Coat of arms of Australia - Wikipedia Coat of arms of Australia The Coat of Arms of Australia Versions Escutcheon - only version Details Armiger Elizabeth II in Right of Australia Adopted 19 September 1912 Crest Commonwealth Star Torse Blue and Gold Escutcheon Quarterly of six, the first quarter Argent a Cross Gules charged with a Lion passant guardant between on each limb a Mullet of eight points Or ; the second Azure five Mullets, one of eight, two of seven, one of six and one of five points of the first ( representing the Constellation of the Southern Cross ) ensigned with an Imperial Crown proper ; the third of the first a Maltese Cross of the fourth, surmounted by a like Imperial Crown ; the fourth of the third, on a Perch wreathed Vert and Gules an Australian Piping Shrike displayed also proper ; the fifth also Or a Swan naiant to the sinister Sable ; the last of the first, a Lion passant of the second, the whole within a Bordure Ermine ; for the Crest on a Wreath Or and Azure A Seven - pointed Star Or, and for Supporters dexter a Kangaroo, sinister an Emu, both proper. Supporters Red Kangaroo and Emu Compartment Golden Wattle Motto Australia Coat of arms of Australia 1908 -- 1912 Details Armiger Monarch in Right of Australia ( Edward VII 1908 -- 1910 ) ( George V 1910 -- 1912 ) Adopted 7 May 1908 Crest Commonwealth Star Torse White and Blue Supporters Red Kangaroo and Emu Compartment Grassy field proper Motto Advance Australia The coat of arms of Australia is the formal symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia. The first arms were authorised by King Edward VII on 7 May 1908, and the current version by King George V on 19 September 1912, although the 1908 version continued to be used in some contexts, notably appearing on the reverse of the sixpenny coin. Contents 1 Design 2 History 3 Use 4 Coats of arms of states and territories 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Design The escutcheon is the focal point of the coat of arms, contained within is the badge of each Australian state, the whole surrounded by an ermine border representing the federation of the states :. State Badge Description New South Wales the cross of St. George with lion and stars Victoria an Imperial Crown and Southern Cross Queensland a blue Maltese Cross and Crown South Australia the Australian piping shrike Western Australia a black swan Tasmania a red walking lion In the top half, from left to right, the states represented are : New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. In the bottom half, from left to right : South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania. Above the shield is the seven - pointed Commonwealth Star or Star of Federation above a blue and gold wreath, forming the crest. Six of the points on the star represent the original six states, while the seventh point represents the combined territories and any future states of Australia. In its entirety the shield represents the federation of Australia. The Red Kangaroo and Emu that support the shield have never been designated as official animal emblems of the nation. They owe their unofficial recognition to the fact that they are native Australian fauna ( found only on that continent ), and likely chosen because they are the most well - known native Australian animals large enough to be positioned together in scale holding up the shield. They were chosen to symbolise a nation moving forward, based on the fact that neither animal can move backwards easily -- i.e. symbolising progress. It has been claimed that the kangaroo is, and must be seen to be, male. In the background is wreath of Golden Wattle, the official national floral emblem, though the representation of the species is not botanically accurate. At the bottom of the coat of arms is a scroll that contains the name of the nation. Neither the wreath of wattle nor the scroll are technically part of the design, because they are not described on the Royal Warrant that grants the armorial design. History Bowman Flag 1806 depicts the emu and kangaroo as supporters An 1899 suggested version, and the Australian Federation Flag Following the federation of Australia, the first official coat of arms of Australia was granted by King Edward VII on 7 May 1908. The original design is thought to have been inspired by the 1805 Bowman Flag, which showed a coat of arms of the rose, shamrock and thistle supported by a kangaroo and emu. It consisted of a shield in the centre, the seven pointed star on a wreath as the crest above it, and a kangaroo and an emu using its foot to help the kangaroo to support the shield, all on a bed of green grass with a scroll containing the motto `` Advance Australia ''. The selection of the kangaroo, the emu and the words, `` Advance Australia '' was tied together symbolically. The shield had a white background, with a red cross of Saint George, blue lines outside the cross, and a blue border containing six inescutcheons featuring a red chevron on white, representing the six states. The Scottish Patriotic Association was vocally opposed to the shield 's design, noting that it should display the Union Flag to represent British and Irish settlers. These arms were used by the government and appeared on the sixpence coin from 1910 until 1963, and the threepence, shilling and florin from 1910 to 1936. The 1908 arms were redesigned in 1911, and officially granted by George V on 19 September 1912. The redesign of the coat of arms spurred much debate in Parliament. The Member for Wentworth, Willie Kelly, said : `` The emu and kangaroo are so built that they hardly fit into the heraldic atmosphere, and I think we make ourselves ridiculous when we endeavour to carry on the traditions of the Old World with some of the wild creations of our Australian fauna. '' Despite objections, the kangaroo and emu now not having its leg up remained the shield bearers in the new coat of arms and were modified to appear more realistic. The principal reason for the redesign was the concern that Australia 's states were not individually represented ; that was achieved by showing each state 's heraldic badge on the shield. The new coat of arms removed the bed of grass beneath the shield and changed the scroll to read simply `` Australia ''. The colours in the wreath were also changed from blue and white to blue and gold. A background of two sprays of Golden Wattle was added, but it has never been an official part of the armorial bearings, even though the Golden Wattle was proclaimed Australia 's national flower on 19 August 1988 by the Governor - General Sir Ninian Stephen. Use The Commonwealth Coat of Arms is the formal symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia that signifies Commonwealth authority and ownership. The Arms are used by Australian Government departments and agencies, statutory and non-statutory authorities, the Parliament and Commonwealth courts and tribunals. Senators and Federal Members of the Australian Parliament may also use the Arms in the course of their duties as Parliamentarians. The coat of arms should never be used where it could wrongly imply a formal guarantee, sponsorship or endorsement by the Commonwealth. Use of the arms by private citizens or organisations is rarely permitted ; however, there are provisions for use by sporting bodies and in educational publications. Use of the coat of arms without permission may be in breach of Sections 53 ( c ) ( d ) and ( e ) of the Trade Practices Act 1974, Section 145.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 or Section 39 ( 2 ) of the Trade Marks Act 1995. The import of goods bearing the arms is also illegal according Customs ( Prohibited Imports ) Regulations. There is a full colour version and nine heraldically correct official versions exist for single - colour reproduction. The coat of arms is the basis of the Queen 's Personal Australian Flag, and since 1973 a slightly modified version has formed the basis of the Great Seal of Australia. The coat of arms is used as badge of rank for Warrant Officers Class 1 ( Army ) and Warrant Officer ( Navy and Air Force ). A more stylised version is used as a badge of rank for Warrant Officer of the Navy, Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army and Warrant Officer of the Air Force. Coats of arms of states and territories New South Wales Victoria Queensland South Australia Western Australia Tasmania Australian Capital Territory Norfolk Island Northern Territory See also Australia portal National colours of Australia Coat of arms of Hobart Flag of Australia Aboriginal flag References ^ Jump up to : Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ( 2014 ). Commonwealth Coat of Arms information and Guidelines. ^ Jump up to : `` Coat of Arms ''. About Australia. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2014. Jump up ^ `` The House with Annabel Crabb, ABC TV ''. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 15 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Australian Coat of Arms ''. WorldWideWattle. Retrieved 23 September 2014. Jump up ^ The Armorial Ensigns of the Commonwealth of Australia 1980. Commonwealth of Australia ISBN 0 - 642 - 04793 - 6 Jump up ^ Letter from William Gullick to Atlee Hunt, 10 July 1908 Jump up ^ Hansard, House of Representatives, 31 October 1912 Jump up ^ `` Floral Emblems of Australia ''. Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 23 September 2014. Jump up ^ Use of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms General Guidelines Archived 19 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ It 's an Honour -- Commonwealth Coat of Arms External links Official website with more information National Archives of Australia. Papers relating to the Commonwealth Coat of Arms Online Exhibition commemorating the Centenary of the NSW Coat of Arms 1906 -- 2006 The designer of the NSW Coat of Arms, William Gullick, was also involved in the creation of the Australian Coat of Arms Coats of arms of Australia Commonwealth of Australia States and territories Australian Capital Territory New South Wales Northern Territory Queensland South Australia Tasmania Victoria Western Australia Capital cites Adelaide Brisbane Canberra Darwin Hobart Melbourne Perth Sydney External territories Norfolk Island Seals and coats of arms of Oceania Sovereign states Australia Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu Associated states of New Zealand Cook Islands Niue Dependencies and other territories American Samoa Christmas Island Cocos ( Keeling ) Islands Easter Island French Polynesia Guam Hawaii New Caledonia Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Pitcairn Islands Tokelau Wallis and Futuna National flags and coats of arms National flags Sovereign states Dependent territories Timeline National coats of arms Sovereign states Dependent territories Heraldry portal Australia articles History Timeline Bibliography Prehistory Archaeology European Exploration 1788 -- 1850 1851 -- 1900 1901 -- 1945 Since 1945 By topic Constitutional Diplomatic Economic Federation Immigration Indigenous Military Monarchy Railway Geography Climate Continent Deserts Environment issues Earthquakes Flora Fauna Forests Geology Islands Mountains Regions Protected areas Rivers Subdivisions States and Territories Capitals Cities Politics Constitution Courts Elections Donations Electoral system Parties Federal budget Foreign relations Government Governor - General Human rights Intersex LGBT Transgender Intelligence and security Law Constitution Judiciary Enforcement Military Monarchy National debt Parliament Public Service Women Government leaders Government ministers Economy Agriculture Dollar ( currency ) Energy Gross state product Home ownership Public housing Household income Manufacturing Media Mining Poverty Reserve Bank Stock Exchange Superannuation Taxation Telecommunications Tourism Transportation Welfare system Society Crime Demographics Education Ethnic groups Healthcare Homelessness Immigration Languages Religion Women Culture Architecture Art Arts Australian English Cinema Cuisine Dance Literature Music Public holidays Radio Sport Symbols Television Theatre Outline Index Book Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Coat_of_arms_of_Australia&oldid=808527221 '' Categories : Australian coats of arms National coats of arms National symbols of Australia Coats of arms with birds Coats of arms with crosses Coats of arms with crowns Coats of arms with lions Coats of arms with stars Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Use Australian English from September 2014 All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English Use dmy dates from September 2014 Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Беларуская Bosanski Català Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski বিষ্ণুপ্রিয়া মণিপুরী Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית ქართული Lietuvių Magyar Македонски مصرى Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Tok Pisin Polski Português Română Русский Gagana Samoa Simple English Slovenčina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська Vepsän kel ' Yorùbá 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 3 November 2017, at 11 : 40. 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Question: what does the emu and kangaroo represent on the coat of arms
Answer: a nation moving forward