Country Profile
Australia officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian Continent as well as the island of Tasmania and Numerous Smaller Islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans
Capital Canberra
Currency Australian Dollar
Population 23 Million ( 2011 Estimate )
National Language English
History
In 1770,James Cook(a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy) sailed along and mapped the east coast of Australia, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain. James Cook's discoveries prepared the way for establishment of a new penal colony.
Captain Arthur Phillip(a British admiral and colonial administrator) led the First Fleet into Port Kackson on Jan 26,1788.Arthur Phillip was appointed Governor of NSW,the first European colony on the Australian continent and hold office during (Feb 1788 - Sep 1795)
This date became Austalia's National Day - Australia Day
Van Diemen's Land now known as Tasmania, was settled in 1803 and became a separate colony in 1825.The United Kingdom formally claimed the western part of Australia in 1828.
Separate colonies were carved from parts of New South Wales: South Australia in 1836,Victoria in 1851 and Queensland in 1859.
The Northern Territory was founded in 1911 when it was excised from South Australia.
The ''Federation of Australia'' was the process by which the 6 separate British Self-Governing Colonies of New South Wales,Queensland,South Australia,Tasmania,Victoria and Western Australia formed 'One Nation' - Commonwealth of Australia and the Constitution of Australia came into force on Jan 1,1901.
Northern Territory of Australia
On 1 January 1911, a decade after federation, the Northern Territory was separated from South Australia and transferred to Commonwealth control.
Indigenous Australians struggled for rights to fair wages and land.The Commonwealth Govt of Gough Whitlam(21st PM of Australia) set up the Woodward Royal Commission in Feb 1973 to inquire into how land rights might be achieved in the Northern Territory. Justice Woodward's first report in July 1973 recommended that a Central Land Council and a Northern Land Council be established in order to present to him the views of Aboriginal people. In response to the report of the Royal Commission a Land Rights Bill was drafted, but the Whitlam Government was dismissed before it was passed.
The Aborginal Land Rights(Northern Territiry) Act 1976 was eventually passed by the Malcolm Fraser(Australia's 22nd PM) Govt on Dec 16, 1976 and began operation on the following Australia Day (26 January 1977).
In 1978 the Territory was granted Responsible Govt. with a Legislative Assembly headed by a CM.
Northern Territory's Capital City - Darwin.
Northern Territory's Population - 2.5 Lakhs ( 2010 Estimate )
Paul Raymond Henderson is the current CM of Northern Territory in office from Nov 26,2007
Australian Capital Territory(ACT)
Created in 1911, the ACT was originally called the Federal Capital Territory, the current name being acquired in 1938.The ACT was constituted specifically to house the seat of government, the goal being to avoid situating the new Nation's Capital Canberra in either New South Wales(NSW) or Victoria, the two most populous states. The ACT is an enclave (a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory)of New South Wales(NSW)
In the Parliament of Australia,the ACT is represented by four federal members: two members of the House of Representatives and with two Senate Members.
ACT has its own CM and its own legislature(Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly)
ACT Capital City - Canberra
ACT Population - 3.6 Lakhs ( 2010 Estimate )
Katy Gallagher is the current CM of ACT in office from May 16,2011
Government
The Federal Govt is separated into 3 branches -
1)Legislature -Australian Parliament - which is Bicameral - Senate(Upper House)with 76 Senators, 12 each from the states and 2 each from the mainland territories (the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory)
House of Representatives(Lower House) with 150 members elected from single-member electoral divisions, commonly known as "electorates" or "seats", allocated to states on the basis of population,with each original state guaranteed a minimum of 5 seats.
The party with majority support in the House of Representatives forms the government and its leader becomes Prime Minister. In cases where no party has majority support, the Governor-General has the power to appoint the Prime Minister, and if necessary dismiss one that has lost the confidence of Parliament.
Parliament House,Canberra
2)Federal Executive Council presided over by the GG of Australia is the formal body holding executive authority under the Constitution of Australia.
3)The judiciary - the High Court of Australia and other Feral Courts whose judges are appointed by the Governor-General on advice of the Council
2010 Australian Federal Election - Saturday Aug 21,2010
A federal election was held on Saturday, 21 August 2010 for members of the 43rd Parliament of Australia.Australia has Compulsory Voting for all citizens of 18 years and above(voters are obliged to vote on voting day failure will attract fines,community service or imprisonment)
The incumbent Centre-Left Australian labor Party led by PM Julia Gillard won a 2nd term against the Opposition Centre-Right Liberal/National Coalition led by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard of Labor Party formed a Minority Govt. with the support of the Australian Greens and 3 Independent MP's.
Labor and the Coalition each won 72 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives(Lower House) four short of the requirement for majority govt.resultin in the Hung Parliament since the 1940 election.
Greens MP Adam Bandt and Independent MP's - Andre Wilkie,Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor declared the support for Labor Party.
Independent MP Bob Katter and national Party of Western Australia MP Tony Crook declared the support for the Coalition
The resulting 76–74 margin entitled Labor to form a minority government.The Prime Minister, govt Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries were sworn in on Sep 14, 2010 by the Governor General Quentin Bryce
Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current PM of Australia in office from Sep 24,2010
Prime Minsters of Australia
| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Party | Term In Office | State Represented in Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Edmund Barton | 1 January 1901 | 24 September 1903 | Protectionist | 2 years, 267 days | New South Wales | ||
| 2 | Alfred Deakin | 24 September 1903 | 27 April 1904 | Protectionist | 0 years, 217 days | Victoria | ||
| 3 | Chris Watson | 27 April 1904 | 18 August 1904 | Labor | 0 years, 114 days | New South Wales | ||
| 4 | George Reid | 18 August 1904 | 5 July 1905 | Free Trade | 0 years, 322 days | New South Wales | ||
| (2) | Alfred Deakin | 5 July 1905 | 13 November 1908 | Protectionist | 3 years, 132 days | Victoria | ||
| 5 | Andrew Fisher | 13 November 1908 | 2 June 1909 | Labor | 0 years, 202 days | Queensland | ||
| (2) | Alfred Deakin | 2 June 1909 | 29 April 1910 | Commonwealth Liberal | 0 years, 332 days | Victoria | ||
| (5) | Andrew Fisher | 29 April 1910 | 24 June 1913 | Labor | 3 years, 57 days | Queensland | ||
| 6 | Joseph Cook | 24 June 1913 | 17 September 1914 | Commonwealth Liberal | 1 year, 86 days | New South Wales | ||
| (5) | Andrew Fisher | 17 September 1914 | 27 October 1915 | Labor | 1 year, 41 days | Queensland | ||
| 7 | Billy Hughes | 27 October 1915 | 9 February 1923 | Labor/Nationalist | 7 years, 106 days | New South Wales, Victoria | ||
| 8 | Stanley Bruce | 9 February 1923 | 22 October 1929 | Nationalist | 6 years, 256 days | Victoria | ||
| 9 | James Scullin | 22 October 1929 | 6 January 1932 | Labor | 2 years, 77 days | Victoria | ||
| 10 | Joseph Lyons | 6 January 1932 | 7 April 1939 | United Australia | 7 years, 92 days | Tasmania | ||
| 11 | Sir Earle Page | 7 April 1939 | 26 April 1939 | Country | 0 years, 20 days | New South Wales | ||
| 12 | Robert Menzies | 26 April 1939 | 28 August 1941 | United Australia | 2 years, 122 days | Victoria | ||
| 13 | Arthur Fadden | 28 August 1941 | 7 October 1941 | Country | 0 years, 40 days | Queensland | ||
| 14 | John Curtin | 7 October 1941 | 5 July 1945 | Labor | 3 years, 272 days | Western Australia | ||
| 15 | Frank Forde | 6 July 1945 | 13 July 1945 | Labor | 0 years, 8 days | Queensland | ||
| 16 | Ben Chifley | 13 July 1945 | 19 December 1949 | Labor | 4 years, 160 days | New South Wales | ||
| (12) | Sir Robert Menzies | 19 December 1949 | 26 January 1966 | Liberal | 16 years, 39 days | Victoria | ||
| 17 | Harold Holt | 26 January 1966 | 19 December 1967[7] | Liberal | 1 year, 328 days | Victoria | ||
| 18 | John McEwen | 19 December 1967 | 10 January 1968 | Country | 0 years, 23 days | Victoria | ||
| 19 | John Gorton | 10 January 1968 | 10 March 1971 | Liberal | 3 years, 60 days | Victoria | ||
| 20 | William McMahon | 10 March 1971 | 5 December 1972 | Liberal | 1 year, 271 days | New South Wales | ||
| 21 | Gough Whitlam | 5 December 1972 | 11 November 1975 | Labor | 2 years, 342 days | New South Wales | ||
| 22 | Malcolm Fraser | 11 November 1975 | 11 March 1983 | Liberal | 7 years, 121 days | Victoria | ||
| 23 | Bob Hawke | 11 March 1983 | 20 December 1991 | Labor | 8 years, 285 days | Victoria | ||
| 24 | Paul Keating | 20 December 1991 | 11 March 1996 | Labor | 4 years, 83 days | New South Wales | ||
| 25 | John Howard | 11 March 1996 | 3 December 2007 | Liberal | 11 years, 268 days | New South Wales | ||
| 26 | Kevin Rudd | 3 December 2007 | 24 June 2010 | Labor | 2 years, 204 days | Queensland | ||
| 27 | Julia Gillard | 24 June 2010 | Incumbent | Labor | 1 year, 245 days | Victoria |
Australia Unearths Country's Largest Pink Diamond Ever
A massive(at 12.76 Carats) rough Pink Diamond (named the Argyle Pink Jubliee )has been unearthed in Rio Tinto's Argyle Diamond Mine in Western Australia
"A diamond of this caliber is unprecedented -- it has taken 26 years of Argyle production to unearth this stone, and we may never see one like this again, says Argyle Diamond Mine Manager Josephine
Johnson
The gem is being cut and polished into a single stone over a 10 day period and will be up for auction later in the year and is expected to sell for up to $10.6 million.
NOTE More than 90 percent of the world's pink diamonds come from the Argyle mine.
Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd Resigns - Tuesday Feb 21,2012
Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd announced his resignation from his hotel room in Washington on Tuesday stating that he was tired of the leadership "soap opera" and no longer had the Prime Minister's confidence, citing her failure to defend him against recent attacks by several ministers. He said he will consider his future after returning to Australia on Friday and will first consult with his family and colleagues.
Julia Gillard the Australian PM said she was "disappointed" that Kevin Rudd had not discussed plans to resign or raised his concerns with her.
Labor Leadership Challenge
Julia Gillard announced her intention to hold the leadership vote within their Labor Party on Monday Feb 27,2012 and slammed Kevin Rudd and his supporters for waging a “long-running destabilization campaign” against her government.
Former Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd will challenge Prime Minister Julia Gillard for the Labor leadership on Monday Feb 27,2012 as both candidates made their pitches as the best person for the top job
Julia Gillard has declared Monday's Labor leadership ballot between her and Kevin Rudd will be a test of character, temperament and strength
Julia Gillard defeats Kevin Rudd in Labor leadership ballot
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard easily won an internal party vote on Monday Feb 27,2012 against Kevin Rudd by 71 votes to 31 in a ballot of Labour Party legislators, but she faces the challenge of reuniting her bitterly divided party and Cabinet.Julia Gillard described her win as “overwhelming” after months of “ugly” infighting within the ranks of the centre-left party.
“Today I want to say to Australians one and all- This issue, the leadership question, is now determined,” she said. “I can assure you that this political drama is over.”
After his defeat, Kevin Rudd called on Labour to unite behind Julia Gillard.
“I bear no one any malice and if I’ve done wrong to anyone with what I’ve said and what I’ve done, I apologize,” he told reporters.
Julia Gillard brings Bob Carr as new foreign minister
Bob Carr – New South Wales' longest serving premier, with 10 years in power that spanned the Sydney Olympics in 2000 – had retired from politics but said he "couldn't have found it within myself to say no" when he was offered the chance to return to public service.
Peter Slipper Forced to Resign over Sex Scandal - Sunday April 22,2012
Peter Slipper(62),Parliamentary Speaker has stepped down following claims of sexual harassment and fraud.Former parliamentary staff member James Ashby, who is openly gay, has launched legal action against Peter Slipper over alleged sexual harassment and says he received explicit text messages and unwanted sexual advances.
James Ashby claims Peter Slipper, who is married with adult children, only recruited him 'for the purpose of pursuing a sexual relationship.'
Peter Slipper will be temporarily replaced by his deputy, Labor MP Anna Burke.
Parliamentary Speaker Peter Slipper resigns over sex scandal
Australia's parliamentary Speaker Peter Slipper announced his resignation on Tuesday Oct 9,2012 hours after surviving a motion to sack him for lurid text messages he sent to a former staffer.
Conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott had called for Slipper to be
removed, saying he was not a "fit and proper" person for the
office after court documents revealed text conversations Slipper had with
ex-staffer James Ashby, who has accused him of sexual harassment.
Abbott's motion was defeated 69 votes to 70 but Slipper later told parliament
he would resign. "I leave this position without rancour and with a
great deal of sadness," he said.
Iron - Ore and Coal Exports
Australia’s iron-ore and coal exports are certainly vast. In 2011, it exportedA$64 billion worth of iron ore and A$47 billion worth of coal.Together, iron ore and coal represent 42 percent of Australia’s total exports.The three largest recipients of total Australian exports are China, Japan and South Korea, which got 27 % 19 % and 9 %of shipments, respectively.However,mining and mining services together contribute less than 10 percent of the country’s GDP. Only 2 % of Australians work in the mining sector.
Coal in Australia is mined primarily in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.It is used to generate electricity and 54% of the Coal mined in Australia is exported, mostly to eastern Asia.Australia is the world's leading coal exporter.Total production of raw black coal in Australia in financial year 2010-11 was 405 million tonnes.
Two forms of coal are mined in Australia -
Black coal is found in Queensland and New South Wales and
Brown coal is found in Victoria and South Australia.
Coal mining in Australia has been the subject of criticism from members of the environmental movement,
because burning coal releases carbon dioxide, which is generally understood to contribute to climate change,global warming,sea level rise etc.The burning of coal produces 42.1% of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.
Open Pit Coal Mine, Goonyella, Queensland
OpenCut Coal Mine Anglesea, Victoria, Australia
Blair Athol,Queensland Coal Mine
Iron-ore producers, as a whole, spent less than 1/10th of their total earnings on wages and salaries; 42 percent of those earnings became pretax profits.
In Western Australia, which produced more than A$62.8 billion worth of iron ore in 2011, iron-ore companies employed only 33345 people.
The Pilbara region produced more than 400 million metric tons of iron ore in 2011, which is about 125 pounds for every person on the planet.
It is to be noted that Kevin Rudd, a former Prime Minister of Australia, was ousted in a backdoor political coup in 2010 partially because of his support for an extra mining tax.
Australia’s extremely high per-capita nominal GDP of $65,000 reflects high exchange rates more than outsized GDP growth, but by any measure Australia has had some good years. From 2006 to 2011, its real GDP increased almost 13.8 %.
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