The Torres Strait Islander Flag is an official

flag of Australia The flag of Australia, also known as the Australian Blue Ensign, is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star (the Commonwealth Star) and a ...

, and is the flag that represents Torres Strait Islander people. It was designed in 1992 by Bernard Namok. It won a local competition held by the Islands Coordinating Council, and was recognised by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission in June 1992.

Status

The

Government of Australia The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federalism, federal parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster system, Westminster-sty ...

granted it Flag of Australia status, under the '' Flags Act 1953'' (Cth), by proclamation on 14 July 1995. Due to an "administrative oversight", the 1995 proclamation was not lodged so that it would continue in force indefinitely; hence it automatically expired on 1 January 2008. It was therefore almost identically replaced, on 25 January 2008, with effect as from 1 January. In the 2008 proclamation, the flag "is recognised as the flag of the Torres Strait Islander people of Australia and a flag of significance to the Australian nation generally" and appointed "to be the flag of the Torres Strait Islander people of Australia and to be known as the Torres Strait Islander Flag". The design is reproduced in Schedule 1 and described in Schedule 2. Although Namok has since died, the Torres Strait Islander Flag is still subject to copyright under the ''Copyright Act 1968'' (Cth). The copyright was administered by the Island Coordinating Council until 2008, when that body was superseded by the

Torres Strait Island Regional Council The Torres Strait Island Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia, covering part of the Torres Strait Islands. It was created in March 2008 out of 15 autonomous Island Councils during a period of statewide local go ...

, which is willing to permit reproductions of the flag that are accurate and that acknowledge Namok as the designer.

Colours

The official colours of the flag of the Torres Strait Islanders are as follows:

Symbolic meaning

The green panels at the top and the bottom of the flag symbolise the land, while the blue panel in the centre represents the waters of the Torres Strait. The thin black stripes between the green and blue panels signify the Torres Strait Islanders themselves. The white five-pointed star at the centre of the flag represents the five major island groupsthe Western, Eastern, Central, Port Kennedy and (N.P.A.) Mainlandand the white dhari (also spelt ''dari'', a ceremonial dancer's headdress), around it also symbolises the Torres Strait Islands people. White symbolises peace, while the star is a symbol for navigation.

Public display

The Torres Strait Islander flag is permanently flown alongside the Aboriginal flag in front of

Adelaide Town Hall Adelaide Town Hall is a landmark building on King William Street in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The City of Adelaide Town Hall complex includes the Town Hall and the office building at 25 Pirie Street. Description and history Adelai ...

in Adelaide, South Australia. Following the

2022 Australian federal election The 2022 Australian federal election was held on Saturday 21 May 2022 to elect members of the 47th Parliament of Australia. The incumbent Liberal/National Coalition government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, sought to win a fourth conse ...

on 21 May 2022, the incoming

Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 2019 and the member of parlia ...

-led Labor government started displaying the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag alongside the

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...

at ministerial press conferences. Upon the opening of the new Parliament, both flags began to be displayed in the House of Representatives and

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

chambers. From 27 May 2022, at the start of National Reconciliation Week, both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags were hoisted on the front lawn of Government House, Adelaide, to be permanently flown alongside the national flag and the

South Australian flag The current state flag of South Australia, was officially adopted by the government of South Australia in 1904. The flag is based on the defaced British Blue Ensign with the state badge located in the fly. The badge is a gold disc featuring a ...

Local flags

File:Flag of Murray Island (Mer).svg, Flag of Murray Island File:Flag of Saibai Island.svg, Flag of Saibai Island

References

External links

* {{Torres Strait , state=autocollapse Flags of Australia Torres Strait Islanders Flags introduced in 1992 Flags of indigenous peoples 1995 establishments in Australia