AUSTRALIA

austral

Introduced in 1901, approved by the King of Great Britain in 1903. The British blue ensign, charged with five stars forming the Southern Cross and a sixth to represent the Commonwealth of Australia, was the design chosen in a competition in 1901, which attracted 30,000 entries. Subsequently there were some changes to the stars until their shape, size and position were precisely specified on 15 April 1954. The six points of the Star of the Commonwealth represent the six states, and the seventh stands for the Northern Territory and the six external territories of Australia.