Robin Blau (born 1946), Great Verandah Coat of Arms, 1986–1987, Art/Craft Program, Official Gifts Collection, Parliament House Art Collection; gifted by the Parliament and people of New South Wales, 1998.
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Permission to reproduce the Commonwealth Coats of Arms has been granted by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. The artists’ viewpoints and statements are theirs alone.
The Commonwealth Coat of Arms is an emblem of national identity. It is the formal symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia and it represents the authority and property of the Australian Parliament, government, and courts. It conveys characteristics and values of Australia distinct from other nations in the world.
History of the Coat of Arms
Australian Coat of Arms, 1908; courtesy of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
King Edward VII first officially granted a Coat of Arms to the Commonwealth of Australia in a Royal Warrant on 7 May 1908. This Coat of Arms was a simple shield of white and blue with the cross of St George, five six-pointed white stars along the cross and six small shields around the edge. Above the shield was the crest containing the seven-pointed gold star of Federation on a wreath of white and blue. The shield was supported by a kangaroo and an emu standing on a grassy mound. The motto 'Advance Australia' was inscribed at the base.
Australian Coat of Arms, 1912; courtesy of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
As the 1908 Coat of Arms did not reference the States, a new Commonwealth Coat of Arms was granted to the government and people of Australia by King George V on 19 September 1912. This shield depicts six State badges of equal size. They are bound together into a unified whole by an ermine border, a traditional symbol of royalty, signifying the federation of the States into the Commonwealth. The emu and kangaroo buttressing the shield and the Commonwealth star represent the peoples’ support for this authority.
The Commonwealth Coat of Arms, 1912
The Shield
Quarterly of six
The shield is the heart of the Coat of Arms and displays its key meanings. It is divided into six parts (in heraldry, ‘quarter’ does not necessarily mean four), each featuring a badge representing the people of each State. These badges are extracts of key elements of the States’ Coats of Arms, which are in turn derived from emblems on the maritime flags used to distinguish the vessels of one colony from another.
New South Wales quarter
the first quarter Argent a Cross Gules charged with a Lion passant guardant between on each limb a Mullet of eight points Or
In Norman French, Argent means ‘silver’ and here refers to the badge’s silver background. Cross Gules is the red Cross of St George, the former badge of the colony also used on the flag of the British Navy. The Cross is the ensign of Britain’s Royal Navy and recognises the maritime origins of New South Wales. The lion is derived from the British Coat of Arms; passant guardant means the walking lion is looking at you. A Mullet is not a fish or hairstyle but a star, in this case four representing the Southern Cross. Or means ‘gold’.
Victorian quarter
the second Azure five Mullets, one of eight, two of seven, one of six and one of five points of the first (representing the Constellation of the Southern Cross) ensigned with an Imperial Crown proper
The Southern Cross helped seafarers navigate the southern hemisphere long before colonisation. Early European explorers imbued it with Christian significance; colonial Australians saw it as a symbol of their distinctive ‘south-ness’ and used it to show their loyalty to the continent and each other. The crown represents Victoria’s links to Britain.
Queensland quarter
the third of the first a Maltese Cross of the fourth, surmounted by a like Imperial Crown
Queensland’s adoption of the Cross of the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta is thought to symbolise its links to Britain via the Victoria Cross. Instituted by Queen Victoria in 1856 in response to the Crimean War, the Victoria Cross incorporates the insignia of the Maltese Cross with a crown and lion and is the highest award for acts of bravery in wartime. The colony of Queensland was separated from New South Wales by the same Queen in 1859, so the colonists linked the ‘Queen’s Land’ with this honour.
South Australian quarter
the fourth of the third, on a Perch wreathed Vert and Gules an Australian Piping Shrike displayed also proper
On a twisted band of green and red, the ‘piping shrike’ is depicted proper – in a naturalistic way or in its usual colouring. The bird is facing the yellow sun with its back to us, beak slightly open, claiming its territory with its warbling song. However, the piping shrike is a misnomer. The confusion may stem from Charles Sturt, who like other British explorers tried to understand Australian animals by comparing them to species from his homeland. He called the local white-backed magpie a ‘crow shrike’ and the name stuck.
Western Australian quarter
the fifth also Or a Swan naiant to the sinister Sable
The sable (black) swan is found naiant (swimming) in wetlands throughout the country but has a special association with Western Australia. In 1697, Dutch explorer and navigator Captain Willem de Vlamingh named the Swan River in honour of the flocks he saw there. Swans taken back to Europe astonished those who knew swans only of the opposite colour. They became the exotic keepsakes of the elite, who revelled in these representatives of Australia’s upside-down oddness. Britain’s Swan River Colony, established in 1829, is where the State capital, Perth, now stands.
Tasmanian quarter
the last of the first, a Lion passant of the second
Lions have taken pride of place in European heraldry for centuries. The lion’s inclusion on Tasmania’s badge suggests historical ties with Britain and was approved for use by the British Colonial Office in 1875.
Ermine border
the whole within a Bordure Ermine
An ermine is a kind of weasel found in the northern hemisphere. Their wintertime fur is pure white with a black tail tip. With the colour white a longstanding symbol of purity and virtue, and with many individual animals required to create a sumptuous coat, ermine fur has long been a symbol of royal status, power and nobility. The ermine border around the shield of State emblems represents the Crown’s authority, imbued with these ancient values.
Crest and wreath
or the Crest on a Wreath Or and Azure A Seven-pointed Star Or
The gold Commonwealth star is another symbol of national unity. Six of the star’s points represent the States; the seventh represents the Territories. This star also features on Australia’s national flag. The wreath is a traditional heraldic feature signifying two skeins of twisted silk. Or (gold) and azure (blue) are thought to represent Australia’s golden wheat fields and blue skies.
The Wattle
The golden wattle (plus the scroll and brackets) is a decorative flourish and not an official part of the Coat of Arms. It was included at the request of Prime Minister Andrew Fisher, who was keen to develop the new nation’s sense of patriotism. Wattle species grow all over the continent and symbolise Australians’ unity and egalitarianism. Other parliamentarians were confused, however. ‘I would like to know how … the kangaroo and emu have got up the wattle-tree?’ asked James Fenton, the Member for Maribyrnong, on 12 November 1912. Member for Fremantle William Hedges responded: ‘That represents the financial position of the States.’
The kangaroo and emu
and for Supporters dexter a Kangaroo … proper
The red kangaroo lives across much of mainland Australia. The world’s largest living marsupial, they measure up to 2.4 metres long from head to tail and weigh up to 92 kilograms. Dexter means the kangaroo is supporting the shield’s right-hand side (our left). Dexter can also mean skilful, favourable, correct and other terms suggesting authority. This may explain why the animal was reversed from its original position on colonial-era Arms. In 1910 a senior government official declared ‘the kangaroo was the more important [animal] and therefore should occupy the more honourable post’ on the Arms. However, in heraldry both supporters are of equal importance.
and for Supporters … sinister an Emu … proper
The emu is propping up the shield with its sternum. Without a ridge (keel) to support flight muscles along its breastbone, the emu’s flat sternum suggested to early European scientists that it was an evolutionarily primitive bird. But the emu’s genus name Dromaius, derived from the Greek word for ‘runner’, recognises its alternative abilities. Standing up to 1.9 metres tall and weighing up to 55 kilograms, it can run at 50 kph with 3-metre stride.
The emu is standing to the shield’s left-hand or sinister side (our right). While sinister, when used as an adjective, conveys negative connotations, in heraldry both supporters are of equal importance, without prejudice.
Uses of the Coat of Arms
The Coat of Arms is used in many capacities and has been interpreted in a variety of ways. A well-known representation is on Australian currency. Currency is government property and embodies significant authority. The highest denomination coin, the 50-cent piece, features the Coat of Arms.
Reverse side of original silver fifty cent coin, showing Australian Coat of Arms, 1967; courtesy of the National Archives of Australia, (A1200, L61718).
In 1963, Treasury selected Stuart Devlin from a competition of six artists to design the new coins. Devlin has his work cut out for him, having to fit two triangular-shaped animals into a circle. He did this by bending the Coat of Arms into a convex curve, so the kangaroo’s tail recedes along the edge. The supporters now appear to be propelled forward, toward each other and the viewer. With swirling ribbons replacing the wattle, the design suggests vitality and progress. Devlin told the Age newspaper in 1964,
‘Australia’s growing up and becoming more sophisticated… We mustn’t look upon our coins as a kind of national advertising, but rather as a reflection of our cultural spirit.’
Edwin Hubert Henderson (1885–1939); Hardy Bros Ltd (established 1853, fabricator), Key used by the Duke of York to open Parliament House, 9 May 1927, Official Gifts Collection, Parliament House Art Collection.
Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp Architects (established 1979, designer), Royal Australian Mint (established 1965, fabricator), Ceremonial key used by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to open Parliament House, 9 May 1988, Official Gifts Collection, Parliament House Art Collection.
Another example was in 1927 when the Duke of York (later King George VI) used a key featuring the Coat of Arms to open the door to provisional Parliament House. Located at the heart of Australia’s new capital city, the building and its key gave form to the promise of nationhood and progress. ‘[O]ne feels the stirrings of a new birth, a quickened national activity, of a fuller consciousness of your destiny as one of the great self-governing units of the British Empire’, the Duke declared.
Sixty-one years later King George VI’s daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, opened new Parliament House. ‘Parliament … is both the living expression of [Australia’s] Federation and the embodiment of the democratic principles of freedom, equality and justice’, she said. The granting to the Queen of symbolic custody of the nation and its government reinforced the monarch’s role as Australia’s head of State.
Peter Taylor (1927–2019, designer and sculptor) with, Warren Langley (born 1950, glass artist), Anne Dybka (1922–2007, glass engraver), Nathan Munz (born 1948, glass manufacturer), Sergio Redegalli (born 1962, slumped glass artist), Senate Chamber Coat of Arms, 1984–1988, Art/Craft Program, Parliament House Art Collection. Image courtesy David Foote, Auspic/DPS.
At Parliament House there are four specially commissioned Coats of Arms, The Great Verandah Coat of Arms, The Executive Entry Coat of Arms, The House of Representatives Chamber Coat of Arms and the Senate Chamber Coat of Arms. Located in some of the most prominent and significant spaces in the building these Coats of Arms encourage deeper understandings of the spirit and aspirations of the Australian people.
Some artists have re-imagined the Coat of Arms to express Australia’s maturing outlook. Others acknowledge Australia’s diverse communities and alternative ideas about history, land and nation.
Niningka Lewis (Pitjantjatjara people, 1945–2020), Australian Coat of Arms; we were there and we are here, 2018, Parliament House Art Collection.
Niningka Lewis, a senior artist from Pukata on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yakunytjatjara (APY) Lands of South Australia, recognised that our official national identity is a product of European histories and ideas about nature and society. She saw that it was created by those with political and economic influence, and felt that it disregarded complex relationships between the land and its people.
With this reinterpretation of the official Coat of Arms, Lewis intertwined nature and nation to assert her own identity and authority.
Geoffrey Ricardo (born 1964), Coat of Arms, 1997, Parliament House Art Collection.
Melbourne artist Geoffrey Ricardo here uses metaphor and black humour to question Australian politics and society. Here, the animal supporters are revealed as human actors engaging over a shield-like bar fridge. Ricardo’s work suggests that a nation is an ongoing conversation; an exchange of ideas and relationships working toward a shared understanding and purpose.