Australian red ensign
red ensign with the Commonwealth/Federation Star at the hoist, and the Southern Cross in the fly half |
The Australian red ensign is the
Devices
The Australian red ensign is a predominantly red version of the
Maritime ensign
Following federation in 1901, the topic of national colours for British ships registered in Australian ports was addressed by the Navigation Act, which provided that such ships (i.e., civilian ships) should wear the Australian Red Ensign. Technically private non-registered vessels were liable to a substantial fine if they did not fly the British Red
History
The
In the decades following federation the red ensign was the pre-eminent flag in use by private citizens on land. This was largely due to the Commonwealth government, assisted by flag suppliers, discouraging use of the
In the 1920s there was debate over whether the blue ensign was reserved for Commonwealth buildings only, culminating in a 1924 agreement that the Union Flag should take precedence as the National Flag and that state and local governments were henceforth able to use the blue ensign.[10] A memo from the Prime Minister's Department dated 6 March 1939 states that: "the Red Ensign is the flag to be flown by the public generally" and the federal government policy was "The flying of the Commonwealth Blue Ensign is reserved for Commonwealth Government use but there is no reservation in the case of the Commonwealth Merchant Flag, or Red Ensign".[11]
In 1940 the Victorian government passed legislation allowing schools to purchase blue ensigns.[12] The following year prime minister Robert Menzies issued a media release recommending that the blue ensign be flown at schools, government buildings and by private citizens and continued use of the red ensign by merchant ships, providing it was done so respectfully.[13] Prime Minister Ben Chifley issued a similar statement in 1947.[14]
Despite executive branch proclamations as to the respective roles of the two red, white and blue ensigns, there remained some confusion until the Flags Act 1953 declared the blue ensign to be the Australian national flag, leaving the Australian red ensign to its status as the civil ensign.
In the early 2020s, some Australian anti-government activists, including so-called
Since 2008, 3 September has also been officially commemorated as Merchant Navy Day[19][20][21] which allows the Australian red ensign to be flown on land for the occasion as a matter of protocol.[22][23] Merchant Navy Day is an official recognition of the merchant navy's contribution in wartime, in particular the Pacific campaign in World War II.[21][24]
Historical red ensigns
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Red ensign of the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service
-
Red ensign of South Australia (1870–1876)
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Red ensign ofVictoria(1870)
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New South Wales customs flag (1832–1882)
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New South Wales customs flag (1882–1901)
See also
- Canadian red ensign
- Hong Kong blue ensign
References
- ^ Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. 8, 20 February 1903
- ^ "Shipping Registration Act 1981". pp. 10, 22. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
- ^ Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. 27, 29 April 1901.
- ^ 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. The 1901 six-point and 1908 seven-point Commonwealth Star outer diameters were both 3/10 of the fly width. However the inner diameters were different. The six-point was half, and the seven-point is 4/9 of the Commonwealth Star outer diameter.
- ^ Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. 8, 20 February 1903.
- ^ Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. 65, 19 December 1908
- ^ Elizabeth Kwan, Flag and Nation, University of New South Wales press, 2006, p. 106.
- ^ "AUSTRALIAN FLAGS". pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- ^ Kwan, 2006, pp. 9–10.
- ^ Kwan, 2006, p. 100, 106.
- ^ National Archives of Australia (NAA: A461, A336/1/1 Part 2).
- ^ Kwan, 2006, p. 92.
- ^ Kwan, 2006, p. 92.
- ^ Kwan, 2006, pp.96–97
- ^ McIntyre, Joe (12 November 2021). "What is the Australian merchant navy flag, the red ensign? And why do anti-government groups use it?". The Conversation. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ McIlroy, Tom (5 August 2020). "PM tells 'sovereign citizens' to get real". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ a b Wilson, Cam (14 February 2022). "A nation in distress? Why the red ensign flag is being co-opted by protesters". Crikey. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ Australian Government (12 August 2013). "Australian National Flag: Australian National Flag Day". It's an Honour!: Australia Celebrating Australians. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
- ^ Commonwealth of Australia Gazette S 321, 28 August 1996.
- ^ Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. GN 26, 2 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Service marks merchant navy contribution". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
- ^ Gordon Maitland, The story of Australia's flags: Our flags, standards, guidons, colours, banners, battle honours, and ensigns, Playbill Printworks, 2015, p. 259.
- ^ The Maritime Executive (2 September 2019). "Australia Remembers Merchant Navy Sacrifices". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
- ^ "Merchant Navy Day 3 September". Department of Veterans' Affairs (Australia). Anzac Portal. Retrieved 22 February 2022.