Monday=Flag Information Day

This Monday I will tell you a little about the Aboriginal flag this one should be pretty well known but for those who don't know what it looks like here it is.

Now this flag has been around since 12^th July 1971, it was designed by Harold Thomas and was first flown in Adelaide on the 12^th July 1971 before then there was no Australian Aboriginal Flag.

The red stripe represents the land and the black symbolises the Aboriginal people, the yellow circle represents the Sun, the giver of life.

The flag was originally designed for the land rights movement, but has since became a symbol of the Aboriginal people of Australia, is is one of the official flags of Australia.

In 1994 at the Commonwealth Games Cathy Freeman caused a stir when she carried both the Aboriginal Flag and the Australian Flag during her victory lap after winning the 200 metres sprint as only the national flag was meant to be displayed. Despite strong criticism from both Games officials and the Australian team president Cathy again carried both flags after winning the 400 metres.

In 1995 Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating decided that both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags should be given national flag status despite opposition by the Liberal party. Nonetheless nothing has changed and both flags still have national flag status.

Many building in Australia fly the Aboriginal flag as well as the Australian flag, the first city council to fly the Aboriginal flag was Newcastle City Council in 1977.