Parliament House in Canberra flies wrong ensigns on day celebrating 125 years of the Australian flag

Even after 125 years flying the Australian flag, staff at Parliament House in Canberra can still get it wrong.

Commemorating the day the flag as we know it was first flown above the dome of Melbourne ’s Royal Exhibition Building, 44 were meant to be on display at Capital Hill on Thursday.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Parliament House flies wrong flags on National Flag Day

Eagle-eyed spotters noticed that two had a Southern Cross made up of four red five-pointed stars with white borders, signifying they belonged to New Zealand .

Australia’s ensign is similar to its trans-Tasman neighbour’s, but has five stars to make up the Southern Cross constellation and a sixth Commonwealth Star below the Union Jack.

Australia began the search for a flag in 1900, ahead of Federation a year later.

More than 30,000 entries were received from all over the world as part of a government competition to decide on one.

“The majority of the designs contained the Union Jack and Southern Cross but native animals were also popular,” according to the Australian Flags booklet .

“Among the more quirky designs were a kangaroo leaping through the constellation of the Southern Cross, a scene depicting native animals playing cricket with a winged cricket ball, a six-tailed kangaroo representing the six Australian states, and a kangaroo aiming a gun at the Southern Cross.”

The Australian flag was officially flown for the first time on September 3, 1901, but it was not until 1954 that the Flags Act took effect and it was formally adopted.

New Zealand adopted its flag in 1902 , when it was officially recognised by the New Zealand Ensign Act.

Back in 2018, then acting New Zealand PM Winston Peters accused Australia of “copying” the NZ flag.

“We had a flag that we’ve had for a long time, copied by Australia, and they should actually change their flag and honour the fact that we got there first with this design,” Peters said.

In July, the Albanese Government distanced itself from a controversial union push to remove the Union Jack from the Australian flag .