Democratically chosen by a public competition in 1901 of which there were 32,823 entries, the flag's designers were five teenagers who, although they had never met came up with entries that were similar in design. They were, Annie Dorrington of Perth, Egbert Nuttall of Melbourne, Ivor Evans of Melbourne, Leslie Dawkins of Sydney and William Stevens of Auckland.

Although not officially approved by King Edward VII until 1903, the Australian flag was raised for the first time at the beginning of federation; at approximately 2:30pm on the 3rd of Sept, 1901 and proudly flown from the main dome of the Royal Exhibition Buildings Melbourne, in the presence of Australia’s first Prime Minister, Mr Edmund Barton.

The stars of the Southern Cross represent Australia’s geographical position in the Southern Hemisphere. The Commonwealth star represents our federation of states and territories. The crosses represent the principals on which our nation is based: Parliamentary democracy, Rule of law, and Freedom of speech.