The Australian Merchant ensign of the 1901-09 pattern. It is made of wool bunting, with a cotton hoist. The design is entirely printed with machine-sewn ends and selvedge edges. A rope halyard with a wooden toggle is attached for hoisting. The ensign is red with a Union Flag in the canton and the Southern Cross constellation of five white stars in the fly. On the lower left side is a large white star with six points. On the hoist is written in ink 'M.P.'

In 1901 the six colonies that made up the Australian continent combined to form a federal national state. There was an official competition to design a national flag. There was no outright winner but a consensus emerged that the flag should contain the Union Flag, the Southern Cross constellation and a six-pointed star representing the six colonies. After the acquisition of Papua New Guinea in 1905 an extra point was added to the star in 1909.