Calls Resurface About Changing Australia’s Flag To Include First Nations People

This year's Australia Day saw tens of thousands of Aussies march through the streets to demand the public holiday be moved to a different date.

It was one of, if not the largest public display of support for the campaign on January 26 since the #ChangeTheDate movement started.

It has sparked a renewed interest in our country's identity and the way we want to be perceived, and some people reckon we should have a look at our flag.

The Aussie flag consists of the Union Jack in the top left corner to represent our ties to the Commonwealth and our colonisers, along with a large Southern Cross constellation and the seven-pointed Commonwealth Star.

On social media yesterday, people debated about removing the Union Jack and replacing it with the Aboriginal Flag.

Peter Fiztsimons, chair of the Australian Republic Movement, retweeted a mock up of the design and asked whether people thought it would be a better look than the current one.

While it might have been featured in the Hollywood blockbuster film Event Horizon, it doesn't seem like it's landed well with Aussie audiences.

One person said: "Awful design. Plus it still reads as divisive. While I like the Eureka Flag it has been appropriated by racists. Seems to me we need a whole new design. And let's not have any kangaroos or boomerangs please."

Another added: "From a design standpoint ... why would you use a template that's out of favour? The very thing you are trying to re-imagine? Just chuck it out and start again."

Many people suggested John Joseph's 'Untitled' flag design, which was proposed in 2006.

The design is inspired by Indigenous art, and has the Southern Cross as its normal iteration but the Commonwealth Star has been replaced by a dot painted circle, with a much darker blue background.

However, it could be mildly problematic because, according to one TikTokker, there's no evidence of Joseph being Indigenous.

Others also questioned why the Southern Cross constellation is so intrinsically linked to Australia considering it can literally be seen by everyone in the southern hemisphere.

You probably shouldn't hold your breath on a flag change any time soon.

The federal government hasn't indicated it has any interest in the topic and a similar campaign didn't really go well in New Zealand when a referendum in 2016 saw 57 per cent of the population voted to keep it the same.

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie