 | |
| Use | Civil andstate flag   |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 1:2 |
| Adopted | 25 September 1876; 149 years ago (1876-09-25) |
| Design | Astate badge of a red lion passant on white disk, on a defaced British Blue Ensign. |
The currentstate flag ofTasmania was officially adopted following a proclamation by Tasmanian colonialGovernorSir Frederick Weld on 25 September 1876, and was first published in theTasmanian Gazette the same day. The governor's proclamation here were three official flags, they being the Governor's flag, the Tasmania Government vessel flag, and a Tasmania merchant flag. Up until 1856 when Tasmania was grantedresponsible self-government, theUnion flag and theBritish ensign were primarily used on state occasions.[1]
The flag consists of adefaced BritishBlue Ensign with the state badge located in thefly. The badge is a white disk with a red lion passant in the centre of the disk. There is no official record of how the lion came to be included on the flag, but it is assumed that the red lion is a reference toGreat Britain.[2] This flag has remained almost unchanged since 1875, with only a slight change of the style of the lion when the flag was officially adopted by the government in 1975, although this was a mistake, as it had already been officially gazetted by the colonial government in 1876.[1]
Following the establishment of permanent Britishsovereign possession of the lands of Tasmania, Tasmania was grantedresponsible self-government in 1856. However, the colony did not receive its own flag untilQueen Victoria had first proposed on 7 August 1869, that the colony of Tasmania (and the other Australian colonies) should adopt aUnion flag defaced in the centre with the State Badge.[3] Prior to the official adoption of a local flag, an unofficial merchant ensign was occasionally used:
The first local flag of Tasmania was adopted by proclamation of Tasmanian colonialGovernorSir Frederick Weld on 9 November 1875. The flag had a white cross on a blue field, in thecanton was theUnion Flag, and in the fly was five five-pointed stars of theSouthern Cross. The BritishBlue Ensign andRed Ensign (for use respectively by government vessels and by those privately owned) were to have a white cross added. At the fly end of each flag, a Southern Cross was to be formed of white stars added above and below the horizontal arm of the cross. Two weeks later, on 23 November, those flags were officially abandoned becauseHenry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon, theSecretary of State for the Colonies in London made it clear that only a single badge could be placed at the fly end of the ensign, as set out by rule of theBritish Admiralty.[1]
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Flag used in November 1875A year later the Tasmanian government decided, with the British Admiralty's approval, that the badge for the colony would be a red lion on a white disk. Originally the lion was to be gold in colour, above a golden torse, which the new flag omitted in favour of a more traditional red.
A British Blue Ensign with the badge served Tasmanian government vessels, and privately owned vessels were to fly an un-defaced British Red Ensign. After Tasmania became a state within the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901, the Tasmanian Blue Ensign was rarely used and was reserved for official purposes. Most vessels soon preferred to fly theAustralian Red Ensign.[3]
On 3 December 1975, a government proclamation byGovernorSir Stanley Burbury, and endorsed byPremierBill Neilson established it as the official Tasmanian flag, although it had technically already been 'officially' adopted when it was gazetted in 1876. Since that time it has been acceptable for private citizens to use the flag, although it is uncommon to see them doing so.[3]
It has been suggested that the Tasmanian state flag is not representative of the island, and should be changed to something more suitable.[4]
An amateur proposal for replacing the State Flag of Tasmania. It features a prominent floral emblem and important monofloral honey species, leatherwood (Eucryphia lucida).The impetus to change the state flag is a part of the broader push to change the national flag of Australia.
On 8 June 2020, online news websiteTasmanian Times launched a public competition calling for designs to replace the existing flag.[5]
The flag of Tasmania has two distinct symbols, theUnion Flag (also known as theUnion Jack), and theState Badge of Tasmania.
As with theflag of Australia, the Union Flag is thought locally to symbolise Australia's history as six British colonies and the principles upon which theAustralian Federation is based, Australian Flag Society[6] although a more historic view sees its inclusion in the design as demonstrating loyalty to theBritish Empire.[7]
Unlike the national flag, the flag of Tasmania is not enshrined and protected by any acts ofstate orCommonwealth government. As a result, there are no official legal requirements for the construction of the flag of Tasmania. However, tradition and decorum dictate that is should be:
The colours of the flag, although not specified by the Flags Act, have been given the samePantone specifications as the national flag. The Australian Government'sStyle Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers also givesCMYK andRGB specifications for depicting the flag in print and on screen respectively.[8]
| Scheme | Blue | Red | White |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pantone | 280 C | 185 C | Safe |
| RGB (Hex) | 0-0-139 (#00008B) | 255-0-0 (#FF0000) | 255-255-255 (#FFFFFF) |
| CMYK | 100%-80%-0%-0% | 0%-100%-100%-0% | 0%-0%-0%-0% |
TheGovernor of Tasmania, being the representative of the Tasmanian head of state, theKing of Australia, is officially granted a flag for use on all official occasions. It is identical in design and construction to the flag of Tasmania, except that it features aSt. Edward's Crown above the badge to represent vice-regal power.
When the Governor of Tasmania is resident atGovernment House it is flown from the roof, and it is also used as a car flag. The Governor of Tasmania's flag was officially adopted in February 1977 by an act of theParliament of Tasmania.
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Standard of the governor, 9–23 November 1875.svg)
Standard of the governor, 1876–1977
