Flag of Australia

Country

Flag of Australia uses blue Ensign with the Commonwealth Star and Southern Cross. Ratio 1:2 and current adoption April 14, 1954.

Hoist Ratio 1:2 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of Australia
Entity Type	Country
Official Name	Commonwealth of Australia
Identifier	AU / AUS
Region	Australia and New Zealand

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	April 14, 1954
First Documented Use	September 3, 1901
Proportion	1:2
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Blue, White, Red
Construction	Blue Ensign with the Commonwealth Star and Southern Cross
Common Name	The Australian Blue Ensign

Documented Colour Values

Colour	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Blue	#012169	1, 33, 105	99, 69, 0, 59
White	#FFFFFF	255, 255, 255	0, 0, 0, 0
Red	#E4002B	228, 0, 43	0, 100, 81, 11

Design and Symbolism

Blue	the ensign field.
White	the stars and the Union Jack.
Red	the Union Jack.
Commonwealth Star	Its seven points stand for the six states and the territories.
Southern Cross	The constellation that identifies the southern hemisphere, in four seven-pointed stars and one five-pointed star.

Proportions

Ratio	1:2
Hoist	1 units
Fly	2 units

About the Flag of Australia

Blue Ensign with the Commonwealth Star and Southern Cross The recorded proportion is 1:2. Within this library it is grouped with british-style ensign designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for Australia is Blue (#012169), White (#FFFFFF) and Red (#E4002B). The colour table above is intended for digital reference; where an issuing authority publishes a different colour standard, that specification takes precedence.

Symbols and recorded meaning

Commonwealth Star: Its seven points stand for the six states and the territories; Southern Cross: The constellation that identifies the southern hemisphere, in four seven-pointed stars and one five-pointed star.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to September 3, 1901. The adoption field for the present record is April 14, 1954.

Additional flag context

The 1901 design competition drew more than thirty thousand entries, and five people submitted essentially the same design; the prize money was divided between them.

The Commonwealth Star beneath the Union Flag has seven points — six for the original states and one for the territories, a point added in 1908.

The five stars of the Southern Cross have differing numbers of points, reflecting their relative brightness, which is a level of astronomical detail few flags attempt.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Blue Ensign with the Commonwealth Star and Southern Cross, a 1:2 proportion and the visible commonwealth Star. Use the comparison and design-family links on this page when another flag has a similar palette or layout.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — Australia — Specialist vexillological reference

Other british-style ensign flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of Australia

Australia is recorded as blue Ensign with the Commonwealth Star and Southern Cross.
The reference proportion for the flag of Australia is 1:2.
The stored palette for Australia contains Blue, White and Red.
The adoption field for this country flag record is April 14, 1954.
The design record traces first use to September 3, 1901.
Its construction is grouped with the british-style ensign design family in this library.
Commonwealth Star: Its seven points stand for the six states and the territories.
Southern Cross: The constellation that identifies the southern hemisphere, in four seven-pointed stars and one five-pointed star.
The 1901 design competition drew more than thirty thousand entries, and five people submitted essentially the same design; the prize money was divided between them.
The Commonwealth Star beneath the Union Flag has seven points — six for the original states and one for the territories, a point added in 1908.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of Australia

What does the flag of Australia look like?

Blue Ensign with the Commonwealth Star and Southern Cross, with a recorded proportion of 1:2.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of Australia?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 1:2.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of Australia?

The reference palette lists Blue #012169, White #FFFFFF and Red #E4002B.

What do the symbols on the flag of Australia represent?

Commonwealth Star — Its seven points stand for the six states and the territories. Southern Cross — The constellation that identifies the southern hemisphere, in four seven-pointed stars and one five-pointed star.

When was the present flag record for Australia adopted?

The adoption field in this record is April 14, 1954.

Which design family does the flag of Australia belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with british-style ensign designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.

Where can I verify information about the flag of Australia?

The verification-source section on this page links to an official, governmental or specialist reference used to check the underlying record. Source wording is not copied into the article.