People
Part 1.7
Australia’s flags
The Australian National Flag is the official flag of our nation. Other flags that are officially recognised and may be flown in the community include the Australian Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag. Each state and territory also has its own flag.
The Australian National Flag
The Australian National Flag is blue, white and red.
- The ‘Union Jack’, which is the flag of the United Kingdom is in the top left corner. It represents our history of British settlement and the laws and institutions we inherited as a result.
- The Commonwealth Star is under the Union Jack. This star has seven points, each point representing one of the six states and one point for the territories.
- The Southern Cross, on the right, is a group of stars that can be seen in the southern sky.
The Australian Aboriginal Flag
The Australian Aboriginal Flag is black, red and yellow.
- The top half is black and represents the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.
- The bottom half is red and represents the earth, which has ceremonial significance.
- The yellow circle represents the sun.
The Torres Strait Islander Flag
The Torres Strait Islander Flag is green, blue, black and white.
- The green stripes represent the land.
- The blue panel in the centre represents the sea.
- The black lines represent the Torres Strait Islander people.
- The white dancer’s headdress in the centre is a symbol for all Torres Strait Islanders
- The points of the white star represent the island groups in the Torres Strait, and the colour white symbolises peace.