Australia - Official symbols

Australia - Official symbols

Factfile
OFFICIAL NAME: Commonwealth of Australia
FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government
-  Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II.
-  Governor-General: Quentin Bryce
-  Prime Minister: Kevin Rudd
-  States and territories: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory
CAPITAL: Canberra
AREA:  7,686,850 km2
POPULATION: 21,714,000
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: English
OTHER LANGUAGES: Indigenous languages, Italian, Greek
LITERACY RATE: 99%
RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic 27%, Anglican 22%, other Christian 22%, other 12,4%, none 16,6%
ETHNIC GROUPS: European 95%, Asian 4%, other (including Aboriginals) 1%
CURRENCY: Australian dollar
ECONOMY: Services 78%, industry 16%, agriculture 6%
TIME ZONE: GMT + 10 hours
DRIVES:  on the left
HIGHEST POINT: Mt. Kosciuzsko 2,229 m

australian dollari kurssi
 

1.2. Symbols
1.2.1. Official symbols
1.2.1.1. Flag of Australia
The Australian National Flag is Australia’s foremost national symbol. It was first flown in 1901 and has become an expression of Australian identity and pride. The Australian National Flag flies over the federal and state parliaments. The flag is paraded by our defence forces and displayed around the country at sporting events and by service organisations, schools, community groups and private citizens.  The Australian National Flag has three elements on a blue background: the Union Jack, the Commonwealth Star and the Southern Cross. The Union Jack in the upper left corner (or canton) acknowledges the history of British settlement.  Below the Union Jack is a white Commonwealth or Federation star. It has seven points representing the unity of the six states and the territories of the Commonwealth of Australia. The star is also featured on the Commonwealth Coat of Arms. The Southern Cross is shown on the fly of the flag in white. This constellation of five stars can be seen only from the southern hemisphere and is a reminder of Australia’s geography.

1.2.1.2. National anthem
In 1973 a competition was held for a distinctively Australian national anthem. The Australian National Anthem Quest was run in two stages by the Australia Council for the Arts. The first stage for lyrics attracted more than 1400 entries. The second stage for music received 1200 entries.  A prize of $5,000 was offered for each stage. The judges decided the entries did not meet the high standards of Australia’s traditional songs ‘Advance Australia Fair’, ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and ‘Song of Australia’. The Australia Council for the Arts recommended the final choice for the national anthem should be made from these three songs. The Bureau of Statistics ran a national poll of 60 000 people. ‘Advance Australia Fair’ was favoured by 51.4 per cent of the people followed by ‘Waltzing Matilda’ (19.6 per cent). The original composition of ‘Advance Australia Fair’ was written by Peter Dodds McCormick in 1878 and consisted of four verses. In 1974 ‘Advance Australia Fair’ was adopted as the Australian National Anthem; however in 1976 ‘God Save The Queen’ was reinstated. In 1977 the Australian Electoral Office conducted a poll for the national anthem tune in conjunction with a referendum. The tune ‘Advance Australia Fair’ was the preferred option. In 1981 the National Australia Day Council recommended that the Australian National Anthem consist of two verses of ‘Advance Australia Fair ‘with some modification.

1.2.1.3. Coat of arms
The Commonwealth Coat of Arms is the formal symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia that signifies Commonwealth authority and ownership. The Commonwealth Coat of Arms is used by Australian Government departments and agencies, statutory and non-statutory authorities, the Parliament and Commonwealth courts and tribunals.

1.2.1.4. Floral emblem
Australia’s national floral emblem is the golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha Benth.). When in flower, the golden wattle displays the national colours, green and gold. As one species of a large genus of flora growing across Australia, the golden wattle is a symbol of unity. Wattle is ideally suited to withstand Australia’s droughts, winds and bushfires. The resilience of wattle represents the spirit of the Australian people. In recent times, the golden wattle has been used as a symbol of remembrance and reflection. On national days of mourning, for example, Australians are invited to wear a sprig of wattle. The golden wattle has been used in the design of Australian stamps and many awards in the Australian honours system. A single wattle flower is the emblem of the Order of Australia.

National Wattle Day
The first day of September is National Wattle Day. It builds on a long unofficial tradition of wearing the wattle blossom on 1 September. The day was introduced in 1913 by an association called the Wattle Day League and formally recognised on 23 June 1992. Australians can celebrate their floral heritage each Wattle Day by planting wattles.

1.2.1.5. National gemstone
Australia’s national gemstone is the opal, a stone famous across the world for its brilliant colours. In Indigenous stories, a rainbow created the colours of the opal when it touched the earth. Opal, also known to Indigenous people as the fire of the desert, is a powerful symbol of Australia’s arid interior. Australia is home to the world’s highest quality, precious opal. The most famous is black opal from Lightning Ridge in New South Wales. Black opal has a colour play of red, green, blue, violet, magenta or yellow against a dark background. Australia’s opal fields are bigger than those found in the rest of the world combined. Opal production was worth $71.4 million to Australia in 2003 and supports many communities in South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. Australian opals are valued for their stability as well as brilliance. Opals from other countries are associated with volcanic rock and have high water content and tend to crack or craze during cutting or polishing, or during hot or dry conditions. Australia’s precious opals include black opal, white opal, crystal opal, fire opal and boulder opal.