State Coat of Arms and badge
Part of the State flag, emblems and icons topic
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In short
Learn about the history and symbolism behind Queensland's Coat of Arms and State badge. Both the Coat of Arms and badge are owned by the Queensland Government and are not available for commercial use.
Coat of Arms
Queen Victoria granted the Queensland Coat of Arms, the oldest State Arms in Australia, to the Colony of Queensland in 1893. They were the first Arms assigned to a British colony since Charles II granted Jamaica its Arms in 1661.
In 1977, during the Queen's Silver Jubilee year, the Coat of Arms was given a more modern appearance when Queen Elizabeth II granted the supporting animals, the brolga and the red deer.
On the Coat of Arms is Queensland's state motto, Audax at Fidelis, which means 'Bold but Faithful'.
As of August 2012, the Queensland Coat of Arms is the formal identifier for the Queensland Government, as well as being used for ministerial and parliamentary purposes.
Meaning behind the symbols
The Coat of Arms symbolises the Queen's constitutional authority in the state. Primary industries take pride of place on the Coat of Arms, in line with economic trends in the nineteenth century.
Rural activities are represented by a sheaf of wheat, the heads of a bull and a ram, and 2 stalks of sugar cane which surround the state badge at the top. The prominence of mining is represented by a column of gold rising from a heap of quartz.
The brolga is one of Queensland's most distinctive birds and is also Queensland's official state bird emblem. The red deer was introduced from the royal herds near London and represents the old world.
State badge
The badge of Queensland developed from the need to include a seal or badge in the design of the Queensland state flag.
The badge was adopted as part of the state flag on 29 November 1876. It's officially described as 'On a Roundel Argent a Maltese Cross Azure surmounted with a Royal Crown'.
It was designed by William Hemmant, then Queensland Colonial Secretary and Treasurer. In 1893, the badge was incorporated into the Coat of Arms.
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Managed by: Department of the Premier and Cabinet