Sydney, 2nd Sept, 2014

3rd September is Australian Flag day.

A brief history is as follows.

Australian Flag was selected after an international competition in which 32823 people participated. 5 people, 2 of them teenagers, were the co-winners of this competition and shared the prize of £200. It was first flown at the Exhibition Building, the site of Commonwealth Parliament  in Melbourne at that time,  by the first Prime Minister of Australia, The Rt Hon Sir Edmund Barton, on 3rd Sept, 1901. As you know, Australia has been a federation since 1901.

Australian flag has the Union Jack, the Commonwealth Star (just below the Union jack, representing Federation of 6 States and territories)  and the Southern Cross (representing our geography). Constellation of 5 stars (Southern Cross) can only be seen from Southern Hemisphere.

A few points to be noted.

1. The Flag should be raised after Sunrise and lowered before Sunset. The Flag can be flown in the night if there is sufficient illumination, like it is in Federal Parliament in Canberra.

2. When the Flag is raised or lowered, everyone should face the Flag, be silent and people in Uniform should salute the Flag.

3. The flag should always be flown freely and as close as possible to the top of the flagpole with the rope tightly secured.

4. Unless all national  flags are raised and lowered simultaneously, the Australian National Flag should be raised first and lowered last

5. When the Australian National Flag is flown with flags of other nations, all flags should be the same size and flown on flagpoles of the same height

6. When flying with only one other national flag, the Australian National Flag should fly on the left of a person facing the flags.

7. The flag should not be flown upside down.

8.The Australian National Flag should not normally be flown in aposition inferior to any other flag or ensign and should not be smaller than any other flag or ensign.

9. The flag should be used in a dignified manner and reproduced completely and accurately.

10. It should not be defaced by overprinting with words or illustrations.

11. Other objects in displays should not cover the flag.

12. All symbolic parts of the flag should be identifiable.

I am celebrating Australian Flag Day on 3rd September, 2014 by making Australian Flag as my profile pic in my social media for the day. I encourage everyone to do the likewise.

Dr Yadu Singh

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