Australia is made up of many distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People groups, each with their own culture, language, beliefs and practices.

There is an estimated 250 autonomous First Nations language groups. The First Nations peoples of Australia are as diverse and distinct as any other nation.

This diversity makes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander symbolism very dynamic and specific to each People group. There is not one floral, animal, fossil or gemstone symbol, for instance, that is singularly representative of all groups.

Flags of Australia’s Indigenous Peoples

The Australian Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag were proclaimed flags of Australia under section 5 of the Flags Act 1953 on 14 July 1995.

The Australian Aboriginal Flag

The Australian Aboriginal Flag was first raised on 9 July 1971, National Aborigines’ Day, at Victoria Square in Adelaide. The flag was designed by Mr. Harold Thomas, an Aboriginal artist from the Northern Territory.

The flag is divided horizontally into equal halves of black (top) and red (bottom), and has a yellow circle in the centre, representing the Aboriginal peoples, the earth and the colour of ochre used in Aboriginal ceremonies, and the sun.

On 25 January 2022, the then Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the copyright of the Australian Aboriginal Flag was transferred from Mr Harold Thomas to the Commonwealth of Australia.

The colour references for the Australian Aboriginal Flag are:

• Red: PANTONE® 179, and
• Yellow: PANTONE® 123.

The Torres Strait Islander Flag

The Torres Strait Islander Flag was adopted in May 1992 during the Torres Strait Islands Cultural Festival. The origin is attributed to the late Mr. Bernard Namok of Thursday Island.

The flag has 3 horizontal panels divided by thin black lines which symbolises the people; the top and bottom panels are green representing the land and the middle one blue representing the sea. The Dhari (traditional headdress) is a symbol for all Torres Strait Islander peoples, the white five-pointed star represents the island groups in the Torres Strait and the white represents peace. The star is an important symbol for seafaring people. The flag stands for the unity and identity of all Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia.

The flag is protected by copyright and may only be reproduced in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968, or with the permission of the Torres Strait Island Regional Council.

The colour references for the Torres Strait Islander Flag are:

• Blue: PANTONE® 280, and
• Green: PANTONE® 342.