Australian flag debate
CHANGING THE FLAG TO SOMETHING MORE RELEVANT TO THE FUTURE
THERE HAS BEEN MUCH DEBATE ABOUT THIS ISSUE, I REALISE THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD MUCH RATHER WE KEPT OUR PRESENT FLAG BECAUSE IT LINKS US TO OUR BRITISH COLONIAL HERITAGE AND IF IT AIN'T BROKE ,WHY FIX IT. THIS IS THE VERY REASON THE OTHER HALF OF THE PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE A CHANGE, WE ARE NOT ALL DECENDED FROM BRITISH ANCESTRY SO WE DO NOT HAVE THE STRONG LINKS TO BRITAIN THROUGH OUR FAMILIES ,BUT ,WE DO HAVE STRONG LINKS TO AUSTRALIA.
HOW WOULD SUCH A CHANGE OCCUR , I CAN SEE ONLY ONE COURSE OF ACTION, FIRST WE HAVE TO SETTLE ON ONE ONLY DESIGN TO PUT BEFORE THE PEOPLE, WITH THE MULTITUDE OF DESIGNS BEING BANDIED ABOUT , EVEN I WOULD VOTE AGAINST CHANGING , TILL THERE WAS A DEFINITE CHOICE .
THE FLAG TO THE RIGHT IS THE BASIS FOR WHICH ANY NEW AUSTRALIAN FLAG HAD TO BE BASED ON, WHEN THE COMPETITION FOR A NEW DESIGN WAS ANNOUNCED , ANY DESIGN NOT COMFORMING TO THIS PREREQUISITE WAS NOT CONSIDERED, HOW MANY OF THE 32,000 ENTRIES THAT FAILED THIS IS NOT REALLY EXPLAINED. THE WINNING DESIGN WAS BASICALLY THE EXISTING PRE FEDERATION VICTORIAN FLAG WITH THE ADDITION OF THE COMMONWEALTH STAR , NO MATTER WHAT SPIN PEOPLE TRY TO PUT ON THE PRESENT FLAG BEING SOMEHOW RELEVANT TO THE PRESENT DAY ,IT WILL ALWAYS BE A COLONIAL FLAG OF THE FORMER GREAT BRITISH EMPIRE, NOTHING MORE,NOTHING LESS.
FEDERATION CAME INTO EFFECT ON JANUARY 1st 1901,
A discussion on Why no TorreS straIt island recognition in this design
R.L Is that an attempt to include the Aboriginal flag while ignoring the Torres Strait Islanders?
G.S.F Hi, No ,I am not trying to include the Aboriginal flag in my design but i am giving FIRST NATION PEOPLE the recognition as keepers of the land for 65,000 years , TSI people came down through the TORRES STRAIT about 30,000 years ago and the English about 300 years ago , once you have decendants born on the land you are Indigenous to that land , but there can only be one First Nation People .
R.L 30,000 years is widely wrong. It's closer to 2,500. My concern was your use of the colours of the Aboriginal flag, but not those of the Torres Strait Islander flag.
G.S.F Hi, I was not there personally at the time so I think all dates are a bit of conjecture mixed with a bit of science , I used the COLOURS because they were here FIRST , no other reason and as such should be afforded their recognition , EVERYBODY after them are covered symbolically by the other elements in the flag .
R.L What part of it represents the TSI people?
G.S.F ALL of it .
R.L Australia has two distinct indigenous peoples, the Aboriginal people and the Torres Strait Islanders. They each have their own flags, of equal status, which officially fly beside the national flag within Australia. You have conspicuously used the colours of one of those flags in your design, but not the other. That's not going to work.
G.S.F You do not seem to have a problem with NO ENGLISH recognition in my design , Why is that ?
R.L There is no need. There's no need to recognise ANY particular grouping of Australian people, but you explicitly used the colours from the Aboriginal flag. I'm just pointing out that if you do that, you really also need to acknowledge our other group of indigenous Australians. I reckon it's better to not identify any particular group.
G.S.F Then let us agree to disagree because I think a people who have survived in a mostly harsh land for around 65,000 years deserve to be recognized in some small way .
R.L I just wish I could get you to accept some facts that make your desgn less than ideal.
G.S.F The only facts you have presented is that the Aboriginal Flag , the TSI Flag and the current National Flag fly alongside each other with equal status , so by your reasoning , if I acknowledge the one flag , i should acknowledge all flags equally in my design , maybe put a Union Jack in the top left and a Dhari in the bottom right , is that what you are aiming for ?
R.L No.
G.S.F Would you have any objection to my copying and pasting this entire conversation to my web site , it is not often people who disagree with one another can manage to get their point across without decending into personal insults and vitriol .
R.L Sure. Go right ahead.