Jim SpearsAustralian Flag: Aussie Battler
October 28th 2008 17:27
Flag of Australia
The Bulletin was fierce labeling it a "bastard flag" after the Commonwealth unveiled the winning design. The official competition had 7 criteria: loyalty to the empire, Federation, history, heraldry, distinctiveness, utility and cost of manufacture. Most believed that a design without the union flag and the southern cross would not be successful. The Australian flag was overlooked or not considered by early leaders, PM Barton was known to prefer the Australian Federation Flag and was the first of many prime ministers to be unconvinced by the design. Seven judges whittled the 32,000 options down to the five entries that evoked the Anti-Transportation League flag from 1849 and the Victorian flag first used in 1854.
Australian Federation Flag
Flag of Victoria
Being uncool seems to be the Australian flag's main crime with many fans of the Australian Federation Flag preferring to fly the Union Flag. In 1903 Richard Crouch from Geelong passed a motion in the House of Representatives demanding the Australian flag fly from post offices and Commonwealth buildings on national occasions. The flag was only to fly if the Union Flag was there.
The First World War would appear like an event that could inspire the use of national flags but the Australian government maintained a strong stance concerning the Australian flag. Flying an Australian flag without the Union Flag was disloyal. The Australian flag was again held to ransom by circumstance as WWI converged with events like the Easter Uprising in 1916 to challenge Australians with recent connections to Germany and Ireland. In 1911 over 33,000 German-born Australians were identified in the census and they were expected to identify themselves at the local police station during the war. The War Precautions act allowed the government to compulsorily acquire wheat and wool harvests to send to England as part of the war effort. Around the war there was much pulling at Australian society and two conscription referendums were narrowly rejected. Persisting with the Union Flag feels like a "line in the sand" call around this issue proving loyalty. Against these issues the Aussie flag had no chance.
It would be short-sighted to conclude the preference for the Union Flag was purely a reflection of deep-seated English loyalties; the Australian flag was used at the 1904 Olympics in St Louis, Missouri in one the early examples of political sacrifice in the name of sport. PMs Barton, Watson and Fisher all objected to the flag's design and the Union Flag was a display of defiance against domestic rumbles as much as a sign of loyalty. The biggest problem was the old fracture in the east-coast politics between Qld/NSW and Vic. This meant most action to promote the Australian flag continued to emerge from Victoria.
Victorian rumblings were deepened as the growing voice of the public called for prominent display of the flag, particularly in schools. The Union Flag's dominance of flagpoles across the nation was creating confusion; who could use the Australian flag, in which colour? Red or Blue? In 1924 is was agreed that the blue Australian flag would be for official Commonwealth use only; after further negotiations it was decided that state governments could use the Australian flag if a state flag was unavailable. Any privately displayed Australian flag had to be red and fly alongside the Union Flag.
The Union Flag remained the national flag and dual flying rights kept people happy but there is something about a blue Australian flag that is just better than red. In 1940 the Victorian government, having received no response from the Federal government, legislated to allow Aussie blue in to schools. Whether successive governments seized on patriotism or a good idea the Australian flag was startin' to win a few with Federal announcements in 1941 and 47 that there was no restriction on Aussie blue.
There were still questions as to whether it was appropriate to fly blue; it might not be restricted but does Jonesy do it? The pressure of an impending Golden Jubilee in 1951 demanded a leader step up and make a decision. Sir Robert Menzies opted for blue and the Australian blue flag was distributed to schools around the country. Menzies was a noted patriot and his promotion of the blue Australian flag was crucial to legislative success.
The Flag Act 1953 is awesome. It comes complete with corrections on the document amending it from no 97 of 1953 to no 1 of 1954. This was because the GG decided to wait for the Queen's arrival in 1954 to allow her to sign. You can imagine them standing around it: "You know...f*ck it. Liz'll be here next year. Let her sign it, she'll get a real kick out of it." "Yep...Nice touch." Flags Act 1953 was made official Sunday February 14th 1954. So 53 years after the national flag was selected it finally became the national flag.
Most tales would end there but true to stereotype the Australian flag still battles on. In 1998 the Flags Act 1953 was amended as a long running quest to entrench the Australian flag ended under the Howard government. Amendments meant the Australian flag could only be changed if a new flag was selected by the voters. This means you can't vote for change and then choose the flag. Appropriate designs must be offered to eligible voters so everyone under voting age has no say. Good idea...Crazy kids.
There is always the fear that if the flag is changed a majority will want a boxing kangaroo on there somewhere. The niggle around the issue of the Australian flag is sure to continue; Paul Keating said "I do not believe that the symbols and the expression of the full sovereignty of Australian nationhood can ever be complete while we have a flag with the flag of another country on the corner of it" and PM John Howard oversaw the aforementioned amendment to the Flags Act. With political power dominated by Australia republic-ans the Australian flag is sure to fight its toughest battle yet.
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