Culture of Australia - National Symbols

National Symbols

When the Australian colonies federated on 1 January 1901, an official competition for a design for an Australian flag was held. The design that was adopted contains the Union Flag in the left corner, symbolising Australia's historical links to the United Kingdom, the stars of the Southern Cross on the right half of the flag indicating Australia's geographical location, and the seven-pointed Federation Star in the bottom left representing the six states and the territories of Australia. Other official flags include the Australian Aboriginal Flag, the Torres Strait Islander Flag and the flags of the individual states and territories.

The Australian Coat of Arms was granted by King George V in 1912 and consists of a shield containing the badges of the six states, within an ermine border. The crest above the shield and helmet is a seven-pointed gold star on a blue and gold wreath, representing the 6 states and the territories. The shield is supported by a red kangaroo and an emu.

Green and gold were confirmed as Australia's national colours in 1984, though the colours had been adopted by many national sporting teams long before this. At the same time a revised version of the 19th century song "Advance Australia Fair" became Australia's official national anthem. Both these were formalised by proclamation by the Governor-General, on the advice of the Prime Minister, Bob Hawke.

The Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) was officially proclaimed as the national floral emblem in 1988.