The three branches of the Australian Defence Force are each represented by flags, among other emblems and insignia. Within each service, various symbols fly on individual ships, at bases, camps, the Australian Defence Force Academy and colleges. These include flags, standards, guidons and banners and that denote rank, appointment, corps, formations, regiments, training units and sub-units.
Service flags
The order of precedence when displaying the flags of the Australian Defence Force together is the Australian Defence Force Ensign, the Royal Australian Navy White Ensign followed by the Royal Australian Air Force Ensign.Flags (Australian Defence Force Ensign) Rules 2008 (Cth), via legislation.gov.au. The Australian national flag takes precedence over these and all other Australian flags, with the Australian Army given the role of the ceremonial protector of this flag.
FlagDateUseDescription1908–presentAustralian National Flag. Symbolically defended by the Australian Army.A Blue Ensign defaced with the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter and the five stars of the Southern Cross in the fly half2000–presentAustralian Defence Force Ensign: flag of the ADFA tricolour of dark blue (navy); red (army) and light blue (airforce) with the triservice badge.1967–presentAustralian White Ensign: flag of the RANA version of the national flag with a white field defaced with a blue Commonwealth Star in the lower canton quarter and a blue Southern Cross in the fly.1982–presentRoyal Australian Air Force Ensign: flag of the RAAFThe national flag with a light blue field, the Southern Cross tilted and the RAAF roundel (Kangaroo) placed in the lower fly.
Personal flags
The special personages deserving of compliments and automatically entitled to a personal flag include the monarch, the governor-general, state governors, territory administrators, ranking service officers and the minister for defence. The minister and assistant minister for defence are represented by the Australian Defence Force Ensign and use a vertical triband as a carflag featuring panels of dark blue with a modern-style gold anchor, red with crossed swords, and light blue with the wedge-tailed eagle from the RAAF badge.
During the reign of Elizabeth II, Her Majesty's Personal Flag for Australia was approved on 20 September 1962. It replaced the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom for use in Australia during royal tours and on rare occasions overseas, such as the 2003 dedication of the Australian War Memorial in Hyde Park, London. FlagDateUseDescription1936–presentFlag of the governor-general of AustraliaA crowned lion standing on a crown on a blue field. The crown used is the Tudor Crown.2000–presentPersonal flag of the Chief of the Defence ForceA horizontal tricolour of dark blue (navy); red (army) and light blue (airforce) with the triservice badge and four gold stars.2000–presentPersonal flag of the Vice Chief of the Defence ForceA tricolour of dark blue (navy); red (army) and light blue (airforce) with the triservice badge and three gold stars.1920–1976, 1981– presentPersonal flag of the Chief of NavyA fouled anchor on a red-blue background. Derived from the flag of the British Admiralty.1983–PresentKing's Colour for the Royal Australian Navy
Flags of the Australian Army
The order of precedence for the Australian Army is as follows: the Army banner, standards, guidons, the Sovereign's colours, regimental colours and banners. The order of precedence among the various flags that goes: the Army banner; the Banner of Queen Elizabeth II; the Banner of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother; the Banners of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip; the Banner of Princess Anne; the Banner of Princess Alice and Banners of the Governor-General.
Banners
The first banners issued to Australian units were Union Jacks made of silk in recognition of service during the Boer War. These did not feature a date, cypher or badge as are usually found on banners. Sovereign's banners and those of corps that have the monarch as colonel in chief or captain general are royal blue silk and other banners crimson. In 1956, Lady Gowrie, widow of Australia's tenth governor general, Lord Gowrie VC, offered his baronial banner to the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. It was presented by Governor General Field Marshal Slim during a parade involving squadrons from the 1st Armoured Regiment, 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers and the 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles at Puckapunyal on 15 June 1957. The Military Board decided in 1966 that the officer training unit should have a banner. Governor General Lord Casey gave his approval to its being made the vice-regal banner, presenting it at Scheyville on 8 October 1967. It featured a crimson field with the governor general's insignia and the year 1967 on the obverse. Since then, various elements of the Australian Army have adopted banners, especially following the 1969 publication of Australian Army Military Regulations and Orders (AMR&O) 172, where it was authorised that any corps or unit be entitled to both a Sovereign's banner (including those already having standards, guidons and colours) and training establishments that do not have colours to a governor general's banner. Additionally, any corps not having standards, guidons, or colours may receive a banner from a member of the royal family (other than the monarch) or the governor-general.
On 10 March 2002, there was a parade held at the Australian War Memorial to mark the centenary of the Australian Army. The English red silk Australian Army banner was placed on the Stone of Remembrance before being presented by the governor general, Sir William Deane, and received by the regimental sergeant major of the Army, Pedro Rosemond. It features a gold fringe, gold and crimson cords and tassels and is mounted on a pike with a British royal crest finial. On the obverse, it bears the Coat of arms of Australia and the dates "1901–2001" in gold in the upper hoist. The reverse bears the rising sun badge of the Australian Army along with seven campaign honours on small gold-edged scrolls: South Africa, World War I, World War II, Korea, Malaya-Borneo, South Vietnam, and Peacekeeping. Such presentations continue with the Royal Australian Corps of Transport receiving a banner on 1 June 2013 from Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal as colonel in chief at Amberley.
Corps flags
All members of the Australian Defence Force up to the rank of lieutenant colonel are allocated to corps. These flags reflect the various corps colours and, with the exception of the Royal Australian Engineers and the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps, feature the corresponding badge. Not all corps are of sufficient scale and degree of activity to have flags.
The order of precedence for corps is as follows:
The Corps of Staff Cadets; The Royal Australian Armoured Corps; The Royal Australian Regiment of Artillery; The Royal Australian Engineers; The Royal Australian Corps of Signals; The Royal Australian Infantry Corps; The Australian Army Aviation Corps; The Australian Intelligence Corps; The Royal Australian Army Chaplains Department; The Royal Australian Corps of Transport; The Royal Australian Army Medical Corps; The Royal Australian Army Dental Corps; The Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps; The Royal Australian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers; The Royal Australian Army Educational Corps; The Australian Army Public Relations Service; The Australian Army Catering Corps; The Royal Australian Army Pay Corps; The Australian Army Legal Corps; The Royal Australian Army Corps of Military Police; The Australian Psychology Corps; The Australian Army Band Corps; The Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps.
Regimental and battalion flags
Not all regiments and units have adopted flags. State regiments have opted to retain distinguishing colours. The Royal Australian Regiment flag was authorised in 2003 and first paraded on Anzac Day 2004, and there are flags for its nine battalions. There are also various unit and sub-unit flags, including for the 1st Health Support Battalion; 11th Combat Service Support Battalion; 'A' Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery; 'A' Squadron 10th Light Horse Regiment; Squadron Flag, Royal Australian Corps of Signals and Independent Squadron, Australian Army Aviation Corps.
The order of precedence for Royal Australian Infantry Corps regiments is as follows:
The Royal Australian Regiment; 51st Battalion The Far North Queensland Regiment; The Royal Queensland Regiment; The Royal New South Wales Regiment; The Royal Victoria Regiment; The Royal South Australia Regiment; The Royal Western Australia Regiment; The Royal Tasmania Regiment; The Special Air Services Regiment; North West Mobile Force; The Pilbara Regiment; 2nd Commando Regiment; 1st Commando Regiment; Sydney University Regiment; Melbourne University Regiment; Adelaide University Regiment; Queensland University Regiment; Western Australia University Regiment; and University of New South Wales Regiment.
White ensigns
The pre-federation colonial navies flew British Blue Ensigns defaced with the relevant local badge. Outside of colonial waters, these ships were commissioned into the Royal Navy and used the British White Ensign. In 1901, the colonial navies were integrated into the Commonwealth Naval Forces and consequently flew the Australian flag. Following the formation of the Royal Australian Navy, on 5 October 1911, Naval Order 78/1911 directed all vessels to fly the British White Ensign on the stern and the flag of Australia on the Jackstaff. The Argus newspaper, edition of 29 July 1911, had furthermore carried a notice that the "navy orders that the Australian flag is to be the saluting flag at all reviews and ceremonial parades on shore", with it also being required that the Union Jack is flown at the saluting point "when representatives of His Majesty the King review the Commonwealth forces." However, the practice of RAN captains flying the Union Jack continued, as was the case at a review of at Fremantle in 1913. Following a public demonstration by the Australian Natives Association, the government took action to phase in the 1911 naval regulations. The British White Ensign was finally replaced by a distinctively Australian White Ensign on 1 March 1967. Prior to this time, it was not unknown for RAN captains to fly the Australian flag from the foremast of single-masted ships and the mainmast of two-masted ships as the battle flag when at action stations instead of the Royal Navy white ensign as happened at the battle of the Cocos between HMAS Sydney and the German cruiser SMS Emden.
Royal Australian Air Force ensigns
The Royal Australian Air Force shared the sky blue ensign of their British counterpart from 1922. An Australian variant was adopted in 1948. It featured a tilted southern cross to accommodate the downsized roundel previously occupying the fly-half. The RAAF roundel was last modified in 1982 with the creation of an Australian roundel featuring a stylised leaping red kangaroo in place of the concentric red disk.
The order of precedence for the RAAF is as follows: the Queen's colour for the RAAF, unit Queen's colours, Squadron standards, and the Governor-General's banner. The order of precedence among the various Queen's colours is as follows: the Queen's colour for the RAAF; RAAF School of Technical Training; RAAF academy; RAAF College; Central Flying School; School of Air Navigation; No. 3 Aircraft Depot; No. 1 Flying Training School; No. 1 Aircraft Depot; No. 2 Aircraft Depot and No. 503 Wing.
The Australian ensigns at war