English: The coat of arms of the Australian Capital Territory. The coat of arms of Canberra was created, designed, and produced at the request of the Australian Federal Department of Defence. Before the completion of Canberra as a planned city, the results of the Canberra coat of arms design competition were announced to all citizens within the Commonwealth. The design was then sent to London and presented to the Royal Household; it was approved by the British Cabinet, authorized for use, and granted royal assent as a symbol and heraldic emblem representing a local authority.

The crown at the very top of the shield symbolizes royal authority. The scepter within the shield symbolizes the governing power of the Australian Federal Parliament. The sword within the shield symbolizes the authority to enforce the law. The castle and three towers within the shield symbolize the three branches of government (the executive, legislative, and judicial). The flower beneath the castle on the shield is a white rose that is difficult for most people to recognize. The white rose commemorates the Duke of York’s departure from Australia’s former Federal Parliament in 1927. The Duke of York was later crowned King George VI of the United Kingdom. The iron portcullis crowning the shield symbolizes the traditional parliamentary legislative institution of the Palace of Westminster in the United Kingdom. Behind the portcullis stands a eucalyptus tree (also known as a gum tree), growing on lush green grass, representing Canberra as a city that is continually growing and thriving. The black swan represents Australia’s Indigenous peoples, while the white mute swan represents Europeans and white settlers in Australia. Each swan raises one foot to support the shield, symbolizing the joint support of Indigenous people and Europeans.

The inscription on the gold scroll at the bottom of the shield reads “For the Queen, the Law, and the People.” This phrase does not originate from the Royal Household or any official source, but from the motto found on an antique item donated by a family of Scottish ancestry living near the River Tay.