Flag Adopted: circa 1953
Flag Proportion: 1:2
Use: State Flag and Ensign
The flag of Queensland is a British Blue Ensign defaced with the state badge. The badge depicts a light blue Maltese cross with a St Edwards Crown in the centre of the cross, all on a white disc. The original badge was designed by the then Queensland Colonial Secretary and Treasurer William Hemmant.
According to Frank Cayley′s book Flag of Stars no one knows why the Maltese cross was chosen. The common assumption that the badge was inspired by Britain′s most famous award for bravery, the Victoria Cross, has not survived historical examination.
The design of the Royal Crown in the state badge is altered whenever there is a change in the style of crown chosen by the reigning Monarch. The last such change occurred in 1953 after Queen Elizabeth II adopted the St Edwards Crown upon her Coronation in 1952.
References
Australian Flags
Department of Administrative Services, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1995.
Crux Australis
Anthony Burton (Editor), Flag Society of Australia, Melbourne, Australia.
– Australian State Flags (1865-1904): A British Admiralty Legacy", Ralph Kelly, Volume VIII No 4 October 1992.
Flag of Stars
Frank Cayley, Rigby Ltd, Adelaide, 1966.
Flags and Arms Across the World
Dr Whitney Smith, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1980.
Flags of Australia (chart)
John C Vaughan, Standard Publishing House, Sydney, 1983.
Flags of the Nations (chart)
Flag Society of Australia, Flag Research Center, and National Australia Bank, Australia, 1992.