The Japanese were indeed our WW1 allies as they are again today, and the symbol on the Australian infantry brigade hat badge, is still a rising sun!

That said I'm not in favor of changing something we fought and died under, just remove the union jack from the corner the symbol of our colonial convict past when we were seen as little better than cannon fodder by our english masters!

And replace that with the Australian coat of arms or the eureka stockade cross, to finally say to that land of our forebears, and where we now need passports and visas to enter, that we have come of age and are ready at long last to cut the apron strings to an empire and antiquated traditions that have no place in a modern Australia.

And shouldn't have when the old dart abandoned us to our fate, and but for our American allies and their massive blood sacrifice, would be now speaking Japanese. And separation reinforced by England tearing up her old trade agreements and joining the EU, deserting us to sink or swim as best we could!

Why, our so called head of state or her immediate representatives will go into battle with us over preferential trade agreements, which currently favor us and not mother england!

Even as thousands of Aussies lay moldering in their graves having sacrificed everything in someone else's wars, defending mother england and northern hemisphere democracy!

Canada hasn't suffered by replacing the union jack with the maple leaf, and become a republic replete with a bill of rights; and should we follow that pragmatic example, have little enough to lose.

Our nearest neighbor is Indonesia, which until WW11, was a dutch colonial possession, and even as recent that was, their flag isn't defaced by a enslaving colonial flag in a corner.

Much the same could be said of the world's largest republic, India; and our chances of completing a FTA with that nation would likely be improved if we cut any remaining symbolistic ties with the old dart!?
Rhrosty.

Rhostry,

Canada is not a republic!

Changeing the flag would just be change for the sake of change. People wanting a different flag are the same people who want to change everything about Australia, ignoring the fact that the the history of Australia, and what has been handed down to us by our ancestors are the very things that make us what we are.

It is a complete myth that Australians fought and died (or were wounded) under the current Australian flag in the two world wars. They fought under the British flag as the Australian one was unofficial and did not become the official Australian flag until the passing of the the Flags Act of 1953 that came into effect in 1954.

Australia views itself as some sort of mature and independent country that 'punches above its weight' on the world stage but still has the flag of a foreign country prominent on its flag; that is not mature nor independent. Not only that, the Union Jack is a constant reminder of the nations violent colonial past where Frontier Wars were fought between the invading colonizers and Aboriginal people who were defending themselves and their lands. Those wars were ignored by history for over a century and a myth of peaceable settlement was promoted (and still believed by some of the more ignorant).

The author of the article tries (weakly) to defend the flag as being representative of Aboriginal people as it has the Southern Cross on it. How insulting to Aboriginal Australians to state that one symbol should be representative of all of us. Such statements reflect a real ignorance of the diversity of Aboriginal people and cultures.

The current Australian flag is tarnished and irreparably so. I have no respect for it and would gladly burn it anytime while it has that reminder of the atrocities committed against Aboriginal people so prominently adorning it.

ttbn sums it up correctly: "change for the sake of change".

A national symbol or icon is not a thing of fashion; it is a logo branding who and what we are.

The rational would have to be thoroughly reasoned before we made even the slightest change to our 'trademark'.

Our historic European beginning is the reason why we have the Union Jack in our flag, not a sense of subservience.
Branding tradition is important for defining our character to those who do not know or understand closely our place in the world.

Why the heck do advocates for change not protest also at the traditional cursive upper-case "C" of the Coca Cola logo

Okay got it wrong, Canada is not a republic, but a completely autonomous federal democracy with a bill of rights and a flag that represents the modern Canada! None of those changes have hurt Canada, but rather the opposite.

We for our part should just go one further and formalize our current position as aliens, with regard to the old dart, where former enemies have more unfettered access and rights than we do!

I believe and for myriad reasons, we should become a constitutional republic, with a superior bill of rights and constitution, than those enjoyed in the UK or Canada, and a flag which unmistakably identifies us as Australian!

Anything less just reinforces all the old forelock tugging master servant stereotypes?

We may well have our foundations in a convict colony, but that is not us now!

And while we need to honor our history not be bound by it, or the iron chains and cat of nine tails that so mark it!

That being so, we like many other nations, need to bury a shameful past and emerge like a phoenix from the ashes of a deplorable history and the union jack that flew over it, and move on, rather than remain captured by it?
Rhrosty.

I have a brother in law, hanthony 'ancock, not 'is real name ou migrated here wiv 'is parents as ten pound poms. Hand to this day retains 'is haccent and right proper henglish.

Hand was attracted among ovver fings like the fare and a white Australia policy and the trappings of empire, which included the ensign and God save the queen as our then national anthem.

But like most of 'is countrymen resists any change that more formally presents us as Hawstralians. And thus far 'as refused citezenship.

And therefore enjoys rights not given to Hawstralians, when in the UK. And after resisting citezenship hand hany hand hall the responsibilities that go wiv hit, his very vocall hon hissues like this, where he his adamant that there must be no change!
Hand not to beat around the 'ouses, his pobably overrepresented along wiv 'is veiws, hin similar opinion polls, hand hopinion pages?

Hif honly hawstralians could vote or participate hin referendums? Some hof that may change?
Rhrosty.