View source for Flag of Western Australia

{{good article}}
{{short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2012}}
{{Infobox flag
|Name = Western Australia
|Article =
|Image = Flag of Western Australia.svg
|Nickname =
|Morenicks =
|Use = 110000
|Symbol ={{FIAV|110000}}{{FIAV|normal}}{{FIAV|Mirror}}
|Proportion = 1:2
|Adoption = {{start date and age|1953|11|03|df=y}}
|Design =A British blue ensign with the [[Coat of arms of Western Australia|State Badge]] in the fly}}
The [[state flag]] of [[Western Australia]] consists of a [[Blue Ensign]] [[Defacement (flag)|defaced]] with the [[Coat of arms of Western Australia|badge of the state]]. Adopted in 1953 to replace a similar design used from the time when the state was still a [[Swan River Colony|British colony]], it has been the flag of Western Australia since 3&nbsp;November of that year.  The design of the present flag entailed reversing the direction of the [[black swan]] so that it faced towards the [[Glossary of vexillology#Flag elements|hoist]].  This was done in order to adhere to [[Vexillology|vexillological]] convention.  Western Australia's flag is similar to the flags of the other five [[States and territories of Australia|Australian states]], which are also Blue Ensigns with their respective state badges. When flown with those state flags and the [[Flag of Australia|national flag]], it is sixth in the order of precedence.  This is indicative of its position on the [[Coat of arms of Australia|Commonwealth Coat of Arms]].

==History==
The first confirmed European sighting of the western coast of [[Australia (continent)|Australia]] was made by the [[Dutch East India Company]] in the early 1600s.<ref name=EBhist>{{cite encyclopedia|first1=Geoffrey C.|last1=Bolton|first2=Charles|last2=Fox|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|title=Western Australia – History|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Western-Australia/History#ref42610|date=24 January 2019|access-date=15 September 2020|publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.|archive-date=17 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917012455/https://www.britannica.com/place/Western-Australia/History#ref42610|url-status=live}}</ref>  During an expedition in January 1697 to what is now [[Cottesloe, Western Australia|Cottesloe]],<ref name=LP>{{cite web|title=History in Perth, Australia|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/australia/western-australia/perth/a/nar/211c406f-5b44-4cf9-88b1-996ef8131bfa/362557|access-date=15 September 2020|publisher=Lonely Planet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916040544/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/australia/western-australia/perth/a/nar/211c406f-5b44-4cf9-88b1-996ef8131bfa/362557|archive-date=16 September 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Willem de Vlamingh]] observed [[black swan]]s in habitation at the [[estuary]] of the river there.<ref name=EB>{{cite encyclopedia|first=Whitney|last=Smith|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|title=Flag of Western Australia|url=https://global.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Western-Australia|date=25 October 2018|access-date=5 September 2020|publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.|archive-date=16 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916235829/https://global.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Western-Australia|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="WA symbols">{{cite web|title=Symbols of Western Australia|url=https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-the-premier-and-cabinet/symbols-of-western-australia|date=27 April 2020|access-date=15 September 2020|work=Department of the Premier and Cabinet|publisher=Government of Western Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916042035/https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-the-premier-and-cabinet/symbols-of-western-australia|archive-date=16 September 2020}}</ref>  He consequently named this body of water the [[Swan River (Western Australia)|Swan River]]<ref name=LP/><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|title=Swan River|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Swan-River-Australia|date=24 May 2013|access-date=15 September 2020|publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.|archive-date=16 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916232644/https://www.britannica.com/place/Swan-River-Australia|url-status=live}}</ref> (''Zwaanenrivier'' in [[Dutch language|Dutch]]).<ref>{{cite news|title=Monument to Rottnest namer goes nowhere|url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/western-australia/monument-to-rottnest-namer-goes-nowhere-20081027-59kv.html|first=Chris|last=Thomson|date=27 October 2008|access-date=15 September 2020|newspaper=Brisbane Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916042432/https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/western-australia/monument-to-rottnest-namer-goes-nowhere-20081027-59kv.html|archive-date=16 September 2020}}</ref>  However, the Dutch abandoned aspirations to annex the area, having discerned poor prospects for trade or colonisation.<ref name=EBhist/>  The British later established settlements at [[Fremantle (suburb)|Fremantle]] and [[Perth]] in June 1829.<ref name=EBhist/><ref name="WA symbols"/>  These were collectively called the [[Swan River Colony]].<ref name="WA symbols"/>

The black swan soon became the unofficial symbol of the territory.<ref name="WA symbols"/>  For instance, it was depicted on its [[banknote]]s, which began circulating several years after the establishment of the colony.<ref name=EB/>  The bird was also featured on the ''[[Swan River Guardian]]'', the settlement's first newspaper, as well as the inaugural issue of the ''[[Western Australian Government Gazette]]''.  Both of these were first printed in 1836.<ref name=EB/><ref name="WA symbols"/>  It was subsequently portrayed on the first [[Postage stamps and postal history of Western Australia|postage stamps]] issued by the colony in 1854.<ref name="WA symbols"/>

[[File:Flag of Western Australia (1870–1953).svg|thumb|left|{{FIAV|historical}} The flag used from 1870 until 1953.]]
An [[Order in Council]] was promulgated on 17&nbsp;August 1869, instructing British colonial governors to fly the [[British ensign]] [[Defacement (flag)|defaced]] with the coat of arms or badge of the territory.  On 3&nbsp;January of the following year, [[Frederick Weld]], the [[Governor of Western Australia]], put forward a proposed design of the badge that depicted a black swan on a yellow backdrop.<ref name=EB/><ref name="WA symbols"/>  His reasoning for this sketch was that the colony "at its commencement was usually known as the Swan River Settlement, and the Black Swan is represented upon its seal, and has always been considered as its special badge, or cognizance".<ref name="WA symbols"/>  The design was officially confirmed in a despatch bearing the date of 27 November 1875 by his successor, [[William C. F. Robinson]].<ref name="WA symbols"/>  It was retained as the flag of the new state of [[Western Australia]] after the [[Federation of Australia]] in 1901.<ref name=EB/>

Representatives from the [[College of Arms]] in [[London]] noted in 1936 that the direction of the swan was out of place.<ref name=EB/>  [[Vexillology|Vexillological]] convention dictates that all objects on a flag should face towards the [[Glossary of vexillology#Flag elements|hoist]],<ref name=EB/><ref name=factsheet>{{cite web|title=Fact sheet 38 – Symbols of Western Australia|url=https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/WebCMS/webcms.nsf/resources/file-38-symbols-of-wa/$file/Sheet%2038%20-%20Symbols%20of%20Western%20Australia.pdf|page=73|access-date=5 September 2020|publisher=Parliament of Western Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200905200331/https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/WebCMS/webcms.nsf/resources/file-38-symbols-of-wa/$file/Sheet%2038%20-%20Symbols%20of%20Western%20Australia.pdf|archive-date=5 September 2020}}</ref> which is the "point of honour".<ref name=EB/>  However, nothing was done to address this irregularity until the run-up to the [[Royal visits to Australia|royal visit]] in 1954.  The issue was brought before the [[Parliament of Western Australia]] and the direction of the swan was corrected on 3 November 1953.<ref name=EB/>

==Design==
===Description===
The flag of Western Australia has an [[List of aspect ratios of national flags|aspect ratio]] of 1:2.{{#tag:ref|The official proportions of the flag are a length of 1,800 [[Millimetre|mm]] and a width of 900 mm.<ref name=specifications>{{cite web|title=Specifications of the State Flag of Western Australia|url=https://www.wa.gov.au/government/publications/specifications-of-the-state-flag-of-western-australia|date=11 June 2019|access-date=5 September 2020|work=Department of the Premier and Cabinet|publisher=Government of Western Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200905104107/https://www.wa.gov.au/government/publications/specifications-of-the-state-flag-of-western-australia|archive-date=5 September 2020}}</ref>  However, the figures are divided by a factor of 900 so that both are [[Natural number|whole numbers]].|group=upper-alpha}}<ref name=specifications/>  The official colour scheme, according to the website of the Government of Western Australia, follows the [[Pantone|Pantone Matching System]] as indicated below.  The colour numbers for the flag's black and white shades are not specified.<ref name=specifications/>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Western Australia flag colours
! Colour
! [[Pantone]]
! [[RGB color model|RGB values]]
! [[Web colors|Hex]]
|-
| nowrap | {{legend|#012169|Blue}}
| 280<ref name=specifications/>
| 1-33-105<ref name=blue>{{cite web|title=Pantone 280 C|url=https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/280-C|access-date=5 September 2020|publisher=Pantone LLC|archive-date=29 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229020409/https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/280-C|url-status=live}}</ref>
| #012169<ref name=blue/>
|-
| nowrap | {{legend|#E4002B|Red}}
| 185<ref name=specifications/>
| 228-0-43<ref name=red>{{cite web|title=Pantone 185 C|url=https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/185-C|access-date=5 September 2020|publisher=Pantone LLC|archive-date=30 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930155839/https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/185-C|url-status=live}}</ref>
| #E4002B<ref name=red/>
|-
| nowrap | {{legend|#FFD100|Yellow}}
| 109<ref name=specifications/>
| 255-209-0<ref name=yellow>{{cite web|title=Pantone 109 C|url=https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/109-C|access-date=5 September 2020|publisher=Pantone LLC|archive-date=10 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710233249/https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/109-C|url-status=live}}</ref>
| #FFD100<ref name=yellow/>
|}

===Symbolism===
The colours and symbols of the flag carry cultural, political, and regional meanings.  The Blue Ensign is a conspicuous symbol of [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Great Britain]], Australia's mother country.  Consequently, it is preserved on the flags of all six [[States and territories of Australia|Australian states]], with their badges in the [[Glossary of vexillology#Flag elements|fly]] being the sole difference between them.<ref name=factsheet/><ref name=DK>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/complete-flags-of-the-world-5th-edition-dk-2009/page/222/mode/2up |title=Complete Flags of the World|publisher=Penguin|year=2009|last=Kindersley Ltd.|first=Dorling|page=223|isbn=9780756654863}}</ref>  The black swan alludes to the state of Western Australia itself.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6OG1CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA258|title=D.H. Lawrence's Australia: Anxiety at the Edge of Empire|publisher=Routledge|date=9 March 2016|last=Game|first=David|page=258|isbn=9781317155058}}</ref><ref name=Giblett>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hcBX50DwRTkC&pg=PA69|title=Black Swan Lake: Life of a Wetland|publisher=Intellect Books|year=2013|last=Giblett|first=Rodney James|page=69|isbn=9781841507040|access-date=19 September 2020|archive-date=27 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927214909/https://books.google.com/books?id=hcBX50DwRTkC&pg=PA69|url-status=live}}</ref>  It is native to the state,<ref>{{cite web|title=Ask an expert: Do black and white swans interbreed?|url=https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/ask-an-expert/previous/swaninterbreeding.aspx|first=Lloyd|last=Scott|date=4 January 2010|access-date=5 September 2020|publisher=Royal Society for the Protection of Birds|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709175129/https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/ask-an-expert/previous/swaninterbreeding.aspx|archive-date=9 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Rare black swan spotted 9,000 miles from home on River Severn|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/black-swan-worcester-river-severn-uk-wild-population-rare-birds-a8490041.html|first=Tom|last=Barnes|date=13 August 2018|access-date=5 September 2020|newspaper=The Independent|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418113807/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/black-swan-worcester-river-severn-uk-wild-population-rare-birds-a8490041.html|archive-date=18 April 2020}}</ref> and lent its name to the Swan River Colony (the precursor to modern-day Western Australia).<ref name=EB/>  It was subsequently adopted as the [[List of Australian bird emblems|bird emblem]] of the state on 25 July 1973.<ref name=factsheet/>  The black swan has come to be employed as a representation of "an Australian nationalistic identity against the English imperialist master", according to the author Rodney James Giblett.<ref name=Giblett/>

==Protocol==
Advice regarding [[Flag protocol|flag etiquette]] is the responsibility of the state's [[Department of the Premier and Cabinet (Western Australia)|Department of the Premier and Cabinet]].<ref name=protocol>{{cite web|title=Premier and Cabinet protocol and State events – flags|url=https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-the-premier-and-cabinet/premier-and-cabinet-protocol-and-state-events-flags|date=19 September 2019|access-date=5 September 2020|work=Department of the Premier and Cabinet|publisher=Government of Western Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200905191420/https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-the-premier-and-cabinet/premier-and-cabinet-protocol-and-state-events-flags|archive-date=5 September 2020}}</ref>  When flown together with the [[flag of Australia]] and the other state and territorial flags, the flag of Western Australia is sixth in the [[Pecking order|hierarchical order]] (after the national flag and, in descending [[Table of precedence for the Commonwealth of Australia|order of precedence]], the flags of [[Flag of New South Wales|New South Wales]], [[Flag of Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Flag of Queensland|Queensland]], and [[Flag of South Australia|South Australia]]).  This reflects the position of its state badge on the [[Escutcheon (heraldry)|shield]] of the [[Coat of arms of Australia|Commonwealth Coat of Arms]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Australian Flags booklet: part two|url=https://www.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/australian-flags-excerpt.pdf|edition=3|page=25|date=20 July 2006|access-date=5 September 2020|work=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet|publisher=Government of Australia|isbn=0642471347|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724221856/https://www.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/australian-flags-excerpt.pdf|archive-date=24 July 2020}}</ref> where it appears as the fifth [[Quartering (heraldry)|quarter]] on the second row.<ref>{{cite web|title=Commonwealth Coat of Arms|url=https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/commonwealth-coat-arms|access-date=6 September 2020|work=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet|publisher=Government of Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730090610/https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/commonwealth-coat-arms|archive-date=30 July 2020}}</ref>

The guidelines state that the flag is not to touch the ground, nor should it be flown on the same flagpole that displays another flag.  It ought to be hoisted not before first light and lowered not later than [[dusk]], unless the flag is illuminated at night.  The only exception to this is if the state flag is flown at [[Half-mast#Australia|half-mast]], in which case it is never to be flown throughout the night, regardless of whether it would be illuminated.  It is not to be displayed in an inverted manner, even if this is intended to serve as a [[Distress signal#Inverted flags|distress signal]].<ref name=protocol/>

==Variants==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Variant flags of Western Australia
!scope="col" |Variant flag
!scope="col" |Usage
|-
|[[File:Flag of the Governor of Western Australia.svg|150px]]
|Standard of the [[governor of Western Australia]]<ref>{{cite web|title=The Governor's Standard|url=https://govhouse.wa.gov.au/the-governors-standard/|access-date=16 September 2020|work=Government House|publisher=Government of Western Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916083606/https://govhouse.wa.gov.au/the-governors-standard/|archive-date=16 September 2020}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Flag of Dominion of Westralia (secession movement).svg|150px]]
|Proposed flag of the "[[Secessionism in Western Australia|Dominion of Westralia]]" (1934)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-push-for-westralia/|title=If at First You Don't Secede: The Push for Westralia|publisher=Vice|date=18 September 2014|access-date=27 September 2020|first=Max|last=Opray|archive-date=26 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526181912/https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/znw8m3/the-push-for-westralia|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Brendan Jones Proposal for Western Australia.svg|150px]]
|Proposed alternative designed by Brendan Jones,<ref>{{cite web|title=New Australian Flags – Western Australia|url=http://bc.id.au/flags/wa.html|access-date=5 September 2020|publisher=Brendan Jones|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420042525/http://bc.id.au/flags/wa.html|archive-date=20 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=New State Flags?|url=https://www.ausflag.com.au/new_state_flag.asp|access-date=5 September 2020|publisher=Ausflag|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200419080422/https://www.ausflag.com.au/new_state_flag.asp|archive-date=19 April 2020}}</ref> the director of [[Ausflag]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Racism draped in flag|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/racism-draped-in-flag-20060128-gdmv03.html|first=Brendan|last=Jones|date=28 January 2006|access-date=5 September 2020|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617053704/https://www.smh.com.au/national/racism-draped-in-flag-20060128-gdmv03.html|archive-date=17 June 2020}}</ref>
|}

== See also ==
*[[Flags of the governors of the Australian states]]
*[[List of Australian flags]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=upper-alpha}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{FOTW|id=au-wa|title=Western Australia}}

{{Australian Flags}}
{{Union Flag}}
{{Portal bar|Heraldry|History|Western Australia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Western Australia, Flag of}}
[[Category:Symbols of Western Australia|Flag]]
[[Category:1953 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1953]]
[[Category:Flags of states of Australia]]
[[Category:Blue Ensigns]]
[[Category:Flags displaying animals]]
[[Category:Black swans]]
[[Category:Flags with cantons]]
[[Category:Flags that incorporate the Union Jack]]