The Australian Coat of Arms
The Australian Coat of Arms are the property of the Commonwealth of Australia. It used by the Commonwealth of Australia to authenticate official documents, to indicate ownership of property, and for purposes of identification. It is illegal to reproduce or use on any other forms for other purposes without permission.
A common and incorrect assumption is that the Commonwealth Arms are the Commonwealth Crest.
The Australian Coat of Arms consists of:
– The badges of the six states of the Commonwealth are placed on a shield- Two rows and three columns. The six states badges are: (top left - right) New South Wales golden lion passant on the red St Georges Cross on a silver background, Victorias white southern cross beneath an Imperial crown on a blue background, Queensland's light blue Maltese cross with an Imperial crown at its centre on a white background, South Australia's the white-backed magpie with wings out on a yellow background, Westerns Australia's black swan swimming on a yellow background and Tasmania's red lion passant on a white background.
– The shield is borders by an ermine border, signifying the federation of all six states of the Commonwealth.
– A seven pointed start on a blue and gold wreath. Seven points representing the states and territories.
– Supporting the shield by two native animals is, the kangaroo on the left and the emu on the right.
– Usually the wattle leaves are included and a scroll with 'Australia' under the shield. These factors can not be included of the coat of arms.
The coat of arms consists highly of the design principle balance. Its very central and almost symmetrical. There is high detail to the design. Its colours are very native to Australian culture- green and yellow. There is too a sense of stability with the shield being supported by the two animal on either side and the animals themselves are supported by a wattle branch as it seems. Its comes from the Federation/ Australiana period, keeping to the old traditional times of crests and coat of arms where to represents ones place, heritage or country.
The coat of arms depicts a slice of history, can be be easily recognised globally and represents Australia as a united Commonwealth. The traditional style gives great detail and character to the design. The coat of arms represents Australia in sports as the countries emblem/logo. It is present in uniforms such as blazers, hats and shirts. Also appears on medals and flags.
