We receive a lot of questions regarding the ''Red Australian Flag''. As the oldest flag manufacturer in Australia, we feel equipped to answer all of the questions relating to this topic. Firstly, there are technically two red versions of the Australian flag that people could be referring to.
The Australian Red Ensign
The most common red version of the Australian Flag is the Australian Red Ensign also known as the Australian Merchant Flag or the Australian Maritime Ensign. This flag is exactly the same as the traditional Australian Flag in regards to the Union Jack and the stars, but with a red field as opposed to a blue field. This flag is an official flag of Australia as proclaimed under the Flags Act 1953. The Australian Red Ensign is generally only flown at sea by Australian registered merchant ships or on land by organisations and individuals for ceremonial purposes such as Merchant Navy Day. When the Australian Red Ensign is flown along with the Australian National Flag, the Australian National Flag should be flown in the position of honour.
The Australian Land Flag of 1901
Another red version of the Australian National Flag is the Australian Land Flag of 1901, which is also known as the People's Flag. This historical flag was only an official flag from 1901-1903. It has a red field and the Union Jack, but the stars are different from those in the Australian Flag and the Red Ensign. The Commonwealth Star has only 6 points rather than 7 which is representative of the 6 Australian states but does not include the all of the federal territories (which are represented as 1 point in the other flags). As well as this, the amount of points of each star in the Southern Cross differs in this flag too, with the stars have 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 points to reflecting the brilliance of stars in the sky.
