The ACT’s Emblems
The ACT has a faunal, floral, mammal and fossil emblem.
All the emblems have no legislative requirements surrounding their use.
Contact protocol@act.gov.au if you would like to use the emblems.
Faunal Emblem
The Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum) was adopted as the faunal emblem for the ACT on 27 February 1997.
Canberra is the only city in Australia where these distinctive ash-grey cockatoos live. During winter small flocks are common in gardens around the city. In summer most of the flocks return to the mountain forests to breed in tree hollows. Their call is a distinctive sound resembling the sound of a squeaking gate.
Floral Emblem
On 26 May 1982 the Royal Bluebell (Wahlenbergia gloriosa) was announced as the floral emblem for the ACT.
The Royal Bluebell is a frost-hardy ground cover, flowering from late October until February. It is found in the high mountain areas of the ACT, south eastern NSW and eastern Victoria.
Mammal Emblem
The Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillata) was adopted as the ACT’s mammal emblem in November 2018.
The Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby is endangered and was last seen in the wild in the ACT in 1959. Since 1996, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve have successfully bred over 60 animals. The Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby is also culturally significant to the Ngunnawal people.
Fossil Emblem
Batocara mitchelli was adopted as the ACT’s fossil emblem in November 2022.
Batocara mitchelli is a trilobite from an extinct group of anthropods and is the most common trilobite in the ACT. Trilobites went extinct around 250 million years ago. A near complete specimen was found while drilling the foundations of the Treasury building in the 1940s.
The Coat of Arms of the City of Canberra
The creation of the City of Canberra Coat of Arms 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 Commission (FCC) announced a competition to design a Coat of Arms for the FCC and for the City of Canberra.
The chosen design was sent to the College of Arms, London, in April 1928. After a few modifications, the Coat of Arms was granted by the College in pursuance of a Royal Warrant dated 8 October 1928. The Arms and a Crest were granted on 7 November 1928.
The motto on the Coat of Arms has been updated following the death of Her Majesty The Queen. It now reads “For the King, the Law and the People”. If you require artwork with the new motto, please email us.
If you wish to use or replicate the Coat of Arms, contact protocol@act.gov.au to seek approval.
The Australian Capital Territory Flag
In competitions in 1988 and 1992, artists and other interested citizens provided designs for consideration for the ACT flag. There was no general agreement on a particular design, however there were some features in common amongst the entries.
These features were incorporated into four options presented to the ACT community in early 1993. The ACT Electoral Office reported that the most popular choice was a design featuring the Southern Cross and a modified form of the City of Canberra Coat of Arms.
The colours of blue, gold and white were chosen for good reasons. Blue and white are the livery colours of the City (shown by the wreath above the shield on the Canberra City Coat of Arms), while blue and gold are the traditional sporting colours of the ACT.
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382 KB]Enquiries:
Email: protocol@act.gov.auPhone: 02 6205 3031
