Mr GORMAN (Perth—Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service and Assistant Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) (09:19): September is arguably Australia's most patriotic month. Today is Australian National Flag Day, two days ago—the start of spring—was National Wattle Day and 17 September is Australian Citizenship Day. While rugby league loving colleagues may disagree, September ends with our biggest sporting occasion, the AFL grand final. I am delighted to have the opportunity here, in the people's house, to celebrate Australian National Flag Day. It's a chance to reflect on our identity, our future and our many stories. Australian National Flag Day was first formally observed in 1996, but it had its origins in events 125 years ago. In 1900 a delegation of Australians travelled to London—one person each from Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales and Western Australia. Students of history will know that, just like today, our state representatives did not see eye to eye on every issue, but, on this occasion, they were aligned with a single goal: to have an Australian parliament make laws for Australians. The group presented the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Bill to the British parliament, and, on 1 January 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia came into being. Australians had the right to establish their own parliament. Now we just needed a flag. Did we leave it to those newly minted parliamentarians to choose the design? Definitely not. In true Australian fashion, we had a nationwide competition. More than 32,000 designs were submitted. The results were good, bad but mostly quirky. Our fauna inspired many designers, with submissions including a kangaroo with six tails for the six states, at kangaroo with just one tail leaping through the Southern Cross and native animals in a game of cricket. Tough choices had to be made. While some Australians would salute a wombat hitting a windball for six, the judges instead chose the design that flies above this House today. It is, in its simplest form, stars and crosses. The crosses represent our recent history. The seven-pointed stars represent our states and territories. Then there is the iconic constellation of the Southern Cross, under which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have lived for more than 65,000 years. Just as the push for Australian nationhood was a collaborative affair, so too was the final design for Australia's flag. The five designers were declared the joint winners. They were Annie Dorrington, an artist from Perth; Ivor Evans, a schoolkid from Melbourne; Leslie Hawkins, an apprentice optician from Sydney; Egbert Nuttall, a Melbourne architect; and William Stevens of the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand. They were people of different ages, different talents and different backgrounds, all with a shared vision for Australia. On 3 September 1901, 124 years ago today, their Australian flag—our Australian flag—was formally flown for the first time at Melbourne's Exhibition Building. More than half a million Australians have served under the Australian national flag. In wartime, as well as in peacetime, our flag is an inspiration. It is a reminder of who we are and what we are capable of. During World War II, Sergeant Darcy Smith, a tailor from East Gympie, and other allied prisoners made a handmade version. They were in a prisoner of war camp in Singapore. They used blue sheet material liberated from the stores, Red Cross handkerchiefs for the stars and thread from unravelled socks. When the news came that the war was over, the flag was brought into the light and proudly flown. Our flag is an inspiration, a reminder that, as Australians, we can seek to do the best things at the worst of times. Our flag is also a symbol of aspiration. So many of us have first acts that begin elsewhere. Nearly one-third of Australians were born overseas and almost half of us have parents who were born overseas. Our diversity is our strength as a nation. In the global contest of ideas, we want the best talent to call Australia home. Every year, at citizenship ceremonies around the country, we welcome the newest Australians under our flag. The Australian flag is a beacon, a symbol of our values—fairness, aspiration and opportunity for all—in a country where we are free to dissent and disagree, where we can come together, as we do in parliament, and debate ideas. Our recent election showed the world that we're a democracy with citizens at the centre, who are empowered to have their say, whether that's at the polling booth or standing for election, and that, even in the most fractious times, when the stakes are highest, our representatives can conduct themselves with civility and respect. We are a country where there is no single pathway to representing Australia. Nowhere is this better exemplified than the speeches delivered by our newest members of parliament. The member for Lyons spoke of her journey from the family farm to becoming the first woman elected to represent her seat in the federal parliament. The member for Bradfield spoke of her parents' emigrating from the Netherlands and the challenges of finding their sense of belonging. And the member for Calwell spoke of his father's quiet sacrifice and of the dignity offered by a healthcare system that treats you as one of its own. Their stories are a reminder that, like our flag, our nation finds its meaning in both where we have come from and where we can go together. The Albanese government have made clear our commitments to fair wages and conditions, to a Medicare system that provides care for all and to a world-leading superannuation system that provides dignity in retirement. These are things that set Australia apart from the world. For these things, as our national anthem says, 'Let us rejoice.' That anthem was officially adopted by the Hawke government in my birth year, 1984. In the four decades since, only one line has changed, in 2021: 'young and free' to 'one and free'. It's a small edit with a big meaning. It recognises that our national journey did not begin in 1788 or 1901; it began more than 65,000 years ago. The fact that Australia's story is 65,000 years old is rightfully a source of national pride. It's why we honour the two official flags that represent the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Aboriginal flag, designed by Harold Thomas, features black, red and yellow. The top half of the flag is black to symbolise the Aboriginal people, the red in the lower half stands for the earth and the colour of ochre used in Aboriginal ceremonies, and the circle of yellow represents the sun. These are proud symbols of identity, survival and connection to country. In 2022 the flag's copyright was transferred to the Commonwealth, ensuring it remains freely available for all Australians. I thank former minister Ken Wyatt and his government for their leadership on this. The Torres Strait Islander flag, designed by Bernard Namok and adopted in 1992, features green for land, blue for sea and black for the people. The white dari headdress and star represent culture, navigation and peace across the island groups. It stands proudly for the strength, seafaring heritage and unity of Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is these flags, along with the Australian flag, that our Prime Minister stands with when he speaks to the nation—together, united; history and future as one. Above this building—your building, Mr Speaker—the home of Australia's democracy, flies the Australian flag. It is supported by a mast of Newcastle steel, one of the largest stainless steel structures in the world. If you've ever done one of the wonderful Parliament House tours, you would have learnt that the flag is 12.8 metres long and 6.4 metres high—or, if you prefer a more parliamentary measurement, six members for Hunter by three members for Leichhardt. It takes a team of three specially trained people from the Department of Parliamentary Services to raise and lower this flag. If Australians want to learn about flying their own Australian flag, all they need is an email address. I encourage Australians to join the more than 7,000 people who've signed up for the Commonwealth flag network. The network's regular email alerts give advice such as when to fly the flag to honour departed prominent Australians or to commemorate special occasions, as we are today. Raising the flag comes with the responsibility to follow flag protocol. We raise it briskly and lower it with ceremony. We do not fly the flag at night unless it is illuminated. The flag can be used to cover the coffin at a funeral, and this is a right given to any Australian, not just those who've lost their lives in battle. We treat the flag with respect, not out of habit but out of self-respect. This flag is our flag, and it represents us all. Love of your country can be demonstrative; it can be noisy and passionate at times. But it can also exist in quiet moments, such as our appreciation of and care for our flora and fauna. Australia is in our experiences and our understanding of the land we call home. It's in our very earth, like our national gemstone, the opal. Known to some First Nations peoples as the fire of the desert, 95 per cent of the world's opal supply comes from Australian soil. The opal is uniquely Australian, like the symbols on our official shield. Australia's shield is held up by the native Australian animals the kangaroo and the emu. They were chosen to symbolise our civilisation moving forward, based on the fact that neither animal can easily move backwards. Then there is the national symbol we recognised two days ago—the wattle, something that perfectly captures Australia. For many thousands of years, Aboriginal peoples used it for food, tools and medicines. It is also plentiful. You will find it in every state and territory. It's diverse, with more than 1,200 species, and it thrives in our tough conditions of drought, flood and bushfire. We also see it in the green and gold of our sporting teams—our Socceroos, our Matildas, the Wallabies, our Olympians and all our sportspeople on the global stage. It's there every time we pull out the Medicare card to visit the doctor, too. Our symbols are special because we live our lives with them. I want to finish with a call to action. One of the best ways to celebrate Australia's values is to celebrate the people who embody them. The Australian of the Year awards and the Order of Australia celebrate the ordinary Australians doing extraordinary things—Australians who make a profound impact on lives, community, society and the world. The Order of Australia is 50 years strong, started on Valentine's Day by Queen Elizabeth II on the recommendation of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. The Australian of the Year awards started as a Victorian initiative, and, like the VFL became the AFL, these awards became the awards for all of Australia. The awards are about the recipients, but they're also about how they inspire the nation. Any Australian can nominate someone; any Australian can be nominated. Last week, we welcomed into this place Neale Daniher AO. Neale exemplifies our national spirit: brave, determined, compassionate and hardworking, all with a tremendous sense of humour. That is the best of the Australian spirit. In conclusion, whether it's the love of the flag, our other national symbols or the Australian people who inspire us, patriotism is a love of one's country. Patriotism has never demanded blind adoration. It calls on all of us as Australians to take responsibility for the future of our shared country. When you look at our flag, you see a map of stars. Stars give us direction, but the path we take is up to each of us. Australia is the best country on Earth, and I believe it will remain that way only if we are always striving for improvement for all Australians—for those who have grown up here, for those who have come to make a life here and for those who have always been here. We are all Australian. Happy national flag day.