Australia Capital: Canberra   Print  |  Close

Introduction Australia is the sixth largest country on earth, and the only country to govern an entire continent. Claimed as a penal colony by Great Britain in the late 18th century, early migrants to Australia mainly came from the Britain. Today, the descendents of these early British migrants make up the majority of Australia's population, along with indigenous people and migrants from about 200 countries.   Full country name: Commonwealth of Australia Population: 20.5 million Languages: English Religion: Australia is a secular country. Christianity is the dominant religion and all of the other major religions - Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism - are present. Ethnic diversity: More than 95 per cent of Australians are of European or Asian descent, about 2.4 per cent of the population identify as being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin. Life expectancy: 83 years (women), 77 years (men) Capital: Canberra Total land area: 7,690,000 square kilometres Political Status: Commonwealth Head of State: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Michael Jeffery Head of Government: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Currency: Australian dollar Major trading partners: Japan, US, South Korea, China, New Zealand Issues An ethnically diverse society. Australia has a significant migrant population and faces a number of challenges including disparities in posterity between Australia's Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders and other sectors of the community. Controversy surrounding the system of mandatory detention of anyone arriving or remaining in Australia without a valid visa, including asylum seekers. Environmental degradation including erosion, soil salinity, a thinning of the ozone layer and deforestation. Australia is the world's driest continent and experiences regular droughts, bushfires and floods. National security. Australia is committed to the US-led global war against terrorism and has troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. In recent years the government has increased border security measures to prevent the unauthorised arrival of asylum seekers. Regional relationships. Australia has recently taken on a more active role in the Pacific, particularly in Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, to help restore law and order. It is focused on maintaining strong political and economic ties with the Asia region, while also strengthening its relationship with key ally the United States. Economic stability. Given its small population and limited exports, Australia needs to have strong economic management and successful trade relationships. Short term economic problems include the need to balance output growth and inflationary pressures and the stimulation of exports to offset rising imports. History Australia is one of the world's oldest landmasses and has been populated for an estimated 60,000 years. It is believed between 300,000 and 1 million Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples inhabited most parts of the continent at the time the first European settlers arrived in 1788, after British explorer Captain James Cook took possession in the name of his country. The first Europeans to settle in Australia were convicts transported from Britain. About 160,000 men and women were brought to Australia until transportation ceased in 1868. The convicts were joined by free migrants from the early 1790s. The gold rush era of the 1850s brought a huge influx of people from many parts of the world. The largest non-European group was the Chinese. The six colonies of Australia federated in 1901 and became the Commonwealth of Australia, although strong ties with Britain remained. These ties were never more apparent than at times of war, with Australians fighting alongside the British in the Boer War and both World Wars. During the Cold War Australia's focus turned to supporting the US, and Australian troops fought with American soldiers in the Korean and Vietnam wars. In 1901 the first Commonwealth government passed an Immigration Restrictions Act, known as the 'White Australia' policy, which aimed at keeping out non-European migrants. Following World War II, Australia embarked on a period of mass migration with an emphasis on European immigrants. It was not until 1973 that the last vestiges of the White Australia policy were formally cast aside by a new Labor government. This Labor government, led by Gough Whitlam, undertook a program of dramatic reforms. However, it was hampered by a hostile Senate and accusations of mismanagement and in November 1975, the governor-general took the unprecedented step of dismissing the parliament and installing a caretaker government led by the opposition Liberal Party. In 1992 Australia's High Court handed down a landmark ruling recognising pre-existing native title to land - known as the Mabo case. Following the ruling the government introduced laws that established a framework for the protection and recognition of native title for the country's Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Towards the end of the 1990s by the issue of republicanism - replacing Britain's monarch with an Australian president or head of state - prompted a national referendum. In 1999 the majority of Australians voted to maintain the status quo. In 2004 Australia marked its 30-year anniversary of diplomatic ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Australia became ASEAN's first dialogue partner in 1974 and has in recent years expressed an ambition to have a regular seat at the grouping's annual leaders' summit. However, ASEAN officials in 2004 said that an invitation to Australia's prime minister to attend the year's summit was only a 'commemorative event'. Australia has also in recent years increased its role in the Pacific. In 2003 Australia led a regional intervention force to restore law and order to Solomon Islands, and in 2004 Australia agreed with PNG to provide police and officials for an Enhanced Cooperation Program aimed at helping address PNG's key economic and development challenges. Government Australia is a democratic constitutional monarchy with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as its current monarch. It is a federation of six states and two mainland territories. Australia has three levels of government: federal, state and local. Both the state and the federal systems of government are based on the British Westminster system. Australia's federal legislature consists of a lower house - the House of Representatives - and an upper house - the Senate. The 150 members of the House of Representatives represent electorates, each based on a population size of approximately 80,000 voters. They are elected using a preferential voting system. The Senate is comprised of 12 members from each State and two members from each Territory, elected by proportional representation. The party with the majority in the House of Representatives provides government by forming a ministry from its members in both houses, with the nation's political leader, the Prime Minister, traditionally coming from the House of Representatives. Elections must be held every three years, but generally occur more often. Voting is compulsory for all Australian citizens who are 18 years and over. Economy Australia has had one of the world's strongest economies in recent years, with a rising output in the domestic economy that has offset weaker global conditions. The 1990s saw Australians' output per head of population rise faster than that of the West in general and inflation and interest rates at their lowest level in 30 years. Computer-related industries are generating thousands of new job opportunities in Australia each year while manufacturing has fallen faster as a share of output and employment than in any other OECD country: from 28 per cent in the 1960s to 11.5 per cent in 2001. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Australia's main trade partners are Japan, China, the United States, South Korea and New Zealand. In 2003 and 2004 Australia concluded negotiations on free trade agreements (FTAs) with the United States and Thailand, in addition to the Australia-Singapore FTA and the longstanding Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations (ANZ CER) agreement. It has also commenced a joint feasibility study on an FTA with China, and has signed a Trade and Economic Framework to develop ties with Japan.

© ABC 2008	Close »