In 1901 our current national flag was chosen by three British admirals to show the world that, while we were a Federation, we were still in fact members of the British Empire in a Southern Land. Our Diggers in the two great wars fought under the Southern Cross and the Union Jack as members of the British Empire and their courage sings in the hearts of all Australians. Lest We Forget.

Today, in our hearts, we are no longer British subjects but proud Independent Australians . It is time we battled, lived and played under a new banner that tells the world who we are today.

For almost two decades, I have been presenting and discussing new national flag ideas right around Australia with my audiences; they have been my committee. Each new idea has materialised into actual flags being printed, t-shirts being made and, of course, stickers. My belief has been that you need to actually see a flag displayed and flown properly before you really know what you have.

My first conclusion is that most Australians want to retain the SOUTHERN CROSS; that is, white stars on the blue background. TRADITION is important and after all we do live in THE GREAT SOUTHLAND. I have previously presented stars on black and green backgrounds but the blue has won out. The Southern Cross also is a symbol of the ordinary Australian's struggle to have say in his or her own destiny (ie Eureka Stockade).

The other symbol that immediately identifies where we live in the Southern Hemisphere is THE KANGAROO. While this icon has been abused over the years we cannot deny the strength of its image. The boomerang shape of a kangaroo in full flight is well entrenched in our psyches. For me it began as a child with the penny stamps. It stands proudly with the emu on our coat of arms. Qantas has always benefited from its strong image, and I'm sure no-one is embarrassed by that. We are proud of Qantas. The army and air force have traditionally used the kangaroo symbol. In fact whenever we want to show the world who we really are - kangaroo badges, stickers and boxing kangaroos are flaunted. What more do I need to say? How about our League football gladiators, they are called "The Kangaroos" and our rugby union team "The Wallabies". Its there in front of us as plain as day.

But more importantly THE KANGAROO represents FOUR MILLION YEARS of evolution on our unique Ancient Island Continent. And the powerful physique of the huge red kangaroo, master of the plains, is something to behold. He is the SPIRIT OF THE LAND.

So, the flag that I present to you is the WHITE SOUTHERN CROSS on the traditional BLUE background on the left, with the bounding GOLDEN/YELLOW KANGAROO on a RED OCHRE field on the right.

The two new colours on this flag represent our nation well. The RED OCHRE symbolises our most precious heritage, mother earth, and our indigenous people who are at one with the earth. YELLOW/GOLD is the colour of our flora emblem, the GOLDEN WATTLE: it also represents the sun on the land rights flag.

Finally, if a majority of Aussies would like to see green on the flag it could be subtly introduced as a very fine green outline on the kangaroo.

It's time to wear the hat that fits and get serious about a flag that truly represents the way we feel about ourselves and our homeland.

I am not trying to win a competition. I just want to make sure we really see what symbols are truly in our Aussie souls.