Australia's flags, anthem, symbols and national days

The design was selected from a public competition held in 1901, with five entrants sharing the prize for near-identical submissions. It carries three elements: the Union Jack in the canton, reflecting the country's British constitutional origins; the Commonwealth Star beneath it, whose seven points represent the six states and the territories collectively; and the Southern Cross on the fly, the constellation visible across the southern hemisphere.

The flag was not formally established in law until the Flags Act 1953, and the Union Jack continued to be flown alongside or in preference to it in many settings well into the twentieth century.

The Union Jack in the canton is the substance of the recurring flag debate. Arguments for change turn on independence and on the flag's similarity to New Zealand's; arguments against turn on continuity, on the flag having been carried in every conflict since federation, and on the absence of any agreed alternative. No referendum or plebiscite on the flag has been held. Section 3 of the Flags Act requires that the flag not be changed without the approval of Australian electors.

Both were proclaimed flags of Australia under the Flags Act in July 1995, which means they are official national flags rather than symbols merely tolerated alongside the national flag.

The Aboriginal Flag was designed by Luritja artist Harold Thomas in 1971. Black represents Aboriginal people, red the earth and the ochre used in ceremony, and the yellow circle the sun. The flag was for many years subject to copyright held by its designer and licensed exclusively to a commercial party, which restricted its use — until the Commonwealth acquired the copyright in January 2022 and placed it in public ownership, so it can now be used freely.

The Torres Strait Islander Flag was designed by Bernard Namok in 1992, following a competition. Green bands represent the land, blue the sea, black the people; the white dhari, a traditional headdress, sits at the centre with a five-pointed star beneath it representing the five island groups and the star used for navigation.

Advance Australia Fair was written by Peter Dodds McCormick in 1878. God Save the Queen remained the national anthem until a 1977 national plebiscite, in which Advance Australia Fair won with 43.3 per cent against three alternatives; it was formally proclaimed on 19 April 1984.

On 1 January 2021 the second line was changed from 'For we are young and free' to 'For we are one and free'. The change followed sustained argument that describing a country with at least 65,000 years of continuous human occupation as 'young' erased Indigenous history. It was made by proclamation without a plebiscite.

God Save the King remains the royal anthem, played in the presence of the monarch or specified members of the royal family.

The Commonwealth Coat of Arms, granted by royal warrant in 1912, has a shield of six segments for the six states, supported by a red kangaroo and an emu, with a golden wattle wreath and a Commonwealth Star crest.

The frequently repeated explanation for the kangaroo and emu is that neither animal can easily walk backwards, symbolising a nation always moving forward. It is a satisfying story and it is repeated in official contexts, but it is not documented as the reason for the original 1908 or 1912 grant. Treat it as folklore rather than heraldic fact.

The national colours, green and gold, were proclaimed in 1984, drawn from the golden wattle. The golden wattle itself was proclaimed the national floral emblem in 1988, and 1 September is Wattle Day. There is no legislated national animal, though the red kangaroo and emu function as such by virtue of the coat of arms.

26 January marks the day in 1788 that Governor Arthur Phillip raised the British flag at Sydney Cove. It has been observed in some form since the nineteenth century, but it only became a nationally consistent public holiday on that date in 1994 — more recent than most Australians assume.

For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the date marks the beginning of dispossession, and it is observed as Invasion Day, Survival Day or a Day of Mourning — the last of these dating back to a 1938 protest. Substantial protest marches now occur in every capital city.

Public opinion has shifted but remains divided, and several local councils have moved or renamed their citizenship ceremonies and celebrations. No federal government has proposed changing the date, and doing so would require no legislation of any complexity — it is a proclamation, not a constitutional matter. The obstacle is political, not legal.

Anzac Day, 25 April, commemorates the landing at Gallipoli in 1915 and now honours all Australians who have served in war and peacekeeping operations. It is marked by dawn services, marches and, unusually, a legislated protection of the word 'Anzac' from commercial use. It is by a wide margin the least contested national commemoration.

Other significant days include National Sorry Day on 26 May, marking the anniversary of the Bringing Them Home report; National Reconciliation Week from 27 May to 3 June, bookended by the 1967 referendum and the Mabo decision; NAIDOC Week in July, celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and Remembrance Day on 11 November.

Public holidays otherwise differ by state and territory: Labour Day falls in March, May or October depending on where you are, and several states have holidays that exist nowhere else — Melbourne Cup Day in Victoria, Adelaide Cup Day in South Australia, and the Royal Queensland Show holiday in Brisbane.