Today's Australia used to consist of six British colonies. At the same time, each of them had its own flag, on which the image of Union Jack, the symbol of Great Britain, was mandatory . This continued until April 29, 1901, when the flag of Australia was officially introduced, the photo of which is located below.
The first historical attempts to introduce
The prerequisites for the introduction of the country symbol were long before its official approval. In 1824, captains John Nicholson and John Bingle made the first, historically recorded, attempt to accept the flag of Australia. They placed four eight-pointed stars on the canvas of the marine British flag in white. Each of them was located on the crossbeams of the cross of St. George. Seven years later, Captain Nicholson introduced a largely similar composition for New South Wales. The only difference was the use of dark blue for the cross. It should be noted that during the movement in support of state federalization at the end of the nineteenth century, this flag of Australia was the most common.
Design development
After the formation of the Australian Union in 1901, the government announced a nationwide competition to design a national symbol. During its conduct, the organizing committee received almost 33 thousand applications. After their consideration, the country's Prime Minister officially announced five winners. They became representatives of different sectors of the population, among whom were a fourteen-year-old schoolboy, student, artist, architect, and also a sailor. For all those who want to create the national flag of Australia, the pictures turned out to be almost identical. Each of the winners received a prize of forty pounds for their work . The British king approved the current version in 1903.
Appearance
Currently, the flag of Australia is a canvas of blue color, on which five stars are printed, which are included in the constellation of the Southern Cross, as well as another - a symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia. It should be noted that, compared with the 1901 version, for the entire time the country has existed, several changes have been made to the appearance of its symbol. They mainly concerned the location of stars and their shape. Finally, the Australian authorities decided on the design of their national symbol on April 15, 1954. Then it was decided that the rays of the Commonwealth Star mean the states of the country, and the seventh symbolizes its capital, the northern part, as well as the external territories of the state.
Legislation
The requirements that Australia's national flag must comply with are defined by law. Private individuals and schools were officially allowed to use the state symbol in 1940. One of the latest government documents associated with it was the law, dated 1996 and signed by the local Governor General, Sir William Dean. According to him, every year on September 3 the country celebrates the day of the national flag. Despite the fact that it is not a weekend, a variety of solemn events are held in the country.
National emblem
In conclusion, it is necessary to mention the national emblem of Australia. His image is a shield that supports the ostrich emu and kangaroo from different sides. The choice of these animals, first of all, is connected with the fact that neither one nor the other is capable of backing off (moving back). In addition, they are also considered national symbols. The shield is divided into six fields, each of which is placed the emblem of a separate state. As for the animals holding the shield, they stand on the golden acacia. The modern version of the coat of arms was donated to Australia by the British King George the Fifth in 1912.