Coat Of Arms Of The Australian Capital Territory

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. A modified version of this coat of arms also appears on the flag of the Australian Capital Territory, adopted in 1993.

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 various symbols of the coat of arms are explained below:

• The crown symbolises the authority of the King in the Commonwealth Government;
• The mace symbolises the law making authority of the Parliament of Australia;
• The sword depicts the sword of justice, representing national authority and the executive authority of the Commonwealth, exercised in the name of the Crown;
• 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;
• The portcullis is taken from the arms of the city of Westminster, thereby linking Canberra with the then "virtual capital of the [British] empire";
• Behind the portcullis is a gum tree which "represents the growth and progress of Canberra, and the fact that it is garden city";
• The supporters are the Australian black swan, representing Aboriginal Australians, and the European white mute swan, representing European Australians;
• The motto is "For the King, the Law and the People", a modified English translation of "Pro Rege, Lege et Grege". The motto is the same as that of the city of Perth, Scotland and the Ponsonby family.

The creation of the coat of arms of the city of Canberra originated from a request by the Commonwealth Department of Defence to the Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs and Territories in July 1927. The request was made so that the coat of arms could be used on the newly commissioned ship HMAS Canberra. In August 1927, the Federal Capital Commissioners (FCC) announced a competition to design a coat of arms for the FCC and for the city of Canberra.

 

The Federal Capital Commission (FCC) commenced the competition to design a coat of arms for the city of Canberra in 1928.

In April 1928, the design of one Mr C. R. Wylie, having won the competition, was sent to the College of Arms, in London, for approval. The coat of arms at this stage did not include a motto. After minor adjustments, King George V granted the design in pursuance of a royal warrant dated 8 October 1928. The College of Arms issued the official exemplification (artistic rendition) and blazon (description) on 7 November 1928, along with a crest.

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.

Coat of arms of the Australian Capital Territory

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. 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. 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.

• Australian heraldry