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Special Flag Flying Days and Display (Australia)

Last modified: 2026-08-21 by ian macdonald
Keywords: australia | flag flying days |
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Introduction

This page discusses the particular days of national significance on which the Australian National Flag is flown by the Australian Army, and by Australians in general. It also discusses particular matters and protocols relating to the flying or display of the Australian National Flag.

In general, the flags of the Australian states and territories are flown subordinately to the Australian National Flag, and along similar flag-flying guidelines.
Jeff Thomson, 11April 2026

Army Flag Stations

My enquiry also asked about Flag Stations. The Army says:

There are no special regulations for flag stations other than they are required to fly a large (3.6 x 1.8m) Australian National Flag on: Sundays, Australia Day, the anniversary of the Queen's accession to the Throne (6 Feb.), ANZAC Day, the anniversary of the Queen's coronation (2 June), official birthday of the Queen (as directed by Army HQ), the Queen Mother's birthday (4 Aug), Australian National Flag Day (3rd Sept), when an artillery salute is fired at a flag station, when directed by the Governor-General, on other occasions as ordered by Army HQ.

David Cohen, 11 November 1997

List of special flag flying days

Here is a list of the days that the Australian Government encourages citizens to fly their national flag:-

  • 1 January: Anniversary of establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia (1901).
  • 26 January: Australia Day-Anniversary of First Fleet arrival, Sydney Cove (1788).
  • Second Monday in March: Commonwealth of Nations Day.
  • 25 April: Anzac Day (1915)- flags flown at half mast till noon, then at the peak for the remainder of the day.
  • Second Monday in June: Queen's Birthday is celebrated (Except in W.A. where held in October).
  • 3 September: Australian National Flag Day - anniversary of our Flag, first flown in 1901.
  • 17 September: Citizenship Day, introduced in 2001, an opportunity for all Australians to celebrate and value Australian citizenship, the peaceful, prosperous and inclusive society we share and to reflect on the role we play in building our nation and shaping our country's future as proud Australian citizens.
  • 11 November: Remembrance Day - Flags flown at peak till 10:30 am, at half mast from 10:30am to 11:03am, then at peak the remainder of the day.
Nigel Morris, 7 June 2002

The Australian National Flag (specifications and guidance for use) Article 13 (Government Buildings) states that "The flag may be displayed at night, but only where it is properly illuminated".
Christopher Southworth, 4 April 2003

Protocols for flying the Australian National Flag can be found in part 2 of the ‘Australian Flags’ booklet (https://www.pmc.gov.au/resource-centre/government/australian-flags-booklet-part-two).
Victor Steiner, 10 September 2020

Australian flag setup: conferences and meetings

Dated 8 May 2024, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet posted a resource at https://www.pmc.gov.au/resources/flag-setup-conferences-or-meetings that explains how to go about setting up a conference flag display, based on the Australian National Flag. It can also be downloaded in PDF and DOCX formats and is of two A4 pages.

There are three sections.

  • Official flags of Australia
  • National flags and bilateral meetings
  • Further questions
An interesting detail is that when the Australian National Flag is draped from a vertical flagstaff, it must be ensured that the Commonwealth Star is displayed as the focal point. It is not known if this will be included in future editions of the Australian Flags booklets.
Jeff Thomson, 31 July 2025

Vertical flying and display of Australian flags

In Australia, the Commonwealth, state and territory governments issue very little information about vertical display of the Australian National Flag, or the flags of the states and territories. Only in suspending these flags over a street or displaying them behind a lecturer speaking from a platform, is vertical display shown in government publications. There are no special flag designs for such vertical display, the usual flags are rotated ninety degrees and flipped so that the canton is to the viewer's left. When suspended vertically over a street, the canton is to the north in an east-west street, or to the east in a north-south street.

When flying flags from horizontal or oblique flagstaffs on building facades, the canton of the usual horizontal flag is adjacent to the flagstaff peak. In other words, the flag is hoisted the same way as if the flagpole had been a vertical type. But in Australia's breezy coastal cities, the flags tend to get tangled around the horizontal and oblique flagstaffs.

Many Australian local councils make use of vertically hoisted flags, mostly of a decorative, promotional or commemorative nature. Some are hoisted on normal flagpoles and others are hoisted on poles which have an outrigger in which case the flags may have a sleeve to slide over it. If not, they may be fixed to it with cable ties. I understand that these formats are known in central Europe as knatterflagge and auslegerflagge. Flags in banner format with a crossbar are rarely if ever used.
Jeff Thomson, 15 August 2026