Flag of Inconvenience?

The Australian Magazine, pp.28-31, 25-26 September 1993.

By Harold Scruby

Does Australia's flag need changing? A new poll suggests most people think not, but many are still convinced otherwise. Harold Scruby, executive director of the Ausflag organisation, puts the case for change and launches a competition for a new design with a prize of $25000 for the winner.

Australia's flag has changed many times - our present flag dates from only 1953. It is not unusual for national flags to change as a nation evolves. The latest version of the British flag dates from 1801, that of Canada 1965, France 1848, Japan 1854, Spain 1936 and the US 1960. Australia's first flag was the Union Flag (used by Captain Cook in 1770 and Captain Phillip in 1788), then came the Union Jack with the inclusion of the flag of St Patrick when Ireland joined the Union in 1801. From the mid 19th century a growing Australian nationalism brought forth many unofficial flags - all incorporating the Southern Cross, or Crux Australis, which was universally accepted as the emblem of the Great Southern Land.

In 1901, the new federal government organised a competition for a new flag, with the condition that the design "be based on the British ensigns, as were the flags of other Dominions and Colonies, signalling to the beholder that it is an Imperial union ensign of the British Empire". Australians never had a choice; the rules allowed only for a defaced British ensign. Two designs won, one based on the British Red Ensign (for the use of every citizen), the other based on the British Blue Ensign (for the government and services). The King approved slightly altered designs in 1903, and the Union Jack was to remain senior flag to both designs.

Then, in 1908, a seventh point was added to the Federation star to recognise the territories. The number of points on the stars of the Southern Cross were also changed. For many years there was misunderstanding here and abroad with regard to the use of the Australian flags. During World War II, prime minister Robert Menzies issued a directive that there be no restriction on the flying of the "Commonwealth Blue Ensign" and prime minister Ben Chifley supported that view in 1947. In 1953, by means of an act of parliament - the Flag Act 1953 - the 'British Blue Ensign" was proclaimed the national flag, giving it seniority over the Union Jack.

So why is it important to change our flag?

• It is not uniquely Australian, and is virtually indistinguishable from the New Zealand flag. When prime minister Bob Hawke visited Ottawa in 1985, the New Zealand flag was mistakenly raised in his honour.

• It is an Imperial flag (see the 1901 competition rules referred to earlier) which signifies our subordination to Britain.

• There are more than 40 sovereign nations in the Commonwealth; some have remained monarchies, some have become republics. Only Australia, New Zealand and Fiji (which is changing to its own national flag) retain British ensigns as their national flags. The remainder have chosen flags that identify their sovereignty, independence and nationhood.

• In 1973, Queen Elizabeth II was pro claimed Queen of Australia. Since then allegiance has been to the Queen of Australia, not the Queen of Great Britain. The 1900 Australian Constitution and Statute of Westminster (adopted in 1942) and the recent proclamation of The Australia Act, make it plain that the British parliament does not have control over the independent Commonwealth of Australia. The two systems of government are separate. Our present flag, however, implies Australia is a colony, homeland, protectorate or dominion of Great Britain, like Hong Kong or the Falkland Islands. In heraldry, the left-hand top comer is the position of honour. The implication is that Britain still commands our loyalty more than does Australia.

• It is not so much the lack of recognition, but the aspect of confusion which makes it important Australia has a flag of its own. When Australians travel abroad displaying the flag, what registers is not that others do not recognise our flag, but that they ask which part of Britain we come from. It is vital for our development that we are perceived as a mature nation, not as a child still clutching at its mother's skirts.

• In 1965, Canada changed her flag from a British Red Ensign to the red and white maple leaf. The then prime minister Lester Pearson declared: "The crying need in Canada is for a patriotism that puts Canada ahead of its parts, with national symbols that encourage national unity and reflect Canada's status as an independent sovereign nation. The Canadian Maple Leaf has given Canada a national and international identity and engendered national pride and unity. Some argue the removal of the Union Jack from our flag necessarily means we will become a republic, yet 18 years after the hoisting of the Maple Leaf, Canadians in a referendum chose to remain a monarchy.

• Australians have not always fought under the present flag. The only war (undeclared) where that was definitively the case was the Vietnam War. The Union Jack was the only flag used on our side during the Boer War, and was again predominant in World War I. And there was confusion among the Union Jack, the defaced Red Ensign and the defaced Blue Ensign. The famous Changi Flag, which flew at the liberation of Singapore in 1945, was a Red Ensign. The United Nations flag was the flag we fought under in the Korean War.

• In 1967, prime minister Menzies wrote in his book Afternoon Light, Some Memories of Men and Events: "In the year of my birth 1894 - Queen Victoria was on the throne of the United Kingdom and Ireland and the Dominions and Colonies beyond the Seas... For us, the maps of the world were patterned with great areas of red, at a time when red was a respectable colour." It seems clear Menzies' arbitrary changing of the then popular Red Ensign to blue, without consulting the Australian people, was for blatant political purposes in his campaign o against the "red" communist peril.

The Canadian experience in moving from a colonial Red Ensign to the Maple Leaf flag parallels our experience. The Canadian Consul, D.J. Stimpson, described the events:

"Public discussion of the issue was extensive and often heated. Parliamentary debate lasted through six months, although it is likely that this would have been briefer had the question not been seized on by the Opposition in the hope, through it, of toppling a minority government. Popular opposition to a distinctive flag tended to centre on nostalgia and was led principally by members of the Royal Canadian Legion, the Canadian equivalent of the Returned Services League. Support reflected a strong and growing sense of national identity and concern for the political consequences of a symbol perceived increasingly to be both inappropriate and provocative.

"In retrospect, it seems clear that the national mood during the flag debate was deceptive. The immediate, universal and (for Canadians) surprisingly emotional acceptance of the Maple Leaf flag following adoption shows clearly that the overwhelming majority of citizens wanted a distinctive symbol but that this desire remained largely inchoate until a design of strong appeal was presented to them. Until then, and while many less appealing designs sought acceptance, indifference or hostility to particular proposals tended to be interpreted as indifference or hostility to the concept itself. It is likely that historians will view that Canadian flag debate as an inevitable stage in our national maturation and as an early step in a more fundamental redefinition of our national identity."

The primary objective of Ausflag, with the popular support of the Australian people, is the adoption of a truly Australian flag, a flag which clearly proclaims our identity, is inter nationally recognisable and not confusing to other nations, and which represents the diversity of our country. This aim cannot be achieved without the creation of a design which, like the national anthem, is acceptable and wanted by a majority of Australians.

Designing a national flag that suits such criteria is a difficult task. Our National Flag Competition challenges all Australians to "have a go". The rewards are far greater than monetary. The winning design may well capture the hearts and minds of this great south land and if so, the designer's name will be enshrined in the history books.