Coat of arms of the Australian Capital Territory
 | A request that this article title be changed to Coat of arms of Canberra is under discussion. Please do not move this article until the discussion is closed. |
| Coat of arms of the City of Canberra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Adopted | 1928 |
| Crest | On a Wreath of the Colours in front of a Gum Tree issuant from a Mount proper a Portcullis chained Or ensigned with the Imperial Crown also proper. |
| Shield | Azure, a triple towered Castle between in chief a Sword of Justice point upwards to the sinister Argent, pommel and hilt Or, sur mounted by a Parliamentary Mace head upwards to the dexter Gold in saltire charged at their point of intersection with a repre sentation of the Imperial Crown proper and in base a Rose also Argent barbed and seeded proper (being the Rose of York). |
| Supporters | On the dexter side a Swan Sable beaked Gules and on the sinister side a white Swan proper. |
| Motto | For the King, the Law and the People |
The coat of arms of the Australian Capital Territory (officially the coat of arms of the city of Canberra) was granted to the City of Canberra by King George V in 1928, to be used by "the Federal Capital Commissioners and their successors".[1] It has been used by the Australian Capital Territory as its de facto coat of arms, as the territory does not have one of its own.[2] A modified version of this coat of arms also appears on the flag of the Australian Capital Territory, adopted in 1993.[3]
Symbolism[edit]
The various symbols of the coat of arms are explained below:
- The crown symbolises the authority of the King in the Commonwealth Government;[1]
- The mace symbolises the law making authority of the Parliament of Australia;[1]
- The sword depicts the sword of justice, representing national authority[4] and the executive authority of the Commonwealth, exercised in the name of the Crown;[1]
- The castle symbolises the dignity, importance and grandeur of the city and is similar to the castle depicted on the arms of the city of Exeter;
- The White Rose is a White Rose of York, to recognise the role of the Duke of York (later King George VI) in the opening of Old Parliament House, thus establishing Canberra as the nation's new seat of government;[5][1]
- The portcullis is taken from the arms of the city of Westminster, thereby linking Canberra with the then "virtual capital of the [British] empire";[1]
- Behind the portcullis is a gum tree which "represents the growth and progress of Canberra, and the fact that it is garden city";[1]
- The supporters are the Australian black swan, representing Aboriginal Australians, and the European white mute swan, representing European Australians;[4]
- The motto is "For the King, the Law and the People", a modified English translation of "Pro Rege, Lege et Grege".[4] The motto is the same as that of the city of Perth, Scotland and the Ponsonby family.[1]
History[edit]
The creation of the coat of arms of the city of Canberra originated in a request in July 1927 by the Commonwealth Department of Defence for a coat of arms to be used on the newly commissioned ship HMAS Canberra. The Department of Home Affairs and Territories subsequently announced in 1927, on behalf of the Federal Capital Commissioners (FCC), the creation of a competition for the design of the arms. 35 entries were received, with a modified version of a design by Sydney resident Charles Roxburgh Wylie selected and sent to the College of Arms in London for approval. According to the designer, one of the black swans was replaced with a white one after the College of Arms advised that they had just approved two black swans to be the supporters for the Perth Coat of Arms.[6] The swans would now symbolise the white and Indigenous inhabitants of Canberra, much like the Aboriginal and seaman supporters on the 1928 Sydney Coat of Arms. The FCC also stated that the white swan was suggestive of the white Australia policy.[7] Subsequently, on 8 October 1928 the arms, without supporters or a motto was granted by royal warrant by King George V. The College of Arms issued the official exemplification (artistic rendition) and blazon (description) on 7 November 1928. Later, the supporters and motto was granted on 9 November 1928 via letters patent.[3][8]
With the disbanding of the FCC in 1930, it is unclear what body has legal authority over the arms. In 1932 Australian High Commissioner to London sought advice from the College of Arms, which advised that the Commonwealth Government is the legal successor. With the grant of self-government to the ACT in 1989, it is arguable that the ACT Government is now the rightful successor to the FCC. In 2019, the ACT Government acknowledge the ambiguity, however did not conclude either way.[9][10]
Coat of arms of the Australian Capital Territory[edit]
There is currently no coat of arms for the Australian Capital Territory, so instead, the coat of arms of the City of Canberra is often used in place as the territory coat of arms.[3] In March 2019, following the adoption of the southern brush-tailed rock-wallaby as the mammal emblem for the territory, the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly considered adopting a separate new ACT coat of arms.[2] The ACT government ultimately adopted this proposal, with the new coat of arms currently being designed. According to the government consultation website, in 2024 a public vote to select the new coat of arms will be held, with the arms adopted later that year.[11]
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Exemplification of the initial grant of arms -
Exemplification of the grant of supporters for the arms
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Armorial Bearings of the City of Canberra". ArchivesACT. ACT Government. November 2008. Archived from the original on 20 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Should there be a Territory Coat of Arms?". ACT Legislative Assembly. 21 March 2019. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- ^ a b c "ACT Flags and Emblems". Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate. ACT Government. 27 February 2023.
- ^ a b c "Symbols of our democracy". Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory. 21 October 2020.
- ^ "Parliament and the new Federal capital 1927". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ Wylie, C R (10 May 1929). "Canberra's Arms". The Herald. Victoria, Australia. p. 6 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Mowle, P C (20 June 1929). "Canberra's Arms". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. p. 4 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Kingman-Sugars, Geoff (May 2013). "The Arms of Canberra" (PDF). The Australian Heraldry Society Member's Circular. No. 159. pp. 11–13.
- ^ ACT Government (2019). "ACT Government response to the Standing Committee on Environment and Transport and City Services" (PDF). ACT Government.
- ^ Standing Committee on Environment and Transport and City Services (August 2019). "Inquiry into a territory coat of arms" (PDF). ACT Government.
- ^ "Territory emblems". Your Say Conversations. ACT Government. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
External links[edit]
- Documents stored by the National Archives of Australia on the adoption of Canberra's coat of arms (NAA: A1, 1932/215).