Australia’s Coat of Arms

The Coat of Arms was granted by King George V in 1912. It consists of a shield containing the badges of the six Australian States, enclosed by an ermine border. The shield is a symbol for the federation of the States, which took place in 1901.

The Australian Coat of Arms is commonly but incorrectly referred to as the 'Commonwealth Crest'. Strictly speaking, the Crest is the device above the shield and helmet on a coat of arms and in this instance is a seven-pointed gold star on a blue and gold wreath. Six of the points represent each of the States of the Commonwealth, the seventh point represents the Commonwealth Territories.

The Supporters are native Australian animals: the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) and the emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae). Usually the Arms is depicted on a background of sprays of golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha) with a scroll beneath it containing the word 'Australia'. The wattle and scroll, however, are not part of the armorial design and are not mentioned in the Royal Warrant.

The first official coat of arms of Australia was granted by a Royal Warrant of King Edward VII in 1908. This Coat of Arms was used on some Australian coins after it was superseded and last appeared on the sixpenny piece in 1966.

The Australian Government uses the Coat of Arms to authenticate documents and for other official purposes. Its uses range from embellishing the Australian passport to being widely recognised as the badge on the famous 'baggy green' cricket cap.

Australia has never adopted any official motto or floral, faunal or bird emblem. By popular tradition, however, the golden wattle, kangaroo and emu are widely accepted as national floral, faunal and bird emblems.

For many years, the motto 'Advance Australia' appeared on unofficial Coats of Arms, even before the Federation of the States in 1901. It was included in the 1908 Arms, and was popularly accepted in association with the 19th century song 'Advance Australia Fair'. A revised version of this song officially became Australia's national anthem in 1984

On that same day, Australia also officially adopted green and gold as its national colours. Until then, the nation had no official national colours, although the use of green and gold by Australia's international sporting teams had become a tradition and had been associated with its Olympic teams since the 1920s.

The Australian Coat of Arms consists of the Badges of the six States of the Commonwealth arranged on a shield in two rows of three columns: New South Wales - Golden Lion passant (right to left) on a red St George's Cross on a silver background (usually depicted white), with an 8-pointed star on each extremity of the cross. Victoria - White Southern Cross (one star of 8 points, 2 of 7 points one of 6 points and one of 5 points), beneath an Imperial Crown, on a blue background. Queensland - light blue Maltese Cross with an Imperial Crown at its Centre, on a white background. South Australia - the White-Backed Magpie (or Piping Shrike), erect, wings outstretched, on a yellow background. Western Australia - Black Swan swimming, left to right, on a yellow background. Tasmania - Red Lion passant (right to left) on a white background.

Australia's Flag

 Australia's first `Federal' flag was chosen from a national flag competition held in 1901. Initially started by the Melbourne monthly magazine The Review of Reviews for Australasia, the new Federal Government announced a further competition (Gazetted 29 April 1901) and the earlier competition entries were transferred and the prize was increased to 200 pounds. The competition attracted 32 823 entries.

The entry rules for the private competition were highly suggestive and the judging and approval process were such that only a British Ensign with a badge representative of Australia was likely to be a winner.

When the winning flag design was chosen, a review of the entries revealed that five people submitted almost identical designs. These people were declared joint winners and shared the prize money.

Australia's first Prime Minister, Edmund Barton, announced the winning design in Melbourne on 3 September 1901. The design had a mixed reception and caused some controversy at the time, on aesthetic grounds as much as its Anglophile nature. The Australian Natives' Association in particular felt that it was unsuitable or insufficiently patriotic.

The original design was similar to the current flag, except the Federation Star contained only 6 points and the Southern Cross was represented by stars ranging from 5 to 9 points to indicate their relative apparent brightness in the night sky. Also, the field was red for Civil use, with the blue ensign being reserved for Government use only.

The adoption of the winning flag design was never debated in the Australian Parliament - it was sent to the Imperial Authorities in England to be approved. It wasn't until late 1902 that King Edward VII formally notified the Australian Government of the approval, and this approval was finally Gazetted on 20 February 1903.

The original design has been changed three times since 1901. First, in 1903 the design was changed so that all but the smallest star in the Southern Cross had seven points, ostensibly to improve the ease of manufacture. In 1906 Australia acquired the Territory of Papua, and to indicate this the number of points on the Federation Star was increased to seven in 1908. This second design change was Gazetted on 22 May 1909.

When the Northern Territory and ACT were created as Federal Territories in 1911, the number of points on the Federation Star was not increased and remained at seven. The red ensign remained the Civil flag and the blue ensign the Government flag.

However, the flag still had no legal status beyond the original British Admiralty authorisations which only related to use at sea. It wasn't until the Flags Act 1953 (enacted 1954) was passed by the Menzies Government that Australia finally had an official national flag, and one that was required to be flown in a superior position to any other national flag (including the Union Flag).

The Flags Act 1953 formally adopted the current design as Australia's "National Flag" and the Act was assented to by Queen Elizabeth II on her first visit to Australia on 15 April 1954, the first Act of the Australian Parliament to receive assent by the Monarch rather than the Governor General. Finally, more than 53 years after the first design was hoisted, Australia had an official national flag.

The Australian flag was usually flown in conjunction with, often in an inferior position to, the Union Flag of the UK well into the 1960s despite the requirements of the Flags Act 1953. Many Australians considered themselves to be Britons, and Arthur Smout in his 1968 The Flag Book lamented the fact that many seemed to show more loyalty to the Union Flag than to the Australian flag.

Today, there is a growing debate about whether Australia should adopt a new flag, as many see the current British ensign-based design as inappropriate in an increasingly multicultural country that has been progressively weakening its ties with Britain since 1901. And as Australia becomes more independent, many think Australian symbols rather than the flag of another nation should occupy this position.

An Australian State Premier summed it up well in a Flag Day message, "Each symbol on the flag has a special meaning for Australians. The stars of the Southern Cross represent our geographic position in the Southern Hemisphere; the Commonwealth Star our federation of States and Territories, and the crosses the principles on which our nation is based - namely, Parliamentary Democracy, Rule of Law and Freedom of Speech".

South Australian

South Australian Flag

The State Badge, the piping shrike, a white-backed magpie, was officially proclaimed in 1904. The attractive symbol is shown against a golden side which represents the sun. The Union Jack reminds South Australians of the origins of the founders of the State. In colonial times a badge featuring Britannia meeting an Australian aboriginal was featured on the flag.

Coat of Arms of South Australia

The State's Coat of Arms was granted by Queen Elizabeth II on April 19, 1984. The shield contains the State badge, comprising the piping shrike, or whitebacked magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen leuconota), standing on a staff of gum tree, against a gold orb representing the sun. The crest is the State's floral emblem, Sturt's desert pea (Clianthus formosus), above a collar of the State's colours, red, blue and gold. The present Coat of Arms replaced the Arms granted by King Edward VIII in 1936.

Floral Emblem - Sturt's Desert Pea

On 23rd November, 1961, the Government adopted Sturt's Desert Pea (Clianthus formosus) (G.Don) Ford & Vickery as the Floral Emblem of South Australia. The genus derives its name from two Greek words "kleos" (glory) and "anthos" (a flower) while the specific name "formosus" refers to the handsome appearance of the flower.

Sturt's Desert Pea is found over a greater range of South Australia than almost any other plant and is probably the most striking and distinctive of all the plants of Inland Australia. The major portion of this State receives less than 381mm of rain per annum and it is in these regions that Sturt's Desert Pea thrives.

Historically the plant is associated with the early explorations of South Australia. Captain Charles Sturt in his "Expedition into Central Australia" describes the finding of this plant in 1845 "towards Coopers Creek". Since that time his name has always been associated with our Floral Emblem.

Adelaide, Capital of South Australia

The cross is the cross of St. George, taken from the arms of England. The ship in the first quarter represents the importance of commerce, and is also a link for the historical connections with England. The fleece in the second quarter represents the sheep farming and wool trade. The bull's head represents the cattle breeding, whereas the wheat sheaf in the fourth quarter represents the agriculture.
The crest shows a miner's arm, mining being one of the main industries in and around Adelaide in the early 20th century.
The supporters are the English lion and a typical Australian kangaroo.
The motto can be translated as "United for the common good".

Aborigines & Torres Strait Islanders

Australian Aboriginal Flag

The Aboriginal Flag was designed by Harold Thomas, an artist and an Aboriginal, in 1971. The flag was designed to be an eye-catching rallying symbol for the Aboriginal people and a symbol of their race and identity. The black represents the Aboriginal people, the red the earth and their spiritual relationship to the land, and the yellow the sun, the giver of life.

In the late 1960s, Aborigines stepped up their campaign for indigenous land rights through protest marches, demonstrations, banners and posters. The protests increased in the early 1970s and Harold Thomas noticed they were often outnumbered by non-Aborigines with their own banners and placards. He decided they needed to be more visible and the idea of the flag was born.

The Aboriginal flag was first raised in Victoria Square in Adelaide on National Aboriginal Day in 1971, but was adopted nationally by Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in 1972 after it was flown above the Aboriginal "Tent Embassy" outside of the old Parliament House in Canberra.

The Aboriginal flag is increasingly being flown by both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. In view of its increasing importance in Australian society, the Government initiated steps in 1994 to give the flag legal recognition. After a period of public consultation, the Government made its own decision in July 1995 that the flag should be proclaimed a "Flag of Australia" under section 5 of the Flags Act 1953. The flag was so proclaimed by the Governor General of Australia, William Hayden, on 14 July 1995.

Torres Strait Islands

Torres Strait Islands located 40km north of Cape York, (Far North) Queensland. 

The Torres Strait Islander flag is attributed to the late Bernard Namok of Thursday Island.

The flag is emblazoned with a white Dari (headdress) which is a symbol of Torres Strait Islanders. The white five pointed star beneath it symbolises the five major island groups and the navigational importance of stars to these seafaring people.

The green stripes represent the land, the black stripes represent the people, and the blue the sea. The flag as a whole symbolises the unity of all Torres Strait Islanders.

As with the Aboriginal Flag, the Torres Strait Islander Flag is beginning to be flown more widely and gaining more recognition as indigenous issues gain more prominence in Australia.

The Federal Government initiated steps in 1994 to give the flag legal recognition. After a period of public consultation, the Government decided in July 1995 that the flag should be proclaimed a "Flag of Australia" under section 5 of the Flags Act 1953. The flag was so proclaimed by the Governor General of Australia, William Hayden, on 14 July 1995.

The Eureka Flag

According to Frank Cayley's book Flag of Stars the flag's five stars represent the Southern Cross and the white cross joining the stars represents unity in defiance. The blue background is believed to represent the blue shirts worn by many of the diggers, rather than represent the sky as is commonly thought.

The flag above is considered to be the Eureka Flag (a number of variants seem to have existed), as it is the design of the flag torn down at the stockade by Police Constable John King on the morning of the miners' uprising - Sunday, 3 December 1854. The torn and tattered remains of this flag is kept at the Ballarat Fine Art Museum.

The "Eureka Stockade" uprising was essentially a short-lived revolt by gold miners against petty officialdom and harassment by a corrupt Police force, who would often ask miners to show their gold digging licences several times a day. The miners also objected to the high cost of the licences.

Led by Peter Lalor, who later became a respected Victorian MP and Minister, the Eureka uprising was a spectacular failure in a military sense. The revolt had its roots in the killing of a miner, James Scobie, by a publican. An inquest was held, but despite the evidence of miners, no conclusion was made about who was responsible. Instead, the miners who pressed for the arrest of the publican were taken into custody.

This sparked protests by the miners who held many public meetings, and sought to take the law into their own hands by seeking out the publican and burning down his hotel. When the culprits were arrested and imprisoned, the situation in the goldfields became explosive and expanded to cover general discontent with unequal laws and unequal rights.

The miners elected Lalor to lead them, and they built a stockade at the goldfields to defy the authorities. It was at this time the Eureka flag first appeared. Within a few days, a military force of about 300 men had assembled to attack the Stockade, and within 15 minutes of the commencement of the attack, had smashed the stockade and killed many of the rebels.

Today, the Eureka flag is often used as a symbol of rebellion against authority by people at the extreme left and the extreme right of the political spectrum in Australia. It has been used in marches by neo-Nazis on the one hand and draped over the coffins of deceased Communists on the other.

The Boxing Kangaroo Flag