The Commonwealth Star (also known as the Federation Star, the Seven Point Star, or the Star of Federation) is a seven-pointed star symbolising the

Federation of Australia The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Wester ...

which came into force on 1 January 1901, originally as a six-pointed star. Six points of the Star represent the six original states of the

Commonwealth of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It has a total area of , making it the sixth-largest country in ...

, while the seventh point represents the territories and any other future states of Australia. The original star had only six points; however, the proclamation in 1905 of the

Territory of Papua The Territory of Papua comprised the southeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea from 1883 to 1975. In 1883, the Government of Queensland annexed this territory for the British Empire. The United Kingdom Government refused to ratify the ...

led to the addition of the seventh point in 1909 to represent it and future territories. The Commonwealth Star is one of the elements of the

Australian flag The national flag of Australia is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star (the Commonwealth Star) and a representation of the Southern C ...

and also features on the Australian coat of arms.

Usage

The Commonwealth Star is found on both the

flag of Australia The national flag of Australia is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star (the Commonwealth Star) and a representation of the Crux, Southe ...

and the

coat of arms of Australia The coat of arms of Australia, officially the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, is a formal symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia. It depicts a shield, containing symbols of Australia's six states, and is held up by native Australian animals, the ka ...

. On the Australian flag the Star appears in the lower hoist quarter, beneath the

Union flag The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. It is sometimes a ...

. In the coat of arms, the Star forms the crest, atop a blue and gold wreath. The Star also appears on the badges of the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

and

Australian Federal Police The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the principal Federal police, federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government responsible for investigating Crime in Australia, crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth ...

. The Star is also used on numerous Australian medals, including the

National Police Service Medal The National Police Service Medal (NPSM) is a special service award within the Australian honours system to provide "recognition for the unique contribution and significant commitment of those persons who have given ethical and diligent service ...

, the Defence Force Service Medal, the civilian Star of Courage, the Public Service Medal, the Ambulance Service Medal and the

Australian Police Medal The Australian Police Medal (APM) is awarded for distinguished service by a member of an Australian police force. The APM was introduced in 1986, and replaced the Imperial King’s Police Medal for Gallantry and King’s Police Medal, King’s Po ...

. The coat of arms of Queen Mary Donaldson, spouse of King Frederik X of Denmark, includes two Commonwealth Stars, to symbolise the Queen's Australian heritage.

Gallery

Image:Flag of Australia (converted).svg,

Flag of Australia The national flag of Australia is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star (the Commonwealth Star) and a representation of the Crux, Southe ...

Image:Coat of Arms of Australia.svg, Australian coat of arms (adopted 1912) Image:Coat of arms of Australia (1908–1912).svg, 1908 coat of arms Image:Royal Standard of Australia (1962–2022).svg, Queen's Personal Australian Flag (used between 1962 and 2022) Image:Flag of the Governor-General of Australia (1908–1936).svg, Flag of the governor-general of Australia (used between 1908 and 1936) Image:DFSM with Fed Star.png, Ribbon for Defence Force Service Medal with Federation Star (5th clasp) Image:Australian 1951 sixpence.jpg, Australian 1951 six pence coin Image:1966 australian 50 cent piece circular.jpg, 1966 Australian 50 cent coin (round) Image:Australian pre decimal coins penny shilling.jpg, Coins of the Australian pound Image:Penny hapenny.jpg, Halfpenny (Australian) and Penny (Australian)

References

{{Reflist National symbols of Australia Star symbols Heraldic charges Symbols introduced in 1901 1901 in Australia

Usage

Gallery

See also

References