BRISBANE, Australia—If you change something every year, does it lose its meaning?
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner posed that question while reflecting on the 125th anniversary of the Australian flag on Sept. 3.
Events were held around Australia to mark the flag’s creation. In Brisbane’s King George Square, the Australian Defence Force was present for a formal flag raising ceremony attended by the public, as well as the lord mayor and other elected representatives.
Mayor Schrinner contemplated the enduring nature of the flag during his speech at the event, which was also organised by the Australian National Flag Association.
“Just last week in the Square, we had the Brisbane Fashion Festival,” he said.
Attendees at the National Flag Day ceremony in King George Square, Brisbane, on September 3, 2026. (Daniel Y Teng / Epoch Times)
“And it made me think about this concept of continuity versus change. What are the things that we change on a regular basis, and what are the things that endure and the things that we keep?”
Schrinner said some things had enduring value like a piece of jewellery, a father’s wristwatch, or even his pair of RM Williams boots he has re-soled three times.
“For something to endure and have meaning, it’s got to be more than a piece of cloth, just like the Brisbane Fashion Festival, those pieces of cloth can change each year, and they do,” Schrinner said.
“But if you change it every year, what meaning does it have? If you change it on a regular basis, what meaning endures?”
Flags out in King George Square for National Flag Day in Brisbane, Australia on Sept. 3, 2026. (Daniel Y. Teng/The Epoch Times)Our Dawn and Our Sunset: Senator
Liberal Senator James McGrath said it was important to celebrate things that bring Australians together.
“Too often we worry about the things that divide us, this thing [the flag] brings us all together. It is our dawn. It is our sunset. It is Australia,” he told The Epoch Times.
“It is a symbol of unity for our country, whether you’ve been here since the Dreamtime or you’re a new arrival to Australia—this shows us what it’s all about.
The senator said Australia had achieved so much and called on locals to be proud.
“Too often Australians have a bit of a chip on their shoulder because they’re worried about what other people will think, no, we’re the best country in the world.”
This year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Opposition Leader Angus Taylor also weighed in.
“For 125 years the Australian National Flag has proudly flown on flag poles across our nation and everywhere in the world our people are represented,” Albanese said in a statement.
“It has inspired and given courage to Australians at home and overseas, during times of war and peace. It has united us in celebration and despair, in mourning and respect.
“Across generations, our flag has flown through political, economic and social change, and reflected our continuity and strength as a democratic nation.”
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor also paid tribute to the national symbol.
“Our flag stands as a symbol of our history our values and the things that bring us together,” he said.
“It reminds us of the love of country we share.”
About the Australian National Flag
The flag was first flown on Sept. 3, 1901, with the day declared an official celebration by former Governor-General Sir William Deane in 1996.
The flag’s genesis came from a competition where one percent of Australia’s population entered to design it—judges took six weeks to pick a winner from 38,000 entries.
Five entries were short-listed with the artists kept anonymous to prevent favouritism.
“Our flag symbolises Australia in what I think is a pretty perfect way, because it reflects the ‘have a go’ spirit,” said Allan Pidgeon, chair of the Australian National Flag Association.
