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Great Seal of Australia

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Great Seal of Australia depicting the coat of arms of Australia. Above the words 'Elizabeth the Second' and below 'Queen of Australia'
Great Seal of Australia as used from 1973 to 2024 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II
Great Seal of Australia as used from 1947 to 1954 during the reign of King George VI

The Great Seal of Australia (also known as the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Australia) is used on some important documents (such as officer commissions, judicial appointments and letters-patent for royal commissions) to demonstrate the approval of the Commonwealth.[1] As the imprint of the seal could not be easily reproduced by government printers, its presence is shown by the initials "L.S" for locus sigilli ('the place of the seal') on copies of sealed documents.[2]

The current design features the coat of arms of Australia and the word Australia. It was authorised by King Charles III on 21 October 2024 during his first visit to Australia as monarch.[3][4]

History

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Obverse of the 1901 Great Seal of Australia, designed by David Henry Souter
Reverse of the 1901 Great Seal of Australia, designed by Blamire Young

The first great seal was chosen in 1901 by the Commonwealth government and 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.[5] It was designed via competition, with entries by Bulletin cartoonist DH Souter and painter Blamire Young chosen for the design.[6] It also features on the mace of the House of Representatives.[7]

The second 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.[8]

The third design was authorised by Elizabeth II on 19 October 1973 during another of her visits to Australia.[6] It featured the coat of arms of Australia, beneath the words Elizabeth the Second and above the words Queen of Australia.[9] 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.[10]

The fourth and 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.[4][3]

State and territory seals

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Queensland

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Seal of the Colony of Queensland

The letters-patent establishing the colony of Queensland as an entity separate from New South Wales granted the governor the authority to keep and use the "Great Seal of the Colony".[11] The only surviving depiction of the seal is a hand seal for wax impressions, which depicts Queen Victoria on the Coronation Chair.[12] 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.[12] It was designed by Mr JW Purvis, a die maker and engraver following a public competition.[13] 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 "elizabeth the second by the grace of god queen of australia and her other realms and territories in the commonwealth".

Design for the Seal of State of Queensland

Western Australia

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Seal of Western Australia

The great seal of Western Australia depicts the Royal Coat of Arms of the UK above a black swan. It was used from 1837 until at least 1952.[14]

New South Wales

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Under the New South Wales constitution, the governor formally provides, keeps and uses the "Public Seal of the State".[15] In fact, the seal is kept at the New South Wales cabinet office and is used by government officials.[16] 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.[16] The governor then relented, returning the seal and refused to accept the resignations.[16] However, the governor later fled Sydney on the day of his term expiring in order to avoid a censure motion, being debated in Parliament on the same day.[16]

The first seal of the New South Wales government was granted by King George III in 1790. Its design was used for the second seal in 1817 and a third seal in 1827. It depicted convicts landing at Botany Bay, taking off their shackles and engaging in Industry.[17] The description for the seal in its royal warrant is as follows:[18]

Convicts landed at Botany Bay; their fetters taken off and received by Industry, sitting on a bale of goods with her attributes, the distaff, bee-hive, pick axe, and spade, pointing to an oxen ploughing, the rising habitations, and a church on a hill at a distance, with a fort for their defence. Motto: Sic fortis etruria crevit ['So, I think, this is how brave Etruria grew']; with this inscription round the circumference, Sigillum Nov. Camb. Aust. ['Seal New South Wales']

The fourth seal granted in 1832 by King William IV modified this design, inserting the royal arms above the convict symbolism.[17] The fifth seal granted on the ascension of Queen Victoria kept this design, but removed without explanation the motto Sic fortis etruria crevit (a quote from Virgil's Georgics alluding to the rise of Etruria and the Etruscans and the future greatness the colony could aspire to as a result of expansion of agriculture and industry).[19][20]

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.[21] 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.[22] Around the edge of the seal were the words "new south wales" and "elizabeth ii d g br terr avst regn svorvm cet reg consortionis popvlorvm priceps f d" meaning 'Elizabeth II, by Grace of God of Great Britain, Australia, and of her other Realms and Territories Queen'.[22] In 2004, consideration was given to changing the seal to remove the depiction of the royal arms.[22]

Victoria

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The Great Seal of Victoria, as present on the letters patent of the Yoorrook Justice Commission

The seal of Victoria depicts the royal arms on the top half and sheep grazing on the bottom half. Inscribed around the outside is "Elizabeth II Dei Gratia Britanniarium Terrae Australis Regnorumque Suorum Ceterorum Regina, Consortionis Populorum Princeps, Fideo Defensor".[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (2021). Federal Executive Council Handbook (PDF) (Report). Commonwealth of Australia. paras 164–5. ISBN 978-1-925364-53-8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b Taylor, Greg (2006). The constitution of Victoria. Annandale, NSW: Federation Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-86287-612-5.
  3. ^ a b "Senator Lidia Thorpe removed from Parliament House reception after King Charles's speech — as it happened". ABC News (Australia). 20 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b Dumas, Daisy (31 October 2024). "'Republicanism by stealth': Australia's Great Seal redesign ditches reference to monarch". The Guardian.
  5. ^ "Australia's First Great Seal". Bendigo Advertiser. Vol. XLVIX, no. 14, 391. Victoria, Australia. 11 September 1901. p. 5. Retrieved 7 September 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ a b Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (2022). Australian Symbols (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. ISBN 978-0-642-47131-4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Questions on Notice: Mace Head Revisited". Parliament of Australia. 13 November 2019. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Authorises Use Of New Great Seal". Morning Bulletin. No. 29, 496. Queensland, Australia. 17 February 1954. p. 4. Retrieved 7 September 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (10 May 2019). "The Governor-General and the Great Seal". Archived from the original on 10 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Royal Style and Titles Act 1973 (Cth)". Museum of Australian Democracy. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  11. ^ Queen Victoria (6 June 1859). "Letters Patent erecting Colony of Queensland" (PDF). Documenting a Democracy. Museum of Australian Democracy. And we do hereby authorise and empower you the said Sir George Ferguson Bowen to keep and use the Great Seal of our said colony for sealing all things whatsoever that shall pass the Great Seal of our said colony
  12. ^ a b Kross, Gary (April 2000). History of the public seal of the colony and state of Queensland. Libraries Australia ID 40630245.
  13. ^ "Queensland State Seal". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. LVIII, no. 13, 637. Queensland, Australia. 26 September 1901. p. 4 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ "Wanted, One Coat of Arms". The West Australian. Vol. 68, no. 20, 526. Western Australia. 3 May 1952. p. 19 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ Constitution Act 1902 (NSW) s 9H
  16. ^ a b c d Twomey, Anne (2004). The constitution of New South Wales. Sydney: Federation Press. pp. 680–1. ISBN 978-1-86287-516-6.
  17. ^ a b "The Third Great Seal of NSW 1827 - 1832". NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. 1 September 2012. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020.
  18. ^ "The First (or Territorial) Seal of New South Wales of 1790 - 1817". NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. 1 September 2012. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020.
  19. ^ Midford, Sarah. "Vergil in the Antipodes: the Classical Tradition and Colonial Australian Literature". Society for Classical Studies. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  20. ^ "Sic Fortis Etruria Crevit". The Star. No. 220. New South Wales, Australia. 23 November 1909. p. 7. Retrieved 3 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ^ "The Sixth Great Seal 1870 - 1905". NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. 1 September 2012. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020.
  22. ^ a b c Twomey, Anne (2004). The constitution of New South Wales. Sydney: Federation Press. p. 682. ISBN 978-1-86287-516-6.
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