Based loosely on the 'white ensign' (the naval version of the existing Australian flag), the design removes the contentious union jack (which is already a collage of different flags), changes the flag proportion to 3:5(from 1:2), significantly enlarges the seven pointed star of federation and centres it on the flagpole side. The white background lends the flag freshness, emblematic of Australia as a place of opportunity, whilst the Southern Cross is retained as a universal symbol, inclusive of all Australians and to all backgrounds which make up the cultural landscape of contemporary Australia.
