Find of the Month
October 2026
A flag for the ACT
The current flag of the Australian Capital Territory was adopted in 1993 after a public survey. Before then, many designs were considered, and there was debate about whether the ACT should even have a flag. There’s a lot of history in this topic, and ACT Government records show correspondence between officials and ministers over many years that we may write about another time. Rather than deliver a comprehensive history, this month ArchivesACT will highlight the many design competitions from the 1980s onwards and look at some of the delightful and thoughtful designs submitted by the community.
1928 – The Canberra City flag
In 1928 Canberra was granted a coat of arms, and the Federal Capital Commission had six flags made, placing the coat of arms on a dark red background. This design was not widely used, though one flew in Acton Central Square until 1958. Later, more were made, as well as a blue version. These were technically Canberra city flags though, not ACT flags.
Left: An early Canberra flag. Image: Canberra Museum and Gallery. Right: A later version, photograph by Ralph Bartlett.
The National Flag for The National Capital
Interest in an ACT flag picked up in the 1960s as Canberra grew. Records from the 1960s and 1970s show that many schools and sporting teams wished to have their own flag to wave at interstate competitions. Many groups raised the issue of a flag with members of the House of Assembly, and they in turn raised it with Commonwealth Ministers, to mixed reactions. Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser was opposed to a Territory flag, and so too was Prime Minister Bob Hawke. The most consistent answer was that since Canberra was the nation’s capital, the Australian national flag should be flown. Many community members nevertheless put forward their ideas for what an ACT flag might look like.
Design by an eleven-year-old schoolgirl from Cooma, in a letter sent to Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies in 1964. Record: ZA74/159.
Flag design by Janet Fielding of Deakin, submitted to the Department of the Interior in 1964. Record ZA74/159.
1981 – Belconnen Mall competition
ACT Government records contain a January 1981 letter from the promotions department of Belconnen Mall proposing a flag design competition for children as part of that year’s Canberra Festival. They asked Michael Hodgman, Minister for the Capital Territory to announce the winner. The minister declined to endorse or be involved with the competition and reiterated, at length, the stance on flying the national flag in the ACT.
1981 Letters from the Belconnen Mall and The Canberra Times. Record ZA74/160. Click the images for larger versions.
Records show that only a month later, a similar request was received from The Canberra Times. They also asked that the minister be a judge of entries. The minister efficiently provided almost the same letter in response. From a search of records and newspaper articles it appears that this competition did not proceed.
Despite the rebuff, Belconnen Mall ran their competition and forwarded the winning entry to the minister, so a copy survives in the records.
Flag design by Mandy Renolds of Watson, aged 15. This design was the winner of the Belconnen Mall flag design competition in 1981. Record ZA74/160.
Other early 1980s designs
Outside of formal competitions, many community groups and individual enthusiasts sent in their own design creations.
From left to right: Flag designs by Royce, Ellen, and Roy Johnston, of the Mount Rogers Scout Group and the 1st Kingsford Brownie Guides, 1983. Record 2024/6443 / 85/0362.
Designs by Ted Davis, submitted to the ACT House of Assembly in 1983. Record 81/4415. Another version of the above was published in a letter to the editor of the Canberra Times in 1984: A flag for the ACT, The Canberra Times, Thu 1 Mar 1984, page 2.
1985 – ACT House of Assembly competition
With the prospect of self-government on the horizon, discussion of an ACT flag intensified. In 1985 the ACT House of Assembly invited Canberra schoolchildren to design an ACT flag. The winning design by nine-year-old Brodie Pearson is described as “a blue and gold flag, adorned with … the royal bluebell … and a depiction of the star formation of the Southern Cross” (Blue and gold for ACT, says Brodie, The Canberra Times, Sat 25 May 1985, page 7). The description of this design demonstrates the popularity of those design elements which were becoming common to many designs: blue and gold, the southern cross, and the royal bluebell (Wahlenbergia Gloriosa), the floral emblem of the ACT). The leader of the ACT House of Assembly Mr Jim Leedman said that the design ideas of the finalists would be passed on to professional designers as the basis for an official flag in the event of self-government. Unfortunately, ArchivesACT could not confirm an image of Brodie’s winning design, but a file containing mid-1980s material contains these four similar unattributed designs.
Four flags by an unknown designer. Record 2024-6443 / 85-0362.
1988– 2CN Capital Radio competition
Following on-air discussion about the lack of an ACT flag, Capital Radio 2CN ran a flag design competition. The winning design by Ivo Ostyn depicted a green flagpole on a yellow sun with a green background. If that name is familiar – it’s because they were the designer of the current ACT flag.
Left: Something’s not quite right! - The Canberra Times, Mon 22 Aug 1988, page 3.
Right: A sticker featuring Ivo Ostyn’s 1988 winning design. Record 89/18742.
1989 – Our own government, our own flag?
In 1989, following self-government in the ACT, the desire for an ACT flag only increased. ACT Chief Minister Rosemary Follett was a proponent, saying “now is the time for the ACT to have it’sits own flag”, and that a public competition was an “attractive proposition” (Public may be involved in flag design, The Canberra Times, Fri 17 Nov 1989, page 2). In 1990 Ivo Ostyn submitted many more designs to the ACT government and called for the assembly to progress the issue.
A photo of Ivo Ostyn with some of his flag designs in 1990. Record 89/18742.
1992 – Canberra Times competition
In 1992, after movements in the ACT Legislative Assembly to establish an official flag, logo, and faunal emblem, the Canberra Times finally ran their flag design competition. Readers were given five days to get their entries in, and a selection of the 40 entries were published the following week. The article promoting the competition highlighted the work of Ivo Ostyn, showing several of his designs, including one commissioned by the ACT Government that ultimately became the current ACT flag. There were also sketches by cartoonists Geoff Pryor and Ian Sharpe.
Left: ACT flags aplenty, including a Govt favourite - The Canberra Times, Sat 27 Jun 1992, page 1.
Right: Cockatoo, bluebell, hills popular themes for flag, The Canberra Times, Sat 4 Jul 1992, page 5.
1993 – ACT Government survey: Tell us your preference
In 1993 Chief Minister Rosemary Follett announced that the public would get to choose between four shortlisted designs. The designs were a synthesis of features from previous competition entries. A survey paper was distributed to schools, libraries, government shopfronts, shopping centres and retirement villages, and was issued as a lift-out in the Canberra Times newspaper. Voting was open for a little over two weeks, and there was a voting hotline available 24 hours a day.
A copy of the survey paper. A flag for the ACT: Tell us your preference. Courtesy of the ACT Heritage Library. Click for larger image.
Option D, designed by Ivo Ostyn, won the competition with 12,624 votes. Chief Minister Rosemary Follett moved the formal motion in the ACT Legislative Assembly on 25 March 1993 to adopt the official flag for the Australian Capital Territory.
The current ACT flag adopted in 1993, designed by Ivo Ostyn, featuring the southern cross and a modified form of Canberra’s coat of arms in the colours of blue, gold and white.
But you can’t please everyone. ACT Government records include folders of letters from members of the public who did not like the options presented or wanted a longer consultation period. Graphic designers, heraldic experts, vexillologists (people who study the history, symbolism, and usage of flags), and laypeople gave their two cents, and continued to submit their own designs.
A returned survey paper with negative comments. Record 93/4947.
Even the designer Ivo Ostyn was unsatisfied with the end result. He felt that the inclusion of the modified coat of arms was heraldically incorrect and overly complex, saying in 2005 “a school child should be able to draw the flag easily” (Flag change proposals for the Australian Capital Territory). He preferred and submitted an alternative design which swapped the coat of arms with a royal bluebell. He has since pushed for adoption of his bluebell flag.
The history of the ACT flag, in all its delightful colour, is preserved in ACT Government records. The design competitions show us that the task of designing a flag can be a challenge for schoolkids and vexillologists alike, and that finding consensus around symbols is difficult. Imagining new flags continues to be a fun activity for all ages.
Ready to start your own research? Make an enquiry and we will be happy to help.
Subscribe to our mailing list to receive each Find of the Month in your inbox.
ACT Government Records used
93/3757 GOVERNMENT BRANCH, HONOURS & AWARDS, ACT FLAG
93/2767 GOVERNMENT BRANCH, HONOURS & AWARDS, ACT FLAG
ZA74/159 CITY SERVICES BRANCH - CANBERRA FLAG DESIGN OF
ZA74/160 CITY SERVICES BRANCH - CANBERRA FLAG - DESIGN OF - PART 2
93/4947 GOVERNMENT BRANCH, HONOURS & AWARDS SECTION, ACT FLAG
89/18742 PUBLIC AFFAIRS BRANCH, ACT FLAG
2024/6443 85/0362 - Community Relations & Facilities Branch - Canberra Flag
03/559 GOVERNMENT COORDINATION - Advice - ACT Flag Guidelines - Protocols & Administration
Other Sources
Government Records about the Australian Capital Territory, Ted Ling, 2013.
Flags and emblems of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), ACT Government.
Flag change proposals for the Australian Capital Territory, www.crwflags.com, retrieved 31 August 2026.
Canberra's Capital Flags, by Ralph Bartlett, 2015, in Proceedings of the International Congress of Vexillology. 26:466.
BLUEBELL FLAG FOR THE ACT - The Flag, https://bluebellflag.weebly.com, retrieved 31 August 2026.
A flag for the ACT, The Canberra Times, Thu 1 Mar 1984, page 2.
Blue and gold for ACT, says Brodie, The Canberra Times, Sat 25 May 1985, page 7.
Something’s not quite right!, The Canberra Times, Mon 22 Aug 1988, page 3.
Flag winner, The Canberra Times, Tue 6 Sept 1988, page 1.
Public may be involved in flag design, The Canberra Times, Fri 17 Nov 1989, page 2.
ACT politicians call for steps towards a flag and emblems, The Canberra Times, Thu 25 Jun 1992, page 3.
ACT flags aplenty, including a Govt favourite, The Canberra Times, Sat 27 Jun 1992, page 1.
Cockatoo, bluebell, hills popular themes for flag, The Canberra Times, Sat 4 Jul 1992, page 5.
Follett raises four flags: now it's your choice, The Canberra Times, Sat 20 Feb 1993, page 1.