Australian National Flag Day has been celebrated in Australia since 3 September 1996. It commemorates the day in 1901 on which the
Australian National Flag
The flag of Australia, also known as the Australian Blue Ensign, is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star (the Commonwealth Star) and a r ...
was first flown. Since 2008, the same day has also been commemorated as Merchant Navy Day, which allows the
Australian Red Ensign
The Australian Red Ensign is the civil ensign of Australia, the flag of nationality flown by Australian registered ships. It is a red version of the national flag, which is mainly blue. Both flags resulted from the Commonwealth Government's 190 ...
to be flown on land on the occasion.
It is not a public holiday, nor widely celebrated by the public.
Background
On 3 September 1901, Prime Minister
Edmund Barton announced the winners of the official
1901 Federal Flag Design Competition
The 1901 Federal Flag Design Competition was an Australian government initiative announced by Prime Minister Edmund Barton to find a flag for the newly federated Commonwealth of Australia. In terms of its essential elements the winning entries ar ...
, and a large flag, , was flown over the dome of the
Royal Exhibition Building
The Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage-listed building in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, built in 1879–1880 as part of the international exhibition movement, which presented over 50 exhibitions between 1851 and 1915 around the glo ...
in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
.
The idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Australian National Flag dates from 1984. In that year the New South Wales branch of the
Australian National Flag Association
The Australian National Flag Association (ANFA) was inaugurated at a public meeting held in Sydney on 5 October 1983 to oppose suggestions that the existing Australian National Flag is not appropriately representative of the nation, and should be ...
(ANFA) arranged for 3 September to be observed as "Australian National Flag Day" at a public ceremony held in
Hyde Park, Sydney
Hyde Park, Sydney, is an urban park, of , located in the central business district of Sydney, in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It is the oldest public parkland in Australia. Hyde Park is on the east ...
. The most consistently held and well attended Flag Day ceremonies have also been staged at various locations in Sydney including Tumbalong Park where the
Governor of New South Wales,
Sir David Martin, delivered a Flag Day address in 1989 which he said: "I come here as someone who is proudly Australian, I come here out of respect for a flag which is proudly Australian". The official centenary of federation flag raising event held at the national maritime museum in 2001 would attract a crowd of several thousand Flag Day spectators.
On 28 August 1996, the
Governor-General of Australia, Sir
William Deane
Sir William Patrick Deane (born 4 January 1931) is an Australian barrister and jurist who served as the 22nd governor-general of Australia, in office from 1996 to 2001. He was previously a Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1982 to 19 ...
, issued a proclamation that officially established 3 September as Australian National Flag Day.
[
Since 2008, 3 September has also been officially commemorated as Merchant Navy Day]
Observances and traditions
On Flag Day 1996 an official ceremony took place during the long running event held at Martin Place Amphitheatre in the centre of Sydney. On that occasion David Jull
David Francis Jull (4 October 1944 – 13 September 2011) was an Australian politician. He was a long-serving Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Bowman, Queensland, from 1975 to 1983 and F ...
, Minister for Administrative Services, made a commemorative address reading a message from the Prime Minister, John Howard
John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...
, welcoming the proclamation of 3 September as Australian National Flag Day. He then presented the ANFA with a copy of the proclamation signed by Sir William Deane.
Ceremonies are held annually in schools, other capitals and major provincial centres. Past guests of honour at Flag Day events include the Governor-General, state Governors and members of parliament who along with other dignitaries have also made commemorative messages available to mark the occasion.
References
{{reflist
External links
Australian Flag Society
Australia
Flags of Australia
September observances
Observances in Australia
Spring (season) events in Australia