INQUIRY INTO A TERRITORY COAT OF ARMS S TANDING C OMMITTEE ON E NVIRONMENT AND T RANSPORT AND C ITY S ERVICES A UGUST 2019 REPORT 9 I NQUIRY INTO A T ERRITORY C OAT OF A RMS THE COMMITTEE COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP CURRENT MEMBERS Ms Suzanne Orr MLA Chair Miss Candice Burch MLA Member (from 15 Feb 2018) and Deputy Chair (from 28 Feb 2018) Mr James Milligan MLA Member (from 20 September 2018) SECRETARIAT Danton Leary Committee Secretary (from June 2019) Annemieke Jongsma Committee Secretary (April 2019 to June 2019) Brianna McGill Committee Secretary (May 2018 to March 2019) Jayden Evett Committee Support Lydia Chung Administration Michelle Atkins Administration CONTACT INFORMATION Telephone 02 6205 0124 Facsimile 02 6205 0432 Post GPO Box 1020, CANBERRA ACT 2601 Email [email protected] Website www.parliament.act.gov.au i S TANDING C OMMITTEE ON E NVIRONMENT AND T RANSPORT AND C ITY S ERVICES RESOLUTION OF APPOINTMENT The Legislative Assembly for the ACT (the Assembly) agreed by resolution on 13 December 2016 to establish legislative and general purpose standing committees to inquire into and report on matters referred to them by the Assembly or matters that are considered by the committees to be of concern to the community, including: A Standing Committee on Environment and Transport and City Services to examine matters related to city and transport services, public infrastructure, heritage, and sport and recreation and matters related to all aspects of climate change policy and programs, water and energy policy and programs, provision of water and energy services, conservation, environment and ecological sustainability.1 TERMS OF REFERENCE At its meeting on Thursday, 29 November 2018, the Assembly passed the following resolution: That the Standing Committee on Environment and Transport and City Services: (1) Further consider, and consult with the community on, a new Territory Coat of Arms; and (2) Report back to the Assembly by 6 June 2019.2 1 Legislative Assembly for the ACT, Minutes of Proceedings No. 2, 13 December 2016, p. 13, accessible at: https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/1017980/MoP002F1.pdf 2 Legislative Assembly for the ACT, Minutes of Proceedings No. 82, 29 November 2018, p. 1172, accessible at: https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1287357/MoP082F.pdf ii I NQUIRY INTO A T ERRITORY C OAT OF A RMS ACRONYMS FCC Federal Capital Commission RAN Royal Australian Navy iii S TANDING C OMMITTEE ON E NVIRONMENT AND T RANSPORT AND C ITY S ERVICES TABLE OF CONTENTS T HE C OMMITTEE .................................................................. I Committee Membership .............................................................................................................................. i Secretariat ................................................................................................................................................... i Contact Information .................................................................................................................................... i Resolution of appointment ......................................................................................................................... ii Terms of reference ..................................................................................................................................... ii A CRONYMS ...................................................................... III R ECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................ VII 1 I NTRODUCTION ................................................................ 1 Background to the inquiry .......................................................................................................................... 1 Conduct of the inquiry ................................................................................................................................ 2 Structure of the report ................................................................................................................................ 3 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................... 3 2 W HAT IS A COAT OF ARMS ? .................................................. 5 Historical roots ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Components of coats of arms ..................................................................................................................... 5 3 T HE C ITY OF C ANBERRA C OAT OF A RMS ..................................... 8 Design Process ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Meaning and symbolism ............................................................................................................................. 9 Association with Royal Australian Navy .................................................................................................... 10 Legal status ............................................................................................................................................... 11 Precedent ................................................................................................................................................. 14 Committee Comment ............................................................................................................................... 15 4 S HOULD THE ACT A DOPT A C OAT OF A RMS? ............................... 16 Support for an ACT coat of arms ............................................................................................................... 16 Opposition to a separate ACT coat of arms ............................................................................................... 21 Adopting new insignia for the Territory, but not a new coat of arms ........................................................ 25 If a new Territory coat or arms was adopted, what should happen to the City of Canberra Coat of Arms? ....................................................................................................................................................... 26 Updating the City of Canberra Coat of Arms ............................................................................................. 28 5 W HAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN AN ACT C OAT OF A RMS? ................. 31 iv I NQUIRY INTO A T ERRITORY C OAT OF A RMS Design concepts ........................................................................................................................................ 31 Design elements ....................................................................................................................................... 35 Design suggestions ................................................................................................................................... 48 6 O PPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION ......................... 52 Scope of community consultation ............................................................................................................. 52 Committee comment ................................................................................................................................ 54 7 P ROCEDURAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR ADOPTING A C OAT OF A RMS ......... 55 Australian precedents ............................................................................................................................... 55 Process for granting a Coat of Arms .......................................................................................................... 56 Committee Comment ............................................................................................................................... 61 8 T HE ACT F LAG AND O THER I NSIGNIA ....................................... 62 ACT Flag .................................................................................................................................................... 62 Design principles, concepts and suggestions ............................................................................................. 67 A symbols package for the ACT ................................................................................................................. 71 Committee Comment ............................................................................................................................... 74 9 C ONCLUSION ................................................................. 75 A PPENDIX A - W ITNESSES ...................................................... 77 21 May 2019 ............................................................................................................................................. 77 A PPENDIX B – S UBMISSIONS ................................................... 78 v I NQUIRY INTO A T ERRITORY C OAT OF A RMS RECOMMENDATIONS R ECOMMENDATION 1 3.30 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government clarify the legal standing of the City of Canberra Coat of Arms. R ECOMMENDATION 2 4.54 Dependant on the legal standing of the City of Canberra Coat of Arms, the Committee recommends that the ACT Government either adopt a Coat of Arms for the Territory or update the City of Canberra Coat of Arms. R ECOMMENDATION 3 6.14 The Committee