Australia's flags

The yarn

• The Australian National Flag is blue, white and red.
• The Union Jack in the top left corner represents our history of British settlement and the laws and institutions we inherited.
• The Commonwealth Star under the Union Jack has 7 points — 6 for the states and 1 for the territories.
• The Southern Cross on the right is a group of stars seen in the southern sky.
• The Australian Aboriginal Flag is black, red and yellow. The top half is black for the Aboriginal peoples, the bottom half red for the earth (which has ceremonial significance), and the yellow circle represents the sun.
• The Torres Strait Islander Flag is green, blue, black and white. Green stripes are the land, the blue panel is the sea, the black lines are the Torres Strait Islander people, the white dancer's headdress is a symbol for all Torres Strait Islanders, and the white star points represent the island groups (white symbolises peace).