Government and Politics of Australia

Other National Symbols

• National Flower

  When in flower, the golden wattle displays the national colours, green and gold. <P>As one species of a large genus of flora growing across Australia, the golden wattle is a symbol of unity. Wattle is purpose-built to withstand Australia’s droughts, winds and bushfires. The resilience of wattle represents the spirit of the Australian people. <P>In recent times, the golden wattle has been used as a symbol of remembrance and reflection. On national days of mourning, for example, Australians are invited to wear a sprig of wattle. <P>The golden wattle has been used in the design of Australian stamps and many awards in the Australian honors system. A single wattle flower is the emblem of the Order of Australia.

• National Flower

  Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha Benth.).

  When in flower, the golden wattle displays the national colours, green and gold. <P>As one species of a large genus of flora growing across Australia, the golden wattle is a symbol of unity. Wattle is purpose-built to withstand Australia’s droughts, winds and bushfires. The resilience of wattle represents the spirit of the Australian people. <P>In recent times, the golden wattle has been used as a symbol of remembrance and reflection. On national days of mourning, for example, Australians are invited to wear a sprig of wattle. <P>The golden wattle has been used in the design of Australian stamps and many awards in the Australian honors system. A single wattle flower is the emblem of the Order of Australia.

• Gemstone

  opal

  Australia's national gemstone is the opal, a stone famous across the world for its brilliant colours. <P>In Indigenous stories, a rainbow created the colours of the opal when it touched the earth. <P>Opal, also known to Indigenous people as the fire of the desert, is a powerful symbol of Australia's arid interior. <P>Australia is home to the world's highest quality, precious opal. The most famous is black opal from Lightning Ridge in New South Wales. Black opal has a colour play of red, green, blue, violet, magenta or yellow against a dark background. <P>Australia's opal fields are bigger than those found in the rest of the world combined. Opal production was worth $71.4 million to Australia in 2003 and supports many communities in South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. <P>Australian opals are valued for their stability as well as brilliance. Opals from other countries are associated with volcanic rock and have high water content and tend to crack or craze during cutting or polishing, or during hot or dry conditions. <P>Australia's precious opals include black opal, white opal, crystal opal, fire opal and boulder opal. Proclamation <P>The Governor-General, the Hon Bill Hayden AC, proclaimed the opal Australia's national gemstone on 27 July 1993.

• National Flower

  Golden Wattel

  Adopted: August 19, 1988

  Acacia pycnantha, Golden Wattle, is a shrub or small tree about 4 to 8 metres tall. After the seedling stage, true leaves are absent, their function being performed by phyllodes which are modified flattened leaf stalks lacking leaf blades. The leathery phyllodes are 6 to 20 cm long, broadly lance or sickle-shaped and bright green in colour. In spring large fluffy golden-yellow flower-heads with up to eighty minute sweetly scented flowers provide a vivid contrast with the foliage. The dark brown mature fruit, 7 to 12 cm long, splits along one side to release the seeds. Golden Wattle occurs in the understorey of open forest or woodland and in open scrub formations in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, in temperate regions with mean annual rainfall of 350 mm to 1000 mm. It has been introduced into the Stirling Ranges near Perth where it threatens to become weedy. It regenerates freely after fires, which usually kill the parent plants but stimulate the germination of seeds stored in the soil if rain follows soon after. Regeneration may produce dense thickets in forests and woodlands and along roadsides. The brilliant yellow, fragrant flowers of Golden Wattle make it a popular garden plant. It is moderately frost tolerant and grows well in a wide range of soils provided drainage is effective, but tends to be short-lived in cultivation. It is easily propagated from seed soaked in hot water to break the hard seed coat, and the seedlings can be transplanted to pots of soil mix for growing on before planting out in a lightly shaded or open position. Golden Wattle is grown abroad in temperate regions for its bark which has a higher content of tannin than other species of Acacia cultivated for tanbark, although its relatively small size reduces the overall yield. Golden Wattle flowers have been used in perfume making. It was introduced to horticulture in the northern hemisphere about the middle of the nineteenth century. In Britain it survives outdoors only in the mildest areas. In California it has escaped from garden cultivation and now grows wild but it is not considered a pest. In South Africa, however, it has become a significant weed species.

• National Flower

  Golden Wattel

  Adopted: August 19, 1988

  Acacia pycnantha, Golden Wattle, is a shrub or small tree about 4 to 8 metres tall. After the seedling stage, true leaves are absent, their function being performed by phyllodes which are modified flattened leaf stalks lacking leaf blades. The leathery phyllodes are 6 to 20 cm long, broadly lance or sickle-shaped and bright green in colour. In spring large fluffy golden-yellow flower-heads with up to eighty minute sweetly scented flowers provide a vivid contrast with the foliage. The dark brown mature fruit, 7 to 12 cm long, splits along one side to release the seeds. Golden Wattle occurs in the understorey of open forest or woodland and in open scrub formations in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, in temperate regions with mean annual rainfall of 350 mm to 1000 mm. It has been introduced into the Stirling Ranges near Perth where it threatens to become weedy. It regenerates freely after fires, which usually kill the parent plants but stimulate the germination of seeds stored in the soil if rain follows soon after. Regeneration may produce dense thickets in forests and woodlands and along roadsides. The brilliant yellow, fragrant flowers of Golden Wattle make it a popular garden plant. It is moderately frost tolerant and grows well in a wide range of soils provided drainage is effective, but tends to be short-lived in cultivation. It is easily propagated from seed soaked in hot water to break the hard seed coat, and the seedlings can be transplanted to pots of soil mix for growing on before planting out in a lightly shaded or open position. Golden Wattle is grown abroad in temperate regions for its bark which has a higher content of tannin than other species of Acacia cultivated for tanbark, although its relatively small size reduces the overall yield. Golden Wattle flowers have been used in perfume making. It was introduced to horticulture in the northern hemisphere about the middle of the nineteenth century. In Britain it survives outdoors only in the mildest areas. In California it has escaped from garden cultivation and now grows wild but it is not considered a pest. In South Africa, however, it has become a significant weed species.

• Coat of Arms

  Adopted: 1912

  The Australian 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 Crest, the device above the shield and helmet on a coat of arms, 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 new test-series cricket helmet.Australia has never adopted any official motto or faunal or bird emblem. By popular tradition, however, the kangaroo and emu are widely accepted as national 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. 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.