Foxy,

The only certainties in life are change, taxes and death.

Death and taxes I try to avoid, and change I try to control.

Dear Shadow Minster,

Each to their own.

If we all saw the world in exactly the same
way, there would be no problems with
disagreement among observers.
But what a dull place this would be.
People tend to see the world from a viewpoint of
subjectivity based on personal values and
experience.

Toni Lavis,

No we most certainly do not have the Union Flag on our flag. Something that is part of a flag is not itself a flag. But the pattern is the Union Jack whether or not it's on a flag.

Anyway, the claim that the Union Flag is only the Union Jack when it is being flown on a naval vessel is itself dubious, as it only dates from Victorian times and was never universally accepted.

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Mr Opinion,

I'm in Adelaide, but I've been to Sydney twice last year (and several times before that). But I'm wondering how much of it you've seen, as you seem to be assuming the entire conurbation has the demographics of Ultimo or Chatswood! Have you ever been to the Northern Beaches? Glenfield? Bankstown? Blacktown? Rouse Hill? Castle Hill? Auburn? Lakemba? Bondi? You don't see nearly as many people of visibly oriental ethnicity in any of those places. And I remind you again that many people of oriental ethnicity are not Chinese at all.

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onthebeach,

The main problem isn't the cost of the infrastructure, it's the irrational fear of debt that forces governments to foist the cost of it onto the present generation even though future generations will be the main beneficiaries.

AusFlag's websites has some very good arguments
for "Does Australia Need A New Flag?"

They argue the following:

Australia's flag has changed many times.
Our present flag dates from only 1953.
It is usual for national flags to change
from time to time as a nation evolves.

The latest version of the British flag dates
from 1801. That of Canada from 1985. South
Africa from 1994. From France 1848. Israel 1948,
Japan - 1854, Spain 1936 and the United States
1960.

Australia and New Zealand are the only two major
Independent Commonwealth countries that retain
British Ensigns as their national flag.

Some of the reasons given fro why we should change
are: 1) It is not uniquely Australian.
Our flag is often confused with the New Zealand flag
which is very similar to ours. For example when
then Prime Minister Bob Hawke visited Ottawa the
New Zealand flag was raised by mistake.

2) As a defaced British Ensign our flag signifies our
subordination to Britain.

3) The 1900 Australian Constitution and Statute of
Westminister Act (adopted by Australia in 1942) and the
proclamation of the Australia Act in 1986 made it quite
plain that the British Parliament has not control over
the Independeny Commonwealth of Australia. The systems
of Government are completely separate.

4) However the current Australian flag implies Australia
is a colony like Hone Kong and Falkland Islands.

http://www.ausflag.com.au/flag_should_change.asp

Dear Aidan,

I just took a look out of the window. And guess what, you're right, I can't see any Chinese in Sydney. I don't know how I got it so wrong. Do me a favour will you, and poke you head out the window and see how many Eskimos are in Adelaide.

To evaluate the population of Sydney travel on the peak trains out of Central to the north and west and see the population mix. Chinese, Koreans, Philippians, Malayan, Indians and Arabs, about 15 % other nationalities.