FIRE Carriers

Aboriginal Flag – Free the Flag 

Harold Thomas designed the Aboriginal flag in 1970. It was first used to lead the land rights rally at the NADOC (now NAIDOC) March on 9th July 1971 in Adelaide, as a symbol of the Aboriginal people, their rights and their spirituality.

The flag is made up of the colours yellow which represents the sun, red which represents the land and black which represents the people. He thought that those colours represent the Aboriginal people and their connection to the country.

In 1995, the Aboriginal flag was made an official “Flag of Australia”, by the Australian Government, signifying who owned the land before English settlement and to pay respect to our First Nation people.

Harold Thomas licensed the flag design, which means you have to ask for permission to use the flag and also pay to use the flag for any business reason, such as making t-shirts or using it on sports grounds. Three companies also shared the license with Thomas. This was disappointing because the Indigenous community and all communities could not use the flag freely.  

On January 25th 2022, the Australian Government made a deal for $20 million so that everyone could have free and public use of the flag. The Aboriginal Flag can now be used in a similar way to the Australian National Flag, where its use is free. It must always be presented in a respectful and dignified way.

Reference: https://www.pm.gov.au/media/free-use-aboriginal-flag-secured-all-australians

By Sara T