Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that on 3 September 2014 ('Australian National Flag Day') we celebrate the

(2) 113th birthday of the Australian flag; and

(3) notes that:

(a) Australia's flag was the first in the world to be chosen in an open public competition, and this flag design competition brought forth the pride of a newly formed nation by attracting entries from 1 per cent of our population at that time;

(b) on 3 September 1901, Lady Hopetoun, wife of the first Governor-General of the new Commonwealth of Australia, formally opened the Commonwealth Flag and Seal Exhibition and announced the names of the successful competitors;

(c) the winning design was a Blue Ensign including the Union Jack, along with a Southern Cross and a six pointed star;

(d) this latter star (the 'Commonwealth Star') was changed to the seven pointed star we are familiar with today in 1908, to signify the Territory of Papua and future Territories; and

(e) the new flag represents a design by the people, for the people, and since it was first flown in 1901, has become an icon of our shared identity.

I rise today to celebrate the 113th birthday of the Australian national flag on Wednesday, 3 September, and I thank the member for Bass for his support. The Australian flag represents us as a free and democratic people and symbolises our heritage, traditions and identity. Our flag is indeed unique. It is the only flag to fly over an entire continent. It is also the first ever to be chosen by an open public competition, with more than 32,000 designs entered by men, women and children.

On 3 December 1901 our flag was flown for the first time. The six colonies had united to form the Commonwealth of Australia, and our flag became the symbol of this union. Lady Hopetoun, the wife of the first Governor-General of the new Commonwealth, announced the names of the successful competitors. Equal first place was given to five almost identical designs belonging to Australians from different walks of life. They were an artist, an optician's apprentice, an architect, a ship's officer and a schoolboy. Each symbol on our flag has a special meaning, representing our history, our unity as a federation and our geography. The Union Jack acknowledges the historical links we have to Great Britain. The Commonwealth star represents the six states, with a seventh point added in 1908 to signify the territories. And the Southern Cross, a constellation only seen in the Southern Hemisphere, represents our location in the world. However, more importantly it acknowledges the first people of Australia, as the Southern Cross is a significant part of most Aboriginal stories of the Dreamtime.

Our nation has changed and grown since the beginning of Federation, and our flag continues to unite all Australians. It has become an icon of our shared identity. As a life member of the National Flag Association of Australia, I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of our flag, and I commend the ongoing advocacy by Allan Pidgeon and his dedicated committee. It unites us as a nation in good times as we celebrate the achievements and successes of our countrymen and countrywomen, and it keeps us strong in times of tragedy and sorrow, reminding us we have the support of a whole nation. For more than 100 years Australian men and women have served under our flag, sacrificing their lives for the good of our nation. It is important that we recognise the significance of our flag as a symbol of the bravery and courage of our service men and women, and that we pay tribute to them every time it is raised.

This is done not only in Australia but also in other parts of the world. Our flag is raised every morning in the village of Villers-Bretonneux in France in memory of the thousands of Australians who lost their lives while liberating the village during the First World War. Our flag is a constant symbol and reminder of what it means to be Australian, and signifies the Australian traditions of mateship and courage. Our unique traditions were formed under our flag, and we acknowledge the sacrifices made and the hardships the generations before us went through to make Australia the safe and free country it is today. Our flag serves as a reminder of the contributions of past and current generations, and the significance of this will be passed on to our future generations. One of the co-designers of our flag, 14-year-old schoolboy Ivor William Evans, believed the representation of the Southern Cross was a symbol of Australia's bright future as a leading nation. He showed great foresight, as we are now privileged to call Australia a world leader, and the upcoming G20 summit is an example of this. It is excellent when we see our younger citizens showing pride and respect for our national symbol. Our youth of today are just as passionate about the significance of our flag, which was designed generations ago.

Earlier this year I received a letter from the very proud grandfather of one of my young constituents, David Cameron. It included David's assignment on the importance of the Australian flag and why we should keep it unchanged. This reiterates the significance and importance of our flag to young Australians and displays the respect shown for our national symbol. Our flag was designed by the people and belongs to the people. It is an important expression of national pride.

Today we celebrate pride in our flag and our nation and celebrate the symbol that binds us all. We are a country that continues to flourish, and it is with great privilege that we do this under our flag created by Australians over 100 years ago. I encourage all Australians to make a special effort to fly or display our flag, especially on its 113th birthday, next Wednesday.

Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is this motion seconded?

Andrew Nikolic (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to speak on the importance of 3 September, Australian National Flag Day. This year marks the 113th birthday of our national symbol. It is a day for communities and individuals, local organisations, schools and businesses to celebrate the anniversary of our flag.

In 1901, to mark Australia's Federation, Australia's first Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. Sir Edmund Barton, announced an international competition to design a flag for the new nation. It attracted some 32,823 entries. Five new identical entries were awarded equal first prize and the designers shared in the 200 pound prize. Since it was first flown over the Exhibition Building in Melbourne on 3 September 1901, the Australian flag has been the dominant symbol for all of us in times of adversity, in hardship, in war and peace and throughout our nation's prosperity.

The original design of the Australian flag has been changed three times since 1901, according to Ausflag. First, in 1903 the design was changed so that all but the smallest star in the Southern Cross had seven points, to improve the ease of manufacture. In 1906, Australia acquired the territory of Papua, and to indicate—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 12 : 52 to 13 : 05

In 1906 Australia acquired the Territory of Papua and to indicate this the number of points on the Federation Star was increased to seven in 1908. This, the second design change, was also gazetted on 22 May 1909. Our flag symbolises our optimism for a common future together. In fact, as was pointed out previously by the member for Ryan, it is the only flag in the world to fly over one entire continent.

In recent years communities across the electorate of McEwen, whom I represent, have known more than most the strengths and uniqueness of our flag. You only have to look at our communities that were affected by the bushfires on Black Saturday in 2009 and the bushfires that rushed through other parts of our electorate and townships in February this year. Flags were flying proudly from anything left standing—fences, trees, cars and the remains of homes. In the supporting towns they stood as a call to arms at our local halls, sporting clubs and community centres, which were turned into relief centres. Our flag symbolised our spirit and strength that we would never give up hope. It is our spirit; it is our nation; and it is our Australia. Flying our flag was a symbol that all was not lost. It was a sign that we are down but not out and that the strength, unity and mateship our country has become synonymous with still beats in our hearts. Whether on the fields of battle, the fields of sporting triumph or in the aftermath of disaster, we know that our flag is a symbol of a proud Australia. The Australian national flag is a symbol of the common pride we have in our nation. No matter where you go in this world our symbol is a sign that you are home, that friends here for you.

Over the past couple of months we have been across the electorate replacing flags in schools and community organisations across our community, places such as: Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Sunbury fire and police stations, Wallan fire and police stations, Mount Ridley College in Craigieburn, from our scouts in Doreen, to RSL branches right across the electorate, in Seymour, Romsey/Lancefield, Puckapunyal Primary School, Kilmore , Primary School, Killara Primary School and Sunbury Downs College—and even as late as Saturday, at the Kilmore Bowling Club.

I proudly display the Australian flag in my office here in parliament and also in the electorate office in Craigieburn. I encourage individuals, community organisations, local authorities, businesses and schools to join in the celebration by flying or displaying the Australian national flag. Of course we have several other official Australian flags: the Australian Aboriginal flag, the Torres Strait Islanders flag and the ensigns of the Australian Defence Force. All can be proudly on display for everyone to see. And of course we do not have to limit our flag-bearing to 3 September. The Australian flag can be flown every day of the year, not to mention on other important occasions like Australia Day and Anzac Day.

I also wish to remind everyone in our community that if you require an Australian national flag, an Australian Aboriginal flag or Torres Strait Islander flag, to contact your local federal member of parliament and we will happily provide one to you. Australian National Flag Day is an important date in our national calendar. We are all proud to be Australian and what better way to show that pride than standing together and flying our national symbol proudly.

Andrew Nikolic (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Ryan for bringing this motion to the House just ahead of National Flag Day which commemorates the original unfurling of the Australian national flag on 3 September 1901. It gives me great pleasure with the members for McEwen and Hasluck to support this motion as something very close to my heart and to Tasmanian hearts—Australia's principal national emblem, our national flag and the renewed importance of continuing to honour it.

Residents of Tasmania have special reason to celebrate the Australian National Flag Day on 3 September given the role of some of its citizens in creating the flag, a role that was both pivotal and enduring. In 1849 a group of Launceston women made a large silk flag to a design by local Minister John West for the Tasmanian campaign to end the transportation of convicts from Britain. That design comprised the British blue ensign with the stars of the Southern Cross. Thereafter, Reverend West took the flag to an anti-transportation conference in Melbourne in 1851 where it was accepted as a symbol of unity of the Australian colonies.

Remember, this was 50 years before Federation and the competition that would eventually select the Australian national flag. That competition, in 1901, saw nearly 33,000 entries received, and the Australian flag was created from five similar designs. It was noted at the time that the composite winner bore a remarkable resemblance to the silk flag produced by the Launceston ladies 50 years earlier. The stars on the Southern Cross were coloured yellow, but the similarity was remarkable and clearly highlighted the fact that the flag produced by those Launceston ladies 50 years earlier had found its way into the hearts of many across the Australian colonies. The Launceston-design flag was presented to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in 1896, where it now resides, and I had the very great privilege of seeing this rare, original flag displayed at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Launceston just two weeks ago. As the curator unrolled it, many metres long, there was no doubt of the lineage and connection of this flag, produced 50 years earlier, with the one our country selected in 1901. Launcestonians should be justifiably proud of this lineage and connection. Parochially, I see this as yet another case of Tasmania and Tasmanians punching above their weight in terms of enduring national influence.

The winning flag from the 1901 competition was unfurled for the first time on 3 September 1901 above the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, which was then the seat of the federal parliament. It is a flag that continues to stir the soul whenever it is displayed in Lions and Rotary clubs, RSLs and schools right around the country or when it rises in celebration of yet another Australian sporting victory. On a more personal note, our national flag is a daily reminder to me of its ability to unite and inspire all Australians, regardless of race, creed or background. It is a very tangible symbol of collective Australian unity in arguably the most efficiently functioning multicultural democracy in the world. Daily media reports about troubles in other lands seek only to highlight and reinforce Australia's unique international standing and good fortune. Truly Australia remains the lucky country.

I came to Australia and Australian citizenship from Europe in May 1965. Almost 50 years later, amongst my proudest boasts as an Australian citizen are and will always remain the opportunity to, with my wife, Christine, raise a family of three children in this wonderful and free country and the opportunity and privilege to serve for over three decades as an officer in the Australian Regular Army and to lead our soldiers in both peace and war under this flag, now in its 114th year. May it continue to fly proudly above us for another century and more. On that note, I close by encouraging everyone to fly the Australian flag on 3 September as a reminder of the common pride we have in our nation, our unique connection to its origins and a collective countenance to ensure that our best days under this flag lie ahead of us.

Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Federation Chamber is resumed.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives —

Sitting suspended from 1 3:32 to 16:01

Debate interrupted.