The current state flag of New South Wales was officially adopted by the government of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in 1876. The flag is based on the defaced British

Blue Ensign The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated or formerly associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain or Defacement (flag), defaced with a Heraldic badge, ...

with the state badge located in the

fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

. The badge, based on the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

, is a white disc with the

cross of St George The Cross of Saint George (russian: Георгиевский крест, Georgiyevskiy krest) is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was initially established by Imperial Russia where it was officially known as the Decoration of ...

, a golden lion passant guardant in the centre of the cross and an eight-pointed gold star on each arm of the cross. This flag was adopted due to criticisms from the

British Admiralty The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of it ...

that the previous design was too similar to the design of the Victorian flag. The state badge was designed by the Colonial Architect

James Barnet James Johnstone Barnet, (1827 in Almericlose, Arbroath, Scotland – 16 December 1904 in Forest Lodge, Sydney, New South Wales) was the Colonial Architect for Colonial New South Wales, serving from 1862 to 1890. Early life Born the son of a ...

and Captain Francis Hixson, a retired Royal Navy officer. Even though no meaning for the design was given, it is perhaps a simplified version of what was the semi-official arms of New South Wales at the time.

Construction

Unlike the national flag, the flag of New South Wales is not enshrined and protected by any acts of

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

government. As a result, there are no official legal requirements for the construction of the flag of New South Wales. However, tradition and decorum dictate that is should be: # the Union Jack occupying the upper quarter next the staff. # the fly is to be wholly blue, in line with the British Blue Ensign. # the State Badge is to be situated with its centre halfway between the edge of the canton and the end of the fly, and a third of the distance from the bottom of the flag. File:Badge of New South Wales.svg, State badge of New South Wales

Other flags

Historical flags

The first flag of New South Wales was adopted 1867. It too was a defaced British Blue Ensign with the letters "NSW" in white located in the fly. The flag was a response to the passing of the British Colonial Naval Defence Act 1865 in which all colonial vessels should "wear the Blue/Red Ensign with the seal or badge of the colony in the fly thereof". New South Wales then adopted a second flag in 1870 and it was almost identical to that of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

(with gold stars; 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 points). This flag was also a defaced British Blue Ensign with the "Governor's Badge" located in the fly. The badge was the

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for ...

and an imperial crown situated above the Southern Cross. The difference between this flag and that of the Victorian flag was that the stars were gold and ranged from five to nine points with each star having one point pointing to the bottom of the flag.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:New South Wales, Flag of the

Flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

Flags of Australian states and territories Blue Ensigns 1876 establishments in Australia Flags introduced in 1876 Flags displaying animals

Construction

Other flags

Historical flags

See also

References