<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Naval_Ensign" class="extiw" title="en:Australian Naval Ensign"> Australian Naval Ensign</a> flying at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-mast" class="extiw" title="en:Half-mast">half mast</a>. The Queen's Regulations for the Royal Navy (which have been adopted by the Austrlian Navy) state that "<i>Flags flown at half-mast are to be flown with the top of the flag positioned two thirds of the way up the mast/halyard, but not less that one flag breath from the top</i>".<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1">[1]</a></sup> According to tradition, the space above the flag is reserved for the "invisible flag of death".<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2">[2]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3">[3]</a></sup>
This picture was taken on the day of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_funeral#New_South_Wales" class="extiw" title="en:State funeral">state funeral</a> of Rusty Priest, a champion and former president of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Returned_and_Services_League_of_Australia" class="extiw" title="en:Returned and Services League of Australia">RSL</a> (a war-veteran's organisation) <sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4">[4]</a></sup>.
<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Martinvl" title="User:Martinvl">Martinvl</a>
CC BY-SA 3.0
<span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>