Flag Adopted: 30 November 1877
Flag Proportion: 1:2
Use: State Flag
In August 1875, the British Admiralty office sent a circular out to all Australian colonies in order to verify their respective badge designs in advance of publishing them in the Admiralty Flag book.
In the case of Victoria, the Admiralty incorrectly showed the badge of Victoria to be a Southern Cross on a blue shield, with the blue shield on a white disc. The Victorian Government pointed out that their badge comprised only the Southern Cross - there was no shield.
However, without the shield, the badge could not be shown on the Governor′s flag, which used a white background rather than the blue of the Blue Ensign. The Chief Harbour Master of Victoria, Captain Charles Payne, suggested that the shield be retained and that the Imperial Crown be added above the shield.
The revised design was approved by the British Admiralty in 1877, but as the blue shield effectively disappears on a Blue Ensign, the Victorian Government simply proclaimed that the shield need not appear on the Blue Ensign, giving rise to Victoria′s second flag as shown above.
References
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.
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.