By Brett Manning, Trustee of the New Aussie Constitution Trust

The draft New Aussie Constitution is a proposed replacement for the current Australian Constitution that has been developed independently of government. Visit the New Aussie Constitution Trust website listed below for more information.

I have a confession to make. I think we should change the Australian flag. I’m not saying that would be my personal preference but I am saying that I think it is something that we should do. Possibly one of the more controversial parts of the proposed New Aussie Constitution is to replace the current Australian flag and I wanted to explain why that proposal is contained in the draft.

Now in the interests of transparency, I admit that I love the current Australian flag and if it was just for me, I would not change it. However, to some in our community, those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage for example, the Union Jack in the corner can represent colonisation and historical repression of their culture.

Now I’m not in favour of revisionist history, as seems popular in some part of the world these days. The contribution that the British Empire made to the Australia we all share today should never be understated or forgotten. We do, however, need to recognise that to many Australians who do not descend from the British Empire, they do not have the same attachment to the Union Jack, and for many indigenous Australians, it has strong negative connotations.

So the New Aussie Constitution is all about going forward as a unified nation and so maybe it is time to get behind a single flag. After all, there is hardly a government building in Australia that doesn’t fly an Aboriginal flag and a Torres Strait Islander flag alongside the Australian flag. While I understand that this is a mark of respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, it is also a symbol of division, that we are not one unified nation.

The New Aussie Constitution asserts our true national independence and sets down how we want to live and so, for me personally, I can recognise that the Union Jack in our national flag will not sit comfortably with all Australians and I would prefer that there is just one flag flying outside our government buildings to represent us all. It is also another step toward indigenous reconciliation.

Now many flags have been proposed as a replacement for the Australian flag over the years but this was my approach to proposing a new design:

It would not include the Union Jack in the design;
It would also not include the Aboriginal flag in the design.

The latter is because the Aboriginal flag represents the Aboriginal people, not the Australian people as a whole and it is also a flag that strongly represents a fight against historic repression.

If we are going to all fall in behind a symbol of a unified future, then we must leave the past behind.

So this is the proposed new design:

It was developed as part of a competition run for a new Australian flag many years back. This particular design was developed by a Mr Brett Moxey.

To me, this flag represents what unites us, the southern land itself. The Southern Cross, the green and gold of our land and beaches and the blue of our clean skies.

Under the proposed draft New Aussie Constitution, this would become our national flag but out of respect for those who have fought and died under the current flag, and in recognition that there are other special flags in our community, including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, allowance has been made for them in the draft New Aussie Constitution which reads:

13.3.1 Former Australian Flags

13.3.1A In recognition of Australians who have served Australia militarily or representatively under the Union Jack or the original Australian Flag, these former flags may continue to be flown by any Citizen as is their want.

13.3.1B State, Territory or Local Governments may fly these former Australian Flags on culturally appropriate occasions specifically relevant to these former flags, in addition to the Australian Flag but not otherwise.

13.3.3 Other Flags of Significance

13.3.3A Other flags of significance to Citizens or groups or associations of Citizens may be flown as is the want of the Citizens provided that such flags do not represent banned or illegal associations or are of themselves not illegal or intended to incite illegal behaviour.

13.3.3B Commonwealth, State, Territory or Local Governments will not fly other flags of significance with either the Australian Flag or the State or Territory Flags except on specific cultural occasions, where there is a widely held recognition of the relevance of a particular flag of significance to the specific occasion.

So the aim of this change is to create a flag that all Australians can get behind, that is forward looking and captures the essence of a modern Australia. However, like all aspects of the proposed draft New Aussie Constitution, whether to change the flag and what to change it too, is open for consultation and discussion.