Flag of Australia and its history

Today's Australia used to consist of six British colonies. In this case, each of them had its own flag, which necessarily represented the image of the "Union Jack" - a symbol of Great Britain. This continued until April 29, 1901, when the flag of Australia was officially introduced, the photo of which is located below.

The first historical attempts to introduce

The preconditions for the introduction of the symbol of the country were long before it was officially approved. In 1824, Captain John Nicholson and John Bingle took the first, historically recorded, attempt to take the flag of Australia. They placed four eight-pointed stars on the canvas of a white British sea flag. Each of them was located on the crossbeams of the cross of St. George. Seven years later, Captain Nicholson, in many ways a similar composition was introduced for New South Wales. The only difference was the use of a dark blue color for the cross. It should be noted that during the movement to support the federalization of the state in the late nineteenth century, such a flag of Australia was the most common.

Design development

After the formation of the Australian Union in 1901, the government of the country announced a nationwide competition for the development of the design of the national symbol. During its holding the organizing committee received almost 33 thousand applications. After their consideration, the Prime Minister of the country officially announced five winners. They were representatives of various strata of the population, including a fourteen-year-old schoolchild, a student, an artist, an architect, and a sailor. For all these people who want to create the national flag of Australia, the images are almost identical. Each of the winners for their work received a prize in the amount of forty pounds. The British King approved the present version in 1903.

Appearance

Currently, the flag of Australia is a blue canvas, on which are five stars that are included in the constellation of the Southern Cross, as well as one more - a symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia. It should be noted that, in comparison with the version of 1901, for the entire time of the country's existence, several changes were made to the appearance of its symbol. They mainly concerned the location of the stars and their shape. Finally, the Australian authorities decided on the design of their national symbol on April 15, 1954. Then it was decided that the stars of the Commonwealth Star signify the states of the country, and the seventh symbolizes its capital, the northern part, as well as the external territories of the state.

Legislation

The requirements that the national flag of Australia must meet are determined at the legislative level. Individuals and schools were officially allowed to use the state symbol in 1940. One of the latest government documents associated with it was a law dated 1996 and signed by the local governor-general, Sir William Dean. According to him, every year on September 3, the country celebrates the national flag day. Despite the fact that it is not a weekend, the country hosts a variety of ceremonial events.

National Emblem

In conclusion, it is necessary to mention the national coat of arms of Australia. His image is a shield that supports the emu-emu and the kangaroo from different sides. The choice of these animals, first of all, is due to the fact that neither one nor the other is able to back off (move back). In addition, they are also considered to be national symbols. The shield is divided into six fields, each of which has the emblem of a separate state. As for the animals holding the shield, they stand on a golden acacia. The modern version of the arms was presented to Australia by the British King George Fifth in 1912.