Peter FitzSimons, a prominent columnist, desires to remove the Union Jack from the Australian flag if the country becomes a republic.
This year, the former Wallaby and husband of television journalist Lisa Wilkinson proposed a redesign of the nation’s flag that would replace the Union Jack with the Southern Cross and the Aboriginal flag.
In January, FitzSimons retweeted the suggested adjustment with the remark, ‘This would be at least a step in the right way.’
After the Queen’s death at age 96, his remarks regarding the flag have resurfaced, reigniting the debate about Australia becoming a republic.
Peter FitzSimons (shown with wife Lisa Wilkinson) wants to remove the Union Jack from the Australian flag and replace it with the Aboriginal flag if Australia becomes a republic.
FitzSimons is the leader of the Australian Republican movement, which issued a statement 17 minutes after the Queen’s death to promote its own agenda.
Following brief condolences, the organization stated that Her Majesty “recognized the self-determination of the Australian people,” a reference to the republic.
‘The Queen supported the right of Australians to become a fully independent nation during the 1999 referendum on an Australian republic, stating that she has “always made it clear that the future of the Monarchy in Australia is a matter for the Australian people and the Australian people alone to decide, through democratic and constitutional means,” it said.
Despite his organization’s references to the necessity for a republic, FitzSimons stated that the time was not right to begin the discussion.
In answer to a republican supporter’s question, he said on Twitter, “For the time being, what is happening is maintaining a polite silence.”
‘Apart from quotes offered in the event of her passing, our only statement acknowledged Her Majesty’s service to Australia over the past seven decades.
There will be plenty to say, but now is not the time.
The author presented a redesign of the nation’s flag incorporating the Southern Cross and the Aboriginal flag (pictured)
Various alternatives to the present flag, which features the Union Jack, Commonwealth Star, and Southern Cross, have been proposed.
Jack Toohey, the director of production business Sure Studios, initially examined the differences in a TikTok film.
The first flag seen by Toohey in the video is titled “The Reconciliation Flag” and was designed by John Blaxland in 2013.
It retains the present flag’s right side, which features the Southern Cross stars on a blue backdrop.
However, Blaxland features a seven-pointed Commonwealth Star filled with dots to reflect Australia’s 150 Indigenous and migrant languages.
He has also incorporated a red boomerang that resembles a piece of the Union Jack, preserving Australia’s colonial past within the flag.
In 1986, Friedensreich Hundertwasser created the following flag, titled “Down Under.”
The first flag Toohey shown in the film was titled “The Reconciliation Flag” and was designed by John Blaxland in 2013.
In 1986, Friedensreich Hundertwasser created the following flag, titled “Down Under.”
It features a red semicircle on a blue background with an inverted seven-pointed star thought to represent Uluru.
It plays on the idea that Australia is the country referred to as “Down Under.”
The movie mentions the ‘Untitled Flag’ developed by John Joseph in 2006, which substitutes the traditional Union Jack with an Indigenous dot artwork.
In recent years, criticism has surrounded this design because the creator is not Indigenous.
1998’s “The Sunburnt Flag” by Stephen Berry was a popular favorite.
This design references the idea that Australia is the “sunburnt nation,” a word popularized by Dorothea Mackellar in her 1908 poem “My Country”
The 2006 ‘Untitled Flag’ designed by John Joseph substitutes the traditional Union Jack with an Indigenous dot artwork, according to the video.
The Sunburnt Flag, designed by Stephen Berry in 1998, was a fan favorite.
The red foundation and yellow sunrise part of the design are reminiscent of the Aboriginal flag, while the blue’sky’ and Southern Cross from the current flag are incorporated.
The final design depicted in the video is 2015’s “The Golden Wattle” by Jeremy Matthews.
This design integrates characteristics that are already characteristic of Australia.
The golden wattle is the national flower of Australia, and it is created in the traditional green and gold hues worn by the country’s sports teams.
The design of ‘The Golden Wattle’ also comprises the central Commonwealth Star. The seven pointed star depicts each Australian state and territory.
The final design depicted in the film is Jeremy Matthews’ ‘The Golden Wattle’ from 2015.
Since 2015, Ausflag has been gathering designs, with the public able to vote for their favorites; several have garnered thousands of votes.
The current leader is a Southern Cross and a federation star over strips of green and gold, which are the nation’s sporting colors derived from a wattle flower.
It narrowly defeated another Southern Cross design featuring a green and gold boomerang in the center.
This was one of the most popular options determined by public vote.
Since 2015, Ausflag has been gathering designs, with the public able to vote for their favorites. Some have received tens of thousands of votes.
This straightforward style is the most popular on the Ausflag website at present.
Another Southern Cross flag with an Aboriginal flag depicting a rising sun over a dark crimson horizon also received thousands of votes.
After the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese quelled rumors that Australia would soon become a republic.
Although the prime minister had previously stated that he wanted Australia to abandon the monarchy, he stated that it was too early for such conversations.
“Now is not the time to discuss our system of governance; now is the time to honor the life of Queen Elizabeth,” he said on Sunday’s Insiders show on ABC.
This is the structure of government that we have, and as prime minister of Australia, I am obligated to uphold it.
Governor-General David Hurley proclaimed King Charles III to be monarch during a ceremony at Parliament House on Sunday.
The prime minister deflected queries about when it would be appropriate to begin discussing moving away from the monarchy.
Evidently, this is a time of national grief “Mr Albanese added.
Even though the Queen was 96 years old and had lived such a long life, her passing still came as a shock. I believe this says the way in which she was viewed as a constant in our lives.
Former prime minister John Howard stated that he had no doubt that the Queen was delighted with the 1999 referendum result that prevented Australia from becoming a republic.
The prime minister at the time of the national vote, Mr. Howard, complimented the Queen’s sense of duty and respect during the referendum campaign.
“I have no doubt that she was delighted with the outcome, but she never sought to influence it,” he told ABC’s Insiders program. “She continued to perform her job, over and over again.”
Mr. Howard also disclosed that he and the Queen’s private secretary collaborated on three draft press releases regarding various referendum outcomes.
While Australia did not vote to become a republic at the time, Mr. Howard stated that the message would have shown her love for the country and desire for its success.
Peter Dutton, leader of the opposition, stated that any time of Australia becoming a republic must be postponed.
Mr. Dutton believes that Australia should continue to be a constitutional monarchy.
“At this time, we grieve the passing of an extraordinary world leader, a woman who was certainly an exemplary role model for many women and female world leaders.” “He disclosed to ABC.
“We need a King as much as we did a Queen because our system’s stability has served us well, and I don’t believe in upsetting that,” he said.