Come off it! Haven't you been reading the polls on this? The opinion of the majority seems to be, hands off the flag, and hands of the Queen. The reason is simple, we do not trust the ruling elite to do the 'right' thing. Nothing can change without a referendum, and that is fine with me. I am getting a little tired of hearing the same clap trap each year about it's time to change. The flag, and the Queen are the major unifying elements in our society. By all means change the national song. If you want something to pass a referendum put up 'we are one and we are many' as a choice.

Some years ago I saw an Aboriginal dot painting which I thought could be the basis of a great flag. It was four tracks leading to a waterhole, with the waterhole in the centre of the flag and the tracks coming from each corner of the rectangle - like a St Andrews cross. It seemed to have elements of Aboriginal and European design, but was unmistakably Australian. The centre could be seen as representing water, or the Aboriginal heart of Australia or even Uluru, which is our geographical heart. I really wouldn't want a kangaroo or boomerang on a flag - it would look like a cheap advertising banner.

This debate is not about being anti-British
which is the accusation that's consistently
being levied every time this topic comes up.
Then it becomes a finger-pointing exercise
once again and turns into a "them" and "us"
scenario. Those people that see only problems
in this debate usually see homogeneity as not only
desirable but mandatory. It harks back to
the times when people lived in the most remote,
ethnocentric, inward-looking and changeless
society on Earth. No, not Lhasa in Tibet, but
East Kew in Victoria.

As Phillip Adams pointed out way back in the 1980s
in an article he wrote for The Age newspaper (12/7/80):

"It's important to remember Australia before the
most recent wave of migration. It was dull,
self-satisfied and joylessly conformist. Not simply
null and boring, but nullarboring. Not merely mindless,
but lobotomised. Of course, the option of multi-culturalism
involves taking some considerable risks - but almost
every human advance is based on experiment, innovation
and adventure."

As I stated in another thread on this subject - I don't
have a problem with Ray Martin. The man's simply
expressing an opinion. I also personally don't have a
problem with the flag as it is. However, before changing
anything - I think that the country has to decide first
whether it wants things to remain as they are - that is -
we remain a British colony - or whether we
want to become - a fully independent nation.
Only after that should we consider changing the flag.
What we need is a Referendum - and let the people vote
on what they want.

1."We have the Victorian State symbol the Southern Cross to represent Menzies home State on his liberal party's blue background,"
Sir Robert Menzies was only seven when the current Australian flag was designed. Fancy being so influential at such a young age.
2."..he told me the British slaughtered us and to never respect that despised union jack, they almost shot the pomie officers, now theres some history."
Yes there's some history alright. The generals at Gallipoli and later on the Western Front, never discriminated among British, Australian or New Zealand troops. They all were suffered equally on the slaughtering fields. Anzacs had their own officers eg Sir John Monash but the General Command were British.
3."it's called the "butchers apron" by our troops" Hmm that's interesting. My father and uncle who both served in WW2 with the British never mentioned that to me but I guess you must be right. You wouldn't tell fibs, would you?
4."Boxer rebellion pushing opium on the Chinese for the poms"
I think you are confusing the Boxer Rebellion with the two "Opium Wars" which happened some 40 to 60 years earlier.
Looking forward to your next history lesson.

Don't be ridiculous Mr B. Ray Martin is dead, not right. He passed away during the 80's and only his rugs live on today.

If Hawaii can have a Union Jack on their flag, why can't we?