The Australian Aboriginal Flag and Torres Strait Islander Flag were proclaimed flags of Australia under section 5 of the Flags Act 1953 on 14 July 1995.

The Australian Aboriginal Flag

The Australian Aboriginal Flag was first raised on 9 July 1971, National Aborigines’ Day, at Victoria Square in Adelaide. It was also used at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in 1972. The flag was designed by Mr Harold Thomas, an Aboriginal artist from the Northern Territory.

On 25 January 2022, the Prime Minister announced the copyright of the Australian Aboriginal Flag was transferred from Mr Harold Thomas to the Commonwealth of Australia.

The flag, designed in proportions approximating one to two, is divided horizontally into equal halves of black (top) and red (bottom), and has a yellow circle in the centre. The black symbolises the Aboriginal people, the red represents the earth and the colour of ochre used in Aboriginal ceremonies, and the circle of yellow represents the sun, the constant renewer of life.

The flag is flown or displayed permanently at Aboriginal centres throughout Australia. It is popularly recognised as the flag of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.

The flag is protected by copyright and may only be reproduced in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Carroll & Richardson-Flagworld Pty Ltd is the exclusive licensed manufacturer and provider of the Aboriginal Flag on flags and pennants, banners and buntings. As the owner of the copyright in the design of the flag, the Commonwealth allows the design to be freely reproduced by the public on all other mediums.

Colour references for the Australian Aboriginal Flag are:

Red: PANTONE® 179
Yellow: PANTONE® 123.

THE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL FLAG

The Torres Strait Islander Flag

The Torres Strait Islander Flag was adopted in May 1992 during the Torres Strait Islands Cultural Festival. Its origin is attributed to the late Mr Bernard Namok of Thursday Island.

The flag has three horizontal panels: the top and bottom panels are green and the middle one blue. These panels are divided by thin black lines. The green represents the land, the blue represents the sea, and the black symbolises the people.

In the centre of the flag is a white Dhari (traditional headdress), which is a symbol for all Torres Strait Islanders. Underneath the Dhari is a white five-pointed star: the five points represent the island groups in Torres Strait and the white represents peace. The star is an important symbol for a seafaring people.

The flag stands for the unity and identity of all Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia.

The flag is protected by copyright and may only be reproduced in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968, or with the permission of the Torres Strait Island Regional Council.

Colour references for the Torres Strait Islander Flag are:

Blue: PANTONE® 280
Green: PANTONE® 342.

THE TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER FLAG