Leslie Massey
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the smallest continent and the sixth-largest country globally, with a total area of about 7,741,220 km2 (around 2.99 million mi2). Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, with a highly urbanized population of almost 28 million. It is one of the most multicultural countries in the world, with over 30% of its residents born overseas and more than 300 languages spoken at home. Australia has a strong and open economy, ranking highly for quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties, and political rights. It is also a successful global leader and innovator in sports. In terms of geography, Australia is surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans and is known for its vast coastal lowlands, extensive deserts, and sizable mountain ranges.
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What You'll Learn
Australia's geography and climate
Australia is the only country in the world that covers an entire continent. It is the sixth-largest country by area of jurisdiction, covering 7,688,287 square kilometres. It is also the flattest continent and, apart from Antarctica, the driest. Its geographical isolation has resulted in a unique ecosystem, with many animal species found nowhere else on Earth, such as the platypus, kangaroo, echidna, and koala.
The country's terrain ranges from snow-capped mountains in the Australian Alps and Tasmania to large deserts, tropical and temperate forests, grasslands, heathlands, and woodlands. The Great Dividing Range runs along the eastern and southeastern edge of Australia. The country is divided into four major landform regions: the Coastal Plains, the Eastern Highlands, the Central Lowlands, and the Western Plateau. The Great Artesian Basin, the largest groundwater source globally, is one of Australia's most critical water sources.
Australia has a varied climate due to its large geographical size. The country receives over 3,000 hours of sunshine annually, and its seasons are the opposite of those in the Northern Hemisphere. The northern part of the country has a tropical climate, while the south-east and south-west corners have a more temperate climate. The northern end, including Darwin, experiences a tropical savannah climate with high humidity and two seasons: the wet and dry seasons. The Australian desert, often referred to as the outback, has scorching temperatures, little water, and sparse vegetation.
The effects of climate change are evident in Australia, with average land and sea temperatures rising. Rainfall patterns are changing, with southern Australia experiencing decreased rainfall during the cooler months. The number and length of periods of dangerous fire weather have increased, and the intensity of heavy rainfall events has risen by 10% or more since 1979.
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Australia's political system
The country is a federation of six states and two territories, each with its own government. The federal government creates and enforces national laws, while state and territory governments focus on local issues. The federal parliament is responsible for making national laws on issues like trade, taxation, and immigration, and it consists of two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. For a bill to become legislation, it must be approved by both houses.
The House of Representatives, or lower house, currently has 151 members, each representing an electorate. The number of electorates in a state is proportional to its population. The party or coalition of parties with at least 76 members in the House of Representatives forms the government, and most bills are introduced and debated here before moving to the Senate for further review.
The Senate, or upper house, represents the states and territories equally, with 76 senators in total. Each state elects 12 senators, while the two territories elect two senators each. The Senate reviews and votes on all legislation passed by the House of Representatives, providing a check on the lower house before laws are finalised.
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Australia's economy
Australia has a relatively open and trade-exposed economy, meaning that changes in other countries' demand for its goods and services can significantly impact its economy. The country has plentiful natural resources, including the second-largest accessible reserves of iron ore, the fifth-largest reserves of coal, and significant gas resources. Commodities, including iron ore, coal, and natural gas, have long made up a sizeable share of Australia's exports. From the mid-2000s, the prices of these commodities rose sharply due to increased global demand, particularly from China and other emerging economies experiencing rapid urbanisation and industrialisation.
However, Australia's economy is currently facing challenges. After a record-breaking streak of economic growth, the country is now facing a slowdown, with a decline in real disposable income and a cost-of-living crisis. Australia's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by only 0.8% year-on-year during the first three quarters of 2024, compared to 3.1% in the United States and 1% in the European Union. The country is also facing a housing crisis, with property becoming increasingly unaffordable for many. Additionally, critics argue that the government's fiscal strategy has lacked responsiveness, and there is a need for a more robust discussion on taxes and revenues.
Despite these challenges, Australia remains an attractive destination for high-net-worth individuals, with an estimated 11,000 millionaires moving to the country in 2016. The country's strong points include a resilient Australian dollar, high property ownership levels, and a robust labour market. Australia also has a relatively low level of corruption compared to other countries, scoring 23 out of 100 points on the "Corruption Perceptions Index" for the public sector in 2024, ranking 10th globally.
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Australia's human rights record
Australia has a strong and proud record on human rights, but it is not without its shortcomings. Human rights in Australia have largely been developed by the democratically elected Australian Parliament through laws in specific contexts, rather than a stand-alone, abstract bill of rights. These rights are protected by the Australian Constitution and the constitutions of the states and territories, as well as a number of federal laws that exist to protect people from discrimination and breaches of human rights.
However, Australia is the only democratic country in the world without a national bill of rights. This means that many core human rights and freedoms may not be adequately protected and promoted at a federal level, and there is an inconsistent level of protection across Australian states and territories. This gap is particularly concerning for vulnerable groups, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities seeking to uphold their cultural rights. Ongoing systemic racism against these communities is a critical human rights failing, with urgent action needed to raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 to prevent children as young as 10 from being imprisoned.
Another area of concern is Australia's treatment of refugees and asylum seekers. New migration laws have increased the risks of indefinite detention and other human rights abuses. In 2017, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) criticised Australia's use of immigration detention facilities, citing them as a "damning indictment of a policy meant to avoid Australia's international human rights obligations". Australia has also been criticised for its lack of action on climate change, with the government continuing to expand fossil fuel projects and ranking among the top 20 countries in developed gas reserves.
Despite these shortcomings, Australia has made some progress in protecting human rights. For example, in 1994 the Keating government passed the Human Rights (Sexual Conduct) Act, which legalised sexual activity between consenting adults and prohibited laws that arbitrarily interfered with the sexual conduct of adults in private. In 2022, the Australian Human Rights Commission noted that sexual harassment was a common feature of Australian workplaces, and complaints could lead to criminal proceedings or disciplinary action. Australia also played an active role in developing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is a signatory to various other international treaties on human rights.
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Australia's history
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the world's smallest continent and the sixth-largest country by total area. Australia is sometimes considered the world's largest island and is often dubbed the "island continent". It has a diverse culture and one of the world's highest foreign-born populations.
The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from Southeast Asia 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, during the last glacial period. By the time of British settlement, Aboriginal Australians spoke 250 distinct languages and had one of the oldest living cultures in the world. Australia's written history commenced with Dutch exploration of most of the coastline in the 17th century. In 1770, Lieutenant James Cook, captain of HMB Endeavour, claimed the eastern portion of the Australian continent for the British Crown. Eighteen years later, the First Fleet arrived to establish a penal colony in New South Wales. From January 1788, when the First Fleet of convicts arrived at Botany Bay, to the end of convict transportation 80 years later, more than 160,000 convicted men, women, and children were transported to the country, usually in extremely harsh conditions. The British Government sent these ships to rid England and Ireland of criminals and to use them as labourers in the newly formed colonies.
In 1806, Governor William Bligh tried to suppress the rum trade and the illegal use of Crown Land, resulting in the Rum Rebellion of 1808. The New South Wales Corps, working with the newly established wool trader John Macarthur, staged the only successful armed takeover of the government in Australian history, deposing Bligh and instigating a brief period of military rule. Macquarie served as the last autocratic Governor of New South Wales, from 1810 to 1821, and had a leading role in the social and economic development of New South Wales, which saw it transition from a penal colony to a budding civil society.
Australia achieved independent sovereign nation status after World War I, under the Statute of Westminster. This formalised the Balfour Declaration of 1926, which defined dominions of the British Empire as "autonomous Communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations." The Australia Act 1986 removed any remaining links between the British Parliament and the Australian states.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia is both a continent and a country. The continent of Australia includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, the island of New Guinea, and numerous other islands.
Australia is the smallest continent in the world. However, it is also one of the largest countries on Earth, with a total area of 7,688,287 km2, making it the sixth-largest country.
Australia has the eighth-largest immigrant population in the world, with immigrants accounting for 30% of its total population. As of 2022, Australia attracted 9.5 million international tourists, and in 2021-22, it was ranked seventh-highest in the world out of 117 countries for tourism.
Australia is known for its unique flora and fauna, including eucalyptus trees, platypuses, kangaroos, and koalas. It is also the world's flattest and driest inhabited continent. Additionally, Sydney is the most multicultural city in Oceania, with more than 250 different languages spoken.
Australia is a member of major international organizations such as the United Nations, the Group of 20, and the World Trade Organization. It has also ratified the Kyoto Protocol, demonstrating its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Australia has a diverse range of international students, with the highest ratio per head of population in the world.
