Australia has bought the rights to the Aboriginal flag. Now, anyone can use or fly the flag for free. The flag was owned by its designer, and a clothing company. Anyone who used the flag had to get copyright permission from them. Australia paid $20 million for the flag's copyright. Nova Peris, a former Aboriginal politician, led the Free the Flag campaign. She was very happy that the government bought the flag. She said: "The flag represents 50,000 years of history and it's a way of unifying…this country." She added: "It's a magical day for all Australians."

Indigenous artist Harold Thomas made the flag in 1971. He wanted Australia's indigenous peoples to have their own flag. It was used as a protest for indigenous rights. However, it became widely used and became an official national flag of Australia in 1995. The government said: "Over the last 50 years, we made Harold Thomas' artwork our own. We marched under the Aboriginal flag, stood behind it, and flew it high as a point of pride." He added: "In reaching this agreement…all Australians can freely display and use the flag to celebrate indigenous culture."