The Australian coat of arms looks a little like the traditional heraldic signs of other states, because it depicts animals and plants. However, at the same time, it fits into the arms system, because each of its details has a special meaning.
By the will of the king
Australia received its own emblem relatively recently, in 1908, at the behest of King Edward VII. Four years later, his successor George V approved the changes in the coat of arms, and he remained so to this day.
In the center of the Australian coat of arms is a shield that is divided into six parts. This symbolizes the six states of the country that were part of it in 1912: Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, South and Western Australia. Each state is represented by a mini-image of its own coat of arms. Internal and external territories on it are visually reflected. The shield is surrounded by a silver border with fourteen black crosses. It is also considered as a stylized ermine ribbon - a sign that Australia is part of the British Commonwealth of Nations.
New South Wales on the emblem is a cross with a golden star, Victoria is the constellation Southern Cross and the crown, Queensland is the Maltese cross, South Australia is a shrike bird, Western Australia is a swan, Tasmania is a lion.
Above the shield is a blue-gold borelet. Previously, this was only a part of the knight's headgear, which softened the blows on the helmet. Then it began to mean that a person had been on a crusade, and the windbreaker was included in the list of heraldic symbols. It is used as a status element.
Above the windbreak is a Commonwealth star. She has seven rays. Six of them symbolize the Australian states that joined the federation in 1901, and the seventh - all future territories. Initially, the seventh ray meant only the Papua Territory, and its expanded meaning appeared in 1908.
