"flown continuously wherever the Governor-General is in residence and is also used as a car flag. Flag of the Governor-General of Australia The flag of the Governor-General of Australia is an official flag of Australia and is flown continuously on buildings and other locations when the Governor-General of Australia is present. The flag has existed as three versions, the original flag used between 1902 and 1909 being a Union Flag defaced with a six pointed star, crowned, surrounded by ears of corn and a gold circlet. In 1909, following the addition of a seventh point to the Commonwealth Star on"
"by 66%, with 5% uncommitted. The connection with the Australian flag is also notable the highest response to it is ""extremely proud"" and it is the ""most embraced Australian symbol."" Flag of Australia The flag of Australia is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union Jack in the canton (upper hoist quarter), and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter. The fly contains a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars – one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars. There are other"
"the flag and heraldic symbolism of Australia. In the Australian context, the seven points (also known as the Commonwealth Star, the Federation Star, the Seven Point Star, or the Star of Federation) is a seven-pointed star symbolising the Federation of Australia which came into force on 1 January 1901. Six points of the Star represent the six original states of the Commonwealth of Australia, while the seventh point represents the territories. The seven-pointed stars stand in contrast to the vexillologically more conventional five-pointed stars. The Seal of the Cherokee Nation has an acute gold seven-pointed star in its seal. The"
"following Federation, and was first flown in Melbourne on 3 September 1901, the date proclaimed as Australian National Flag Day. A slightly different design was approved by King Edward VII in 1903. The seven-pointed commonwealth star version was introduced by a proclamation dated 23 February 1908. The dimensions were formally gazetted in 1934, and in 1954 the flag became recognised by, and legally defined in, the ""Flags Act 1953"", as the ""Australian National Flag"". The Australian flag uses three prominent symbols: the Union Flag, the Commonwealth Star (also the ""Federation Star"") and the Southern Cross (or ""Crux""). In its original"
"the number of points on the four biggest stars of the southern cross set to seven, ostensibly to improve ease of manufacture. The original variety of points was an indication of the relative brightness of each star as it appeared in the night sky. In 1908, the current Commonwealth star of seven points replaced the earlier six-pointed star. Despite executive branch proclamations as to the respective roles of the two red, white and blue ensigns there remained confusion until the Flags Act 1953 declared the blue ensign to be the ""Australia national flag"" and the ""Australian red ensign"" to be"
"seven-pointed Federation Star in the bottom left representing the six states and the territories of Australia. Other official flags include the Australian Aboriginal Flag, the Torres Strait Islander Flag and the flags of the individual states and territories. The Australian Coat of Arms was granted by King George V in 1912 and consists of a shield containing the badges of the six states, within an ermine border. The crest above the shield and helmet is a seven-pointed gold star on a blue and gold wreath, representing the 6 states and the territories. The shield is supported by a red kangaroo"
"Commonwealth Star The Commonwealth Star (also known as the Federation Star, the Seven Point Star, or the Star of Federation) is a seven-pointed star symbolising the Federation of Australia which came into force on 1 January 1901. Six points of the Star represent the six original states of the Commonwealth of Australia, while the seventh point represents the territories and any other future states of Australia. The original star had only six points; however, the proclamation in 1905 of the Territory of Papua led to the addition of the seventh point in 1909 to represent it and future territories. The"
"four larger outer stars at seven points each, leaving the smaller, more central star with five points. This change was officially gazetted on 23 February 1903. A complete specification for the official design was published in the ""Commonwealth Gazette"" in 1934. Under the Flags Act, the Australian National Flag must meet the following specifications: The location of the stars is as follows: The outer diameter of the Commonwealth Star is of the flag's width, while that of the stars in the Southern Cross is of the flag's width, except for Epsilon, for which the fraction is . Each star's inner"
"of the points on the star represent the original six states, while the seventh point represents the combined territories and any future states of Australia. In its entirety the shield represents the federation of Australia. The Red Kangaroo and Emu that support the shield have never been designated as official animal emblems of the nation. They owe their unofficial recognition to the fact that they are endemic Australian fauna (found only on that continent), and likely chosen because they are the most well-known native Australian animals large enough to be positioned together in scale holding up the shield. They were"
"particular country or territory (if any), see the main article for that country or territory. Unless indicated otherwise, information on each country has been taken from the ""World Factbook"", as updated through July 11, 2016 (for which see the External Links section, below). Australia comprises six states and two territories, as well as several dependant islands located in the Indian and Pacific oceans. The official flag for each of the six states consists of the Australian national flag, but with the stars removed and replaced with the state's coat of arms. Most of the dependent areas (sometimes called the ""external"
"surrounded by a garland of golden roses. Each of the six sections of the flag represents the heraldic badge of the Australian states, and the whole is surrounded by an ermine border representing the federation of the states: The gold seven-pointed star (the Commonwealth Star), represents the states and the territories. The blue disc is taken from the Queen's Personal Flag as used for duties within the Commonwealth of Nations. The flag is used in two ratios, 1:2 and 22:31. The 1:2 ratio ensures the flag maintains visual integrity with other naval flags, which are 1:2. A 22:31 ratio gives"
"of the Union flag, and as four of the five stars making up the Southern Cross on the fly. In the Coat of Arms, the Star forms the crest, atop a blue and gold wreath. The Star also appears on the badges of the Australian Defence Force and Australian Federal Police, although the badges of the Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force feature the St Edward's Crown, as in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms. In the event of the country becoming a republic, it has been suggested that the Commonwealth Star replace the Crown."
"separating the land and the ocean. The five stars are arranged in three offset rows at the canton, in the shape of the letter X. At first, these were meant to symbolize the provinces that the country was subdivided into at the time of independence. Even though new provinces have since been created, the number of stars has remained unchanged. One of the various proposed alternatives to the present flag of Australia is an emblem labelled the 'Southern Horizon'. Having been voted as the favourite in an unofficial poll of more than 8,000 people, its blue, gold, and green colour"
"of the Council of Australian Governments unanimously agreed with former Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles that the territory should become its own state by 1 July 2018. Little progress had been made on that proposal by June 2018. It has been suggested that statehood for the Northern Territory may lead to a change in the Australian flag. The design elements of the Australian flag have been changed seven times since it was first flown on September 3, 1901. However, in 1908 a seventh point was added to the ""Commonwealth Star"" to represent the Australian territories—originally this star had six"
"without the bars and star. Australian Honour Flag The Australian Honour Flag is a special Australian flag that was created by the Commonwealth Government in 1918, as a result of World War I. It consists of a white flag, with the national flag in canton, a large 7-pointed star, and three blue vertical bars, with a red border overall. Towns and districts in Australia which subscribed twice their quota of funds to the Commonwealth Government's Seventh War Loan in 1918 were presented with the Honour Flag. Individual contributors were awarded a certificate known as a House Badge, which featured an"
"of the flag's designers, intended the Southern Cross to also refer to the four moral virtues ascribed to the four main stars by Dante: justice, prudence, temperance and fortitude. The number of points on the stars of the Southern Cross on the modern Australian flag differs from the original competition-winning design, in which they ranged between five and nine points each, representing their relative brightness in the night sky. The stars are named after the first five letters of the Greek alphabet, in decreasing order of brightness in the sky. In order to simplify manufacture, the British Admiralty standardised the"
"National Colonial Flag for Australia The National Colonial Flag for Australia (1823/24) was the forerunner of the many Australian flag designs which featured the Southern Cross and Union Flag in combination. It is the first recorded attempt to design a distinctive national flag for Australia. Designed by Captain John Bingle and Captain John Nicholson, both New South Wales residents, it is inspired by the White Ensign of the Royal Navy, the protector and defender of Australia from 1788 to 1913. The large red cross of St George features four white, eight pointed stars representing the Southern Cross. According to Captain"
"Flag of Victoria The flag of Victoria, symbolising the state of Victoria in Australia, is a British Blue Ensign defaced by the state badge of Victoria in the fly. The badge is the Southern Cross topped by an imperial crown, which is currently the St Edward's Crown. The stars of the Southern Cross are white and range from five to eight points with each star having one point pointing to the top of the flag. The flag dates from 1870, with minor variations, the last of which was in 1953. It is the only Australian state flag not to feature"
"not red, and there are five stars, not four. The flag's appearance varied greatly depending on where it was made: different manufacturers produced Federation Flags with darker or lighter shades of blue for the cross background; using five-pointed stars instead of eight; or positioning the stars in different places. The Eureka Flag, flown by rebels at the Eureka Stockade in 1854, was reportedly influenced by designs such as the Federation flag. While the Federation Flag proved popular and was widely used on the East Coast of Australia for over 70 years, it was never officially adopted. It was especially popular"
"usage as the flag of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Union Flag combined three heraldic crosses which represent the constituent countries of the United Kingdom (as constituted in 1801): The Union Flag is thought to symbolise Australia's history as six British colonies and the principles upon which the Australian Federation is based, although a more historic view sees its inclusion in the design as demonstrating loyalty to the British Empire. The Commonwealth Star, also known as the Federation Star, originally had six points, representing the six federating colonies. In 1908, a seventh point was added to symbolise"
"Flag of the Australian Capital Territory The current flag of the Australian Capital Territory was officially adopted by the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly in 1993. The flag differs from the Australian state flags as it is not a modified (technically defaced) British Blue Ensign. It is similar in design to the flag of the Northern Territory. The flag uses the Canberra city colours of blue and gold (which also happen to be the heraldic colours of Australia). The Southern Cross appears as five white stars on a blue panel at the hoist, whilst in the centre of the gold"
"Australian Civil Aviation Ensign The Australian Civil Aviation Ensign is an Australian flag that is used by the Australian Civil Aviation Authority. The design of the flag is based on the British Civil Air Ensign, which is divided into quarters by a dark blue cross with a white fimbriation. There is a Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter, and the other quarters light blue. When an Australian version was first adopted in 1935, it included the stars from the Australian National Flag in yellow, and with the Southern Cross rotated by roughly 45 degrees, meaning that the smallest star"
"Commonwealth Star is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Australian flag, as opposed to the similar flag of New Zealand. Although the term ""Federation Star"" is frequently used, the term ""Commonwealth Star"" is the official name. This is because that was the name ascribed to the star by the Australian Government when the Australian flag was adopted and such adoption gazetted in the official Government gazette. The Commonwealth Star is found on both the flag of Australia and the Coat of Arms of Australia. On the Australian flag the Star appears in the lower hoist quarter, beneath the representation"
"people of Australia. The flag's width is 1.5 times its height. It is horizontally divided into a black region (above) and a red region (below). A yellow disc is superimposed over the centre of the flag. The Government of Australia granted it ""Flag of Australia"" status, under the Flags Act 1953, by proclamation on 14 July 1995. Due to an ""administrative oversight"", the 1995 proclamation was not lodged so that it would continue in force indefinitely; hence it automatically expired on 1 January 2008. It was therefore almost identically replaced, on 25 January 2008, with effect as from 1 January."
"and both have the Southern Cross as a prominent feature. The only differences between these flags is that the Australian flag has the Commonwealth Star below the canton, and that on the New Zealand flag, just four stars in the Southern Cross are presented, and they are five-pointed red stars with white borders. On the other hand, all five stars of the Southern Cross are presented on the Australian flag, and they are white with seven points, except for the additional smaller fifth star in the Southern Cross which has only five points on this flag. Some similarities to the"
"Australian Honour Flag The Australian Honour Flag is a special Australian flag that was created by the Commonwealth Government in 1918, as a result of World War I. It consists of a white flag, with the national flag in canton, a large 7-pointed star, and three blue vertical bars, with a red border overall. Towns and districts in Australia which subscribed twice their quota of funds to the Commonwealth Government's Seventh War Loan in 1918 were presented with the Honour Flag. Individual contributors were awarded a certificate known as a House Badge, which featured an illustration of the Honour Flag"
"National colours of Australia The national colours of Australia are green and gold. They were established by the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Ninian Stephen, on 19 April 1984 in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette; on advice from Prime Minister Bob Hawke. The gold colour represents the golden wattle (""Acacia pycnantha""), which is Australia's national flower. The uniforms of Australia's national sports teams are usually green and gold. The golden wattle flower, and the colours green and gold, are also featured on the Coat of arms of Australia. The Australian government states that, to be used correctly, the colours are placed"
"the Australian state of Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, as well as the flag of Magallanes Region of Chile, the flag of Londrina (Brazil) and several Argentine provincial flags and emblems (for example, ""Tierra del Fuego"" and ""Santa Cruz""). The flag of the Mercosur trading zone displays the four brightest stars. Crux also appears on the Brazilian coat of arms and, , on Brazilian passports. A Cross also gets a mention in the lyrics of the Brazilian National Anthem (1909): """"A imagem do Cruzeiro resplandece"""" (""the image of the Cross shines""). Five stars appear in the logo"
"the number of stars and the number of states and federal districts. The most recent modification was made on 11 May 1992, with the addition of four stars to the celestial globe (representing states created between 1982 and 1991), and a slight change in the stars' positions was made to match the astronomical coordinates correctly. The decree no. 4, issued on 19 November 1889, legally replaced the flag used under the constitutional monarchy with the new national flag. On 11 May 1992, the law no. 8,421, altered the celestial globe with the addition of six stars. The precise positions of"
"National Trust in 2006. The flag is reputed to have been designed by a Canadian member of the Ballarat Reform League, Captain Henry Ross. Local legend claims that the flag was sewn by three local women – Anastasia Withers, Anne Duke and Anastasia Hayes. Ross was said to be inspired by the design of the Australian Federation Flag. According to Frank Cayley's book, ""Flag of Stars"", the flag's five stars represent the Southern Cross, and the white cross joining the stars represents unity in defiance. The flag is silk, blue ground with large silver cross; no device or arms, but"
"Australia's territories. At the centre of the star is an Indigenous styling of Aboriginal traditions at the heart of the continent. Around the rim are 100 dots depicting 100 years of federation. The reverse features a seven pointed star, with the words ""For Contribution Made to Australian Society"" around the rim. The colours in the ribbon are crimson, which represents federation, and blue and gold for the beginning of the 21st Century. The seven gold and red lines signify the states' pathways to federation. The bar and ribbon are the same so that a recipient can be identified as such."
"Coat of arms of Australia The coat of arms of Australia, officially called the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, is the formal symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia. A shield, depicting symbols of Australia's six states, is held up by the native Australian animals the kangaroo and the emu. The seven-pointed Commonwealth Star surmounting the crest also represents the states and territories, while floral emblems appear below the shield. The first arms were authorised by King Edward VII on 7 May 1908, and the current version by King George V on 19 September 1912, although the 1908 version continued to be"
"Australian Railways and Tasmanian Government Railways. Australian National was privatised in 1997. National colours of Australia The national colours of Australia are green and gold. They were established by the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Ninian Stephen, on 19 April 1984 in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette; on advice from Prime Minister Bob Hawke. The gold colour represents the golden wattle (""Acacia pycnantha""), which is Australia's national flower. The uniforms of Australia's national sports teams are usually green and gold. The golden wattle flower, and the colours green and gold, are also featured on the Coat of arms of Australia. The"