How many states does Australia have?
Short answer
Six states — New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania — plus two self-governing internal territories, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. There are also seven external territories, including Norfolk Island and Christmas Island.
Verified · 4 cited sources
The six states existed as separate self-governing British colonies before federation on 1 January 1901. When they federated they surrendered only the powers listed in the Constitution and kept everything else, which is why they still control tenancy law, driver licensing, schools, hospitals, police and property taxes.
The Australian Capital Territory was carved out of New South Wales to host the federal capital, and the Northern Territory was transferred from South Australia to the Commonwealth in 1911. Both now have self-government, but they hold it under ordinary Commonwealth legislation rather than under the Constitution — which means, in principle, that federal Parliament can override territory laws in a way it cannot override state laws.
In everyday life the two territories function much like states. They have their own parliaments, police, courts, hospitals, schools and licensing systems.
The seven external territories are Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Coral Sea Islands, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, and the Australian Antarctic Territory. Jervis Bay Territory is a separate internal territory administered by the Commonwealth.
For practical purposes there are eight jurisdictions whose laws you need to care about, and the answer to most legal and administrative questions in Australia depends on which one you are standing in.
- Six states: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania
- Two self-governing internal territories: ACT and Northern Territory
- Seven external territories, plus Jervis Bay Territory
- States hold constitutional powers; territories hold statutory ones
- Eight jurisdictions matter for everyday law
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Sources & provenance
Facts verified
- 1.Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act LegislationParliament of AustraliaUsed for: Federal structure and the division of powers between Commonwealth and states
- 2.Australia's states and territories OfficialAustralian GovernmentUsed for: The six states and two internal territories
- 3.External territories OfficialDepartment of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the ArtsUsed for: The seven external territories and Jervis Bay Territory
- 4.Area of Australia — States and Territories OfficialGeoscience AustraliaUsed for: Official list and land area of each jurisdiction
The list of states and territories and the constitutional distinction between them come from the Parliament of Australia, Geoscience Australia and Commonwealth government sources cited. The practical framing that 'eight jurisdictions matter for everyday law' is our own summary rather than an official statement.
Facts on this page are taken from the sources listed above — Australian government departments, regulators, statutory bodies and official statistical releases. Comparisons, judgements and "which option suits whom" conclusions are AI-assisted analysis written over those sources; they are marked in the text and listed as an AI-analysis entry in the sources, not attributed to any authority. Rates, thresholds, fees and processing times change, often at the start of a financial year; figures are current as at the review date shown and should be confirmed with the responsible agency before you rely on them for money or legal decisions.