australian flag

[bluemarkus]

the australian flag is the only flag with a star with 7 rays on it. most other flags have pentagrams, the israeli flag has what is commonly known as the "david star" with 6 rays. i think this is remarkeable. i like flags with natural things on it, like canada with the maple leaf, because the created things are more powerful than manmade things, and the pentagram is a sign for rule of man/demonic rule.

so australia is the only country to have a star constellation on the flag, and i think its the most beautiful flag in the whole world. the blue back (my favourite color), the cross from the mothernation GB. its just a cool flag !

Australia/NZ are very young nations (100 yrs or so...), do you guys think that one day they could become world powers themselves, like in 200 years or later ?

cheers

MB

 

[ScMay]

the australian flag is the only flag with a star with 7 rays on it. most other flags have pentagrams, the israeli flag has what is commonly known as the "david star" with 6 rays.

If i remember correctly the stars points each represent a state of Australia, if we had more/less states we'd have more/less points.

so australia is the only country to have a star constellation on the flag, and i think its the most beautiful flag in the whole world.

NZ has the same constellation on it too, never knew we together were that unique though.

the blue back (my favourite color), the cross from the mothernation GB. its just a cool flag !

While I am partial to the blue background I am not a fan of the Union Jack (the GB cross) as it seems to distinguish as as not quite a seperate nation even though our links with GB are now predominantly historic and currently little different to any other western nation. I would prefer its removal to better define ourselves as a seperate and independant nation.

Australia/NZ are very young nations (100 yrs or so...), do you guys think that one day they could become world powers themselves, like in 200 years or later ?

No. Definitely not NZ, mainly because it can never hope to gain the population size required and does not have the natural resources to make up for this. Australia has a better chance but I also doubt we can achieve the population size required despite our geographical size, though we are rich in resources I doubt it will make up for our population.

We will simply remain small to medium players like many of the smaller European and Asian countries, big enough and rich enough to be listened to but still too small individually to have much clout in major international decisions.

 

[something from the fridge]

new zealand's southern cross is missing a star though.

 

[MuidSaoirse]

the australian flag is the only flag with a star with 7 rays on it. most other flags have pentagrams, the israeli flag has what is commonly known as the "david star" with 6 rays. i think this is remarkeable. i like flags with natural things on it, like canada with the maple leaf, because the created things are more powerful than manmade things, and the pentagram is a sign for rule of man/demonic rule.

so australia is the only country to have a star constellation on the flag, and i think its the most beautiful flag in the whole world. the blue back (my favourite color), the cross from the mothernation GB. its just a cool flag !

Australia/NZ are very young nations (100 yrs or so...), do you guys think that one day they could become world powers themselves, like in 200 years or later ?

cheers

MB

The Australian flag does not excite me. That Union Jack drips with the blood of Indigenous nations from Ireland to Australia. It always reminds me of the cultural imperialism and genocidal practices of the colonizers.
The Aboriginal flag should be where the Union Jack is.
Auz and NZ world powers one day?! Nah we are already kissing US butt - always have always will. We bow to the US and follow their lead and dictates.

 

[John Spong is wrong]

I agree MS.

The Union Jack drips with the blood of Indigenous nations - the cultural imperialism and genocidal practices of the colonizers.

The Aboriginal flag should indeed be where the Union Jack is.

Our perfect flag would be the plain Southern Cross on blue background with the indigenous flag in the corner.

 

[something from the fridge]

Why shove the Indigenous flag to the corner?

 

[John Spong is wrong]

Why shove the Indigenous flag to the corner?

To cover up the rotten Union Jack. Although if the current flag were simply replaced by the Indigenous flag I'd also be more than satisfied with that. It would help with reconciliation too. I suspect most Australians would be too racist to allow this to happen - either racist or fanatical monarchists with their silly commitment to an ageing, irrelevant, out-of-touch queen who lives over 10,000km away.

 

[GodsoldierClintus]

Hey another Salvo...cool.

Greetings!

 

[TheDag]

The Australian flag does not excite me. That Union Jack drips with the blood of Indigenous nations from Ireland to Australia. It always reminds me of the cultural imperialism and genocidal practices of the colonizers.
The Aboriginal flag should be where the Union Jack is.
Auz and NZ world powers one day?! Nah we are already kissing US butt - always have always will. We bow to the US and follow their lead and dictates.

The main problem I have with replacing the union jack with the aboriginal flag is that people often claim that having the union jack indicates some kind of rule of UK over us. So it is just logical then that if you put the aboriginal flag there then that would indicate that Aborgines rule over this country which we all know they don't and most likely won't. They certainly may get alot more influence in the future. If we replace the flag I think we need to make a massive change to get rid of those ideas as to what things stand for.

Oh and one other thought occoured to me. Why is nobody advocating putting the Torres Straight islander flag on there as well. I guess we just don't think they are important enough to care about? Is that why?

 

[TheDag]

To cover up the rotten Union Jack. Although if the current flag were simply replaced by the Indigenous flag I'd also be more than satisfied with that. It would help with reconciliation too. I suspect most Australians would be too racist to allow this to happen - either racist or fanatical monarchists with their silly commitment to an ageing, irrelevant, out-of-touch queen who lives over 10,000km away.

Ahh more comments from a point of ignorance. The queen actually is alot more informed than you think. According to past prime ministers she is in weekly contact with them and always makes herself available to be talked to about issues. She also keeps in touch with the GG. I think you will find that she is more aware than you think. Even past prime ministers who have supported the republic have appreciated how much she did for them while they were PM. Gough Whitlam rang her up to thank her for all her support after being sacked by her representative. (on a side note Gough said the Queen had no idea he had been sacked!) Now that I have mentioned the GG the whole idea of the GG is that they make decisions on behalf of the Queen to make sure the best interests of the country are served and a person who is in daily touch with what happens here is making decisions.

 

[something from the fridge]

Hey another Salvo...cool.

Greetings!

hi!!!

To cover up the rotten Union Jack. Although if the current flag were simply replaced by the Indigenous flag I'd also be more than satisfied with that. It would help with reconciliation too. I suspect most Australians would be too racist to allow this to happen - either racist or fanatical monarchists with their silly commitment to an ageing, irrelevant, out-of-touch queen who lives over 10,000km away.

I don't know if I like the idea of the Aboriginal Flag being used at all for the general Australian flag. I think that it would actually take some of the meaning away from it. People identify it as the Aboriginal flag, as well as identifying with it.

A new Australian flag should be unique and encompass the whole nation.

 

[bluemarkus]

i like the flag the way it is...

god gives the best land to the best people.

and id rather serve some form of monarchy than a stupid parliament with people that have no sense of dignity and dont know that humans have a power above their head.

 

[flying_kiwifruit]

new zealand's southern cross is missing a star though.

May I point out that the New Zealand and Australian flag are exactly the same except for the fact that on the Aussie flag there is a extra star below the Union Jack. The southern cross on both the flags is the same. although the southern cross in real life does contain 7 stars the 4 main ones are the ones that are put onto the flag.

The idea of replacing the union jack is not something I would want to see happen to either the New Zealand or Australian flag. Both countries have people that identify with a different flag for us Kiwis the Maorri's identify with the Maori flag. They have a right to have seperate flag. We are still under the rule of the Monarch, so therefore we need to reconise this on the flags.

 

[GodsoldierClintus]

No one can really agree on a design for a new flag though...I say it's alright the way it is. What is the likelihood of all the different racial groups in Australia agreeing on a new design = 0. At least everyone can identify with this flag, especially since it comes from our colonial pass. Even for the Aborigines, and Torres Strait Islanders...the flag has significance (albeit negative). Even were we to become a republic..I don't see a need to change the flag.

What might be significant is to document our history in a new constitution - acknowledging our history...a list that you might include: Colonial Past, Treatment of Aborigines, Stolen Generation, White Australia Policy, Eureka, The history of the states (I'm assuming in a new republic they will get rid of the state governments...please do), ANZACS, Cricket, John Howard, the number of times we've beaten NZ in anything, and our undying love for anything American.

 

[ScMay]

god gives the best land to the best people.

Okay........ Here I thought it was the people with the best military in the area, in Australias case the colonists with guns vs the Aborigines with spears.

and id rather serve some form of monarchy than a stupid parliament with people that have no sense of dignity and dont know that humans have a power above their head.

First of all in Australia the monarchy has no real power, we "serve them" in name only really. Secondly have you seen what makes you think Monarchs have any special dignity or are always religious? Tabloids in the UK seem to love the royals far too much for me to trust any claimed dignity from them and what if it a Monarch turned out to be atheist????

This would have to rate as the worst argument I have ever heard in favor of the monarchy, so bad in fact that I think it would could even convenince monarchists to turn republican. It made me laugh just a little too.

 

[something from the fridge]

May I point out that the New Zealand and Australian flag are exactly the same except for the fact that on the Aussie flag there is a extra star below the Union Jack. The southern cross on both the flags is the same. although the southern cross in real life does contain 7 stars the 4 main ones are the ones that are put onto the flag.

looks different to me

 

[Trogdor the Burninator]

To cover up the rotten Union Jack. Although if the current flag were simply replaced by the Indigenous flag I'd also be more than satisfied with that. It would help with reconciliation too. I suspect most Australians would be too racist to allow this to happen - either racist or fanatical monarchists with their silly commitment to an ageing, irrelevant, out-of-touch queen who lives over 10,000km away.

I would hope most Australians wouldn’t support it because it reeks of the usual tokenism that passes for policy these days. It’s like “Hey – look at us – we put your flag in the corner – see, we care about you. Really!”

And as someone else pointed out, then the Torres Strait people would get upset because their flag wasn’t there, the Aborigines would complain that it was too small, someone else would whinge because it didn’t have any recognition of [insert small but vocal minority here].

The simplest solution, and IMO the only one that would get around most of the inevitable whining, is to simply remove the Union Jack and leave the rest of the flag as-is. The Aborigines lived under the Southern Cross, and now so do we.

 

[TheDag]

(I'm assuming in a new republic they will get rid of the state governments...please do),

just out of interest why do you assume they would get rid of the states? If an assumption was to be made then I think the best one is that we would copy the US version of a republic and they have seperate state powers. It would be a big change to get rid of the states. NSW and Victoria through sheer numbers would control things. That is why referendums must be passed by a majority of people in a majority of states. It means less populous states can have an equal say. Also the federal government exists because the states allowed it to happen. hence alot of the systems in place reflect that the states were in existence first. Taxation came under federal control mainly due to world war one. The states actually refused to take it back. They realised it was not a popular thing to have control over!

 

[GodsoldierClintus]

Well I don't see how Australia needs state governments fullstop. The issue of taxes is actually the very basis for not having them. The states themselves rely on the most part on Federal government funding. We have a situation where state governments are at times at whim of the federal government who may refuse to withdraw funds to the states if they do not fall in line with federal government policy. There is increasing blurring of lines as to what federal government powers are anyway. It just keeps getting expanded. Would states like to have their tax powers back? You bet they would. I find it hard to believe the states didn't want tax power back...I think you'd find after the war the fed government just decided to keep it's powers. We now have a stupid situation where the states and the federal government blame each other for situations which should be clearly under the state governments. Who's responsibility is the hospitals? The states. Yet it seems it was an important agenda in the federal election last year, because voters simply don't know who's responsible. The states blame the federal government for witholding funding. The federal government blames the states for not getting their act together...which one is it? The truth is the states do not have the funds to act on their own initatives and are forced to act as they are told by the federal government. Yet they are voted in and out as if they have control over these things.

The idea that states somehow have equal power should be reserved for umm 1901. The states never really voted for their own state interests. There has never been a case of state senators voting for their state interests. Once there were parties..that's how the senators voted, in line with their parties. The fact is that states have very limited power anymore...the most powerful politician in Australia is no longer the premier of NSW...it's the Prime Minister, fullstop. States never really voted for their state interests anyway but along party lines. Having a middle tier of government does not deal with local issues, and just makes for messy government, and more money wasted on politicians.

Instead we should have a system of local governments replacing the entire system. For example Brisbane City Council would be one of a large number of local governments which are closer to their constituents but not so dominated by party politics. IMO these local members should replace the senators in the Federal senate (who with the possible exception of independents, do nothing for their states anyway). Then we would have fewer levels of government, but ones which better serve the local consitituents by giving the local government more power in the wider scheme of things.

Also it is unconceivable to implement the American model in Australia...our populations do not match theirs by any means. They have that many levels of government because they need it...their population demands it. We don't have that many people, therefore we don't need 3 tiers of government.

Of course...which politician would willingly kill off the careers of their friends sitting in that state governments...the only precedent for that is the time when the joke of the QLD state government removed the senate in QLD. I guess that we'll just continue to have incompetent governments because of the self-interested nature of our society.