Australia Flag

Australia's flag is a Blue Ensign with three main elements: the Union Jack in the upper hoist (representing historical ties to Britain), a large seven-pointed Commonwealth Star below (six points for the six states, one for the territories), and five stars of the Southern Cross constellation on the fly.

The Southern Cross is visible only from the Southern Hemisphere and has been a navigational symbol for Australians and Pacific peoples for millennia. The flag's proportions are 1:2.

Australia became a federation in 1901. A public competition attracted 32,823 entries; five people independently submitted nearly identical designs and shared the prize. The flag was first flown on 3 September 1901.

The Stars and Stripes-style connection to the Crown has made the flag periodically controversial — periodic campaigns since the 1990s have called for a new design without the Union Jack. The current flag was formally recognised by the Flags Act 1953.