the term 'Norfolk Pine' is known the world over.
I absolutely doubt that. I would hazard that 99% of the world would have no idea what a Norfolk pine is, let alone what a stylised picture of one looks like, however, the Norfolk Islanders don't care, and aren't making exceptions for the world's ignorance.
what does it say about France - it's abstract symbolism
So it actually says nothing at all about France. But people know it as the French flag. Because of market penetration. They have no idea what it means.
Our flag says nothing about Australia to the rest of the world. The only reason it is unknown is because of lack of market penetration. That shouldn't mean we have to dumb it down to kindergarten level to make up for that. Get it out there in enough people's faces, and it could be a picture of a naughts and crosses game and people will equate it with Australia. It's just brand recognition. The fact that Government policies and mandates like the "Made in Australia logo" do not advertise the flag, and choose to use various other images, just perpetuates the cultural cringe and the problem. It's almost like we are "Officially Ashamed" of our flag, and that is plain wrong.