union Jack, the biggest seven-pointed star represents Australia's six states and the Federal Territories of the Commonwealth of Australia. There are many rules about how the flag should be flown. Some of the rules are that the Australian national flag should never be allowed to lie or fall onto the ground.

Another rule is when the Australian flag is flown with other flags, it should be as close to the centre as possible. The flag is also flown on special occasions. These include the 1st of January - anniversary of Federation, 26th of January - Australia Day and 11th of November - which is Remembrance Day. The Victorian flag was first flown in 1870. It forms the basis of the Australian flag. The Union Jack is also on the Victorian flag. The group of stars on the right-hand sida is in the same position as the Australian flag. But unlike the Australian flag, the Victorian flag has a royal crown just above the Southern Cross. This is called a state badge. The state badge represents Victoria's connection with Britain as well. That is how the Australian...