The following table describes the early evolution of Australian Defence regulations regarding the use of flags by the Army and Navy. This covers the period from 1904, when the first regulations were issued, to 1911 when the Commonwealth Naval Forces became the Royal Australian Navy.
The table is to be read from top to bottom to show the passage of time from 1904, the year of the first regulations, to 1911 when the White Ensign was put into law for the Navy.
The regulations address two contexts for flag flying:
- Flag Stations (shown in green in the table)
- Naval Vessels (shown in blue in the table)
There are two relevant categories of regulation, both under the Defence Act of 1903:
Military Forces of the Commonwealth (left side of the table):
- These came into effect in Feb 1904, as previously discussed
- Stipulate Naval forces are authorised to fly the Blue Ensign (the first such regulation)
- Stipulate the rules for Flag Stations, initially Royal Standard (on certain occasions) and Union Jack
- Later this progresses to Union Jack only then in 1908 changes to Australian Ensign
Naval Forces of the Commonwealth Regulations (right side of the table):
- These came into effect later than the Military Forces regulations – start in Feb 1906 and require the Blue Ensign to be flown, not just authorise
- Rules change to White Ensign in Sep 1911, just after the RAN is formed
Regulation document source:
Federal Register of Legislation: www.legislation.gov.au
Each Statutory Rule document sourced from the register can be downloaded in either Word or PDF format. Word is recommended as the file size is much smaller and is easier to read than the PDF. However the PDF version is a copy of the actual original.
The Word version of each of the Statutory Rules referenced above can also be provided on request by emailing:
info@flagdayaustralia.com.au