Australian National Flag Day, proclaimed in 1996 as a national day, celebrates the first time the flag was flown on 3 September 1901. On that day Prime Minister Edmund Barton announced the winners of a competition to design a flag for Australia. A large flag, 5.5 metres by 11 metres, was flown over the dome of the Exhibition Building in Melbourne. At that time the flag was known as the Commonwealth blue ensign; later, the flag became known as the Australian National Flag.
All Australians are encouraged to fly or display the Australian National Flag to celebrate Australian National Flag Day on 3 September each year.
Here are some ideas to help you celebrate Australian National Flag Day:
- Conduct a flag-raising ceremony.
- Business and organisations which don’t have a flagpole may wish to display the Australian National Flag in the public areas of their buildings, such as foyers.
- Read about the history of the Australian National Flag and the protocols for flying the flag.
- Register for the Commonwealth Flag Network
On 3 September 2025, the Hon Patrick Gorman MP, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, delivered a Statement on Significant Matters in the House of Representatives to celebrate Flag Day and Australia’s national symbols. You can read the speech here: National Symbols speech