Commonwealth Star

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 which came into force on 1 January 1901.

Six points of the Star represent the six

Territory of Papua led to the addition of the seventh point in 1909 to represent it and future territories.^[1]

The Commonwealth Star is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Australian flag and also features on the Australian coat of arms.

Official name

Although the term "Federation Star" is frequently used, the term "Commonwealth Star" is the official name. This is because that was the name ascribed to the star by the Australian Government when the Australian flag was adopted and such adoption was gazetted in the official Government gazette.^[2]

Usage

The Commonwealth Star is found on both the

Southern Cross on the fly. 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

becoming a republic, it has been suggested that the Commonwealth Star replace the Crown.^[3]

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

Ambulance Service Medal and the Australian Police Medal

.

With the marriage of

Mary Donaldson (now Queen Mary) in 2004, Mary was honoured with the Order of the Elephant. The chief field of the Queen's coat of arms shows two gold Commonwealth Stars from the coat of arms of Australia

.