Australian National Flag Day

Today is National Flag Day and the 125th anniversary of when our national flag was first flown over the dome of Melbourne’s Exhibition Building that was the site of our first Commonwealth Parliament.
Our national flag embodies our history, story, geography, institutions, traditions, values, people, deeds and achievements. The Southern Cross is a reminder of our place in the world.
The Union Jack is a reminder of our British heritage and the Christian ethos that forged a modern nation and democracy. The seven-pointed Federation Star – six points for our six states and a seventh point for our territories – is a reminder of our unity.
When we look at our national flag, we’re reminded of our common citizenship and shared values that transcend our differences. We feel gratitude for our forebears – Indigenous Australians, migrants who came here and made Australia their home, and generations born here – who built our nation, strengthened it in times of peace and defended it in times of war.
We feel appreciation for being Australian. And as citizens, we feel a responsibility to pass on to future generations of Australians a better country than the one gifted to us.
I will always stand in front of our one national flag because I love this country, because our nation is worth celebrating, because unity matters, and because Australia is worth fighting for, now more than ever.