Over the years the people have been largely confused about some of the facts that we are going to address today. There has always been the assumption that a Coat of Arms holds a certain power which is somewhat true when we look at lineage and the previously discussed College of Arms and Court of Chivalry overseeing the misuse and disgrace of said Coats of Arms.
A seal becomes relevant to an office at which that seal defines specific action by the office. This puts the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Australia relevant to the Office of Governor General and the actions of the said Office. Letters Patent 1900 and the Constitution at Clause 9 of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act July 1900 UK/PGA define the limitation of the office although Section 4 allows the Monarch to appoint an Administrator into the office.
A unique place to look for historical record is the Commonwealth of Australia Passport which displays some unique characteristics in the use of the Great Seal.
86. COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PASSPORT
a) Great Seal evidence on Passports under Edward VII (1903)
b) Great Seal evidence on Passports under George V (1939 through 1958)
c) Great Seal evidence on Passports under Elizabeth II (1961 through 1968)
Going through the National Archives and Trove for passport information and images of passports and their display of message from the Government displaying the Great Seal a few inconsistencies were noticed in the use of the Great Seal and the message.
We can see by this image that at the issue of this passport the Governor-General had died and the appointment of a new Governor-General had not yet occurred. An Administrator was appointed by the Monarch and the message in the passport reflects this empty office that existed at the date of issue.
The Passport started as a singular piece of paper with a Great Seal affixed giving passage to the bearer of the Passport. From this early issuance the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Australia displaying Edward VII title affixed.
The issuance of Passports after the coronation of George V started to display the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Australia displaying George V title affixed. Passports were then changed into booklets which eventually saw Internationally recognised formats including red, blue and green covers of a defined size and page limit.
There is evidence of the use of George V Great Seal by Office responsible for the Passport many years after coronation of his successor George VI. With the Commonwealth of Australia Passport displaying the Great Seal of George V in issuance through 1958 is not in accordance with the coronation and succession of the Crown by George VI. A passport with the Great Seal displaying the title of George VI was not found.
With Evidence of the use of the Passport under Queen Elizabeth II with full Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Australia displaying date range between 1961 and 1968 demonstrates a continuance of authority in the passport issuance from Edward VII to Elizabeth II in 1968.
With the demise of the currency and the Currency Act 1965 leading to the lowering of the Admiralty White Ensign in 1967 leading to the close of the Prime Ministers Department and the dissolve of the Public Service Act 1903 the available passport data is limited to a date range between 1901 and 1968 with a known change to the Great Seal and Title in use within the passport changed in 1973.
87. GREAT SEAL OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Australia of Queen Elizabeth the Second 1954
a) Queen Elizabeth II was issued with Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1954 featuring Imperial Crown.
b) QEII Great Seal (1954) was same as George VI (1936), George V (1911), and Edward VII (1903)
At the conception of the Commonwealth of Australia the issuance of the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Australia was defined by Queen Victoria in Letters Patent 1900. These letters allowed the Governor-General to use his "private" Seal of his "private estate" to seal matters of the Commonwealth of Australia until the issuance of a Great Seal under Edward VII in 1903.
George V issued Great Seal in 1911 with a slightly altered heraldic design that was picked up by the newspapers as defined in the previous Facts Part 21. The use of this Great Seal is however displayed on Commonwealth of Australia issued passports up until 1958 several years after the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Edward VIII did then abdicate the throne and realm without issuance of Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Australia leaving the throne and realm to be coronated under George VI.
Coronation Train of George VI displayed here at Penrith Station in New South Wales 1936 is clear on the heraldic authority being displayed in commemoration of a coronation of King George VI at Westminster in 1936.
The Coat of Arms of Australia is displayed afront a steam powered locomotive its sunrise above torse amid emu and kangaroo as supporters, the emu featured on the left to the viewer. A picture of George VI is displayed on board with a heraldic Australian Imperial (Tudor) Crown image featured above his head. Above this is a State Crown modelled and painted with flags displayed on either side. Flags are then featured on both sides of the locomotive.
From this visual display of defined authority, the Coronation Train of George VI displays clearly a link to Australia by Coat of Arms, and defines by heraldic device the Crown and Flags in use alongside the Coat of Arms.
By our known facts along with what is displayed here we can empathtically state that King Goerge VI was King of Australia under the heraldic device of the Australian Imperial (Tudor) Crown flying the Federal Red Ensign displaying six pointed star and southern cross in increasing star points from five through nine points.
Although many of us have been stuck on the relative facts relating to flags, what is important here is that George VI is displaying on a Coronation Train the Coat of Arms of Australia which is still in use by the Australian Cricket Team till this day, although with the supporters on opposite sides.
88. GREAT SEAL OF AUSTRALIA
Great Seal of Australia of Queen Elizabeth the Second 1973
a) Great Seal 1973 lacks Latin Text as well as Style and Title.
b) Great Seal of Australia is not in accordance with Letters Patent 1900.
c) Great Seal of Australia was drafted in Secret Meetings without Referendum.
d) Letters Patent 1984 applied to the Commonwealth post change of Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Australia 1973
e) Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Australia appeared on Passports up to at least 1968.
The Great Seal of Australia is an anomaly when the history of the Commonwealth of Australia is concerned. We can see its use here on Letters Patent 2008 constituting the office of Governor-General under the auspice of Quentin Bryce when she took that office in 2008.
In the Government Gazette No. 171 of the 8th November 1973 you will see the use of the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Australia be used for the last time as well as the Great Seal of Australia used for the first time appearing on the same page of the Government Gazette.
By name and title of the Great Seal of Australia we see its first usages within the Parliament of the Commonwealth in November 1973. By image we are able to define the Great Seal of Australia through Letters Patent 2008 with faded imprint or stamp at the end of the document.
The problem with all of this becomes from the fact that it was all done in Secret Meetings which were not released to National Archive with much of it redacted in black ink some forty years after they occurred.
We also have the problem that Letters Patent 1900 defines the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Australia to be used by the office of the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia and within the National Archives package of these secret meetings you will find Royal Warrant drawn up by the Australian Government and assented by Royal-Sign-Manual issuing Great Seal of Australia on behalf of themselves and then using it within the Parliament of the Commonwealth.
There is a distinct lack of Latin Text defining the Monarchs Title and the Title of the Realm or any other titles and the use of the coat of arms is in conflict with that displayed by King George VI on Coronation Train.
The use of this Coat of Arms coincides with the change in the coinage with the Florin displaying the Arms with the heraldic Imperial (Tudor) Crown atop the torse. This is then changed in the ussance of the slightly famous 50 cent round in 1966 that still held a moderately high amount of silver content. This round saw the Imperial (Tudor) Crown removed and replaced with the Seven Pointed Star which was then modified again and issued on a fixed width polygon we known as the 50 cent piece today.
89. COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA CONSTITUTION ACT - SECT 110
Provisions referring to Governor
The provisions of this Constitution relating to the Governor of a State extend and apply to the Governor for the time being of the State, or other chief executive officer or administrator of the government of the State.
In the discussion of Seals of the Commonwealth, we must also then address the issuance of seals for the States of the Commonwealth. Because the people united in a body politic called the Federal Commonwealth of Australia as per the Constitution Act following Debates of Federation the former colonies did by vote agree for the colonies to become States of this singular body politic. We can see that this all relates to the States powers and how this becomes the core a problem since the Australia Act 1986.
We can see since the States were formed from the colonies by the people giving by the short hand the colonies to the Commonwealth of Australia in that federal unity. As a part of this the Constitution impacts the Governors of the former Colonies in their role as Governor of State. Most of the States have seen alterations to the Office of Governor of State in the events surrounding the Australia Act 1986 with most if not all of the States rescinding any links via Letters Patent 1900 and defining links in Letters Patent 1984.
What you have here is a chain of events that start with Letters Patent 1984 giving rise to the States acting outside of Federal Power making Request to London by making formal request through Australia (Request) Act 1985 of the States giving rise to the federally named Australia Act (Request) Act 1985.
The credence for this action is referenced in the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 opening the door for Request and Consent of the Parliament at Westminster.
Although, technically what we can see is in Anderson v Commonwealth 1932 that the States were handed to the Commonwealth of Australia by the short hand making the Commonwealth of Australia by its Federal Unity a singular body politic. We can see here that the states have attempted to administer this without the input of the people by making request to the Federal Government who in turn has made request to Westminster. There are still technical questions that arise from ignoring the people and their right by referendum under Section 128 of the Constitution that this Australian Government did instrumentally change.
At the end of the day, the State does not hold a Great Seal of the Realm and has instead been issued with a Lower Seal to the Great Seal and the unity of the people in that Federal Commonwealth of Australia defined at Section 110 of the Constitution that the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution extended to and applied to each Governor of State.