Australia has 6 states and 2 mainland territories, giving it eight major self-governing jurisdictions in total. The six states are New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, while the two mainland territories are the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory. Western Australia is by far the largest of them, sprawling across roughly one-third of the entire continent.
The 6 Australian States
Each state is a former British colony that joined the federation when Australia was created in 1901. States hold their own constitutions, elected parliaments and court systems, giving them significant independent power.
- New South Wales — Capital Sydney. The most populous state with more than 8 million people and the oldest, founded as a penal colony in 1788.
- Victoria — Capital Melbourne. The second most populous state (around 6.7 million) and the smallest mainland state by area, yet densely settled.
- Queensland — Capital Brisbane. The second largest state by area, famous for the Great Barrier Reef and a tropical northern climate.
- South Australia — Capital Adelaide. Home to about 1.8 million people and known for its wine regions and dry, arid interior.
- Western Australia — Capital Perth. The largest state at roughly 2.65 million km², a mining powerhouse covering about a third of the continent.
- Tasmania — Capital Hobart. The only island state, separated from the mainland by the Bass Strait and home to around 540,000 people.
New South Wales and Victoria together hold more than half of Australia's population, illustrating how heavily the country is concentrated in its southeast corner.
The 2 Mainland Territories
Territories differ from states in a key way: while they have self-government, their powers are ultimately granted by the federal Parliament, which can override their laws. The two internal mainland territories are:
- Australian Capital Territory (ACT) — Contains Canberra, the national capital, and around 460,000 residents. It is entirely surrounded by New South Wales.
- Northern Territory — Capital Darwin. Enormous at about 1.35 million km² yet sparsely populated with roughly 250,000 people, the fewest of any state or territory.
Beyond these, Australia also administers several external territories such as Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, but these are not counted among the eight principal divisions.
How the Federation Came Together
Australia's federal system was born on 1 January 1901, when six self-governing British colonies united under a single Commonwealth constitution. The arrangement deliberately balanced shared national power with strong regional autonomy, so each former colony retained its own legislature and legal traditions.
The ACT was a later creation, carved out of New South Wales in 1911 specifically to house a neutral national capital. Canberra was purpose-built from scratch to settle the long-running rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne, neither of which was willing to let the other become the seat of government. For more on the country's geography and history, see our australia country guide.
Size, Population and Quirks
The contrast in scale between Australia's divisions is striking. Western Australia alone is larger than most countries on Earth, while Tasmania could fit inside it dozens of times over. Population, however, runs in almost the opposite direction: the vast Northern Territory holds fewer people than many single suburbs of Sydney.
- Western Australia is the largest jurisdiction by area at about 2.65 million km².
- The Northern Territory has the smallest population despite being the third-largest by area.
- The population clusters tightly along the eastern and southeastern coasts, leaving the interior nearly empty.
- In 1933 Western Australia held a secession referendum in which roughly two-thirds voted to leave the federation, though the move was never enacted.
- Tasmania is the natural home of the Tasmanian devil, found in the wild nowhere else on the planet.
Why Australia Has States and New Zealand Does Not
The six colonies federated rather than unified because none was willing to be absorbed by the others, and distance made central administration impractical in the 1890s. New Zealand attended the federation conventions and declined to join, which is why it is a unitary state and Australia is not.
That choice still costs money. Australia maintains nine parliaments and nine sets of ministries for a population smaller than Texas, and periodic proposals to abolish state government have never come close to the referendum majority they would require.
Each State Runs Its Own School Day
Because the states predate the Commonwealth, they kept control of education, health, policing, transport and land. That produces differences visible in daily life: school terms and curricula vary, driving and licensing rules differ, and until recently so did the age of criminal responsibility.
Daylight saving is the clearest example. New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT observe it; Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not. For several months each year the country runs on five separate times rather than three.
The States Predate the Country
Australia's states began as six separate British colonies, each with its own parliament, railway gauge and tariff barriers. New South Wales dates from 1788, and the others were separated from it or settled independently over the following seventy years.
Federation in 1901 joined them into a Commonwealth, but they kept their institutions, which is why the states retain far more autonomy than the name state suggests and why the constitution is largely a list of what the Commonwealth may do rather than what the states may.
The different railway gauges are the most quoted legacy: a journey from Brisbane to Perth once required several changes of train because the colonies had chosen incompatible standards, and standardisation was not completed until 1970.
The Territories Are Governed Differently
States draw their authority from their own constitutions, which predate federation; the mainland territories are creations of the Commonwealth. The practical consequence is that federal parliament can override territory legislation, and has.
The Northern Territory legalised voluntary euthanasia in 1995, and the Commonwealth annulled the law two years later through the Euthanasia Laws Act. The Australian Capital Territory's same-sex marriage legislation was struck down by the High Court in 2013. No state law has ever been set aside in that way.
Australia also administers several external territories, including Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, the Cocos Islands and the Australian Antarctic Territory, which covers about 42 per cent of Antarctica and is recognised by only four other countries.
Canberra Exists Because Two Cities Could Not Agree
The Australian Capital Territory was excised from New South Wales specifically to hold a capital that was neither Sydney nor Melbourne. The constitution required the seat of government to be in New South Wales but at least 100 miles from Sydney, and Melbourne hosted parliament in the interim.
The site was selected in 1908, an international design competition was won in 1912 by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, and parliament finally sat there in 1927.
The ACT covers about 2,400 square kilometres and is the smallest self-governing unit, holding around 470,000 people. Jervis Bay Territory, a small coastal enclave, was also separated from New South Wales so that the capital would have access to the sea.
Most of the Country Is Empty
The six states and two territories divide a continent, but the population does not spread across it. Roughly nine in ten Australians live in urban areas, most of them on the eastern and south-eastern coast.
New South Wales and Victoria together hold over half the national population on a small fraction of its area. The Northern Territory, at about 1.35 million square kilometres, has around 250,000 residents, giving it a density among the lowest of any populated administrative unit on earth.
Western Australia is the largest state at roughly 2.5 million square kilometres, which would make it the tenth-largest country in the world if it were independent, and a recurring if unserious secession movement has traded on exactly that comparison since the 1930s.
Questions People Ask About Australian States
What is the difference between a state and a territory in Australia?
States have constitutional powers guaranteed under the Australian Constitution and act largely independently. Territories are self-governing but their authority is delegated by the federal Parliament, which retains the right to legislate over them and even overturn territory laws.
What is the largest state in Australia?
Western Australia is the largest, covering about 2.65 million km², roughly one-third of the continent. Its capital, Perth, is one of the most isolated major cities in the world.
What is the most populous state in Australia?
New South Wales is the most populous, with more than 8 million residents. Its capital, Sydney, is also Australia's largest city.
Is Canberra a state?
No. Canberra is the national capital and sits within the Australian Capital Territory, which is a territory rather than a state. The ACT was created in 1911 from land ceded by New South Wales.