Tradition? What Tradition?

I'd like to address some of the objections that people have raised to a change of flag. Actually there is only one serious objection worth meeting, that is that "Our soldiers have fought and died under the current flag, and changing it will dishonour their memory". NOT TRUE.

For the best part of the twentieth century, Australia has had no official flag, and the flag that most Australian service personnel have "fought and died under" was either the Union Jack or the Australian Red Ensign (basically the same flag but with a red field instead of blue).

Of course soldiers do not literally fight "under a flag" - it would be insane to fly a flag in the thick of battle, giving one's opponents a specific target. Soldiers fight and die for their country, not for their flag, which I suspect is not much thought about in the heat of conflict.

The current flag was made the official flag of the nation with the Flags Act (1953) by the Menzies Government, having no consultation with the Australian people. It was simply imposed on us by an administration that was paranoid about the Communist Peril, and which almost certainly decided that the Red Ensign was unsuitable just because it was red - the colour of Communism (and, coincidentally, the Australian Labour Party).

So the current flag has no historical military associations, and no credentials as a flag of the people. We never voted for it. We just got used to it and never gave it much thought. Are you thinking about it now?

The only other thing that could tie us to the current flag is Tradition. As far as that goes, let us be very clear on the fact that flags change all the time according to national circumstances. Far from being static objects, they are dynamic devices recording the history of nations. The United States (perhaps the most flag-conscious nation on the planet) has changed its flag many times. Australia has changed its flag at least three times. If human beings never changed flags, we would still be waving the first flag; probably a blood-soaked rag tied to a stick.

But nothing is completely new: everything builds on the old. Our new flag is a perfect example of that fact. The blue shade and the shape of the field remain the same, but now denoting the sea. The red of the original flag (meaning the red of the Union Jack) is unchanged, but now denotes the land. So we retain the red, white and blue but add another vital component: black. This addition seems essential. So our proposed flag is a logical development from the old. How could we be kinder to Tradition?

And why shouldn't we make another change for the better in a situation that cries out for change? And why shouldn't we have the right to vote for our own National Symbol? Stand up Australia! Honour the past, but don't let it cage you. Whatever your choice, be proud that you have the right to make it your own.

David Gillings
March 19th, 2018