FLAGGING THE FLAG

With Australia’s seven gold medals so far at the Athens Olympics we have seen a lot of Aussie flags being waved in the stadiums and on the victory dais.

But is it the right flag? The blue ensign with the stars of the Southern Cross and the Federation star is dominated by the Union Jack – the flag of England, Scotland and Ireland.

And sometimes our flag is confused with the almost identical New Zealand flag from “across the ditch” as they say.

Our current and future flag are in the news today because of a man who is rapidly gaining a reputation as “Turncoat Turnbull”. Malcolm Turnbull will be a Liberal candidate for the supposedly safe blue ribbon seat of Wentworth at the next federal election.

He was the chief cheerleader of the Republicans in the lead up to the failed referendum and before that, for six years, Turnbull was a director of Ausflag -- the organization campaigning for a new Aussie flag.

Now, Turncoat Turnbull, has signed up as a financial member of a group called the Australian National Flag Association which is dedicated to retaining the current flag. A group that boasts Prime Minister Howard among its members.

It is a puzzling backflip by Turnbull whose company once financed a campaign to find a new flag.

I believe our current flag is wrong. Outdated. Outmoded. A forelock-tugging tribute to our English predecessors. And before you start calling and bleating about how many Aussie Diggers died under that flag keep in mind that we used to have the blue ensign and the red ensign and the white ensign.

The flag that flew in Changi was NOT the flag we salute now. It was a different colour and, as boss of the RSL, Bruce Ruxton bought it.

And also keep in kind how we got this current flag. It was in a competition organized by The Bulletin magazine and a tobacco company. And one of the rules was that it had to feature the Union Jack.

I don’t want to Boxing Kangaroo but I would like a flag in green and gold. Our official national colours. Featuring the stars of the Southern Cross.

The simpler the better. I was living in Canada when they dumped the Brits and went for a simple red Canadian maple leaf on a white background. Stamped their own individuality and independence.

Friday, August 20, 2004

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2004