Great Seal of Australia

The Great Seal of Australia is provided for by letters patent signed by Queen Victoria in 1900. The first great seal was chosen in a competition in 1901 with entries by Bulletin cartoonist DH Souter and painter Blamire Young chosen for the design. Some other changes were made and the seal arrived in Australia after being produced by the Royal Mint in 1904. Before it arrived, the personal seal of the governor-general was used. The first seal depicts on one side the arms of Great Britain surrounded by the arms of the States of Australia. The other side depicts a woman on a charger, carrying a shield with a Union Jack design and in the hand a palm. Behind her is an image of the sun and beneath is the words Advance Australia. This design also features on the mace of the House of Representatives. The seal of King George VI had the design slightly modified, with the swan of Western Australia changing direction and the cross of Queensland being corrected from to moline to a maltese cross. The badge of South Australia were also replaced following their first coat of arms being granted. The border of words was also modified with another line of text used. The seal did not arrive in Australia until 1938. In 1947, the seal was modified to remove the words referencing the King's title of "Emperor of India" following its independence. The another design was authorised by Elizabeth II on 17 February 1954 while presiding over the Federal Executive Council in Canberra during her first visit as reigning monarch. The next design was authorised by Elizabeth II on 19 October 1973 during another of her visits to Australia. The badge of South Australia was also changed back to a piping strike. On this occasion, the Queen also took on the style Queen of Australia, signifying the separate constitutional identity of the monarch from her role in other Commonwealth realms. The design was chosen from the following proposals: The current design was authorised on 21 October 2024 by King Charles III during his first visit to Australia as monarch. The design is a modification of the previous seal, with the text referencing the monarch removed. Guardian Australia reports that the design was chosen to allow it to be used in perpetuity. == State seals ==

New South Wales Under the New South Wales constitution, the governor formally provides, keeps and uses the "Public Seal of the State". In fact, the seal is kept at the New South Wales cabinet office and is used by government officials. On 17 January 1861, the governor demanded to use the seal on a deed, however the premier advised against this and threaten to resign if the governor acted otherwise. The governor insisted he be given the seal, so the premier did so, but resigned along with the rest of the ministry. The description for the seal in its royal warrant is as follows: The fourth seal granted in 1832 by King William IV modified this design, inserting the royal arms above the convict symbolism. The sixth seal was granted in 1870 removed all references to the convict past of New South Wales and instead emphasised the agricultural prosperity of the colony. The convict imagery was replaced by a golden fleece between two Prince of Wales' feathers beneath the royal arms above nine stars. The golden fleece had become a symbol of New South Wales and it depicted on the current coat of arms. The feathers were a pun referring to the colony's name, while also referencing chivalry and the ancient Principality of Wales. The shedding of convict emblems reflected the increasingly distinct personality the colony had compared with the imperial mother country. In 1912 the seal's design was changed to include the coat of arms of New South Wales. At least by 2004, the seal depicted a hybrid of the New South Wales coat of arms and the royal arms, with the rising sun that appears above the shield of the NSW arms replaced with the shield of the royal arms. Around the edge of the seal were the words "" and "" meaning . Victoria The seal of Victoria depicts the royal arms on the top half and sheep grazing on the bottom half. Inscribed around the outside is "". The only surviving depiction of the seal is a hand seal for wax impressions, which depicts Queen Victoria on the Coronation Chair. It is held by the Queensland Museum. After federation, a new seal design was created, which depicted the coat of arms of the UK held by a lion, next to the coat of arms of Queensland held by a kangaroo, above a banana tree. The inscription of the seal changed on the ascension of each monarch and the change of style of Queen Elizabeth II to Queen of Australia. The most current inscription reads "". Western Australia The great seal of Western Australia originally depicted the Royal Coat of Arms of the UK above a black swan. It was used from 1837 until at least 1952. In 2004, a new seal was granted by the governor, exercising the powers of the monarch as conferred on him by section 7 of the Australia Act 1986. It depicts the coat of arms of Western Australia surrounded by the words "". {{gallery|Seal of Western Australia.jpg|Seal of Western Australia (1837–2004) South Australia The public seal of South Australia depicts the royal arms above the state badge: a piping shrike on a gold circle. This design remains in use. Tasmania The seal of Tasmania in use in 1936 was similar to that of South Australia and Queensland, except that the bottom depicts a group of three people, two standing and one reclining. == See also ==