29 April 1770

Queen Anne Union Flag raised by Captain Cook at Stingray Harbour, later renamed Botany Bay

22 August 1770

Queen Anne Union Flag raised by Captain Cook at Possession Island off Cape York, claiming the entire east coast of Australia in the Name of King George III

26 January 1788

Governor Phillip raises the Queen Anne Union Flag at Sydney Cove

4 June 1801

Union Jack (in current form) flown in Australia as national flag for the first time

28 February 1851

Australasian Anti-Transportation League flag unfurled

29 November 1854

Eureka Flag raised

August 1869

Badge of New South Wales flag authorised, using simply the red cross of St George on a white field (later addition of gold lion of England and four eight-pointed stars of the Southern Cross)

3 January 1870

Western Australian flag adopted (later change to direction of swan)

4 February 1870

Victorian flag adopted, using simply the Southern Cross as a badge (later addition of imperial crown, which itself was replaced by the crown of St Edward)

18 February 1876

New South Wales flag proclaimed

25 September 1876

Tasmanian flag adopted for use on Tasmanian government vessels (later detail of lion changed)

20 November 1876

Queensland flag gazetted (later change to crown)

1 January 1901

Federation – Australian colonies join to form the Commonwealth of Australia

3 September 1901

Winning design of public flag competition announced by Prime Minister the Right Hon Edmund Barton – first time Australian National Flag is flown

20 February 1903

Announced in Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 8 that King Edward VII has approved a design for the flag of Australia (Commonwealth blue ensign) and one for the flag of the merchant navy (Commonwealth red ensign) with Southern Cross stars simplified to four seven-pointed stars and one five-pointed star

13 January 1904

South Australian flag proclaimed

23 February 1908

Australian flag modified to current form, with seven-pointed Federation Star (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 29 of 22 May 1909)

1908

Australian Army Military Order, No 58/08, directs all military establishments to fly the ‘Australian Ensign’ in place of the Union Jack

1911

Following the granting of the Royal title to Australia’s naval forces, Naval Order 78/1911 directs all vessels of the Royal Australian Navy to fly the flag of the ‘Australian Commonwealth’ at the jack staff and the White Ensign of the Royal Navy at the stern as the symbol of the authority of the Crown

23 March 1934

Dimensions of national flag specified (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 18)

6 June 1935

Civil air ensign adopted (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 30)

16 July 1936

Australian Governor-General’s flag adopted (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 56)

15 March 1941

Prime Minister the Right Hon Robert Menzies issues a press statement encouraging the Australian public to fly the Commonwealth blue ensign on land. Australian merchant ships are to continue to fly the Commonwealth red ensign.

24 February 1947

Prime Minister the Right Hon Ben Chifley issues a statement in support of Prime Minister the Right Hon Robert Menzies’ earlier statement, encouraging more general use of the Commonwealth blue ensign.

20 October 1947

United Nations Flag adopted

4 March 1948

Civil air ensign modified – stars altered from yellow to white (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 39)

1949

Royal Australian Air Force adopts Royal Australian Air Force ensign, approved by King George VI in 1948. In 1982, ensign is modified with the addition of a kangaroo to the roundel.

4 December 1950

Australian Cabinet decides to adopt the Commonwealth blue ensign as the Australian National Flag

1951

King George VI approves the Government’s recommendation that the Commonwealth blue ensign be adopted as the Australian flag

3 December 1953

Flags bill passed by the Australian Parliament

14 April 1954

Flags Act 1953 takes effect and declares the Commonwealth blue ensign as the Australian National Flag

20 September 1962

Her Majesty The Queen’s personal flag for Australia approved

1 March 1967

Australian white ensign adopted as flag of the Royal Australian Navy (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 18)

9 July 1971

Australian Aboriginal Flag first raised

3 December 1975

Tasmanian flag gazetted

1 July 1978

Northern Territory flag adopted

11 January 1980

Norfolk Island flag adopted

25 March 1981

Shipping Registration Act 1981 confirms the use of the Australian red ensign as the flag for use by Australian-registered merchant ships. (Act operative from 26 January 1982)

6 May 1982

Royal Australian Air Force ensign amended by the addition of a kangaroo in flight to the roundel (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette S89)

29 May 1992

Torres Strait Islander Flag adopted during Torres Strait Islands Cultural Festival

25 March 1993

Australian Capital Territory flag adopted

21 March 1995

Anzac Day Act 1995 comes into effect. The Act declares 25 April as a national day of commemoration to recognise and commemorate the contribution of all those who have served Australia (including those who died) in time of war and in war-like conflicts

14 July 1995

Australian Aboriginal Flag and Torres Strait Islander Flag proclaimed as flags of Australia under section 5 of the Flags Act 1953 (Commonwealth of Australia Gazettes S259 and S258)

3 September 1996

Australian National Flag Day proclaimed (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette S321)

20 October 1997

Remembrance Day on 11 November proclaimed as a national day of commemoration, with one minute’s silence to be observed (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette S437)

24 March 1998

Flags Amendment Bill amends the Flags Act 1953 to ensure that the Australian National Flag can only be changed if the electorate approves

14 April 2000

Australian Defence Force ensign proclaimed as a flag of Australia under section 5 of the Flags Act 1953 (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette S190)

7 July 2000

Her Majesty The Queen’s personal flag for Australian flies in the United Kingdom for the first time at a church service at Westminster Abbey, London, attended by Her Majesty The Queen, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 by the British Parliament

20 September 2001

Centenary Flag proclaimed as a flag of Australia under section 6 of the Flags Act 1953 (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette S283)

25 January 2008

Correcting an administrative oversight to the 1995 proclamation, the Torres Strait Islander Flag and Australian Aboriginal Flag were proclaimed again by the Governor-General to ensure the flags remained as official flags of Australia.

25 January 2022

Copyright of the Australian Aboriginal Flag was acquired by the Commonwealth of Australia to enable its image to be freely used.