What is the Commonwealth Star?

The Commonwealth Star is the seven-pointed white star that appears on the Australian flag and on the Australian coat of arms. Six of its points stand for the six original states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania) that federated on 1 January 1901. The seventh point, added in 1908, represents the territories of the Commonwealth and any future states.

On the flag, the Commonwealth Star sits directly below the Union Jack in the lower half of the canton, the prime position closest to the pole. On the coat of arms, the star sits above the shield in a position of honour, anchoring the entire heraldic design. The same star also appears on Australian fifty-cent coins, on the badges of the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army, and the Royal Australian Air Force, and on the rank insignia of senior officers in those three services.

The seven-pointed design distinguishes the Commonwealth Star from the stars of the Southern Cross on the right of the flag, four of which are drawn with seven points and the smallest with five. Within Australian heraldry, the star is sometimes called the Federation Star, reflecting its origin as a symbol of the act of federation that brought the colonies together as a single nation.

The Commonwealth Star is reproduced in countless other contexts, including on the Australian Federal Police badge, on the seal of the Australian Capital Territory government, on the lapel pin issued to federal members of Parliament, and on the rosette of the Order of Australia. It is one of the most pervasive Australian symbols after the kangaroo, and is used to signal an authoritative or governmental connection to the federation.