Elizabeth Farrelly comments “Flags, like republics are trivialities. Mere symbols. Winged imagery. Australians, being pragmatists, prefer concrete achievements….But, it’s also true that, when rapid directional change is needed, symbolism can have immense power” (like, WfaAR says, appointing the first female Defence Minister, also a strong republican). She also says that we were slow to modernise in the 20th century but “our future-yearning, pent by fear, once released, is unstoppable. With a new PM, she continues, we may bound ahead with similar alacrity. Turning to flags, she writes, “…a flag is not a logo. It’s not a poster or even a brand. A flag is heraldry. It’s a standard not meant to sell but to inspire; to stimulate not our desire glands but our sense of purpose.” Farrelly plumps for the brilliant Hundertwasser design embracing the land or the Indigenous flag as uniquely Australian. The illustration to her article – click on link below – in Fairfax features the PM with a new broom of banners and an unmistakeable red bandanna in the background symbolising the republican movement…..[“It’s time to flag a change” by Elizabeth Farrelly, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times, 24 September 2015]<\/p>\n\n\n\n