An evolution of the current flag with the familiar red, white and blue colours retained and a small gold highlight added. The right hand side with the Southern Cross is unchanged, except that the small five pointed start is now highlighted in yellow/gold, to celebrate the fact that it has now been officially named Ginan, the name by which the Wardaman people of the Northern Territory have been referring to it for thousands of years and a name that has now been officially recognised by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). It is described as an “orange-hued” star. Gold is the colour of the golden wattle (the national floral emblem) and the colour worn by most Australian sporting teams. The stars on the first known flag to feature the Southern Cross (the Australian Anti-Transportation League Flag of 1849), were also in gold.
The Union Jack is removed, with its red and white colours transformed into the shape of a boomerang – an image universally recognised as Australian. The seven pointed Commonwealth Star is retained, but redrawn in a style reminiscent of Aboriginal art dot painting, moved up to the centreline of the flag and rotated to point in the same direction as the boomerang device, towards the hoist.
The shape of the boomerang frames the Southern Cross and works on two levels: the arc points towards the hoist much like an arrow head and so it looks correct in processions, etc, and due to the way a boomerang is thrown, it could be interpreted as flying towards the fly half and the Southern Cross, i.e. “returning home”.
A simple mix of old and new that all Australians can relate to, but with a lot of meaning behind it.