 | |
| Use | Flag of Aboriginal Australians |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 (as depicted above) or 1:2 (unofficially) |
| Adopted | 14 July 1995 |
| Design | A horizontal bicolour of black and red with a yellow disc in the centre |
| Designed by | Harold Thomas |
The Australian Aboriginal flag is an official flag of Australia that represents Aboriginal Australians. It was granted official status in 1995 under the Flags Act 1953, together with the Torres Strait Islander flag, in order to advance reconciliation and in recognition of the importance and acceptance of the flag by the Australian community.[1] The two flags are often flown together with the Australian national flag.
The Australian Aboriginal flag was designed by Aboriginal artist Harold Thomas in 1971, and it was first flown in Adelaide in July of that year. Thomas held the intellectual property rights to the flag's design until January 2022, when he transferred the copyright to the Commonwealth government. The flag was designed for the land rights movement and became a symbol of Aboriginal people of Australia.
The flag is horizontally and equally divided into a black region (above) and a red region (below); a yellow disc is superimposed over the centre of the flag.[2] The overall proportions of the flag, as proclaimed and in its original design, are 2:3; however, the flag is often reproduced in the proportions 1:2 as with the Australian national flag.[3]
- ^ "The Aboriginal flag". Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ "Australian Aboriginal Flag" (PDF). Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Australian Government. 15 May 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ^ The proclamations and the Flags Act (for the Australian National Flag and the Australian Red Ensign) do not specify overall proportions but show the flags as images.