Nationhood
Flags Act 1953
14 April 1954
Australia’s national flag is officially declared.
The Australian flag was first flown on 3 September 1901, but before the early 1950s there was much confusion about the official flag of Australia. Was it the current blue flag reserved for official use, the red flag intended for merchant ships or the Union Flag? The blue flag and Union Flag were both flown at the opening of Provisional (Old) Parliament House.
Preparations for the Australian Jubilee celebrations in 1951 had made the decision pressing. Which flag would be flown? The Flags Act 1953 officially confirmed the blue Australian flag as our official flag, although at the time it was expected it and the Union Flag would continue to be flown together.
An amendment to the Flags Act 1953 was passed in 1998 to ensure the national flag can only be changed in the future by the agreement of the Australian people.
The Australian flag is flown over Parliament House 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.