Introduction
The Wattle is our only authentic national symbol – totally, unambiguously of this land. It is not conflicted or qualified in its identity or loyalty. It is eloquently, elegantly and undoubtedly Australian.
—
Terry Fewtrell
President, Wattle Day Association
Introduction
The Wattle is our only authentic national symbol – totally, unambiguously of this land. It is not conflicted or qualified in its identity or loyalty. It is eloquently, elegantly and undoubtedly Australian.
—
Terry Fewtrell
President, Wattle Day Association
A proposal for a new Australian flag
The Golden Wattle flag is designed to be a ‘new’ symbol that expresses our Australian identity.
Over the last three decades there have been many design proposals put forward for a new Australian flag. Most incorporate familiar symbols such as the Southern Cross, Commonwealth Star and kangaroo.
Much like the wattle, these symbols are some of our most enduring national emblems and will always be part of our collective identity.
The Golden Wattle flag finds inspiration in these symbols, drawing them in conceptually and concretely, to build on the story of who we are as a nation and a people.
The Golden Wattle flag flying
The Golden Wattle flag flying
“The Golden Wattle flag was designed to communicate a primary story of unity, and to celebrate the natural beauty of our land that unites us all.”
The Golden Wattle flag
The Golden Wattle flag is a symbol of our nation’s diversity and aspirations of unity. It represents all the people of Australia, without distinction of race, language, belief or opinion, united equally as one.
The flag's design features seven Golden Wattle blossoms arranged around the Federation Star. The Golden Wattle is one of our most enduring symbols – it has part of Indigenous Australian culture for thousands of years, it’s the inspiration behind our national colours, green and gold, and is the official floral emblem of Australia.
The individual flowers arranged as one, suggest the idea of diversity and the unity of our nation.
Green and gold, are the national colours of Australia. They are derived from the palette of the golden wattle leaf and blossom.
The shade of green used is myrtle, also known in Australia as 'baggy green'. Yellow represents the wattle flower – a symbol of life, renewal and potential. The central yellow emblem also provides an important visual connection to the yellow sun on the Australian Aboriginal flag and the Dhari and star on the Torres Strait Islander flag.
Distinctly Australian
I wrote for her, I fought for her,
And when at last I lie,
Then who, to wear the wattle, has
A better right than I?
—
Henry Lawson
Distinctly Australian
I wrote for her, I fought for her,
And when at last I lie,
Then who, to wear the wattle, has
A better right than I?
—
Henry Lawson
Distinctly Australian
Australia stands apart in our diversity and uniqueness — in our culture, our peoples, our climate, our geography, our nature, our history.
Our flag should celebrate and represent the rich uniqueness of Australia.
Should a flag be self-explanatory?
The symbolism and colours of our flag should be meaningful and relate to Australia, but that meaning does not need to be immediately understood by other nations. Without explanation most national flags are a mystery at first, their significance as national symbols often comes after they are adopted.
Is the Southern Cross Australian?
Australia is just one of 48 nations in the Southern Hemisphere that can see the Southern Cross constellation. Additionally, 4 other nations; Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and New Zealand use the Southern Cross symbol on their national flags. It also features on patches of several U.S. Infantry divisions, Brazil’s currency, and numerous provincial flags in the Southern Hemisphere.
An emblem for Australia
An emblem for Australia
An emblem for Australia
Federation Star
For over 100 years the seven pointed Federation Star (also known as the Commonwealth Star) has been the emblem of Australian Federation. Six points of the star represent the six original states of the Commonwealth of Australia, while the seventh point represents the territories and any other future states of Australia.
The Federation Star represents our sovereignty, our democracy and our common goals of unity.
The Golden Wattle
The Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is the official floral emblem of Australia. It has served as a national symbol celebrating Australia’s nature and environment since the 1820s. The wattle represents our land and its natural beauty, our shared history, our diversity and our resilience as a people.
As a symbol of nature, the wattle is also a sign of the depth of feeling and connection Indigenous people have with their land. For Australia's First Peoples, the land is the core of all spirituality.
Learn more: Why the wattle?
Recognising First Australians
We are seeking a flag of unity and
healing under which all Australians
are represented equally.
—
Gatjil Djerrkura
Recognising First Australians
We are seeking a flag of unity and
healing under which all Australians
are represented equally.
—
Gatjil Djerrkura
Recognising First Australians
Australia’s Indigenous culture represents the most ancient and unique aspect of our national identity. If the Australian flag is the be a truly unifying symbol, it must represent a collective people by acknowledging Australia's whole history, and not just its colonial past.
This does not necessarily mean we should appropriate Aboriginal Art symbols, or subsume the Indigenous flags into the new national flag. Many Indigenous artists find it offensive to see their ceremonial styles copied, with no attachment or belonging to these styles.
Instead, our nation's flag needs to draw on cross-cultural images that represent unity – symbols that are meaningful for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The wattle can be seen as one of these symbols.
"As a living expression of our land, wattle links us to the earliest human occupation of this continent. Indigenous Australians have used wattle for thousands of years as a season marker (a sign that the whales are coming), as a source of food, medicine and the raw material for hunting and sound instruments. That is part of wattle's wonderful heritage as a unifying symbol of our land, our people and the nation.”
Source: Terry Fewtrell, President,
Wattle Day Association.
Simplicity / Design
Flags matter.
They rally. They mobilize.
They represent.
A flag can embody and
affirm a community’s
ideals and values.
A flag can welcome,
console, honour, unify.
Simplicity / Design
Flags matter.
They rally. They mobilize.
They represent.
A flag can embody and
affirm a community’s
ideals and values.
A flag can welcome,
console, honour, unify.
The virtue of simplicity
'Flags flap. Flags drape. Flags must be seen from a distance and from their opposite side, or remain legible as a small on-screen icon. Under these circumstances, only simple designs make effective flags.'
Reference Good Flag, Bad Flag, Ted Kaye North American Vexillological Association
The Golden Wattle flag has the virtue of simplicity; it focuses on a single symbol, made of bold shapes, and two strong colours. The wattle emblem is legible when furled, when iconized or when reversed, as both flag sides are identical.
Design specifications
The preferred ratio of the Golden Wattle flag is 3:5, although the flag can also be proportioned to a ratio 2:3 and 1:2 if required.
The wattle emblem is positioned at the exact center and is 5/7ths of the height of the flag.
The design is reversible, so the front and back of the flag are identical.
Design guideposts
- Keep the design simple
- Use meaningful symbolism
- Use inclusive and unifying symbolism
- Be distinctive
- Be attractive
- The design should be reversible
- Use Australia's national colours
State flags
Everywhere I go,
I feel like a part of me is there.
The whole nation is part of
my home.
—
Jimmy Little
State flags
Everywhere I go,
I feel like a part of me is there.
The whole nation is part of
my home.
—
Jimmy Little
States and mainland territory flags
United under one consistent design, the state and mainland territory flags incorporate the unique colours found in Australian nature. The colours also reference the traditional state and territory colours where appropriate. The fly of each flag could also include state emblems, if required.
Blue and Gold
Wattle has been the silent witness
of the Australian story for millions
of years. It has welcomed us all,
indigenous, colonials and modern
day arrivals.
—
Terry Fewtrell
President, Wattle Day Association
Blue and Gold
Wattle has been the silent witness
of the Australian story for millions
of years. It has welcomed us all,
indigenous, colonials and modern
day arrivals.
—
Terry Fewtrell
President, Wattle Day Association
Blue and gold wattle
The Golden Wattle flag also works when expressed in Australia’s traditional heraldic colours, blue and gold (yellow). Prior to 1984, blue and gold were considered the ‘unofficial’ national colours of Australia.
Yellow represents the wattle flower. Blue represents the sea which surrounds our ‘island continent’, or a yellow wattle seen against a rich blue Australian sky.
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