The states and territories are the sub-national constituent entities and the second level of government of Australia. The states are partially-sovereign administrative divisions that function as self-governing polities, having ceded some sovereign rights to the federal government. They have their own constitutions, legislatures, executive governments, judiciaries, law enforcement agencies and emergency services that administer and deliver public policies and programs. Territories can be autonomous and administer policies and programs much like the states in practice, but are still legally subordinate to the federal government.
Australia has six federated states: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia; and two self-governing federal territories: the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory. Australia has a total of ten federal territories, which includes three internal territories on the mainland: the aforementioned ACT and Northern Territory as well as the Jervis Bay Territory, which is governed for most purposes by the laws of the ACT and is administered by the Commonwealth Government.Section 2B, Acts Interpretation Act 1901 The remaining seven federal territories are offshore dependent territories known as external territories: the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, the Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, and Norfolk Island. With the exception of Jervis Bay Territory, every state and internal territory is self-governing with its own independent executive government, legislature, and judicial system, while the rest only have local government status overseen by federal departments.
State and territory governments may legislate on matters concerning their citizens, subject to the limits of the federal constitution (notably Section 51 and Section 109). Each state and internal territory (except the Jervis Bay Territory) has its own legislature; the Federal Parliament can override territorial legislation, but this is extremely rare. The High Court of Australia acts as a final court of appeal on all matters, and has the authority to override any state judiciary. While all states and internal territories have their own judicial system (subject to appeal to the High Court), most external territories are subject to the judiciary and legislature of either a state or internal territory. Excluding the Heard and McDonald Islands and the Australian Antarctic Territory (which are governed by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water), the external territories are governed by the federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts. Norfolk Island had its own legislature from 1979 until 2015.
Each state is a successor to a historical British colony, and each has its own constitution. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Northern Territory are for the most part treated as states, with elected legislative assemblies and chief ministers (the equivalent of state premiers) and representation in both chambers of the federal parliament, even though they do not have constitutional status as states and territorial legislation can be overturned by the federal parliament (though this is rare in practice).
Geography
Surrounded by the Indian, Pacific, and Southern oceans, Australia is separated from Maritime Southeast Asia and New Guinea by the Arafura Sea, the Timor Sea, and the Torres Strait, from Island Melanesia by the Coral Sea, and from New Zealand by the Tasman Sea. The world's smallest continent, Australia is also the sixth-largest country by land area and sometimes considered the world's largest island. Australia has a mainland coastline of and claims an exclusive economic zone of about .
Borders
Australian Capital Territory borders New South Wales borders Northern Territory borders Queensland borders South Australian borders Tasmanian borders Victorian borders Western Australian borders
States and territories
At Federation in 1901, what is now the Northern Territory was within South Australia, what are now the Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory were within New South Wales, and the Coral Sea Islands were part of Queensland. Ashmore and Cartier Islands was accepted by Australia in 1934 and was annexed to the Northern Territory prior to adoption of the Statute of Westminster in 1942, deemed effective from 1939; it has thus become part of Australia.
States States of AustraliaFlagStatePostalISOISO 3166-2:AU (ISO 3166-2 codes for the states and territories of Australia)CapitalPopulation(Sept 2025)Area (km2)Population Density (/km2)No. members in House of Reps.GovernorPremier(Party)State Government New South Wales NSW AU-NSW Sydney 800,15010.78 47Margaret BeazleyChris Minns (Labor)Government of New South Wales Victoria VIC AU-VIC Melbourne 227,41631.24 38Margaret GardnerBen Carroll(Labor)Victorian GovernmentQueensland QLD AU-QLD Brisbane 1,729,7423.29 30Jeannette YoungDavid Crisafulli (Liberal National)Queensland GovernmentWestern Australia WA AU-WA Perth 2,527,0131.21 16Chris DawsonRoger Cook(Labor)Government of Western AustraliaSouth Australia SA AU-SA Adelaide 984,3211.94 10Frances AdamsonPeter Malinauskas (Labor)Government of South AustraliaTasmania TAS AU-TAS Hobart 68,4018.43 5Caroline WellsJeremy Rockliff(Liberal)Tasmanian Government
Territories Internal territories FlagTerritoryPostalISOISO_3166-2:AU (ISO_3166-2 codes for the states and territories of Australia)Capital (or largest settlement)Population (Sept 2025)Area (km2)Population Density (/km2)No. members in House of Reps.Administrator Chief Minister (Party)Territory GovernmentAustralian Capital TerritoryACTAU-ACTCanberra2,358198.97 3Andrew Barr (Labor)ACT GovernmentNorthern TerritoryNTAU-NTDarwin1,347,7910.192David ConnollyLia Finocchiaro (Country Liberal)Northern Territory GovernmentJervis Bay TerritoryACT / JBT / OT(Jervis Bay Village)405676.04 colspan="4"
External territories External territories of AustraliaFlagTerritoryPostalISOCapitalOfficial language(s)Population(Jun 2018)Area (km2)Population Density (/km2)No. members in House of Reps.AdministratorHead of Local GovernmentLocal GovernmentNorfolk IslandNSW NF KingstonNorfuk, English 3574George PlantScott MasonNorfolk Island Regional Council Christmas Island WA CX Flying Fish Covede jure: None de facto: English, Mandarin, Malay 13514rowspan=2 Farzian ZainalGordon ThompsonShire of Christmas IslandCocos (Keeling) Islands WA CC West Islandde jure: None de facto: Cocos Malay, English 1439Aindil MinkomShire of Cocos (Keeling) IslandsAustralian Antarctic Territory TAS AQ NoneEnglish 5,896,5000.0000102 rowspan=4 rowspan=4 colspan=3 Coral Sea Islands QLD NoneNone 4 780,0000.000005Ashmore and Cartier Islands colspan=2 NoneNone 1990Heard Island and McDonald Islands TAS HM NoneNone 3720
Each external territory is regulated by an Act of the federal Parliament. These Acts contain the majority of provisions determining the legal and political structure applying in that external territory. Under s 122 of the Australian Constitution the federal Parliament has plenary power to make laws for all territories including all external territories. The Cocos (Keeling) Islands voted for integration in 1984. Together with Christmas Island, these two territories comprise the Australian Indian Ocean Territories. Commonwealth laws apply automatically to the territories unless expressly stated otherwise and residents of both external territories are associated with Northern Territory for federal elections. They are, thus, constitutionally part of Australia.
The Heard Island and McDonald Islands, although uninhabited, are treated as constitutionally part of Australia by the central government.
Norfolk Island's status is controversial, with the present () government taking measures to integrate the territory into Australia proper (including representation in parliament and compulsory voting). The Norfolk Islanders have not formally consented to this change in constitutional status and assert that they are not Australian.
Integration of territories with small populationsTerritory Ref. Subject to laws of Subject to courts of Part of electorate of for House for SenateChristmas IslandChristmas Island Act 1958, Federal Register of Legislation. Western Australia Division of Lingiari Northern TerritoryCocos (Keeling) IslandsCocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955, Federal Register of Legislation. Jervis Bay TerritoryJervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915, Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Capital Territory Division of Fenner Australian Capital TerritoryNorfolk IslandNorfolk Island Act 1979, Federal Register of Legislation. Norfolk IslandNew South WalesQueensland Norfolk Island Division of BeanAshmore and Cartier IslandsAshmore and Cartier Islands Acceptance Act 1933, Federal Register of Legislation. Northern Territory rowspan=4 colspan=2 Australian Antarctic TerritoryAustralian Antarctic Territory Act 1954, Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Capital TerritoryHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHeard Island and McDonald Islands Act 1953, Federal Register of Legislation. Coral Sea IslandsApplication of Laws Ordinance 1973 (Coral Sea Islands), Federal Register of Legislation. Coral Sea Islands Act 1969, Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Capital Territory Norfolk Island
Notes
Former territories Internal Two internal territories established by the Australian federal government under Section 122 of the Constitution of Australia no longer exist:
Central Australia (1926–1931), consisting of the area of the current Northern Territory south of the 20th parallel south North Australia (1926–1931), consisting of the area of the current Northern Territory north of the 20th parallel south
External Two present-day Oceanic countries, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Nauru, were administered by the federal government of Australia as de facto or de jure external territories for differing periods between 1902 and 1975.
Papua and New Guinea (1883–1975) Territory of Papua: 1883–1902: A de facto part of Queensland (de jure British territory in 1888–1900) 1902–1949: An external territory of Australia Territory of New Guinea: 1920–1949, under a League of Nations mandate. The territory was previously known as German New Guinea between 1884 and 1914; it was formally under Australian military occupation in 1914–1920).
Following World War II, the Papua and New Guinea Act 1949 placed the Territory of New Guinea in an "administrative union" with the Territory of Papua, and the combined Territory of Papua and New Guinea was created. However, both territories remained technically distinct for some administrative and legal purposes. Following the passage of the Papua New Guinea Independence Act 1975, the combined entity eventually was given independence as the Independent State of Papua New Guinea.
Nauru (1920–1968) Nauru was previously under the German colonial empire as part of the German New Guinea. Following World War I, the Australian government received a League of Nations mandate for Nauru. After World War II, the Territory of New Guinea and Nauru were controlled by the Australian government as United Nations trust territories. Following the passage of the Nauru Independence Act 1967, Nauru was granted independence in 1968.
Statistics The majority of Australians live in the eastern coastal mainland states of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory, which collectively forms 79% of the entire population of Australia (more than three-quarters of all Australians). Most of the major population centres are located east and south of the Great Dividing Range on the coastal plains and their associated hinterland regions.