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Australian Border Force

image by Jonathan Dixon, 17 July 2015 Ratio 1:2

Australian Border Force Flag
Variant without "Australian"
Clarifying the legislative situation
Racing stripe

See also:

Australian Border Force Flag

The Australian Border Force was created on 1 July 2015, combining the functions of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. As a result, the Australian customs flag has been changed to reflect the name Border Force. The Customs Regulations were amended to change the word "CUSTOMS" to "AUSTRALIAN BORDER FORCE", but a flag flying at Sydney Airport has the text simply as "BORDER FORCE".
(see https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2015L00854 Customs and Other Legislation Amendment (Australian Border Force) Regulation 20, Schedule 1, Section 10, modifying Section 11 of the Customs Regulations.)

Clearly a defaced national flag doesn't need the word "AUSTRALIAN", so the flag in use at the airport is more sensible than the de jure customs flag. There would be seriously legal problems for ships using anything other than the de jure flag, though, so perhaps the regulations will be/are being changed again.
Jonathan Dixon, 17 July 2015

In early March I noticed that the BORDER FORCE flag at Sydney Airport Customs House had been replaced with one that included AUSTRALIAN. However as there was little breeze I could not make out the appearance of the letters.
Jeff Thomson, 22 March 2016

Variant without "Australian"

image by Jonathan Dixon, 17 July 2015

Apparently this interim BORDER FORCE version of the flag came about because such new flags had to be ordered well in advance, before it was clear what exactly the amended flag prescription would prescribe. When the Customs Regulation 2015 amendments took effect from 1 July 2015 the altered flag prescription stated;

11. Flag.
For section 14 of the Act, the flag is the Australian National Flag with the words "AUSTRALIAN BORDER FORCE" in bold, white letters between the Commonwealth Star and the lower part of the Southern Cross.

Unlike with the previous Customs flag, nowhere in the legislation is the flag referred to as the Australian Border Force flag or any other name. It is only referred to as a reference to section 11 as shown above.
Jeff Thomson, 27 May 2017

Clarifying the legislative situation

On 1 April 2015 the new Customs Regulation 2015 made ensign and insignia provisions for Commonwealth aircraft at Regulation 7, ensign provisions for Commonwealth ships at Regulation 8, and prescribed the Customs flag at Regulation 11. This new set of regulations was amended only three months later on 1 July 2015 as the Australian Border Force replaced Customs. The links below go to these amended Regulations 7, 8 and 11.
www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_reg/cr2015215/s7.html
www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_reg/cr2015215/s8.html
www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_reg/cr2015215/s11.html
Jeff Thomson, 24 July 2021

Racing stripe

image by Zoltan Horvath, 24 September 2025

The Australian Maritime Border Command is enabled by Australian Border Force and the Australian Defence Force. It supports the whole of government effort to protect Australia's national interests. It does this by responding with assigned maritime and air assets for civil maritime security operations. This deters and prevents illegal activities in the Australian Maritime Domain.

Home page: https://www.abf.gov.au/home

Its racing stripe is very simple, red.

Images:
https://shipshub.com/navy/278-2.html#lg=1&slide=2
https://shipshub.com/navy/278-2.html#lg=1&slide=5

Zoltan Horvath, 24 September 2025

The first known application of red racing stripes to Australian Customs vessels was to the four Minister-class patrol boats of the 1980s. A stripe was added to each side of the superstructure and featured a Customs badge on a white square near the top of the stripe. From 1999 these boats were replaced by the eight patrol boats of the Bay class. These had a stylised logo on each side and roof of the superstructure, that included a red rhombus with a superimposed Customs badge.

From 2013 eight Cape class patrol boats entered service. These introduced a red racing stripe on the dark blue forward hull. In mid-2015 the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service was reconstituted as the Australian Border Force which retained the Customs livery of dark blue hull, white superstructure and red racing stripe. This livery reflects the colours of the Australian National Flag and has also been applied to two other Australian Border Force ships, ABFC Ocean Shield and ABFC Thaiyak.

Jeff Thomson, 19 October 2025