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Australian FlagsAustralians have had a search for their identity in the design for their national flag. In 1901, a worldwide competition was held and the winning specifications were changed several times and finally published in 1934. Some flags were made with a red background while others had navy blue. The national flag is legally defined in the Flags Act 1953, but there are other official flags. The national flag uses three main symbols, the Union Jack, the Commonwealth Star, and the Southern Cross. The Southern Cross is one of the most visible constellations in the Southern Hemisphere and has been used to represent Australia since the beginning of British settlement. One of the flag’s designers, however, intended the four main stars to represent justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude. Since the separation of Australian from the United Kingdom in 1901, a debate has persisted about whether the Australian flag should be changed to remove the British Union Flag from the upper left corner, called the canton. Time will tell!
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