The flag of Melbourne. Most Melburnians probably couldn't identify it, and there's a good reason for that. It's extremely outdated. While it represents elements of the city's foundation, the Melbourne of today is far more vibrant and diverse. 

The flag is also just plain ugly, which might explain why it's only flown in a few select places around Melbourne. It's not a symbol of civic pride for the city it's supposed to represent. Although it uses the most basic components of Melbourne's coat of arms (also outdated, by the way), it's executed poorly. Plus, it was only adopted in 1970! 

The people of Melbourne/Naarm deserve a flag to be proud of that represents both our modern city and the history and culture of First Nations people.

If you're thinking "who cares about city flags?", I encourage you to watch this TED Talk from Roman Mars: Why city flags may be the worst-designed thing you've never noticed. This talk follows on from the 99% Invisible podcast episode on flag design, and beautifully explains why city flags matter.

"Often when city leaders say, 'We have more important things to do than worry about a city flag,' my response is, 'If you had a great city flag, you would have a banner for people to rally under to face those more important things'." - Ted Kaye

The Flag of Melbourne needs a re-design. And it must follow the five principles:

1. Keep it simple
2. Use meaningful symbolism
3. Use two to three basic colours
4. No lettering or seals of any kind
5. Be distinctive

There are no doubt some obstacles to changing Melbourne's flag, but it's not an impossible task. The aim of this petition is to act as a first step in engaging the public and demonstrating support for the cause.