The Australian National Flag takes precedence in Australia over all other flags when it is flown in company with other flags.

When flown in the community the order of precedence of flags is:

1: The Australian National Flag

2: National flag of other nations

3: State and territory flags

4: Other flags prescribed by the Flags Act 1953 including:

• the Australian Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag in either order and
• the Defence ensigns which should be flown in the following order:
  • the Australian Defence Force ensign
  • the Australian white ensign
  • the Royal Australian Air Force ensign.

5: Ensigns and pennants – local government; Commonwealth, state and territory agencies; non-government organisations.

The order of precedence may be varied in the following circumstances:

• On military occasions or establishments, the Australian National Flag may be followed in the order of precedence by the prescribed Defence ensigns and military pennants ahead of other flags, ensigns and pennants.
• On Commonwealth occasions and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island occasions for their peoples, the Australian Aboriginal Flag or the Torres Strait Islander Flag may follow the Australian National Flag ahead of other flags prescribed under the Flags Act 1953, state and territory flags and other ensigns and pennants.

The order of the state flags is New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania (the order in which the state badges appear on the Commonwealth Coat of Arms) with flags of the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory following in alphabetical order.

In the absence of a flag or flags higher in the order, a flag shall follow the flag being flown that is higher in the order.

The order of precedence does not require that a flag listed in the order must be flown in company with other flags in the order.