Australian Flag

For a country obsessed with home improvement, we are remarkably apathetic about any attempts to renovate our national emblem.

How about green, gold, blue and white? Source: Supplied

From overhauling the kitchen to playing amateur interior designer, there’s no limit on our collective desire to spruce up our residences.

But turn the conversation to the topic of a little long-overdue remodeling of the national flag and suddenly it all gets far too difficult.

Latest 2 of 287 comments

View all comments
 
  • stephen says:

    06:57pm | 31/01/13

    That flag belongs on our coast, any coast. But our colours come from the earth. Orange, aquamarine, and white (10 to 15%) will do it. However, the design will be very very difficult. We need a national competition, overseen by professors at Sydney Art College. Read more »

  • Ben says:

    05:55pm | 31/01/13

    >>Three years ago Ray Martin found himself on the receiving end of a predictable stream of abuse after expressing his hope that the existing “colonial” flag would be replaced with one of our own. What a terrible state of society it is when plebs dare to disagree with Ray Martin. Read more »

 

Ray Martin has suffered an uncharacteristic lack of judgment - and possibly also taste - in using our most important national day to reignite debate over the Australian flag.

Not today, Ray: Martin's ANZAC assault on the flag has angered veterans.

In doing so he has damaged the republican cause, by exposing himself and the broader republican movement to accusations of opportunitism and grand-standing.

Don’t get me wrong - I don’t love our flag, for the simple reason that it’s got another country’s flag plastered all over it. As a modern and independent and multicultural nation it is a total anachronism that one-quarter of our national ensign is occupied by the Union Jack, regardless of the (generally positive) role of Britain in settling and colonising our nation.

Latest 2 of 97 comments

View all comments
 
  • Bart Mayhers says:

    09:59am | 17/07/12

    It’s well known why aussie and kiwi flags have the union jack in them - it’s to remind the dregs down under where the games they perverted actually came from! Read more »

  • Sean says:

    08:11am | 07/04/11

    Great point you make in the article. Will be following up more with this. http://www.left-handed-scholarships.net/ Read more »

 

Everyone looks at my neck and thinks I’m a red-necked Indian-bashing racist.

Not Monique! Another cross getting etched. Pic: File

The day before Australia Day, I caught the bus to work. Sitting up the back, sweltering in the heat and breathing in the sweat of the others condemned to the ride, I was tapped on the shoulder. The man behind me, breath heavy with booze, declared me a “sister of the Australian cause”. 

Confused and a little scared, I tried to ignore him. But the curious journo in me won out, and I asked him what he was talking about. Beaming and red-faced, he pointed to my neck, and THAT tattoo.

Latest 2 of 676 comments

View all comments
 
  • CaxiaGagged says:

    03:02pm | 02/01/13

    Who knows, maybe you’ll find yourself harvesting all now new they want is usually to be happy and 100 % free. After you change these factors, it than business he up have quite possibly been met having a lot of rejection from him. If you’d like to catch them pretty… Read more »

  • advellgeoke says:

    10:21am | 21/11/12

    The result? The result is tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenues.  Mac Wheeler copywriting  by placing special scripts or by W3 validation which gives your website the Read more »

 

DAVID Penberthy is spot on with his piece on Australia Day - and I’m not saying that because I’m some boss-schmoozing suck up or because I’m protecting some fat paycheck (I’m seriously not).

Anti-racism protesters at Sydney Town Hall after the Cronulla Riots.

The day’s been bastardised by bogans and for a while now has been descending into a celebration of banal racism.

But Penbo does not go far enough when he says we need to transform the day into a celebration of belonging to this country.

Latest 2 of 279 comments

View all comments
 
  • nathan says:

    01:04am | 05/06/10

    most people know that we do come from convicts, however thet dose not mean that every ausie is an rasisist 2 be quite frank i have a hard time spelling it , reguards nathan Read more »

  • Andrew Phillips says:

    04:14pm | 07/02/10

    Mustafa, Australian Protectionists are not a re-hash of One Nation which appeared all too willing to cave in on issues of concern to Australians once the media whipped up the hysteria and campaign of misinformation. Regarding “laws to shut these people up”-come now. This is Australia and while we do… Read more »

 

I realise it is incredibly un-trendy to like the monarchy. Heck, sometimes I even wish that the French revolution had never taken place, if only for my personal amusement of watching England and France compete via the insecurities of their ruling leaders, as they did once upon a time.

Think of all the gowns; the pomp, drama and arrogance; and the lavish court parties that could have taken place, and, lest I forget, the option of eating cake when bread was not available.

But, personal amusement aside, watching The Young Victoria just reinstated how much I like having a queen on a throne, even if she’s technically not part of my country and much of a half world away.

Latest 2 of 52 comments

View all comments
 
  • Nicholas Folkes says:

    11:00pm | 13/09/09

    TonyO, you are right to state that “James Scully seems a bit mixed up:.....this typifies most Republicans and their total lack of knowledge about the Crown, role of GG and the Constitution. Half of the adult population do not even know that we have a Constitution and over 80% of… Read more »

  • Dave says:

    06:44pm | 13/09/09

    TonyO, it is you who seem to be mixed up.  The Queen is the titular Head of State in Australia.  However as the Queen does not reside in Australia she appoints a Governor-General as an effective Head of State (that is why we have a Governor-General).  However the Governor General… Read more »

 

Facebook Recommendations

Read all about it

Punch live

Up to the minute Twitter chatter

Recent posts

The latest and greatest

The Punch is moving house

The Punch is moving house

Good morning Punchers. After four years of excellent fun and great conversation, this is the final post…

Will Pope Francis have the vision to tackle this?

Will Pope Francis have the vision to tackle this?

I have had some close calls, one that involved what looked to me like an AK47 pointed my way, followed…

Advocating risk management is not “victim blaming”

Advocating risk management is not “victim blaming”

In a world in which there are still people who subscribe to the vile notion that certain victims of sexual…

Nosebleed Section

choice ringside rantings

From: Hasbro, go straight to gaol, do not pass go

Tim says:

They should update other things in the game too. Instead of a get out of jail free card, they should have a Dodgy Lawyer card that not only gets you out of jail straight away but also gives you a fat payout in compensation for daring to arrest you in the first place. Instead of getting a hotel when you… [read more]

From: A guide to summer festivals especially if you wouldn’t go

Kel says:

If you want a festival for older people or for families alike, get amongst the respectable punters at Bluesfest. A truly amazing festival experience to be had of ALL AGES. And all the young "festivalgoers" usually write themselves off on the first night, only to never hear from them again the rest of… [read more]

Gentle jabs to the ribs

Superman needs saving

Superman needs saving

Can somebody please save Superman? He seems to be going through a bit of a crisis. Eighteen months ago,… Read more

28 comments

Newsletter

Read all about it

Sign up to the free News.com.au newsletter