What symbol appears in the blue canton of the national flag of Australia?

The Union Jack appears in the blue canton of the national flag of Australia.

The canton is the upper hoist-side quarter, the position nearest the flagpole. Australia’s Union Jack reflects the country’s historical relationship with the United Kingdom. Below it is a large seven-pointed Commonwealth Star, and the fly side displays five stars representing the constellation of the Southern Cross.

Australia’s flag was chosen after a public competition in 1901, following federation. Although several designs were submitted, the winning pattern already contained the Union Jack, the Commonwealth Star and the Southern Cross.

A common mix-up is to identify the large star as part of the Southern Cross. It is separate: the Commonwealth Star originally had six points for the six federated colonies and gained a seventh point in 1908 for Australia’s territories.