<P> As the design was basically the Victorian flag with a star added, many critics in both the Federal Government and the New South Wales government objected to the chosen flag for being "too Victorian". They wanted the Australian Federation Flag, and Prime Minister Barton, who had been promoting the Federation Flag, submitted this flag along with that chosen by the judges to the Admiralty for final approval . The Admiralty chose the Red for private vessels and Blue Ensigns for government ships . The Barton government regarded both the Blue and Red Ensigns as colonial maritime flags and "grudgingly" agreed to fly it only on naval ships . Later governments, that of Chris Watson in 1904 and Andrew Fisher in 1910, were also unhappy with the design, wanting something "more distinctive" and more "indicative of Australian unity ." </P> <P> On 3 September 1901, the new Australian flag flew for the first time from the dome of the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne . The names of the joint winners of the design competition were announced by Hersey, Countess of Hopetoun (the wife of the Governor - General, the 7th Earl of Hopetoun) and she unfurled the flag for the first time . Since 1996 this date has been officially known as Australian National Flag Day . </P> <P> The competition - winning designs were submitted to the British Colonial Secretary in 1902 . Prime Minister Edmund Barton announced in the Commonwealth Gazette that King Edward VII had officially approved the design as the flag of Australia on 11 February 1903 . The published version made all the stars in the Southern Cross seven - pointed apart from the smallest, and is the same as the current design except the six - pointed Commonwealth Star . </P> <P> The Red Ensign was the only flag private citizens could fly on land or have in their possession . By traditional British understanding, the Blue Ensign was reserved for Commonwealth Government use though the Australian Army always used the red ensign until after the 1953 changes, so Gallipoli, the First and Second world wars were fought under the Red Ensign . State and local governments, private organisations and individuals were expected to use the Red Ensign . The official painting of the opening of Australia's new Parliament House in 1927 shows Red Ensigns and Union Flags being flown . However a lithograph by an unknown artist featuring only Blue Ensigns has since emerged . As the commissioned artist, Septimus Power may have chosen red for dramatic effect or because it was the colour the public used . There was a photograph taken that day which appears to show a Blue Ensign hanging behind a Union Jack at the easternmost end of the building . The correspondent for The West Australian newspaper would report that: "The sunlight streamed through the crimson of drooping flags". Altogether this means there is a strong possibility that both ensigns were actually used on the day . </P>

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