States and territories of Australia

States, mainland territories and selected external territories

• New South Wales (NSW) — capital: Sydney
• Victoria (VIC) — capital: Melbourne
• Queensland (QLD) — capital: Brisbane
• South Australia (SA) — capital: Adelaide
• Western Australia (WA) — capital: Perth
• Tasmania (TAS) — capital: Hobart
• Australian Capital Territory (ACT) — capital: Canberra
• Northern Territory (NT) — capital: Darwin

In addition to the mainland territories, Australia administers a number of external territories. These include populated territories such as Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and several uninhabited or periodically occupied territories in the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans. One claimed area in Antarctica overlaps Australia’s external territorial claims and is subject to the Antarctic Treaty System.

Constitutionally, states possess residual legislative power under the Australian Constitution and retain their own constitutions, parliaments and governors as the Crown’s representatives. Territories are created by federal law and have varying degrees of self-government: the ACT and the Northern Territory have locally elected legislatures established by federal acts, while other territories are administered directly by the Commonwealth through appointed administrators or federal departments.

The federal parliament and the High Court of Australia play central roles in resolving disputes about the division of powers. In the Senate states are afforded equal representation, a deliberate feature of federation to protect regional interests; territories have more limited representation determined by federal law. Over time many responsibilities have become shared between levels of government, producing cooperative federal arrangements for funding and service delivery.

Geography and demography influence Australian politics: states vary greatly in area and population, with much of the population concentrated along the temperate eastern and southeastern seaboards. The relationships among states, territories and the Commonwealth continue to evolve through legislation, court decisions and public debate about local autonomy and national coordination.