any stage". Australian Flag Society proposal Following the 1998 amendment, Australian Flag Society proposed a National Language, Holiday and Flag Bill, as the way forward in response to a petition of certain citizens calling for a parliamentary committee to review the Flags Act 1953. It proposes to amend the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (IMP) by way of modifiable provisions declaring, among other things, the existing flag to be the Australian National Flag. Under the proposed legislative and constitutional refinements, it is envisaged that the Flags Act would remain on the statute books, to provide the construction sheet for the Australian National Flag which would be described in terms of its essential elements in the constitution, thereby settling the question of popular sovereignty in relation to the process for reviewing the design – in whole or in part – with a weighty body of legal opinion against the constitutionality of the current statutory rules in subsections 3(2) & (3), which provide for an instant-runoff for choosing between the existing flag and one or more alternatives, on the basis of universal suffrage. As the device occupying the lower hoist is simply referred to as a "large white Commonwealth Star", the number of points on what is a well recognised heraldic symbol in its own right could be varied by ordinary legislation, according to changes in membership of the Australian Federation, and not by a plebiscite as currently required, which would remove what has been criticised as an "anomalous and costly" impediment. References External links Flags Act 1953 (Series) on the Federal Register of Legislation Amendments Original Flags Act 1953, National Archives of Australia Flags Amendment Bill 1996 26 June 1996, House of Representatives . (Passed as Flags Amendment Act 1998, but since superseded) Acts of the Parliament of Australia 1953 in Australian law Act