^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Governor of Victoria (Australia)

image by Martin Grieve, 27 Jan 2009

State Governor's flag
Previous flags

See also:

State Governor's flag

In 1984 Victoria followed the example of most other States and replaced the Governor's Union Jack [see below] with an ensign. Other States had differentiated between the State Flag and the Governor's flag by adding a crown to the latter. Since Victoria's badge already had a crown the difference was made by giving the ensign a gold field.
David Prothero, 28 January 2009

The State Governor of Victoria flies a personal flag similar to the State Flag only with a gold (yellow) field and the stars in red.
Ted Cummins, 25 February 1997

The new Governor's flag was announced by the following official press release:

Governor's Flag
GOVERNMENT HOUSE PRESS RELEASE
18 APRIL 1984

His Excellency the Governor, Rear Admiral Sir Brian Murray, today announced that Her Majesty The Queen had graciously approved of a change in the Personal Standard of the Governor of Victoria. From this day, the Governor's Personal Standard will be the State Flag of Victoria with the blue of the flag being replaced by gold. The new Standard will be flown at Government House and on vehicles conveying the Governor. The old Standard used by all Victorian Governors has been, since 1870, the Union Jack with the Badge of the State emblazoned in the centre thereof.

available on the website of the Governor of Victoria.
Ivan Sache, 30 April 2003Martin Grieve notes that the Governor's website shows the stars as all having 7 poitns, unlike the Victorian flag, and Marc Pasquin observes that the same picture shows the crown as monochrome red, but Ralph Bartlett has provided a photograph taken in Government house on 28 July 1984, showing the crown in full colour and the stars as in the Victorian flag.
May 2003

The only states to not use the state flag with crown above the badge are Victoria and Queensland, which both already have a crown in the their badge.
Jonathan Dixon, 4 August 2004

It has been suggested that the inclusion of a yellow field in the Victorian State Governor's Flag (adopted 18 April 1984) was "a private joke". This is wrong. The golden-yellow field represents Victoria's gold rush past and its promise for a golden future. The field's colour was chosen by the then State Governor, Rear-Admiral Sir Brian Murray, and approved by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. I have a copy of the official Government House Press Release in my file about this flag.
Since then this flag is flown from the top of Government House, in the Kings Domain Gardens, Melbourne, every day that the Governor is in residence, and on the Governor's Car when travelling.
Ralph Bartlett, 21 February 2108

Previous Governor's flags

1870 - Admiralty drawing: Union Jack with southern cross on blue shield

image by Martin Grieve, 27 Jan 2009

26 March 1870. Viscount Canterbury acknowledged receipt of the Colonial Office circular introducing flags for governors and stated that the flag of the Governor of Victoria would be “the Union Jack with badge in centre emblazoned on coloured ground as stars are white.” This may mean that the stars were set directly on to the centre of the St George's cross, without any disc or garland, as had been done in an early proposal for the flag of the Governor of New South Wales.

The despatch was forwarded to the Admiralty who would not approve the proposed governor's badge as it was not on an escutcheon or circular shield, and was similar to that proposed for South Australia (also a Southern Cross but with the addition of the two 'pointers').

In May the Admiralty and Colonial Office agreed between themselves that the Southern Cross of Victoria should be on an escutcheon. However the despatch of 22 July, that approved the Blue and Red Ensigns, made no reference to the Governor's flag. It is not clear whether the Governor had a flag between 1870 and 1878, nor its appearance if he did.

The Admiralty thought that it was the Southern Cross on a blue shield, as shown in the drawing of colonial badges annexed to an Admiralty letter to the Colonial Office of 28 July 1875 which was forwarded to Victoria in July 1876.
[Sources: National Archives (PRO) CO 309/93, CO 323/326, CO 325/54, and notes compiled by Ralph Kelly from Australian Joint Copying Project microfilms Nos. 2026 (CO 309/92), 2405 (CO 323/325-327) and 2408 (CO 323/329-331)]
David Prothero, 27 January 2009

1877 - Inclusion of crown

image by martin Grieve, 27 Jan 2009

The design of the badge on the Governor's flag was settled in July 1877; the Southern Cross on a blue shield surmounted by a crown. [see the equivalent blue ensign]
[Sources: National Archives (PRO) CO 323/330, CO 325/54, and notes compiled by Ralph Kelly from Australian Joint Copying Project microfilms No. 2408 (CO 323/329-331)]
David Prothero, 27 January 2009

1903 - removal of shield

image by Martin Grieve, 27 Jan 2009

The badge on the Governor's flag was modified in 1903 to more closely match the badge on the State Flag, by setting the crown, now Tudor, and stars directly on to a blue disc.
[Sources: National Archives (PRO) CO 325/54]
David Prothero, 27 January 2009