This is a list of the symbols of the states and territories of Australia . Each state and territory has a unique set of official symbols, as well as the national symbols of Australia.
Territory | Coat of arms | Floral | Bird | Animal | Motto | Colours | Fossil | Tartan | Main article |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Capital Territory | Coat of arms of Canberra [Note 2] | Royal bluebell | Gang-gang cockatoo | Brush-tailed rock-wallaby | For the King, the Law and the People | Blue and gold | Batocara mitchelli' [8] | City of Canberra tartan [Note 3] | Symbols of Australian Capital Territory [9] |
Northern Territory | Coat of arms of the Northern Territory | Sturt's desert rose | Wedge-tailed eagle | Red kangaroo | - | Black, white and red ochre | - | - | Symbols of the Northern Territory [10] |
Norfolk Island | Coat of arms of Norfolk Island | Phillip Island Hibiscus | Norfolk Island Green Parrot | - | Inasmuch | Green and sky blue | - | - | - |
Each Australian state has a governor to represent Australia's monarch within it. The governors are the nominal chief executives of the states, performing the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national or federal level. In practice, with notable exceptions the governors are generally required by convention to act on the advice of the state premiers or the other members of a state's cabinet.
Regional tartans of Canada are represented by all Canada's provinces and territories having a regional tartan, as do many other regional divisions in Canada. Tartans were first brought to Canada by Scottish settlers; the first province to adopt one officially was Nova Scotia in 1956, and the most recent province was Ontario, in 2000. Except for the tartan of Quebec, all of the provincial and territorial tartans are officially recognized and registered in the books of the Court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms of Scotland.
Australian vehicle registration plates or number plates are issued by state, territory, and Commonwealth governments, and the armed forces of Australia. The plates are associated with a vehicle and are generally intended to last for the time the vehicle remains registered in the state, though as they become unreadable they may be remade with like for like replacement. Motor vehicle registration in Australia, can be renewed monthly, quarterly, half yearly or annually depending on the state or territory where the vehicle is registered.
The coat of arms of Victoria is the official heraldic symbol of the Australian state of Victoria. Victoria was the second state of Australia to gain arms, granted on 6 June 1910 by royal warrant of King George V. The state had been named in 1851 after his grandmother, who was in reign at the time. The final version of the arms was granted 28 March 1978 in the royal warrant issued by Queen Elizabeth II.
Australia uses three main time zones: Australian Eastern Standard Time, Australian Central Standard Time and Australian Western Standard Time.
General Register Office or General Registry Office (GRO) is the name given to the civil registry in the United Kingdom, many other Commonwealth nations and Ireland. The GRO is the government agency responsible for the recording of vital records such as births, deaths, and marriages, which may also include adoptions, stillbirths, civil unions, etc., and historically, sometimes included records relating to deeds and other property transactions.
The states and territories are administrative divisions in Australia, ruled by regional governments that constitute the level of governance between the federal government and local governments. States are self-governing polities with incomplete sovereignty and their own constitutions, legislatures, departments, and certain civil authorities that administer and deliver most public policies and programs. Territories can be autonomous and administer local policies and programs much like the states in practice, but are still constitutionally and financially subordinate to the federal government and thus have no true sovereignty.
Lands administrative divisions of Australia are the cadastral divisions of Australia for the purposes of identification of land to ensure security of land ownership. Most states term these divisions as counties, parishes, hundreds, and other terms. The eastern states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania were divided into counties and parishes in the 19th century, although the Tasmanian counties were renamed land districts in the 20th century. Parts of South Australia (south-east) and Western Australia (south-west) were similarly divided into counties, and there were also five counties in a small part of the Northern Territory. However South Australia has subdivisions of hundreds instead of parishes, along with the Northern Territory, which was part of South Australia when the hundreds were proclaimed. There were also formerly hundreds in Tasmania. There have been at least 600 counties, 544 hundreds and at least 15,692 parishes in Australia, but there are none of these units for most of the sparsely inhabited central and western parts of the country.
In Australia, state and territory colours are frequently part of a state or territory's set of state symbols.
Wattle Day is a day of celebration in Australia on the first day of September each year, which is the official start of the Australian spring. This is the time when many Acacia species, are in flower. So, people wear a sprig of the flowers and leaves to celebrate the day.
New South Wales is one of Australia's states, and has established several state symbols and emblems.
The symbols of Queensland represent the Australian state of Queensland and the Queensland Government. The different symbols and emblems represent both the state and the government. The official state emblems of Queensland are prescribed in the Emblems of Queensland Act 2005.
South Australia is one of Australia's states, and has established several state symbols and emblems.
Tasmania is one of Australia's states, and has established several state symbols and emblems.
Victoria is one of Australia's states, and has established several state symbols and emblems.
Western Australia is one of the states of Australia, and has established several state symbols and emblems.
The Australian Capital Territory is one of Australia's territories, and has established several territorial symbols and emblems.
Australian heraldry is the term for the style of armorial achievements, sometimes known as coats of arms, and other heraldic bearings and insignia used in Australia. It largely follows the Gallo-British tradition of heraldry also followed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand.
District tartans for the Commonwealth of Australia and for each of its constituent States have been registered in the Scottish Register of Tartans (SRT). Additionally, fashion tartans covering either Australia as a whole, or its capital city, Canberra, have been registered in the SRT, as have district tartans in respect of some of Australia's local government areas.