“There’s no great demand to change it and many Australians have fought and died under that flag, sadly,” Julie Bishop said while visiting the UK. “We have competed in Olympic Games under that flag and there’s a sense of pride in it.”
The debate sprang up after New Zealand announced a referendum will be held on whether to change its flag.
“It’s my belief… that the design of the New Zealand flag symbolises a colonial and post-colonial era whose time has passed,” Prime Minister John Key said. “The flag remains dominated by the Union Jack in a way that we ourselves are no longer dominated by the United Kingdom.”
He said that he liked the silver fern – popularised by the All Blacks – as an option.
The referendum will be held within the next three years.
What do you think about the Australian or New Zealand flag? Let us know.
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