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General information about the 16th IQNet General Assembly
(45th Meeting) in Sydney, Australia
Important information about the meeting and your stay in Australia
Meeting location
SAI Global
286 Sussex Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: +61 2 8206 6060
Fax: +61 2 8206 6001
http://www.sai-global.com
Organiser
SAI Global
http://www.sai-global.com
On-site SAI Global secretariat from Monday 20 to Friday 24 March 2006
Ms Kerryn Benbow
Email: [email protected]
Hotline: +61 2 8206 6060
Registration
Please register using the registration form by Tuesday 31 January 2006 at the latest.
Travel to and arrival in Sydney, Australia.
You will arrive at Sydney International Airport either on Sunday 19 March 2006 or Monday 20 March 2006. Taxis
are readily available at the Airport. Sydney Airport is approximately 8km or a 15 minute taxi ride from the central
CBD.
Visas
Travellers to Australia need a valid passport or similar certificate of identification. Everyone, except travellers with
Australian or New Zealand passports, requires a visa.
Visit the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs’ website for information on tourist
visas, working holidays, business visits, students, immigration, Electronic Travel Authority (ETAs), visas and other
useful contacts.
For the location of your nearest Australian consulate go to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s website.
Currency / exchange rates
The currency in Australian is the Australian Dollar (AUD). For USD 1 you get about AUD 1.36 and for EUR 1
about AUD 1.59
Australian Dollars are available in notes of 5,10, 20, 50, 100 and 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1, $2 coins.
Credit cards
The usual international credit cards are readily accepted at banks and cashpoints (ATM’s), as well as hotels,
shops, restaurants, bars, shopping centres, etc.
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Electricity
The current used throughout Australian is 230 Volts (AC), 50 hertz. The power sockets are designed for two and
three pin plugs.
Business hours
Businesses are open from Monday to Friday, shops and some post offices are also open on Saturday.
Banks
Post offices
Monday to Friday
0900 – 1630
0830 – 1700
Shops / shopping centres
0830 – 1730
Saturday
Closed
1000 – 1400
(Sydney GPO only)
0900 – 1700
Sunday
Closed
Closed
1000-1600
Climate
In March the average temperature range in Sydney is 17.5°C min (night time) to 24.7°C max (daytime).
All hotels are air conditioned and so are hire cars and offices.
Don't expect to have to wear much more than a shirt or light jacket during the day. It's a comfortable heat for
sightseeing but can get humid. In the evenings the temperature does drop so a jacket or jumper may be needed.
A word of warning, the sun in Australia can be very fierce and burns quickly, so ensure you have and wear plenty
of high factor sunscrean (30+ readily available in most hotels, shopping centre’s, deli’s and 7 Elevens) and wear
a hat and T-shirt.
Information about Australia
In land area, Australia is the sixth largest nation after Russia, Canada, China, the United States of America and
Brazil. It has, however, a relatively small population.
Australia is the only nation to govern an entire continent and its outlying islands. The mainland is the largest
island and the smallest, flattest continent on Earth. It lies between 10° and 39° South latitude.
The highest point on the mainland, Mount Kosciuszko, is only 2228 metres.
Apart from Antarctica, Australia is the driest continent on earth. Its interior has one of the lowest rainfalls in the
world and about three-quarters of the land is arid or semi-arid. Its fertile areas are well-watered, however, and
these are used very effectively to help feed the world. Sheep and cattle graze in dry country, but care must be
taken with the soil. Some grazing land became desert when the long cycles that influence rainfall in Australia
turned to drought.
The Australian federation consists of six States and two Territories. Most inland borders follow lines of longitude
and latitude. The largest State, Western Australia, is about the same size as Western Europe.
Australia's culturally diverse society includes its Indigenous peoples and settlers from countries all around the
world.
Immigration is an important feature of Australian society. Since 1945, over six million people from 200 countries
have come to Australia as new settlers. Migrants have made a major contribution to shaping modern Australia.
People born overseas make up almost one quarter of the total population.
Australia's system of government is based on the liberal democratic tradition, which includes religious tolerance
and freedom of speech and association. Its institutions and practices reflect British and North American models
but are uniquely Australian.
Official name
Commonwealth of Australia
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Capital city
The capital city of Australia is Canberra, seat of Australia’s parliament, the government and administration.
Canberra has 320,000 inhabitants which makes it the 3rd smallest Australian city (with Tasmania and then Darwin
the smallest).
National flag
The Australian National flag features the five stars of the constellation of the Southern Cross and the
Commonwealth Star, and the combined crosses of St George, St Andrew and St Patrick. The union of crosses
represents Australia’s early settlers. The Commonwealth Star with its seven points represents the unity of the six
Australian states and the seventh point stands for all Australian Territories.
National public holidays
Australia celebrates its national day on 26 January. On 25 April Australia celebrates ANZAC day, which marks
the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First
World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
In addition Australia celebrates the Christian holidays of Christmas and Easter as well as celebrating the Queens
Birthday in June for most of the country and October for Western Australia.
Size of Australia
Australia covers an area of 7,682,300 SQ KM in total.
Climate
Generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north.
The northern third of Australia lies in the tropics and so is warm or hot the year around. The rest of the country
lies south of the tropics and has warm summers and mild or cool winters.
In winter, many parts of the south have occasional frosts. But the Australian Alps and the interior of Tasmania are
the only areas of the country where temperatures remain below freezing for more than a day or so at a time.
Australia receives most of its moisture as rain. Snow falls only in Tasmania and the Australian Alps. About a third
of the country is desert and receives less than 25 centimeters of rain a year. The deserts are too barren even for
the grazing of livestock. Much of the rest of Australia has less than 51 centimeters of rainfall annually. Few crops
can be grown in these regions without irrigation. The heaviest rainfall occurs along the north, east, southeast, and
extreme southwest coasts.
The east coast of Queensland is the wettest part of the continent. Some places along this coast receive as much
as 381 centimetres of rain a year. Parts of the southeast coast and of Tasmania are the only areas of the
continent that receive uniform amounts of rainfall the year around. Rainfall is seasonal throughout the rest of
Australia.
The seasons
Australia lies south of the equator, and so its seasons are opposite those in the Northern Hemisphere. The
southern part of the continent has four distinct seasons. Winter, the wettest and coolest season in Australia, lasts
from June through August. Summer, which is the hottest and driest season, lasts from December through
February.
Tropical northern Australia has only two seasons--a wet season and a dry one. The wet season corresponds with
summer and lasts from November through April. The dry season corresponds with winter and lasts from May
through October.
The wet season brings heavy downpours and violent storms, especially on Australia's north coast. In 1974, for
example, a cyclone almost levelled the northern coastal city of Darwin. Floods plague many parts of Australia
during the wet season. However, droughts are usually a far more serious problem. Nearly every section of
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Australia has a drought during the country's annual dry season.
Water conservation measures prevent these droughts from doing serious harm in most cases. However, Australia
also has periods when little or no rain falls even during the wet season. These droughts can cause severe water
shortages.
Geography and landscape
Australia has a very dramatic landscape. Australia is famous for its "outback," the remote lands of the interior.
The desert outback covers most of the interior. It is too hot, dry and barren to support many people.
Eastern Australia has large areas of grasslands, used primarily for sheep and cattle farms.
Australia also has some mountainous areas and plateaus scattered throughout the country. The Blue Mountains,
on the south-eastern end of Australia, get their name from the blue haze caused by oil droplets given off from the
eucalyptus trees.
As an island, Australia also has many beautiful coastal beaches.
Over 70% of Australians now live in cities or towns. Most of this population lives in the eastern and southern
coasts, and around Perth in the west.
Australia is home to many animals not found anywhere else in the world. These include the kangaroo, koala and
platypus.
Off the northeast coast of Australia is the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is over 1,200 miles of coral.
It has developed over the last million years, and is now the largest living structure in the world. It is home to many
sharks and thousands of different types of tropical fish.
Time zones
Mainland Australia has three time zones, on account of its large geographical range:
•
Eastern Standard Time (EST) - operates in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria,
Tasmania and Queensland, 10 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
•
Central Standard Time (CST) - operates in South Australia and the Northern Territory (half an hour
behind EST, 9.5 hours ahead of GMT)
•
Western Standard Time (WST) - operates in Western Australia (two hours behind EST, 8 hours ahead
of GMT).
Several Australian states observe daylight saving time during the summer season. In NSW, ACT, VIC and SA,
daylight savings time applies from the end of October to the end of March and in Tasmania from the beginning
of October to the end of March. Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do NOT use daylight
savings time. Due to the half hour difference between CST and EST, this means that during summer there are
five different time zones operating in Australia: GMT+8 (WA), GMT+9.5 (NT), GMT+10 (Qld), GMT+10.5 (SA) and
GMT+11 (NSW, ACT, Vic, Tas).
Population
Australia’s population is approx. 20,000,000. It has the lowest population density in the world – only two people
per square kilometre.
Languages
English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)
Australia is a multi-cultural country, so it’s not unusual to walk down a street and hear people speaking Italian,
Greek, Lebanese, Vietnamese or Arabic as their first language. English-speaking Australians have a passion for
abbreviations and are liable to use a hotchpotch of local slang that can take the first-time visitor a while to
untangle
Australia is home to citizens from some 200 countries, making it the most multilingual workforce in the Asia
Pacific regions. More than 4.1 million Australians speak a second language, including 3 million who speak a
language other than English at home. There are also over 500 Aboriginal languages in Australia.
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Religions
Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified
12.7%, none 15.3% (2001 Census).
Administrative divisions
6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland,
South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
Dependant areas
Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and
McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island, Macquarie Island
Type of government
Democratic, federal-state system recognising the British monarch as sovereign
Executive branch
CHIEF OF STATE: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael JEFFERY (since 11 August 2003)
HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime
Minister Mark VAILE (since 6 July 2005)
CABINET: Prime Minister nominates, from among members of Parliament, candidates who are subsequently
sworn in by the Governor General to serve as government ministers
ELECTIONS: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the
recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of
a majority coalition is sworn in as prime minister by the governor general
note: government coalition - Liberal Party and National Party
Legislative branch:
Bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats - 12 from each of the six states and two from each
of the two mainland territories; one-half of state members are elected every three years by popular vote to serve
six-year terms while all territory members are elected every three years) and the House of Representatives (150
seats; members elected by popular preferential voting to serve terms of up to three-years; no state can have
fewer than five representatives)
Economy
GDP (purchasing power parity): $611.7 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $30,700 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.4% industry: 28.2% services: 68.4% (2004 est.)
Labor force 10.35 million (2004 est.)
Australia has an enviable Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP on par with the four dominant
West European economies. Rising output in the domestic economy, robust business and consumer confidence,
and rising exports of raw materials and agricultural products are fueling the economy. Australia's emphasis on
reforms, low inflation, and growing ties with China are other key factors behind the economy's strength. The
impact of drought, weak foreign demand, and strong import demand pushed the trade deficit up from $8 billion in
2002, to $18 billion in 2003, and to $13 billion in 2004.
Australia's major industries are mining and farming. Mining includes bauxite, coal, copper, gold and iron ore. Most
of the land is too dry for planting crops, although some areas do grow sugercane, grapes and wheat. The grape
vineyards help to support a growing wine industry. Australia is probably best known for its sheep farming. Large
numbers of sheep are raised for their wool and meat. There is also some cattle ranching to provide meat.
In addition, Australia's climate and dramatic scenery have made tourism a major industry.
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Tourism
Tourism is one of Australia’s most important industries. It accounts for 5.7 per cent of total employment,
contributes $73 billion to consumption per annum and is worth more than 11 per cent of total exports.
More than 90 per cent of tourism-related businesses employ about 20 staff, including substantial numbers of
young people and people from non–English speaking backgrounds. With 48 cents in every tourism dollar spent
outside of the capital cities, tourism is also a key economic sector for regional Australia.
There were 5.2 million visitor arrivals to Australia during 2004, an increase of 10 per cent on the previous year’s
figure.
Knowledge-based industries
Driven by the pace of technological and social change, innovation is leading to higher productivity and a more
rapid development of information and knowledge in all industries.
Australia is one of many modern economies that has a strong knowledge-based economy—an economy driven
by the production, distribution and use of knowledge and information. Knowledge-based industries now contribute
almost half of Australia’s GDP.
Australia’s international trade competitiveness relies increasingly on skills, knowledge, innovation and enterprise
as well as domestic and international information networks.
Australia’s open economy is an excellent climate for enterprise and innovation. Information and communication
technology (ICT) is one of the key industries driving economic growth, and Australia’s ICT spending as a
proportion of GDP is the tenth-highest in the world.
Australian businesses are also heavy users of information technology. Australia’s telecommunications and IT
market is the third-largest in the Asia Pacific and tenth-largest in the world.
Some facts about Australia’s traditional industries
•
Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of beef. The value of Australia’s beef and veal exports
totalled $3.8 billion in 2003–04.
•
Australia is the world’s third-largest exporter of dairy products. In 2003–04 Australia’s exports of dairy
products were valued at $2.2 billion.
•
Australia is the world’s largest wool producer and exporter. In 2003–04 Australia’s shorn wool production
was 475 000 tonnes and wool exports were valued at nearly $2.8 billion.
•
The major grains and oilseeds produced in Australia include wheat, barley, canola, oats and sorghum.
Australia is the world’s second-largest wheat exporter and exported 15.2 million tonnes of wheat in 2003–
04.
•
Australia’s key cotton export markets include China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand.
Australia’s raw cotton exports in 2003–04 were valued at just under $1 billion.
•
Sugar is one of Australia’s major exported crops with exports of around 4 million tonnes in 2003–04,
worth around $1 billion.
•
In 2003–04 the gross value of horticulture production was around $6 billion. Major horticultural products
include fruits and nuts, vegetables, table grapes, dried vine fruits and nursery products.
•
Australian fisheries operate in one of the world’s cleanest environments. Seafood production in 2003–04
was around 267 000 tonnes, valued at about $2.1 billion.
•
In 2000–01 the value of turnover of Australia’s forest products was about $15 billion. Australia’s native
forest area is around 163 million hectares and around 13 per cent of this is classified as conservation
reserve.
•
The Australian food industry had an annual turnover of over $65 billion in 2002–03 and accounted for 46
per cent of total retailing turnover in that year.
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Australian specialties and things to buy
Tipping is not compulsory or even expected in Australia. It is perfectly okay to pay the amount stated on the bill.
Staff are paid an appropriate wage and will certainly not chase you down for a tip. You may feel free to tip for truly
exceptional service. In general, local Australians would prefer visitors not to tip so that it does not become part of
the culture.
Aboriginal art
There is an enormous variety of authentic Aboriginal art for sale or viewing. From traditional dot and bark
paintings, modern 'earth pigment' screen prints, decorated jewellery and wood carvings, to boomerangs,
didgeridoos, weapons, ceramics, scarves, even compact discs of traditional music. In whatever form it takes, the
art of this amazing civilisation should not be missed on your visit.
Didgeridoo - the sound of the earth
The didgeridoo originated in the 'Top End' of Australia and is one of the most popular items purchased by visitors.
A musical instrument, it is played in a similar way to other wind instruments. Made from a log hollowed out by
termites, it is cleaned and the mouthpiece covered with beeswax or resin. Overall length varies from one to oneand-a-half metres with a mouthpiece diameter around 30 millimetres tapering to 50 millimetres at its base.
Different lengths produce different keys and sounds.
Opals
Opal is a precious gemstone which is predominantly found in Australia. Scientifically, opal is known as SiO2·nH2O
- an amorphous mineraloid comprised of hydrated silicon dioxide. (A mix of silica and water). In terms of overall
body tone, opal's appearance can range from colourless, white, and light grey through to dark grey and black.
However the truly unique thing about opal is that it displays all the colours of the spectrum in a "play of colour",
resulting from the interference and diffraction of light passing through tiny silica spheres in the microstructure of
opal. This means the bright rainbow colours of opal, as they appear to the human eye, will move and change
dramatically depending on the angle at which the stone is viewed. Opal is one of the world's most beautiful
gemstones. While several different types of opal are present in nature, there are two main varieties - precious
opal and common opal or potch.
Opal is Australia's national gemstone - over 95 per cent of the world's precious opal comes from Australia.
Akubra’s
"Akubra", the Aboriginal word for head covering, have been manufacturing hats in Australia since the 1870's. With
it's long history in the manufacture of fur felt hats Akubra has become an Australian icon known all over the world.
At all times, Akubra has maintained its ability to be in vogue. "Akubra' in fact has become the generic term for hat.
Always at the forefront of the industry, Akubra adorns the heads of State, Royalty, Presidents, film and sporting
personalities - the famous and sometimes the infamous. At Akubra everyone takes great pride in maintaining the
traditions of real quality and style in this superb Australian product.
Driza-bone
Driza-Bone is an Australian icon in riding coats, recognized not only in Australia but also throughout the world for
quality, practicality and the Australian flair. The name Driza-Bone (Australian slang for "Dry as a Bone") was
registered in 1933, around the time the waxed cotton cloth was developed in Britain to replace the old cloth
coated with linseed oil. Today, Driza-Bone® has evolved from being solely an oilskin workcoat, to a complete
collection of outerwear, clothing and accessories used for both active and leisure outdoor activities. These not
only reflect the heritage of Driza-Bone®, but also add a smart modern look to this Australian icon.
Australian food and drink
There are numerous specialty dishes and foods including Sydney rock oysters, barramundi (freshwater fish), tiger
prawns, macadamia nuts and yabbies (small freshwater lobsters). Beef is the most popular meat and lamb is also
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of a high quality. Australia is well known for its fresh ingredients such as seafood, local fruits, as well as its worldclass cheeses. Like Italy and France, Australia can be divided into regions that are known for particular produce
such as King Island cream, Sydney rock oysters, Bowen mangoes, Coffin Bay scallops, Tasmanian salmon, and
Illabo milk-fed lamb. Each state has its acknowledged specialties, of which travellers should take advantage.
There is a wide variety of excellent fruits and vegetables and never forgetting the native cuisine called 'bush
tucker', which involves traditional diets such as flour and water cooked in the campfire coals to make bread called
damper, billy tea, and local animals' meat.
Service is European-style and varies from waitress and waiter service to self-service. Bistros, cafes, family-style
restaurants and ’pub’ lunches at the counter offer good food at reasonable prices. Some restaurants will allow
guests to bring their own alcohol and are called ‘BYO’ restaurants. Australia also offers an enormous variety of
cuisines, including Italian, French, Greek, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Thai, Japanese, Indian,
African, Lebanese and Korean.
The major vineyards (wineries) are outside Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra and Adelaide. The
largest wine-growing regions are the Barossa Valley, South Australia, two hours’ drive from Adelaide and the
Hunter Valley 90 minutes drive from Sydney, where high-quality red and white wines are produced. Most
restaurants and hotels are licensed to serve alcohol; private hotels and guest houses cannot be licensed by law.
Australian wines are fantastic and inexpensive. Beer is served chilled. Licensing hours in public bars are 10002200 Mon-Sat, however most pubs are open until 2400; Sunday hours vary. Restaurants, clubs and hotel lounges
have more flexible hours. Drinking age is 18 years or over.
Vegemite
Vegemite is considered as much a part of Australia's heritage as kangaroos and the Holden car. It is actually an
Australian obsession that has become a unique and loved symbol of the Australian nation.
A Vegemite sandwich to an Australian kid is the equivalent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to an American
kid - but the taste is QUITE different!
Vegemite is one of several yeast extract spreads sold in Australia. It is made from leftover brewers' yeast extract
(a by-product of beer manufacture) and various vegetable and spice additives. It is very dark reddish-brown,
almost black, in color, and one of the richest sources known of Vitamin B. It's thick like peanut butter, it's very
salty, and it tastes like - well let's just say that it is an acquired taste!
Australian children are brought up on Vegemite from the time they're babies. It is said that Australians are known
to travel all over the world with at least one small jar of Vegemite in their luggage, for fear that they will not be
able to find it.
Public transport
Sydney has an excellent train, bus and ferry service covering all points of the greater metropolitan area. Unless
visitors to Sydney are specifically seeking out friends in outlying areas, most will have no real need to travel too
far away from the central city area and the harbour. Most Sydney tourist attractions are either within the central
business district, close to the CBD, or at points around the harbour. The exceptions are Bondi and Manly - surf
beach suburbs situated south and north of Sydney Heads which are easily accessible by bus or ferry.
Taking a city circle train from Central or Townhall station, the Monorail or walking is the best way of seeing city
attractions, while buses and ferries represent the best way to visit points and attractions around the harbour.
Sydney Ferries provide an inexpensive way of seeing the most beautiful harbour in the world.
For more Public transport information go to;
CityRail – www.cityrail.com.au
Use the Trip Planner to work out a travel plan using CityRail services, or a combination of train, bus and ferry
services to get you to your destination, then, for low cost travel for the day, on Buses, Ferries and Trains, buy a
“Day Tripper” ticket.
Sydney Ferries - www.sydneyferries.info
Ferries leave from Circular Quay. City circle trains all stop at Circular Quay.
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Sydney Buses - www.sydneybuses.info
Historic background of Australia
Aboriginal settlers arrived on the Australian continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first
Europeans began exploration in the 17th century.
With rising sea levels after the last Ice Age, Australia became largely isolated from the rest of the world and the
Aboriginal tribes developed a variety of cultures, based on a close (spiritual) relationship with the land and nature,
and extended kinship. Australian aborigines maintained a hunter/gatherer culture successfully for thousands of
years in association with a sophisticated artistic and cultural life - including a very rich 'story-telling' tradition.
While the 'modern impression' of Australian Aborigines is largely built around an image of the 'desert people' who
have adapted to some of the harshest conditions on the planet (equivalent to the bushmen of the Kalahari),
Australia provided a 'comfortable living' for the bulk of aborigines amongst the bountiful flora and fauna on the
Australian coast - until the arrival of Europeans.
Although a lucrative Chinese market for shells and beche de mere had encouraged Indonesion fishermen to visit
Northern Australia for centuries it was unknown to Europeans until the 1600's, when Dutch traders to Asia began
to 'bump' into the Western Coast. Early Dutch impressions of this extremely harsh, dry country were
unfavourable, and Australia remained for them something simply a road sign pointing north to the much richer
(and lucrative) East Indies (modern Indonesia). Deliberate exploration of the Australian coast was then largely
taken over by the French and the British. Consequently place names of bays, headlands and rivers around the
coastline reflect a range of Dutch, French, British, and Aboriginal languages.
After a period of sea exploration, British settlers came to Australia in 1788, starting a process of colonisation that
almost entirely displaced the Aboriginal people who inhabited the land. This reduced indigeneous populations
drastically and marginalised them to the fringes of society. They remained second-class citizens almost until the
modern day, only being recognised as full citizens in 1967. The process of reconciliation continues to the present
day.
While Australia began its modern history as a penal colony (an island prison for Britain's unwanted convicts), the
vast majority of people who came to Australia after 1788 were free settlers, mainly from Britain and Ireland, but
also from other European countries and China. Convict settlements were along the east coast, Adelaide and
Perth being settled by free settlers. Many Asian and Eastern European people also came to Australia in the
1850s, during the Gold Rush that started Australia's first resource boom. Although such diverse immigration
diminished greatly during the xenophobic years of the White Australia policy, Australia welcomed a successive
series of immigration from Europe, the Mediterranean and then Asia to formulate a highly diverse and
multicultural society by the late 20th century.
The system of separate colonies federated to form an independent country in 1901, each colony now becoming a
state of Australia. The new country was able to take advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its
agricultural and manufacturing industries and made a proportionally huge contribution (considering its small size
of population) to the Allied war effort in World Wars I and II. Australian troops also made a valuable, if sometimes
controversial, contribution to the wars in Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. Australian Diggers retain a reputation as some
of the hardest fighting troops along with a great social spirit.
Long-term Australian concerns include salinity, pollution, loss of biodiversity, and management and conservation
of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. Government in Australia is based on a federal system (with
States and a National Governments) similar to the USA, but these Governments follow a British model, with two
elected houses (similar to the US House and Senate) with an unelected representative of the Queen of England
in the (notionally powerless) executive position 'above' the parliament. A referendum to change Australia's status
to a republic, was narowlly defeated in 1999, largely due to a split between those seeking a directly elected
President (the majority) and those who believed the President should be elected by the Government. Demand for
another vote has been discouraged by the current conservative Government, but it is likely to resurface.
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Most of the population is concentrated in the south-east of the country, to the east of the Great Dividing Range.
This is because the inland and western areas of the country are at best semi-habitable desert, known as the
Outback. The most-inhabited states are Victoria and New South Wales, but by far the largest in land area is
Western Australia.
Some other Australian facts!
Number of Aboriginal Languages: Over 500
Kangaroo Population: 40 million
West-to-East distance: 4000km
Percent in Size Larger than Britain: 3152%
Number of Beaches: Over 7000
Australians Who Follow the Jedi Faith: 70,509 (2001 Census)
Most Valiant Attempt to Save Sheep: World's longest fence (5,531km) keeps Queensland's dingoes in the
north away from sheep in the south
Number of Plant Species: 25,000 (Europe supports only 17,000)
Amount of Foliage Koalas must Eat Daily: 9 kg (about 20 lbs)
Annual Beer Consumption per Australian: 94 Litres
Jars of Vegemite Consumed per Year: 22 million
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