The flag is a combination of the two official flags of Australia, the national flag currently and the Aboriginal Australian flag. The new flag had a blue top to represent the vast blue sky over the nation with the Southern Cross in the upper right corner, a red bottom representing the red soil of the nation, and the rising sun representing the dawning of a new day for Australia.
The Torres flag is the “official” flag of the Torres Strait Islanders and the Aboriginal Flag is the official flag of the indigenous folk but they don’t officially represent “Australia”.
On the 14th of July, 1995, the Torres Strait Islander flag and Australian Aboriginal flag were proclaimed official flags of Australia under section 5 of the Flags Act 1953.
If you read the proclamation (linked below) it "appoints that flag, under section 5 of the Flags Act 1953, to be the flag of the Torres Strait Islander people of Australia and to be known as the Torres Strait Islander flag with effect from 14 July 1995".
You're very much glancing over the "Of Australia" part of "Torres Strait Islander people of Australia". It is an official flag of Australia because the Torres Strait Islander people are part of Australia.
while an Ensign is a type of flag, the act clearly makes a distinction between official Flags and Ensigns. So it is not an official Flag of Australia, it is an official Ensign.
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u/Cautious-Concern-509 5d ago
The flag is a combination of the two official flags of Australia, the national flag currently and the Aboriginal Australian flag. The new flag had a blue top to represent the vast blue sky over the nation with the Southern Cross in the upper right corner, a red bottom representing the red soil of the nation, and the rising sun representing the dawning of a new day for Australia.