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{{Short description|Country in Oceania}}
]]
{{About|the country|the continent|Australia (continent)|other uses}}
{{Distinguish|Australasia|Austrasia|Austria}}
{{Featured article}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Commonwealth of Australia
| common_name = Australia
| image_flag = Flag of Australia.svg
| alt_flag = A blue field with the Union Flag in the upper hoist quarter, a large white seven-pointed star in the lower hoist quarter, and constellation of five white stars in the fly – one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars
| image_coat = Coat of Arms of Australia.svg
| alt_coat = <!--alt text for coat of arms-->
| national_anthem = "]"{{Lower|0.2em|{{Refn|Australia also has a ], "]", which may be played in place of or alongside the national anthem when members of the ] are present. If not played alongside the royal anthem, the national anthem is instead played at the end of an official event.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Australian National Anthem |url=https://www.pmc.gov.au/honours-and-symbols/australian-national-symbols/australian-national-anthem |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027193111/https://www.pmc.gov.au/honours-and-symbols/australian-national-symbols/australian-national-anthem |archive-date=27 October 2023 |access-date=9 January 2024 |website=Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet|date=19 January 2022 }}</ref>|name="anthem explanation"|group="N"}}<!--end lower:-->}}<br /> <div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">{{Center|]}}</div>
| image_map = Australia with AAT (orthographic projection).svg
| map_caption = {{Legend|#316831|Commonwealth of Australia}}
{{Legend|#8DC78C|]}}
| alt_map = A map of the eastern hemisphere centred on Australia, using an orthographic projection
| capital = ]
| coordinates = {{Nowrap|{{Coord|35|18|29|S|149|07|28|E|type:city_region:AU}}}}
| largest_city = ] (metropolitan)<br />] (urban){{Refn|Sydney is the largest city based on Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSAs). These represent labour markets and the functional area of Australian capital cities.<ref name="ABS-regional-population-2022">{{cite web |title=Regional population, 2021-22 financial year |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population/2021-22 |date=20 April 2023 |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |access-date=27 May 2023 |archive-date=20 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420020126/https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population/2021-22 |url-status=live }}</ref> Melbourne is larger based on ABS Significant Urban Areas (SUAs). These represent Urban Centres, or groups of contiguous Urban Centres, that contain a population of 10,000 people or more.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Turnbull |first1=Tiffanie |title=Melbourne overtakes Sydney as Australia's biggest city |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-65261720 |access-date=27 May 2023 |publisher=BBC News |date=17 April 2023 |archive-date=21 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521093900/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-65261720 |url-status=live }}</ref>|group="N"}}<!-- See discussion on the talk page -->
| languages_type = ] and ]
| languages = ] ('']'')<br />None ('']'')
| languages2_type =
| languages2 =
| demonym = {{Hlist|]<br />Aussie (colloquial){{Refn|Pronounced "Ozzy"}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aussie |url=https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/features/word/search/?search_word_type=Dictionary&word=aussie |url-access=subscription |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=] |date=16 October 2023 |archive-date=10 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610132406/https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/?time=1718025846039 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Collins English Dictionary |year=2009 |publisher=] |location=Bishopbriggs, Glasgow |isbn=978-0-0078-6171-2 |page=18 |title-link=Collins English Dictionary }}</ref><!--end hlist:-->}}
| religion = {{Ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap;
|title = ]
|43.9% ]
|38.9% ]
|3.2% ]
|2.7% ]
|2.4% ]
|1.7% ]
|7.2% unanswered{{Refn|The religion question is optional in the Australian census.|group="N"}}
}}
| religion_year = ]
| religion_ref = <ref name="Australian-Bureau-of-Statistics-2022"/>
| government_type = ] parliamentary ]
| leader_title1 = ]
| leader_name1 = ]
| leader_title2 = {{Nowrap|]}}
| leader_name2 = ]
| leader_title3 = ]
| leader_name3 = ]
| legislature = ]
| upper_house = ]
| lower_house = ]
| sovereignty_type = ]
| sovereignty_note = from the ]
| established_event1 = ] and creation of the ]
| established_date1 = 1 January 1901
| established_event2 = ]
| established_date2 = 15 November 1926
| established_event3 = ]
| established_date3 = 9 October 1942
| established_event4 = ]
| established_date4 = 3 March 1986
| area_km2 = 7,688,287<ref name="Geoscience-Australia-2014">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/dimensions/area-of-australia-states-and-territories|title=Area of Australia - States and Territories|date=27 June 2014|website=Geoscience Australia|access-date=18 February 2024|archive-date=18 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118174336/https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/dimensions/area-of-australia-states-and-territories|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Factbook-Geography">{{Cite CIA World Factbook |country=Australia |section=Geography |access-date=16 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="Organisation-for-Economic-Cooperation-and-Development-OECD">{{Cite web|title=Surface water and surface water change|access-date=11 October 2020|publisher=] (OECD)|url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER|archive-date=24 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324133453/https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER|url-status=live}}</ref>
| area_rank = 6th
| percent_water = 1.79 (2015)<ref name="Organisation-for-Economic-Cooperation-and-Development-OECD"/>
| population_estimate = {{IncreaseNeutral}} {{Data Australia|poptoday|formatnum}}<ref name="popclock">{{Cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/population-clock-pyramid|title=Population clock and pyramid|work=] website|date=5 March 2024|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia|access-date=5 March 2024|archive-date=8 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208102513/https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/population-clock-pyramid|url-status=live}} The population estimate shown is automatically calculated daily at 00:00 UTC and is based on data obtained from the population clock on the date shown in the citation.</ref>
| population_census = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 25,890,773<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and-territory-population/mar-2022|title=National, state and territory population|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=26 September 2022|access-date=26 September 2022|archive-date=21 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221121204624/https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and-territory-population/mar-2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = {{CURRENTYEAR}}
| population_estimate_rank = 54th
| population_census_year = 2021
| population_density_km2 = {{#expr:{{Data Australia|poptoday}} / 7692024 round 1}}
| population_density_rank = 244th
| GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $1.898 trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.AU">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2024/October/weo-report?c=193,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2022&ey=2029&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2024 Edition. (Australia) |publisher=] |website=www.imf.org |date=22 October 2024 |access-date=22 October 2024}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year = 2024
| GDP_PPP_rank = 19th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $69,475<ref name="IMFWEO.AU" />
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 23rd
| GDP_nominal = {{increase}} $1.802 trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.AU" />
| GDP_nominal_year = 2024
| GDP_nominal_rank = 14th
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $65,966<ref name="IMFWEO.AU" />
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 12th
| Gini = 32.4
| Gini_year = 2020
| Gini_change = decrease <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini_ref = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Australia Gini Coefficient, 1995 – 2023 {{!}} CEIC Data |url=https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/australia/gini-coefficient |access-date=4 March 2024 |website=www.ceicdata.com |archive-date=4 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304002624/https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/australia/gini-coefficient |url-status=live }}</ref>
| HDI = 0.946<!--number only-->
| HDI_year = 2022<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
| HDI_change = increase<!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2023-24reporten.pdf|title=Human Development Report 2023/24|language=en|publisher=]|date=13 March 2024|access-date=13 March 2024|archive-date=13 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313164319/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2023-24reporten.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| HDI_rank = 10th
| currency = ] ($)
| currency_code = AUD
| time_zone = ]<ref name="time" group="N">There are minor variations from three basic time zones; see ].</ref>
| utc_offset = +8; +9.5; +10
| time_zone_DST = ]<ref name="time" group="N"/>
| utc_offset_DST = +10.5; +11
| DST_note = ] not observed in Qld, WA and NT
| date_format = {{Abbr|dd|day}}/{{Abbr|mm|month}}/{{Abbr|yyyy|year}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Australian Government |date=March 2023 |title=Dates and time |url=https://www.stylemanual.gov.au/grammar-punctuation-and-conventions/numbers-and-measurements/dates-and-time |access-date=6 May 2023 |website=Style Manual |archive-date=29 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529074659/https://www.stylemanual.gov.au/grammar-punctuation-and-conventions/numbers-and-measurements/dates-and-time |url-status=live }}</ref>
| drives_on = left
| calling_code = ]
| cctld = ]
}}
<!-- PLEASE USE AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH THROUGHOUT, i.e. use "centre" instead of "center"; "neighbour" rather than "neighbor", etc.; and maximise the use of "-is-" and "-ys-" (as in "organise" and "analyse") rather than "-iz-" or "-yz-" ("organize", "analyze"). The dash style is unspaced em dash, write {{Mdash}}, not spaced en dash. An exception applies to proper nouns that have standardised non-Australian spellings in their name, such as the "World Trade Organization" and not "World Trade Organisation". The relevant Manual of Style guidelines for this are located at ]. -->


'''Australia''', officially the '''Commonwealth of Australia''',<ref>'']'' (Imp) 63 & 64 Vict, c 12, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109071637/https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/coaca430/s3.html |date=9 January 2024 }}</ref> is a country comprising ] of the ], the island of ] and ].{{Refn|], however this is only recognised by the UK, France, New Zealand and Norway.}} Australia has a total area of {{cvt|7,688,287|km2}}, making it the ] and the largest in ]. It is the world's oldest,<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Korsch RJ. |display-authors=et al |year=2011 |title=Australian island arcs through time: Geodynamic implications for the Archean and Proterozoic |journal=Gondwana Research|volume=19|issue=3|pages=716–734|doi=10.1016/j.gr.2010.11.018|bibcode=2011GondR..19..716K | issn=1342-937X }}</ref> flattest,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Map-from-above-shows-Australia-is-a-very-flat-place/2005/01/21/1106110947946.html |title=Map from above shows Australia is a very flat place |date=21 January 2005 |last=Macey |first=Richard |work=] |access-date=5 April 2010 |issn=0312-6315 |oclc=226369741 |archive-date=10 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010152047/http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Map-from-above-shows-Australia-is-a-very-flat-place/2005/01/21/1106110947946.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and driest inhabited continent,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Australian continent |url=https://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-country/the-australian-continent |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313202829/https://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-country/the-australian-continent |archive-date=13 March 2020 |access-date=13 August 2018 |website=australia.gov.au |publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/landforms/deserts |title=Deserts |work=Geoscience Australia |publisher=Australian Government |access-date=13 August 2018 |date=15 May 2014 |archive-date=5 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140605132206/http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/landforms/deserts.html |url-status=live }}</ref> with some of the least fertile soils.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/quantum/info/q95-19-5.htm |title=A Chat with Tim Flannery on Population Control |last=Kelly |first=Karina |publisher=] |date=13 September 1995 |access-date=23 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113095438/http://www.abc.net.au/quantum/info/q95-19-5.htm |archive-date=13 January 2010}} "Well, Australia has by far the world's least fertile soils".</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Damaged Dirt |work=] |last=Grant |first=Cameron |url=http://www.1degree.com.au/files/AdvertiserPartworks_Part3_Page8.pdf?download=1&filename=AdvertiserPartworks_Part3_Page8.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706100423/http://www.1degree.com.au/files/AdvertiserPartworks_Part3_Page8.pdf?download=1&filename=AdvertiserPartworks_Part3_Page8.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011 |date=August 2007 |access-date=23 April 2010 |quote=Australia has the oldest, most highly weathered soils on the planet.}}</ref> It is a ], and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates including ] in the ] and ] along the ].
'''Australia''' is a ] and country, to the northwest of ], and south of ], ] and ]. It is the smallest continent, being three times the area of the largest ], ]. With a land area of 7,686,810 sq km (2,967,877 sq mi), Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. The name 'Australia' comes from the ] phrase ''terra australis incognita'' ("unknown southern land").


The ancestors of ] began arriving from ] 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, during the ].<ref name="ClarksonJacobs2017">{{Cite journal |last1=Clarkson |first1=Chris |last2=Jacobs |first2=Zenobia |last3=Marwick |first3=Ben |last4=Fullagar |first4=Richard |last5=Wallis |first5=Lynley |last6=Smith |first6=Mike |last7=Roberts |first7=Richard G. |last8=Hayes |first8=Elspeth |last9=Lowe |first9=Kelsey |last10=Carah |first10=Xavier |last11=Florin |first11=S. Anna |last12=McNeil |first12=Jessica |last13=Cox |first13=Delyth |last14=Arnold |first14=Lee J. |last15=Hua |first15=Quan |display-authors=1 |year=2017 |title=Human occupation of northern Australia by 65,000 years ago |journal=Nature |volume=547 |issue=7663 |pages=306–310 |bibcode=2017Natur.547..306C |doi=10.1038/nature22968 |issn=0028-0836 |pmid=28726833 |s2cid=205257212 |hdl-access=free |last16=Huntley |first16=Jillian |last17=Brand |first17=Helen E. A. |last18=Manne |first18=Tiina |last19=Fairbairn |first19=Andrew |last20=Shulmeister |first20=James |last21=Lyle |first21=Lindsey |last22=Salinas |first22=Makiah |last23=Page |first23=Mara |last24=Connell |first24=Kate |last25=Park |first25=Gayoung |last26=Norman |first26=Kasih |last27=Murphy |first27=Tessa |last28=Pardoe |first28=Colin |hdl=2440/107043}}</ref><ref name="Veth" /><ref name="Williams-2021">{{cite journal |last1=Williams |first1=Martin A. J. |last2=Spooner |first2=Nigel A. |last3=McDonnell |first3=Kathryn |last4=O'Connell |first4=James F. |date=January 2021 |title=Identifying disturbance in archaeological sites in tropical northern Australia: Implications for previously proposed 65,000-year continental occupation date |journal=Geoarchaeology |language=en |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=92–108 |bibcode=2021Gearc..36...92W |doi=10.1002/gea.21822 |issn=0883-6353 |s2cid=225321249 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gea.21822 |url-access= |access-date=16 October 2023 |archive-date=4 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004091731/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gea.21822 |url-status=live }}</ref> By the time of British settlement, Aboriginal Australians spoke 250 distinct languages and had the oldest living culture in the world.<ref name="Flood" /> ] commenced with ] of most of the coastline in the 17th-century. British colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of the penal ]. By the mid-19th century, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and five additional self-governing ] were established, each gaining ] by 1890. The ] in 1901, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. This continued a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom, highlighted by the '']'', and culminating in the ] of 1986.<ref name="Contiades Fotiadou 2020 p. 389">{{Cite book | last1=Contiades | first1=X. | last2=Fotiadou | first2=A. | title=Routledge Handbook of Comparative Constitutional Change | publisher=Taylor & Francis | year=2020 | isbn=978-1-3510-2097-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GmoPEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA389 | page=389 | access-date=17 July 2023 | archive-date=19 April 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419202011/https://books.google.com/books?id=GmoPEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA389 | url-status=live }}</ref>
Australia is home to a wide variety of plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. Due to its size and location, Australia has a remarkably varied range of ecosystems, including everything from deserts to tropical rainforest. Much of the western and central portion of the country is uninhabitable, and the majority of the Australian population lives in the south-eastern part of the continent and down the east coast.


Australia is a ] ] and ] comprising ]. Its population of more than {{#expr:{{Data Australia|poptoday}} / 1000000 round 0}} million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard.<ref name="popclock"/><ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/1301.0~2012~Main%20Features~Geographic%20distribution%20of%20the%20population~49 |title= Geographic Distribution of the Population |access-date= 1 December 2012 |date= 24 May 2012 |archive-date= 14 April 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210414084634/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/1301.0~2012~Main%20Features~Geographic%20distribution%20of%20the%20population~49 |url-status= live }}</ref> ] is the nation's capital, while ] are ] and ], both with a population of more than 5 million.<ref name="ABS-regional-population-latest">{{Cite web |date=20 April 2023 |title=Regional population |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population/latest-release |access-date=23 April 2023 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |archive-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010145251/https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population/latest-release |url-status=live }}</ref> ] is diverse,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=Culturally and linguistically Diverse Australian |url=https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/population-groups/cald-australians/overview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240219224057/https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/population-groups/cald-australians/overview |archive-date=19 February 2024 |access-date=20 February 2024 |website=Australian Government, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare}}</ref> and the country has one of the ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Donnell |first=James |date=27 November 2023 |title=Is Australia a cohesive nation? |url=https://www.abc.net.au/religion/social-cohesion-australia-diversity-inequality-threats/103133458 |access-date=21 February 2024 |website=ABC Australia |archive-date=20 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220034741/https://www.abc.net.au/religion/social-cohesion-australia-diversity-inequality-threats/103133458 |url-status=live }}</ref> It has a highly ] and one of the ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 September 2015 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2015 |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2015/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=39&pr.y=6&sy=2012&ey=2012&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512,668,914,672,612,946,614,137,311,962,213,674,911,676,193,548,122,556,912,678,313,181,419,867,513,682,316,684,913,273,124,868,339,921,638,948,514,943,218,686,963,688,616,518,223,728,516,558,918,138,748,196,618,278,522,692,622,694,156,142,624,449,626,564,628,565,228,283,924,853,233,288,632,293,636,566,634,964,238,182,662,453,960,968,423,922,935,714,128,862,611,135,321,716,243,456,248,722,469,942,253,718,642,724,643,576,939,936,644,961,819,813,172,199,132,733,646,184,648,524,915,361,134,362,652,364,174,732,328,366,258,734,656,144,654,146,336,463,263,528,268,923,532,738,944,578,176,537,534,742,536,866,429,369,433,744,178,186,436,925,136,869,343,746,158,926,439,466,916,112,664,111,826,298,542,927,967,846,443,299,917,582,544,474,941,754,446,698,666&s=NGDPDPC&grp=0&a= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906100138/http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2015/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=39&pr.y=6&sy=2012&ey=2012&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512,668,914,672,612,946,614,137,311,962,213,674,911,676,193,548,122,556,912,678,313,181,419,867,513,682,316,684,913,273,124,868,339,921,638,948,514,943,218,686,963,688,616,518,223,728,516,558,918,138,748,196,618,278,522,692,622,694,156,142,624,449,626,564,628,565,228,283,924,853,233,288,632,293,636,566,634,964,238,182,662,453,960,968,423,922,935,714,128,862,611,135,321,716,243,456,248,722,469,942,253,718,642,724,643,576,939,936,644,961,819,813,172,199,132,733,646,184,648,524,915,361,134,362,652,364,174,732,328,366,258,734,656,144,654,146,336,463,263,528,268,923,532,738,944,578,176,537,534,742,536,866,429,369,433,744,178,186,436,925,136,869,343,746,158,926,439,466,916,112,664,111,826,298,542,927,967,846,443,299,917,582,544,474,941,754,446,698,666&s=NGDPDPC&grp=0&a= |archive-date=6 September 2015 |access-date=1 April 2019 |publisher=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=Human Development Report 2021-22 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf_1.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908114232/http://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf_1.pdf |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=9 September 2022 |website=United Nations Development Programme}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=31 October 2011 |title=Australians the world's wealthiest |url=https://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/luxury/australians-the-worlds-wealthiest-20111101-1mt2r.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710153747/http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/luxury/australians-the-worlds-wealthiest-20111101-1mt2r.html |archive-date=10 July 2014 |access-date=24 July 2012 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> Its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade relations are crucial to ]. It ] for quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties and political rights.<ref name="Global Australia 2021">{{Cite web | title=Statistics and rankings | website=Global Australia | date=18 May 2021 | url=https://www.globalaustralia.gov.au/why-australia/statistics-and-rankings | access-date=28 March 2023 | archive-date=28 March 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328003912/https://www.globalaustralia.gov.au/why-australia/statistics-and-rankings | url-status=live }}</ref>
<center>http://meta.wikipedia.com/upload/austmap.png


Australia is a ], and has the world's ]. It is a member of international groups including the United Nations; the ]; the ]; the ]; ]; the ]; the ]; the ]; and the defence and security organisations ], ], and the ]. It is also a ] of the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rachman |first=Gideon |date=13 March 2023 |title=Aukus, the Anglosphere and the return of great power rivalry |url=https://www.ft.com/content/e4abd866-54cb-4923-9a66-ebb5b5ed67bf |url-access=subscription |access-date=19 March 2023 |work=Financial Times |archive-date=20 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320005932/https://www.ft.com/content/e4abd866-54cb-4923-9a66-ebb5b5ed67bf |url-status=live }}</ref>
<font size="-2">(public domain map created by ])</font></center>


==Etymology==
== ] ==
{{Main|Name of Australia}}
Australia has been populated for over 40,000 years. Its earliest human inhabitants, the ], the ] of Australia crossed the ] from the lands that currently make up ] and ]. At that time the Torres and ] Straits were ]s.


The name ''Australia'' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|s|t|r|eɪ|l|i|ə}} in ])<ref>Australian pronunciations: ''], Fourth Edition'' (2005) Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. {{ISBN|978-1-876429-14-0}}</ref>{{pn|date=December 2024}} is derived from the Latin {{Lang|la|]}} ({{Gloss|southern land}}), a name used for a hypothetical continent in the Southern Hemisphere since ancient times.<ref>{{Cite web|title=australia {{pipe}} Etymology, origin and meaning of the name australia by etymonline|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/australia|access-date=15 January 2022|website=www.etymonline.com|language=en|archive-date=29 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129005011/https://www.etymonline.com/word/Australia|url-status=live}}</ref> Several 16th-century cartographers used the word Australia on maps, but not to identify modern Australia.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Clarke |first1=Jacqueline |last2=Clarke |first2=Philip |date=10 August 2014 |title=Putting 'Australia' on the map |url=http://theconversation.com/putting-australia-on-the-map-29816 |access-date=15 January 2022 |website=The Conversation |language=en |archive-date=2 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302195128/https://theconversation.com/putting-australia-on-the-map-29816 |url-status=live }}</ref> When Europeans began visiting and mapping Australia in the 17th century, the name {{Lang|la|Terra Australis}} was applied to the new territories.{{Refn|The earliest recorded use of the word ''Australia'' in English was in 1625 in "A note of Australia del Espíritu Santo, written by Sir ]", published by ] in ''Hakluytus Posthumus'', a corruption of the original Spanish name "Austrialia del Espíritu Santo" (Southern Land of the Holy Spirit)<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817051612/http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/history_nation/queiros/index.html |date=17 August 2013}} ''The Spanish quest for Terra Australis|State Library of New South Wales Page 1''</ref><ref> {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612021158/http://rupertgerritsen.tripod.com/pdf/published/Austrialia_Globe_72_2013_pp23-30.pdf|date=12 June 2016}} ''Posesion en nombre de Su Magestad (Archivo del Museo Naval, Madrid, MS 951) p. 3''.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63620938|title=The Illustrated Sydney News|newspaper=Illustrated Sydney News|date=26 January 1888|access-date=29 January 2012|page=2|publisher=National Library of Australia|archive-date=11 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011073045/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63620938|url-status=live}}</ref> for an island in ].<ref>Purchas, vol. iv, pp. 1422–1432, 1625</ref> The Dutch adjectival form ''australische'' was used in a Dutch book in ] (]) in 1638, to refer to the newly discovered lands to the south.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DDNEle_1NzkC&pg=PA299|page=299|last=Scott|first=Ernest|orig-year=1914|title=The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders|isbn=978-1-4191-6948-9|year=2004|publisher=Kessinger Publishing|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=10 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610132503/https://books.google.com/books?id=DDNEle_1NzkC&pg=PA299|url-status=live}}</ref>|group="N"}}
The first European to sight Australia was probably a ], Manuel Godhino de Eredia, in 1601. It may also have been sighted by a ], Luis Vaez de Torres, around 1605-6. Australia was later visited by the ] (based in ], who named it New Holland, and ] landed on the island of ] in 1642. In 1688 the Englishman William Dampier landed at King Sound on the northwest coast.


Until the early 19th century, Australia was best known as '']'', a name first applied by the Dutch explorer ] in 1644 (as {{Lang|nl|Nieuw-Holland}}) and subsequently anglicised. {{Lang|la|Terra Australis}} still saw occasional usage, such as in scientific texts.{{Refn|For instance, the 1814 work '']''.|group="N"}} The name ''Australia'' was popularised by the explorer ], who said it was "more agreeable to the ear, and an assimilation to the names of the other great portions of the Earth".<ref>Flinders, Matthew (1814) '']'' G. and W. Nicol</ref> The first time that ''Australia'' appears to have been officially used was in April 1817, when Governor ] acknowledged the receipt of Flinders' charts of Australia from ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58549315|title=Who Named Australia?|newspaper=The Mail (Adelaide, South Australia)|location=Adelaide|date=11 February 1928|access-date=14 February 2012|page=16|publisher=National Library of Australia|archive-date=17 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417085724/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/58549315|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 1817, Macquarie recommended to the ] that it be formally adopted.<ref>Weekend Australian, 30–31 December 2000, p. 16</ref> In 1824, the ] agreed that the continent should be known officially by that name.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Department of Immigration and Citizenship |title=Life in Australia|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia|year=2007|page=11|isbn=978-1-9214-4630-6|url=http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/values/book/english/lia_english_part1.pdf |access-date=30 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091017070336/http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/values/book/english/lia_english_part1.pdf |archive-date=17 October 2009}}</ref> The first official published use of the new name came with the publication in 1830 of ''The Australia Directory'' by the ].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Coman|first=Brian J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P5m4zNxaaSUC&pg=PA40|title=A Loose Canon: Essays on History, Modernity and Tradition|date=2007|publisher=Connor Court Publishing Pty Ltd|isbn=978-0-9802-9362-3|language=en|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=27 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327193458/https://books.google.com/books?id=P5m4zNxaaSUC&pg=PA40|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 1770 Captain ] discovered the northern two-thirds of the east coast. He named it ] (the reasons for this particular name are unknown) and claimed it for Great Britain. In his report he recommended Botany Bay as an ideal site for a future ]. Cook's report was ignored at first, but in the 1780's the interest of the British government increased. The most important factor was Britain's need to relieve its overcrowded prisons. Several violent incidents at overcrowded prisons convinced the British government of the need to separate unruly elements from the rest of the prison populace. The loss of the North American territories during the ] added to the urgency. A decision was made to found a prison colony at Botany Bay.


Colloquial names for Australia include "]", "]" and "]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Straya |url=http://macquariedictionary.com.au/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=12 February 2024 |website=] |archive-date=9 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209174709/https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Other epithets include "the Great Southern Land", "the Lucky Country" (from ]), "the Sunburnt Country", and "the Wide Brown Land". The latter two both derive from ]'s 1908 poem "]".<ref>{{Cite web|last1=School|first1=Head of|last2=admin.hal@anu.edu.au|title=Australian National Dictionary Centre|url=https://slll.cass.anu.edu.au/centres/andc|access-date=15 January 2022|website=ANU School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics|language=en|archive-date=12 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312000501/http://www.anu.edu.au/ANDC/pubs/ozwords/June_98/2._aitch.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
As a result, Captain ], commanding eleven ships full of convicts, left Britain for Australia on May 13, 1787. He successfully landed a full fleet at Botany Bay on January 18, 1788. However, they left the bay eight days later because of its openness, short supply of fresh water and poor soil, and settled instead at Port Jackson, a few kilometres north. The ships landed 1,373 people, including 732 convicts, and the settlement became Sydney Town (later ]). The early years of the colony were somewhat disastrous; Phillip ordered the crops to be planted in March (failing to factor in the reversal of seasons) and they promptly withered during the winter, leading to a number of famines.


==History==
In ], another prison colony was established in ], later renamed ] to remove the convict connotation. Other colonies were not established to take convicts (although some did), and eventually support for shipping convicts from England declined, and Australia ceased to take them.
{{Main|History of Australia}}
{{For timeline|Timeline of Australian history}}


=== Indigenous prehistory ===
Australia became a ] of the ] in ]. She was able to take advantage of her ]s to rapidly develop her agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars ] and ]. Australia's war dead are remembered on ] and ].
{{Main|Prehistory of Australia|Indigenous Australians}}
] in the ] region of Western Australia]]


] comprise two broad groups:
Original policies of Australia were designed to encourage the British nature of the country, and policies such as the ] were set up to specifically exclude those not from Britain from coming into the country. This policy was eventually undone after World War II when mass immigration was encouraged, and ] views began to decline.
* ], who are the various ] of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, including ]
* ], who are a distinct ]n people of ]


Human habitation of the Australian continent is estimated to have begun 50,000 to 65,000 years ago,<ref name="ClarksonJacobs2017" /><ref name="Nunn2018">{{Cite book|first=Patrick|last=Nunn|title=The Edge of Memory: Ancient Stories, Oral Tradition and the Post-Glacial World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z4xaDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT16|year=2018|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4729-4327-9|page=16|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=3 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203142811/https://books.google.com/books?id=Z4xaDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT16#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="FaganDurrani2018">{{Cite book|first1=Brian M.|last1=Fagan|first2=Nadia|last2=Durrani|title=People of the Earth: An Introduction to World Prehistory|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W0NvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT250|year=2018|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-3517-5764-5|pages=250–253|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=3 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203142816/https://books.google.com/books?id=W0NvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT250#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Veth">{{Cite book |last1=Veth |first1=Peter |url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgehistory0001unse_m8y7 |title=The Cambridge History of Australia, Volume 1, Indigenous and Colonial Australia |last2=O'Connor |first2=Sue |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-1070-1153-3 |editor-last=Bashford |editor-first=Alison |location=Cambridge |pages=19 |chapter=The past 50,000 years: an archaeological view |editor-last2=MacIntyre |editor-first2=Stuart |url-access=registration}}</ref> with the migration of people by ]s and short sea crossings from what is now Southeast Asia.<ref name="Oppenheimer2013">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VQQvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP111|title=Out of Eden: The Peopling of the World|first=Stephen|last=Oppenheimer|date=2013|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=978-1-7803-3753-1|pages=111–|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=3 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203142820/https://books.google.com/books?id=VQQvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP111#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> It is uncertain how many waves of immigration may have contributed to these ancestors of modern Aboriginal Australians.<ref name="Malaspinas Westaway Muller Sousa 2016 pp. 207–214" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dorey |first=Fran |title=When did modern humans get to Australia? |url=https://australian.museum/learn/science/human-evolution/the-spread-of-people-to-australia |publisher=Australian Museum |access-date=21 August 2020 |archive-date=17 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817140725/https://australian.museum/learn/science/human-evolution/the-spread-of-people-to-australia/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The ] rock shelter in ] is possibly the oldest site showing the presence of humans in Australia.<ref name="Gilligan2018">{{Cite book|first=Ian|last=Gilligan|title=Climate, Clothing, and Agriculture in Prehistory: Linking Evidence, Causes, and Effects|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ux50DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA237|date=2018|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-1084-7008-7|page=237|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=3 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203142816/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ux50DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA237#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Williams-2021" /> The oldest human remains found are the ], which have been dated to around 41,000 years ago.<ref name="TunizGillespie2016">{{Cite book|first1=Claudio|last1=Tuniz|first2=Richard|last2=Gillespie|first3=Cheryl|last3=Jones|title=The Bone Readers: Science and Politics in Human Origins Research|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WrJmDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA43|year=2016|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-3154-1888-9|page=43|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=3 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203142820/https://books.google.com/books?id=WrJmDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA43#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Castillo2015">{{Cite book|first=Alicia|last=Castillo|title=Archaeological Dimension of World Heritage: From Prevention to Social Implications|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jV64BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA41|date=2015|publisher=Springer Science|isbn=978-1-4939-0283-5|page=41|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=3 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203142821/https://books.google.com/books?id=jV64BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA41#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
A referendum to change Australia's nation status, from a commonwealth headed by the ] to an independent ], was defeated in ]. This is partially attributable to the terms of the referendum, which created the perception that the change would have granted parliament a 'blank cheque' to change the constitution without any further public consultation, and partly attributable to many Australian's sentimental fondness for England and the Commonwealth. However, most referenda in Australia to change the ] have failed, so it could also be argued that this was just another example of Australians rejecting change with the argument of 'if it's not broken, don't fix it'. Australia remains a member of ], an organisation containing Britain and most of its former colonies, but this increasingly irrelevant organisation is mainly concerned with promoting human rights, democracy, and open government in some of its less developed members rather than discussing shared economic interests as existed in the past.


Aboriginal Australian culture is one of the oldest continuous cultures on Earth.<ref name="Flood">{{cite book | last=Flood | first=J. | title=The Original Australians: The story of the Aboriginal People | publisher=Allen & Unwin | year=2019 | isbn=978-1-76087-142-0 |edition=2nd |location=Crows Nest NSW |page=161 |author-link=Josephine Flood}}</ref><ref name="Australian Geographic 2011 i652">{{cite web | title=DNA confirms Aboriginal culture one of Earth's oldest | website=Australian Geographic | date=23 September 2011 | url=https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2011/09/dna-confirms-aboriginal-culture-one-of-earths-oldest/ | access-date=9 February 2024 | archive-date=20 January 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120022657/https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2011/09/dna-confirms-aboriginal-culture-one-of-earths-oldest/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Jozuka 2016 i592">{{cite web | last=Jozuka | first=Emiko | title=Aboriginal Australians are Earth's oldest civilization: DNA study | website=CNN | date=22 September 2016 | url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/22/asia/indigenous-australians-earths-oldest-civilization/index.html#:~:text=A%20new%20genomic%20study%20has,stretching%20back%20roughly%2075%2C000%20years. | access-date=9 February 2024 | archive-date=4 March 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304225419/https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/22/asia/indigenous-australians-earths-oldest-civilization/index.html#:~:text=A%20new%20genomic%20study%20has,stretching%20back%20roughly%2075%2C000%20years. | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Malaspinas Westaway Muller Sousa 2016 pp. 207–214">{{cite journal |last1=Malaspinas |first1=Anna-Sapfo |last2=Westaway |first2=Michael C. |last3=Muller |first3=Craig |last4=Sousa |first4=Vitor C. |last5=Lao |first5=Oscar |last6=Alves |first6=Isabel |last7=Bergström |first7=Anders |last8=Athanasiadis |first8=Georgios |last9=Cheng |first9=Jade Y. |last10=Crawford |first10=Jacob E. |last11=Heupink |first11=Tim H. |last12=Macholdt |first12=Enrico |last13=Peischl |first13=Stephan |last14=Rasmussen |first14=Simon |last15=Schiffels |first15=Stephan |display-authors=1 |date=21 September 2016 |title=A genomic history of Aboriginal Australia |journal=Nature |publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC |volume=538 |issue=7624 |pages=207–214 |bibcode=2016Natur.538..207M |doi=10.1038/nature18299 |issn=0028-0836 |pmid=27654914 |hdl-access=free |hdl=10754/622366 |last16=Subramanian |first16=Sankar |last17=Wright |first17=Joanne L. |last18=Albrechtsen |first18=Anders |last19=Barbieri |first19=Chiara |last20=Dupanloup |first20=Isabelle |last21=Eriksson |first21=Anders |last22=Margaryan |first22=Ashot |last23=Moltke |first23=Ida |last24=Pugach |first24=Irina |last25=Korneliussen |first25=Thorfinn S. |last26=Levkivskyi |first26=Ivan P. |last27=Moreno-Mayar |first27=J. Víctor |last28=Ni |first28=Shengyu |last29=Racimo |first29=Fernando |last30=Sikora |first30=Martin|pmc=7617037 }}</ref> At the time of first European contact, Aboriginal Australians belonged to wide range of societies, with diverse economies spread across at least ].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Williams |first=Elizabeth |year=2015 |title=Complex hunter-gatherers: a view from Australia |journal=Antiquity |publisher=Cambridge University Press |volume=61 |issue=232 |pages=310–321 |doi=10.1017/S0003598X00052182 |s2cid=162146349}}</ref><ref name="SáenzEmbrick2015">{{Cite book |last1=Sáenz |first1=Rogelio |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v_bLCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA602 |title=The International Handbook of the Demography of Race and Ethnicity |last2=Embrick |first2=David G. |last3=Rodríguez |first3=Néstor P. |date=3 June 2015 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-9-0481-8891-8 |pages=602– |access-date=17 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610132454/https://books.google.com/books?id=v_bLCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA602#v=onepage&q&f=false |archive-date=10 June 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> Estimates of the Aboriginal population before British settlement range from 300,000 to 3 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Bradshaw |first1=Corey J. A. |last2=Williams |first2=Alan N |last3=Saltré |first3=Frédérik |last4=Norman |first4=Kasih |last5=Ulm |first5=Sean |date=30 April 2021 |title=The First Australians grew to a population of millions, much more than previous estimates |url=https://theconversation.com/the-first-australians-grew-to-a-population-of-millions-much-more-than-previous-estimates-142371 |access-date= |website=] |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=25 January 2002 |title=1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2002: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/bfc28642d31c215cca256b350010b3f4!OpenDocument |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327193612/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/bfc28642d31c215cca256b350010b3f4!OpenDocument |archive-date=27 March 2023 |access-date= |website=] |language=en}}</ref><ref>Gough, Myles (11 May 2011). . '']''. Archived from on 12 September 2012.</ref> Aboriginal Australians cultures were (and remain) deeply connected with the land and the environment, with stories of ] maintained through ], ], dance and paintings.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mawson |first=Stephanie |date=2021 |title=The Deep Past of Pre-Colonial Australia |journal=The Historical Journal |language=en |volume=64 |issue=5 |pages=1483–6 |doi=10.1017/S0018246X20000369 |issn=0018-246X |doi-access=free}}</ref> Certain groups engaged in ],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wyrwoll |first=Karl-Heinz |date=11 January 2012 |title=How Aboriginal burning changed Australia's climate |url=http://theconversation.com/how-aboriginal-burning-changed-australias-climate-4454 |access-date=1 November 2023 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US |archive-date=15 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715015907/https://theconversation.com/how-aboriginal-burning-changed-australias-climate-4454 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Robbie |date=21 June 2023 |title=Before the colonists came, we burned small and burned often to avoid big fires. It's time to relearn cultural burning |url=http://theconversation.com/before-the-colonists-came-we-burned-small-and-burned-often-to-avoid-big-fires-its-time-to-relearn-cultural-burning-201475 |access-date=1 November 2023 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US |archive-date=8 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308085331/https://theconversation.com/before-the-colonists-came-we-burned-small-and-burned-often-to-avoid-big-fires-its-time-to-relearn-cultural-burning-201475 |url-status=live }}</ref> ],<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Bates |first1=Badger |last2=Westaway |first2=Michael |last3=Jackson |first3=Sue |date=15 December 2022 |title=Aboriginal people have spent centuries building in the Darling River. Now there are plans to demolish these important structures |url=http://theconversation.com/aboriginal-people-have-spent-centuries-building-in-the-darling-river-now-there-are-plans-to-demolish-these-important-structures-195966 |access-date=1 November 2023 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US |archive-date=1 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101042204/https://theconversation.com/aboriginal-people-have-spent-centuries-building-in-the-darling-river-now-there-are-plans-to-demolish-these-important-structures-195966 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Clark |first=Anna |date=31 August 2023 |title=Friday essay: traps, rites and kurrajong twine – the incredible ingenuity of Indigenous fishing knowledge |url=http://theconversation.com/friday-essay-traps-rites-and-kurrajong-twine-the-incredible-ingenuity-of-indigenous-fishing-knowledge-210467 |access-date=1 November 2023 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US |archive-date=11 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211091555/https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-traps-rites-and-kurrajong-twine-the-incredible-ingenuity-of-indigenous-fishing-knowledge-210467 |url-status=live }}</ref> and built ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wahlquist |first=Calla |date=5 September 2016 |title=Evidence of 9,000-year-old stone houses found on Australian island |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/sep/05/evidence-of-9000-year-old-stone-houses-found-on-australian-island |access-date=1 November 2023 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=1 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101042138/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/sep/05/evidence-of-9000-year-old-stone-houses-found-on-australian-island |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Flood22">{{cite book |last=Flood |first=J. |author-link=Josephine Flood |title=The Original Australians: The story of the Aboriginal People |publisher=Allen & Unwin |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-76087-142-0 |edition=2nd |location=Crows Nest NSW |pages=239–240}}</ref> These practices have variously been characterised as "]", "]", "natural cultivation" and "intensification".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mawson |first=Stephanie |date=2021 |title=The Deep Past of Pre-Colonial Australia |journal=The Historical Journal |language=en |volume=64 |issue=5 |pages=1486–1491 |doi=10.1017/S0018246X20000369 |issn=0018-246X |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bender |first=Barbara |date=1978 |title=Gatherer-hunter to farmer: A social perspective |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00438243.1978.9979731 |journal=World Archaeology |language=en |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=204–222 |doi=10.1080/00438243.1978.9979731 |issn=0043-8243 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>Gammage, Bill (October 2011). ''The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines made Australia''. Allen & Unwin. pp. 281–304.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gammage |first=Bill |date=19 September 2023 |title=Colonists upended Aboriginal farming, growing grain and running sheep on rich yamfields, and cattle on arid grainlands |url=http://theconversation.com/colonists-upended-aboriginal-farming-growing-grain-and-running-sheep-on-rich-yamfields-and-cattle-on-arid-grainlands-207118 |access-date=1 November 2023 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US |archive-date=12 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240212095624/https://theconversation.com/colonists-upended-aboriginal-farming-growing-grain-and-running-sheep-on-rich-yamfields-and-cattle-on-arid-grainlands-207118 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Flood2">{{cite book |last=Flood |first=J. |author-link=Josephine Flood |title=The Original Australians: The story of the Aboriginal People |publisher=Allen & Unwin |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-76087-142-0 |edition=2nd |location=Crows Nest NSW |page=25–27, 146}}</ref>
Australia has a population of about 19 million people. There are two territories, ] and ], and six states, ], ], ], ], ] and ].


Torres Strait Islander people first settled their islands at least 2,500 years ago.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=David |first1=Bruno |last2=McNiven |first2=Ian |last3=Mitchell |first3=Rod |last4=Orr |first4=Meredith |last5=Haberle |first5=Simon |last6=Brady |first6=Liam |last7=Crouch |first7=Joe |display-authors=1 |date=July 2004 |title=Badu 15 and the Papuan-Austronesian settlement of Torres Strait |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.1834-4453.2004.tb00564.x |journal=Archaeology in Oceania |volume=39 |issue=2 |pages=65–78 |doi=10.1002/j.1834-4453.2004.tb00564.x}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023 |orig-date=1998 |title=Torres Strait Islands |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Torres-Strait-Islands |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240615102021/https://www.britannica.com/place/Torres-Strait-Islands |archive-date=15 June 2024 |access-date=17 November 2024 |website=] |quote=Torres Strait Islands, island group in the Torres Strait, north of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia, and south of the island of New Guinea. They have been inhabited for at least 2,500 years. The present-day inhabitants are primarily of Melanesian origin, with some mixture of Polynesians and Southeast Asians.}}</ref> Culturally and linguistically distinct from mainland Aboriginal peoples, they were seafarers and obtained their livelihood from seasonal horticulture and the resources of their reefs and seas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Early Aussie Tattoos Match Rock Art |last=Viegas|first=Jennifer|publisher=Discovery News|date=3 July 2008 |access-date=30 March 2010|url=http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/07/03/australia-tattoos-art.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080710014604/http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/07/03/australia-tattoos-art.html |archive-date=10 July 2008}}</ref> Agriculture also developed on some islands and villages appeared by the 1300s.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Veth |first1=Peter |title=The Cambridge History of Australia |last2=O'Connor |first2=Sue |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-107-01153-3 |editor-last=Bashford |editor-first=Alison |volume=1: Indigenous and Colonial Australia |location=Cambridge |pages=34–35 |chapter=The Past 50,000 Years: An Archaeological View |editor-last2=MacIntyre |editor-first2=Stuart}}</ref> By the mid-18th century in northern Australia, ] had been established between local Aboriginal groups and ] ], visiting from present-day Indonesia.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Macknight |first=Charles Campbell |year=2011 |title=The view from Marege': Australian knowledge of Makassar and the impact of the trepangindustry across two centuries |journal=] |volume=35 |pages=134 |doi=10.22459/AH.35.2011.06 |jstor=24046930 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=T. Vigilante |display-authors=etal |year=2013 |title=Biodiversity values on selected Kimberley Islands, Australia |url=http://museum.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/WAM_Supp81_Internals%20pp145-181.pdf |access-date=2 August 2021 |publisher=] |archive-date=5 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005235850/http://museum.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/WAM_Supp81_Internals%20pp145-181.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Russell |first=Denise |date=22 March 2004 |title=Aboriginal-Makassan interactions in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in northern Australia and contemporary sea rights claims |url=http://lryb.aiatsis.gov.au/PDFs/aasj04.1_%20makassan.pdf |journal=Australian Aboriginal Studies |publisher=Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies |volume=2004 |issue=1 |pages=3–17 |issn=0729-4352 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306230858/http://lryb.aiatsis.gov.au/PDFs/aasj04.1_%20makassan.pdf |archive-date=6 March 2019 |access-date=21 April 2019}}</ref>
Each State or Territory has a capital city, those being (in the above order) ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].


===European exploration and colonisation===
Australia also has an additional minor internal territory, ], several inhabitated external territories (], ], ] and ]) and several largely uninhabited external territories (], ] and ] and the ]).
{{Main|European maritime exploration of Australia|European land exploration of Australia|History of Australia (1788–1850)}}
] at ] on 29 April 1770 to claim Australia's east coast for ]]]
] are the first Europeans that recorded sighting and making landfall on the Australian mainland.<ref name="BarberBarnes2013">{{Cite book|first1=Peter|last1=Barber|first2=Katherine|last2=Barnes|author3=Nigel Erskine|title=Mapping Our World: Terra Incognita To Australia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uZ_sAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA99|year=2013|publisher=National Library of Australia|isbn=978-0-6422-7809-8|page=99|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=27 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027123323/https://books.google.com/books?id=uZ_sAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA99#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> The first ship and crew to chart the Australian coast and meet with Aboriginal people was the '']'', captained by Dutch navigator ].<ref name="SmithBurke2007">{{Cite book|first1=Claire|last1=Smith|first2=Heather|last2=Burke|title=Digging It Up Down Under: A Practical Guide to Doing Archaeology in Australia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0HsRb_AY9jQC&pg=PA47|date=2007|publisher=Springer Science|isbn=978-0-3873-5263-3|page=47|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=27 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027123306/https://books.google.com/books?id=0HsRb_AY9jQC&pg=PA47#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> He sighted the coast of ] in early 1606, and made landfall on 26 February 1606 at the ] near the modern town of ] on Cape York.<ref name=dhm233>{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|p=233}}</ref> Later that year, Spanish explorer ] sailed through and navigated the ].<ref>Brett Hilder (1980) ''The Voyage of Torres'' University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia, Queensland {{ISBN|978-0-7022-1275-8}}</ref> The Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines and named the island continent "]" during the 17th century, and although no attempt at settlement was made,<ref name=dhm233/> ] left men either stranded or, as in the case of the '']'' in 1629, marooned for mutiny and murder, thus becoming the first Europeans to permanently inhabit the continent.<ref>Davis, Russell Earls (2019) ''A Concise History of Western Australia'' Woodslane Press {{ISBN|978-1-9258-6822-7}} pp. 3–6</ref> In 1770, Captain ] sailed along and mapped the east coast, which he named "]" and claimed for Great Britain.<ref name="GoucherWalton2013">{{Cite book|first1=Candice|last1=Goucher|first2=Linda|last2=Walton|title=World History: Journeys from Past to Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O_3fCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA427|year=2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-1350-8829-3|pages=427–428|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=10 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610132402/https://books.google.com/books?id=O_3fCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA427#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>


Following the loss of its ] in 1783, the British Government sent a fleet of ships, the ], under the command of Captain ], to establish a new ]. A camp was set up and the ] raised at ], ], on 26 January 1788,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/european-discovery-and-colonisation |title=European discovery and the colonisation of Australia|publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Commonwealth of Australia|quote= moved north to Port Jackson on 26 January 1788, landing at Camp Cove, known as 'cadi' to the Cadigal people. Governor Phillip carried instructions to establish the first British Colony in Australia. The First Fleet was underprepared for the task, and the soil around Sydney Cove was poor.|date=11 January 2008 |access-date=7 May 2010 |archive-date=13 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213231728/http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/european-discovery-and-colonisation |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Egan2003">{{Cite book|first=Ted|last=Egan|title=The Land Downunder|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ND3OqVdOwqoC&pg=PA25|year=2003|publisher=Grice Chapman Publishing|isbn=978-0-9545-7260-0|pages=25–26|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328153358/https://books.google.com/books?id=ND3OqVdOwqoC&pg=PA25#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> a date which later became ].
Australia's ] is Canberra (population 320,000), situated between its two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne.


Most early settlers were ], ] for petty crimes and ] as labourers or servants to "free settlers" (willing immigrants). Once ], convicts tended to integrate into colonial society. Convict rebellions and uprisings were suppressed under martial law,<ref>Kercher, Bruce (2020). ''An Unruly Child: A History of Law in Australia''. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781000248470. pp. 26–27.</ref> which lasted for two years following the 1808 ], Australia's only successful '']''.<ref>Matsuda, Matt K. (2012) ''Pacific Worlds: A History of Seas, Peoples, and Cultures'' Cambridge University Press {{ISBN|978-0-5218-8763-2}} pp. 165–167</ref> During the next two decades, social and economic reforms, together with the establishment of a ] and ], saw the penal colony transition to a civil society.<ref>{{Cite book| last=Ward| first=Russel| title=Australia: a short history| year=1975| publisher=Ure Smith| edition=rev| isbn=978-0-7254-0164-1| url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/9442954| pages=37–38| access-date=15 January 2022| archive-date=20 November 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120221059/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/9442954| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last=Molony | first=John Neylon | title=The Penguin History of Australia | year=1987 | publisher=Penguin | location=Ringwood, Vic | isbn=978-0-1400-9739-9 | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/18412463 | pages=47 | access-date=15 January 2022 | archive-date=21 November 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121021802/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/18412463 | url-status=live }}</ref>
When the constitution for the Commonwealth of Australia was being negotiated between the colonies, Melbourne and Sydney each demanded that they become the capital. As a compromise, it was agreed that the capital would initially be Melbourne, until a new capital city could be built. This new capital city would be located in territory taken from New South Wales, and be 200 statute miles or more from Sydney. The present site was chosen and named Canberra in ]; the federal government moved there from Melbourne in the 1920s, Parliament making the shift in 1927. Canberra's name comes from the Aboriginal word ''Kamberra'', meaning 'meeting place'


<!-- Please take note of talk page discussion (archive 21, Colonial expansion, treaties and land rights) before editing -->The indigenous population declined for 150 years following European settlement, mainly due to infectious disease.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Smallpox Through History |url=http://encarta.msn.com/media_701508643/Smallpox_Through_History.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040618142015/http://encarta.msn.com/media_701508643/Smallpox_Through_History.html |archive-date=18 June 2004 |work= |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Flood 2019 p."/> British colonial authorities did not sign any treaties with ].<ref name="Flood 2019 p.">{{cite book | last=Flood | first=J. | title=The Original Australians: The story of the Aboriginal People | publisher=Allen & Unwin | year=2019 | isbn=978-1-76087-142-0 |edition=2nd |location=Crows Nest NSW |pages=42, 111, 147–59, 300 |author-link=Josephine Flood}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Rule of Law Education Centre |title=European Settlement and Terra Nullius |url=https://www.ruleoflaw.org.au/education/australian-colonies/terra-nullius/ |access-date=26 January 2024 |archive-date=26 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126110348/https://www.ruleoflaw.org.au/education/australian-colonies/terra-nullius/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As settlement expanded, tens of thousands of Indigenous people and thousands of settlers were killed in ] while settlers dispossessed surviving Indigenous peoples of most of their land.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Henry |title=Forgotten War |publisher=NewSouth |year=2022 |isbn=9781742237596 |edition=2nd |location=Sydney |pages=103-104, 134, 241-242, 182-192}}</ref>
The area occupied by the Australian Capital Territory is wholly contained in New South Wales. For administrative purposes, the Australian Capital Territory also incorporates the ] (being a naval base in New South Wales near the town of Jervis Bay), and several external territories.


===Colonial expansion===
The official name of Australia is the <b>Commonwealth of Australia</b>. Its national anthem is ]
{{Main|History of Australia (1788–1850)|History of Australia (1851–1900)}}
]; behind them on an incline are ruins, including walls and watchtowers of light-coloured stone and brick, what appear to be the foundations of walls, and grassed areas. To the right lie the outer walls of a large rectangular four-storey building dotted with regularly spaced windows. Forested land rises gently to a peak several kilometres back from the shore.|Tasmania's ] penal settlement is one of eleven UNESCO World Heritage-listed ].]]


In 1803, a settlement was established in ] (present-day ]),<ref name="Davison pp464-5">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|pages=464–465, 628–629}}</ref> and in 1813, ], ] and ] ] the ] west of Sydney, opening the interior to European settlement.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Conway |first=Jill |title=Biography – Gregory Blaxland – Australian Dictionary of Biography |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |chapter=Blaxland, Gregory (1778–1853) |access-date=14 July 2011 |chapter-url=http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A010109b.htm?hilite=blaxland |archive-date=8 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408201858/http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A010109b.htm?hilite=blaxland |url-status=live }}</ref> The British claim extended to the whole Australian continent in 1827 when Major ] established a settlement on ] (modern-day ]).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Grey|first=Jeffrey |title=A Military History of Australia|url=https://archive.org/details/militaryhistorya00grey_277|url-access=limited |publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Port Melbourne|year=2008|edition=Third|isbn=978-0-5216-9791-0|pages=–40}}</ref> The ] (present-day ]) was established in 1829, evolving into the largest Australian colony by area, ].<ref name="Davison p678">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|p=678}}</ref> In accordance with population growth, separate colonies were carved from New South Wales: Tasmania in 1825, ] in 1836, ] in 1841, ] in 1851, and ] in 1859.<ref name="Davison p464">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|p=464}}</ref> South Australia was founded as a free colony—it never accepted transported convicts.<ref name="Davison p598">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|p=598}}</ref> Growing ] culminated in its abolition in the eastern colonies by the 1850s. Initially a free colony, Western Australia practised penal transportation from 1850 to 1868.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 December 2005 |title=Public Record Office Victoria online catalogue |url=http://www.access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/PROVguides/PROVguide057/PROVguide057.jsp |access-date=15 January 2022 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051225154618/http://www.access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/PROVguides/PROVguide057/PROVguide057.jsp |archive-date=25 December 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
See also ], ], ]


The six colonies individually gained ] between 1855 and 1890, thus becoming elective democracies managing most of their own affairs while remaining part of the ].<ref name="Davison p556">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|p=556}}</ref> The Colonial Office in London retained control of some matters, notably foreign affairs.<ref name="Davison p138-9679">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|pages=138–39}}</ref>
== External links ==
* http://www.austemb.org/history.htm - an excellent and thorough on-line history of Australia.
* http://www.australia.com - official site of the Australian Tourist Commission
* http://www.countryofaustralia.info - an unofficial and independent portal


In the mid-19th century, explorers such as ] charted Australia's interior.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/explorers |title=Early explorers|publisher=Australia's Culture Portal |access-date=6 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408183209/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/explorers/ |archive-date=8 April 2011}}</ref> A ] beginning in the early 1850s led to an influx of new migrants from ], North America and continental Europe,<ref name="JuppJupp2001">{{Harvnb|Jupp2|pp=35–36}}</ref> as well as outbreaks of ] and civil unrest; the latter peaked in 1854 when ] miners launched the ] against gold licence fees.<ref name="Davison pp227-9">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998 |pages=227–29}}</ref> The 1860s saw the rise of ], where ] were coerced or abducted into indentured labour, mainly by Queensland colonists.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210065156/https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/discover/exhibitions/australian-south-sea-islanders |date=10 December 2023 }}, State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 21 February 2024.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Higginbotham |first=Will |date=17 September 2017 |title=Blackbirding: Australia's history of luring, tricking and kidnapping Pacific Islanders |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-17/blackbirding-australias-history-of-kidnapping-pacific-islanders/8860754 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126044712/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-17/blackbirding-australias-history-of-kidnapping-pacific-islanders/8860754 |archive-date=26 January 2024 |website=ABC News}}</ref>
* ]

* ]
From 1886, Australian colonial governments began ] from their families and communities, justified on the grounds of child protection and ] policies.<ref>Banivanua Mar, Tracey; Edmonds, Penelope (2013). "Indigenous and settler relations". ''The Cambridge History of Australia, Volume I''. p.&nbsp;355–58, 363–64</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Marlow |first=Karina |date=1 December 2016 |title=Explainer: the Stolen Generations |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/explainer-the-stolen-generations/5ust2jtjy |access-date= |website=NITV |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Loughlin |first=Michael |date=22 June 2020 |title=The Stolen Generation |url=https://australian.museum/learn/first-nations/stolen-generation/ |website=]}}</ref> The ] (1899–1902) marked the largest overseas deployment of ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 June 2021 |title=Australia and the Boer War, 1899–1902 |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/atwar/boer |access-date= |website=Australian War Memorial |archive-date=24 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324185402/https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/atwar/boer |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Wilcox, Craig (2002). ''Australia's Boer War: The War in South Africa, 1899-1902''. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195516371.</ref>
* ]

* ]
===Federation to the World Wars===
* ]
* ] {{Main|History of Australia (1901–1945)}}
{{See also|Federation of Australia|Military history of Australia during World War I|Military history of Australia during World War II}}
* ]
]'', a painting by ], depicts the opening of the first Australian Parliament in 1901.]]
* ]
On 1 January 1901, ] was achieved after a decade of planning, ] and ], resulting in the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia as a nation under the new ].<ref name="Davison pp243-4">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998 |pages=243–44}}</ref>
* ]

* ]
After the ], Australia and several other self-governing British ] were given the status of self-governing ]s within the British Empire.<ref name="dominionstatus">{{Cite web|title=History of the Commonwealth|url=http://www.commonwealthofnations.org/commonwealth/history/|website=Commonwealth Network|publisher=Commonwealth of Nations|access-date=16 February 2015|archive-date=25 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425043631/http://www.commonwealthofnations.org/commonwealth/history/|url-status=live}}</ref> Australia was one of the founding members of the ] in 1920,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Covenant of the League of Nations |url=https://www.ungeneva.org/en/about/league-of-nations/covenant |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127003532/https://www.ungeneva.org/en/about/league-of-nations/covenant |archive-date=27 January 2024 |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=The United Nations Office at Geneva |language=en}}</ref> and the ] in 1945.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Growth in United Nations membership |url=https://www.un.org/en/about-us/growth-in-un-membership |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240201204200/https://www.un.org/en/about-us/growth-in-un-membership |archive-date=1 February 2024 |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=United Nations |language=en}}</ref> The '']'' formally ended the ability of the UK to pass federal laws without Australia's consent. Australia ] in 1942, but it was backdated to 1939 to confirm the validity of legislation passed during World War II.<ref name="Davison p609">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|p=609}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://foundingdocs.gov.au/item-did-25.html |title=Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 (Cth) |publisher=National Archives of Australia |access-date=28 July 2014 |archive-date=12 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212020054/http://foundingdocs.gov.au/item-did-25.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|sowaa1942379|Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942}}</ref>
* ]

* ]
The ] was formed in 1911 as the location for the future federal capital of ].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=25 April 2020 |title=Establishing the nation's capital |url=https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/visit-and-learn/resources/factsheets/establishing-the-nations-capital |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory |language=en |archive-date=8 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208115409/https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/visit-and-learn/resources/factsheets/establishing-the-nations-capital |url-status=live }}</ref> While it was being constructed, ] served as the temporary capital from 1901 to 1927.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/news/4332 |title=When Melbourne was Australia's capital city|last=Otto|first=Kristin|date=25 June – 9 July 2007|publisher=University of Melbourne |access-date=29 March 2010|location=Melbourne, Victoria |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402083202/http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/news/4332/ |archive-date=2 April 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The ] was transferred from the control of South Australia to the Commonwealth in 1911.<ref name="Souter2012">{{Cite book|first=Gavin|last=Souter|title=Lion & Kangaroo: The Initiation of Australia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oQIBMD23lL0C&pg=PT141|year=2012|publisher=Xoum Publishing|isbn=978-1-9220-5700-6|page=141|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=13 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413130303/https://books.google.com/books?id=oQIBMD23lL0C&pg=PT141|url-status=live}}</ref> Australia became the colonial ruler of the ] (which had initially been annexed by Queensland in 1883) in 1902 and of the ] (formerly ]) in 1920.<ref name="McDermott">{{Cite journal |last=McDermott |first=Peter M |date=2009 |title=Australian Citizenship and the Independence of Papua New Guinea |url=https://austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/journals/UNSWLawJl/2009/3.html |journal=UNSW Law Journal |volume=32 |issue=1 |pages=50–2 |via=] |access-date=8 February 2024 |archive-date=8 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208072215/https://austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/journals/UNSWLawJl/2009/3.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|num_act|nga1920251920138|New Guinea Act 1920}}</ref> The two were unified as the ] in 1949 and gained independence from Australia in 1975.<ref name="McDermott" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://unimelb.libguides.com/png |title=Papua New Guinea Legal Research Guide |publisher=University of Melbourne |access-date=2 April 2021 |archive-date=4 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604205454/https://unimelb.libguides.com/png |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ]

* ]
], the first of more than 100 ] during ]]]
* ]
In 1914, Australia joined the ] in fighting the First World War, and took part in many of the major battles fought on the ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 June 2021 |title=First World War 1914–18 |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/atwar/first-world-war |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120020555/https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/atwar/first-world-war |archive-date=20 January 2024 |access-date= |website=Australian War Memorial}}</ref> Of about 416,000 who served, about 60,000 were killed and another 152,000 were wounded.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Tucker|first=Spencer |title=Encyclopedia of World War I|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, California|year=2005|page=273|isbn=978-1-8510-9420-2|url={{GBurl|id=2YqjfHLyyj8C|p=273}}}}</ref> Many Australians regard the defeat of the ] (ANZAC) at ] in 1915 as the "baptism of fire" that forged the ].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Reed |first=Liz |title=Bigger than Gallipoli: war, history, and memory in Australia |publisher=University of Western Australia |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-9206-9419-7 |location=Crawley, Western Australia |page=5}}</ref><ref>Macintyre, Stuart (2000) ''A Concise History of Australia'' Cambridge: ], pp. 151–53, {{ISBN|978-0-521-62359-9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=17 January 2024 |title=The Anzac legend |url=https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/personnel/anzac-legend |website=Department of Veterans' Affairs |access-date=9 February 2024 |archive-date=4 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304225421/https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/personnel/anzac-legend |url-status=live }}</ref> The ] is commemorated annually on ], a date which rivals ] as the nation's most important.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dennis |first1=Peter |title=The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History |last2=Grey |first2=Jeffrey |last3=Morris |first3=Ewan |last4=Prior |first4=Robin |last5=Bou |first5=Jean |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-1955-1784-2 |edition=2nd |location=Melbourne |pages=32, 38 |author2-link=Jeffrey Grey}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Manne |first=Robert |date=25 April 2007 |title=The war myth that made us |url=https://www.theage.com.au/opinion/the-war-myth-that-made-us-20070425-ge4qmh.html |access-date=9 February 2024 |website=The Age |language=en |archive-date=4 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304225419/https://www.theage.com.au/opinion/the-war-myth-that-made-us-20070425-ge4qmh.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ]

From 1939 to 1945, Australia joined the ] in fighting the Second World War. Australia's ] fought in the ], ] and ] ].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Beaumont |first=Joan |editor=Beaumont, Joan|author-link=Joan Beaumont |title=Australia's War, 1939–1945 |year=1996 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |location=Sydney |isbn=978-1-86448-039-9 |chapter=Australia's war: Europe and the Middle East}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Beaumont |first=Joan |editor=Beaumont, Joan |title=Australia's War, 1939–1945 |year=1996a |publisher=Allen & Unwin |location=Sydney |isbn=978-1-86448-039-9 |chapter=Australia's war: Asia and the Pacific}}</ref> The shock of Britain's ] in 1942, followed soon after by the ] and ], led to a widespread belief in Australia that ], and a shift from the United Kingdom to the ] as Australia's principal ally and security partner.<ref name="Davison pp22-3">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|pages=22–23}}</ref> Since 1951, Australia has been allied with the United States under the ] treaty.<ref name="Davison p30">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|p=30}}</ref>

===Post-war and contemporary eras===
{{Main|History of Australia (1945–present)}}
] from Europe arriving in Australia in 1954]]
In the decades following World War II, Australia enjoyed significant increases in living standards, leisure time and suburban development.<ref name="Susan_Something">{{Cite book|editor-first=Susan|editor-last=Hosking|display-editors=etal |title=Something Rich and Strange: Sea Changes, Beaches and the Littoral in the Antipodes|url={{GBurl|id=6mQ_-ZD5xBUC|p=6}}|year=2009|publisher=Wakefield Press|isbn=978-1-8625-4870-1|pages=6–}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|first1=Brian|last1=Hodge|first2=Allen|last2=Whitehurst|title=Nation and People: An Introduction to Australia in a Changing World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qE0OAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA184|year=1967|publisher=Hicks, Smith|pages=184–|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328153346/https://books.google.com/books?id=qE0OAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA184|url-status=live}}</ref> Governments encouraged a ], with such immigrants referred to as "]".<ref>{{Cite web |year=2001 |title=Immigration to Australia During the 20th Century – Historical Impacts on Immigration Intake, Population Size and Population Composition – A Timeline |url=http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/statistics/federation/timeline1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080801014246/http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/statistics/federation/timeline1.pdf |archive-date=1 August 2008 |access-date=18 July 2008 |publisher=Department of Immigration and Citizenship (Australia)}}</ref> This required a relaxation of the ], which was justified to Australians using the slogan "populate or perish".<ref>{{Cite web |title='Populate or perish': Australia's postwar migration program |url=https://www.naa.gov.au/learn/learning-resources/learning-resource-themes/society-and-culture/migration-and-multiculturalism/populate-or-perish-australias-postwar-migration-program |access-date=31 August 2024 |website=] |publisher=]}}</ref>

A member of the ] during the ], Australia participated in the ] and the ] during the 1950s and the ] from 1962 to 1972.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Fighting Australia's Cold War |date=2021 |publisher=ANU Press |isbn=978-1-76046-482-0 |editor-last=Dean |editor-first=Peter |location=Canberra |pages=1 |chapter=Introduction |editor-last2=Moss |editor-first2=Tristan |chapter-url=https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/n9414/pdf/introduction.pdf |access-date=9 February 2024 |archive-date=12 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112170033/https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/n9414/pdf/introduction.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> During this time, tensions over communist influence in society led to ] by the ] to ban the ],<ref>Frank Crowley (1973) ''Modern Australia in Documents, 1939–1970''. pp. 222–26. Wren Publishing, Melbourne. {{ISBN|978-0-1700-5300-6}}</ref> and a ] in the ] in 1955.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Calwell|first=Arthur Augustus |title=Be just and fear not|url=https://archive.org/details/bejustfearnot0000calw|url-access=registration|publisher=Lloyd O'Neil Pty Ltd.|location=], ]|year=1972|isbn=978-0-8555-0352-9 |page=}}</ref>

As a result of a ], the federal government gained the power to legislate with regard to Indigenous Australians, and Indigenous Australians were fully included in the ].<ref name="Edwards2004">{{Cite book|first=William Howell|last=Edwards|title=An Introduction to Aboriginal Societies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kF-_Pe5WX6UC&pg=PA132|year=2004|publisher=Cengage Learning Australia|isbn=978-1-8766-3389-9|pages=25–26, 30, 132–133|access-date=17 July 2023|archive-date=12 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412154810/https://books.google.com/books?id=kF-_Pe5WX6UC&pg=PA132|url-status=live}}</ref> ] (referred to as ] in Australia) was recognised in law for the first time when the ] held in '']'' that Australia was neither '']'' ({{Gloss|land belonging to no one}}) or "desert and uncultivated land" at the time of European settlement.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Galloway |first=Kate |date=26 April 2017 |title=Australian politics explainer: the Mabo decision and native title |url=http://theconversation.com/australian-politics-explainer-the-mabo-decision-and-native-title-74147 |access-date=25 January 2024 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US |archive-date=25 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125000636/http://theconversation.com/australian-politics-explainer-the-mabo-decision-and-native-title-74147 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Davison pp. 5-7, 402">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|pages=5–7, 402}}</ref>

Following the abolition of the last vestiges of the ] in 1973,<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.border.gov.au/about/corporate/information/fact-sheets/08abolition |title= Fact Sheet – Abolition of the 'White Australia' Policy|location= Commonwealth of Australia|publisher= National Communications Branch, Department of Immigration and Citizenship|work= Australian Immigration |access-date= 27 March 2013 |archive-date= 19 September 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150919131355/http://www.border.gov.au/about/corporate/information/fact-sheets/08abolition |url-status= dead}}</ref> Australia's demography and culture transformed as a result of a large and ongoing wave of non-European immigration, mostly from Asia.<ref name="Davison pp338-6, 681-2">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|pages=338–39, 442–43, 681–82}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sawer |first1=Geoffrey |title=The Australian Constitution and the Australian Aborigines |journal=Federal Law Review |date=1966 |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=17–36 |publisher=Australian National University |location=Canberra |doi=10.1177/0067205X6600200102 |s2cid=159414135 |issn=1444-6928 |url=http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/FedLawRw/1967/2.pdf |access-date=3 August 2020 |archive-date=17 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917034746/http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/FedLawRw/1967/2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The late 20th century also saw an increasing focus on foreign policy ties with other ] nations.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Pacific Basin since 1945: A history of the foreign relations of the Asian, Australasian, and American rim states and the Pacific islands|last=Thompson|first=Roger C. |isbn=978-0-5820-2127-3|publisher=Longman|year=1994|url=https://archive.org/details/pacificbasinsinc0000thom}}</ref> The ] severed the remaining constitutional ties between Australia and the United Kingdom while maintaining the monarch in her independent capacity as ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item-did-32.html|title=Australia Act 1986 (Cth)|access-date=25 July 2020|work=Documenting a Democracy|publisher=Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House|archive-date=22 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422204352/https://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item-did-32.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Twomey |first=Anne |date=January 2008 |title=The States, the Commonwealth and the Crown—the Battle for Sovereignty |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/pops/pop48/battlesovereignty |access-date= |website=Parliament of Australia |series=Papers on Parliament No. 48 |language=en-AU |quote= |archive-date=9 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909014023/https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/pops/pop48/battlesovereignty |url-status=live }}</ref> In a ], 55% of voters rejected ] and becoming a republic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1999: Republic referendum: Queen and/or Country |url=https://moadoph.gov.au/explore/democracy/1999-republic-referendum |access-date=10 February 2024 |website=Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House |archive-date=17 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117083033/https://www.moadoph.gov.au/explore/democracy/1999-republic-referendum |url-status=live }}</ref>

Following the ] on the United States, Australia joined the United States in fighting the ] from 2001 to 2021 and the ] from 2003 to 2009.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Neville |first=Leigh |year=2019 |title=The Australian Army at War 1976–2016|edition=First |publisher=Bloomsbury |location=London |isbn=978-1-4728-2631-2}}</ref> The nation's trade relations also became increasingly oriented towards East Asia in the 21st century, with China becoming the nation's ] by a large margin.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/fifty-years-of-Australias-trade.pdf |title=Fifty years of Australia's trade |website=Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206235853/http://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/fifty-years-of-Australias-trade.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2020, during the ], several of Australia's largest cities were ] for extended periods and free movement across the national and state borders was restricted in an attempt to slow the spread of the ].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dawson |first=Emma |year=2020 |title=What Happens Next? Reconstructing Australia After COVID-19| publisher=Melbourne University Press |location=Melbourne |isbn=978-0-5228-7721-2}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Australia|Environment of Australia}}
{{See also|Environmental issues in Australia}}

===General characteristics===
]

Surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans,{{Refn|Australia describes the body of water south of its mainland as the ], rather than the Indian Ocean as defined by the ] (IHO). In 2000, a vote of IHO member nations defined the term "Southern Ocean" as applying only to the waters between ] and ] latitude.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://geography.about.com/od/learnabouttheearth/a/fifthocean.htm|last=Rosenberg|first=Matt |title=The New Fifth Ocean – The World's Newest Ocean – The Southern Ocean|publisher=About.com: Geography|date=20 August 2009 |access-date=5 April 2010 |archive-date=26 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126025233/http://geography.about.com/od/learnabouttheearth/a/fifthocean.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>|name="Southern Ocean"|group="N"}} Australia is separated from Asia by the ] and ] seas, with the ] lying off the Queensland coast, and the ] lying between Australia and New Zealand. The world's smallest continent<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/continents/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080714145306/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/continents/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 July 2008 |title=Continents: What is a Continent?|publisher=National Geographic Society |access-date=22 August 2009}} "Most people recognize seven continents — ], ], ], ], ], ], and Australia, from largest to smallest — although sometimes Europe and Asia are considered a single continent, ]".</ref> and ],<ref name="Britannica">{{Cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/43654/Australia |title=Australia |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=22 August 2009 |archive-date=22 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922214422/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/43654/Australia |url-status=live }} "Smallest continent and sixth largest country (in area) on Earth, lying between the Pacific and Indian oceans".</ref> Australia—owing to its size and isolation—is often dubbed the "island continent"<ref>{{Cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423151730/http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/landforms/islands.jsp|url=http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/landforms/islands.jsp |publisher=Geoscience Australia |title=Islands |archive-date=23 April 2010}} "Being surrounded by ocean, Australia often is referred to as an island continent. As a continental landmass it is significantly larger than the many thousands of fringing islands{{Nbsp}}..."</ref> and is sometimes considered the world's ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dfat.gov.au/aib/island_continent.html |title=Australia in Brief: The island continent|publisher=Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia) |access-date=29 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604082917/http://www.dfat.gov.au/aib/island_continent.html |archive-date=4 June 2009 |url-status=dead}} "Mainland Australia, with an area of 7.69 million square kilometres, is the Earth's largest island but smallest continent".</ref> Australia has {{Cvt|34218|km}} of coastline (excluding all offshore islands),<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2006/publications/drs/indicator/142/index.html |title=State of the Environment 2006|publisher=Department of the Environment and Water Resources |access-date=19 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710224519/http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2006/publications/drs/indicator/142/index.html |archive-date=10 July 2007}}</ref> and claims ] of {{Convert|8148250|km2|sqmi}}. This exclusive economic zone does not include the ].<ref>{{Cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620022412/http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/dimensions/oceans-seas.jsp|url=http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/dimensions/oceans-seas.jsp |publisher=Geoscience Australia |title=Oceans and Seas – Geoscience Australia |archive-date=20 June 2009}}</ref>

Mainland Australia lies between latitudes ] and ], and longitudes ] and ].<ref name="Geoscience-Australia-2014"/> Australia's size gives it a wide variety of landscapes, with tropical rainforests in the north-east, mountain ranges in the south-east, south-west and east, and desert in the centre.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/national-landscapes/index.html |title=Parks and Reserves—Australia's National Landscapes|website=environment.gov.au|date=23 November 2011 |access-date=4 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104114011/http://environment.gov.au/parks/national-landscapes/index.html |archive-date=4 January 2012}}</ref> The desert or semi-arid land commonly known as the ] makes up by far the largest portion of land.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Australia: Portrait of a continent|last1=Loffler|first1=Ernst|first2=Anneliese|last2=Loffler |author3=A. J. Rose|first4=Denis|last4=Warner|year=1983|publisher=Hutchinson Group (Australia)|location=Richmond, Victoria|isbn=978-0-0913-0460-7|pages=37–39}}</ref> Australia is the driest inhabited continent; its annual rainfall averaged over continental area is less than 500&nbsp;mm.<ref name=bomclim/> The ] is 3.4 inhabitants per square kilometre, although the large majority of the population lives along the temperate south-eastern coastline. The population density exceeds 19,500 inhabitants per square kilometre in central Melbourne.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/3218.0Main%20Features702016-17?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=3218.0&issue=2016-17&num=&view=|title=Population Density|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=26 March 2019|access-date=25 April 2020|archive-date=3 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503083301/https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs%40.nsf/Previousproducts/3218.0Main%20Features702016-17?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=3218.0&issue=2016-17&num=&view=|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2021 Australia had 10% of the global permanent meadows and pastureland.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en?details=cc8166en |title=World Food and Agriculture: Statistical Yearbook 2023 |date=2023 |publisher=] |isbn=978-92-5-138262-2 |language=en |doi=10.4060/cc8166en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215161116/https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en?details=cc8166en |archive-date=15 December 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> ] is around 17% of Australia's total land area.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content |title=Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Australia |url=https://fra-data.fao.org/assessments/fra/2020/AUS/home/overview |website=Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}}</ref>

], one of the 600 islands within the main archipelago of the ]]]

The ], the world's largest coral reef,<ref>{{Cite web|author=UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre|year=1980 |title=Protected Areas and World Heritage – Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area|url=http://sea.unep-wcmc.org/sites/wh/gbrmp.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070528210526/http://sea.unep-wcmc.org/sites/wh/gbrmp.html |archive-date=28 May 2007 |publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts |access-date=19 May 2007}}</ref> lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for more than {{Cvt|2000|km}}. ], claimed to be the world's largest monolith,<ref name="Monolith">{{Cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/news/Western-Australia/Mount-Augustus/2005/02/17/1108500208314.html|title=Mount Augustus|publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=17 February 2005|access-date=30 March 2010|archive-date=6 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206233728/http://www.smh.com.au/news/Western-Australia/Mount-Augustus/2005/02/17/1108500208314.html|url-status=live}}</ref> is located in Western Australia. At {{Cvt|2228|m}}, ] is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland. Even taller are ], at {{Cvt|2745|m}}, on the remote Australian ] of ], and, in the Australian Antarctic Territory, ] and ], at {{Cvt|3492|m}} and {{Cvt|3355|m}} respectively.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/landforms/highest-mountains.html|publisher=Geoscience Australia|title=Highest Mountains|access-date=2 February 2012|date=15 May 2014|archive-date=21 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321184228/http://ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/landforms/highest-mountains.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Eastern Australia is marked by the ], which runs parallel to the coast of Queensland, New South Wales and much of Victoria. The name is not strictly accurate, because parts of the range consist of low hills, and the highlands are typically no more than {{Cvt|1600|m}} in height.<ref name="Johnson2009p202">{{Cite book|last=Johnson|first=David|year=2009
|title=The Geology of Australia|edition=2|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-5217-6741-5|page=202}}</ref> The ] and a ] lie between the coast and the mountains, while inland of the dividing range are large areas of grassland and shrubland.<ref name="Johnson2009p202"/><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Seabrooka
|first1=Leonie|last2=McAlpinea|first2=Clive|last3=Fenshamb|first3=Rod|year=2006 |title=Cattle, crops and clearing: Regional drivers of landscape change in the Brigalow Belt, Queensland, Australia, 1840–2004
|journal=Landscape and Urban Planning|volume=78|issue=4|pages=375–376|doi=10.1016/j.landurbplan.2005.11.007|bibcode=2006LUrbP..78..373S }}</ref> These include the ] of New South Wales, and the ] and ] of inland Queensland.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Einasleigh Uplands savanna|id=aa0705|access-date =16 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Mitchell grass downs|id=aa0707 |access-date=16 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Eastern Australia mulga shrublands|id=aa0802 |access-date=16 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Southeast Australia temperate savanna|id=aa0803 |access-date=16 June 2010}}</ref> The northernmost point of the mainland is the tropical ].<ref name="Geoscience-Australia-2014"/>

] in the semi-arid region of Central Australia]]

The landscapes of the ] and the ]—with their tropical climate—include forest, woodland, wetland, grassland, rainforest and desert.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Arnhem Land tropical savanna|id=aa0701 |access-date=16 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=27 June 2009 |title=Rangelands – Overview|work=Australian Natural Resources Atlas|publisher=Australian Government |url=http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/rangelands/overview/qld/ibra-gup.html|access-date =16 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313224717/http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/rangelands/overview/qld/ibra-gup.html |archive-date=13 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna|id=aa0703 |access-date=16 June 2010}}</ref> At the north-west corner of the continent are the sandstone cliffs and gorges of ], and below that the ]. The ] lies south of the ] and ] savannas, forming a transition between the coastal savannas and the interior deserts.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Van Driesum|first=Rob|year=2002 |title=Outback Australia|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-8645-0187-2|page=306}}</ref><ref>{{WWF ecoregion |name=Victoria Plains tropical savanna|id=aa0709|access-date =16 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Western Australian Mulga shrublands|id=aa1310 |access-date=16 June 2010}}</ref> At the heart of the country are the ]. Prominent features of the centre and south include ] (also known as Ayers Rock), the famous sandstone monolith, and the inland ], ], ], ], and ] deserts, with the famous ] on the southern coast.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Central Ranges xeric scrub|id=aa1302 |access-date=16 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Banting|first=Erinn
|year=2003 |title=Australia: The land|publisher=Crabtree Publishing Company|isbn=978-0-7787-9343-4|page=
|url=https://archive.org/details/australia00bant_2/page/10}}</ref><ref name="Terrestrial-Ecoregions">{{WWF ecoregion|name=Tirari-Sturt stony desert|id=aa1309 |access-date=16 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Great Sandy-Tanami desert|id=aa1304 |access-date=16 June 2010}}</ref> The ] lie between the interior deserts and Mediterranean-climate ].<ref name="Terrestrial-Ecoregions"/><ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Western Australian mulga shrublands|id=aa1301 |access-date=1 June 2020}}</ref>

===Geology===
{{Main|Geology of Australia}}
]

Lying on the ], the mainland of Australia is the lowest and most primordial landmass on Earth with a relatively stable geological history.<ref>Pirajno, F., Occhipinti, S.A. and Swager, C.P., 1998. ''Geology and tectonic evolution of the Palaeoproterozoic Bryah, Padbury and Yerrida basins, Western Australia: implications for the history of the south-central Capricorn orogen'' Precambrian Research, 90: 119–40</ref><ref>Pain, C.F., Villans, B.J., Roach, I.C., Worrall, L. & Wilford, J.R. (2012) "Old, flat and red – Australia's distinctive landscape" In: ''Shaping a Nation: A Geology of Australia'' Blewitt, R.S. (Ed.) Geoscience Australia and ANU E Press, Canberra. pp. 227–75 {{ISBN|978-1-9221-0343-7}}</ref> The landmass includes virtually all known rock types and from all geological time periods spanning more than 3.8 billion years of the Earth's history. The ] is one of only two pristine ] 3.6–2.7 Ga (billion years ago) crusts identified on the Earth.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Gray|first1=DR|last2=Foster|first2=DA|year=2004 |title=Tectonic review of the Lachlan Orogen: historical review, data synthesis and modern perspectives|journal=Australian Journal of Earth Sciences|volume=51|issue=6|pages=773–817|doi=10.1111/j.1400-0952.2004.01092.x|s2cid=128901742}}</ref>

Having been part of all major ]s, the ] began to form after the break-up of ] in the ], with the separation of the continental landmass from the African continent and Indian subcontinent. It separated from Antarctica over a prolonged period beginning in the ] and continuing through to the ].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hawkesworth|first1=CJ|display-authors=et al.|year=2010 |title=The generation and evolution of the continental crust|journal=Journal of the Geological Society|volume=167|issue=2|pages=229–248 |doi=10.1144/0016-76492009-072|bibcode=2010JGSoc.167..229H|s2cid=131052922}}</ref> When the ] ended in about 10,000 BC, rising sea levels formed ], separating ] from the mainland. Then between about 8,000 and 6,500 BC, the lowlands in the north were flooded by the sea, separating New Guinea, the ], and the mainland of Australia.<ref>Hillis RR & Muller RD. (eds) 2003 ''Evolution and dynamics of the Australian Plate'' Geological Society of Australia Special Publication 22: 432 p.</ref> The Australian continent is moving toward ] at the rate of 6 to 7 centimetres a year.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Cawood|first1=PA|year=2005 |title=Terra Australis Orogen: ''Rodinia breakup and development of the Pacific and Iapetus margins of Gondwana during the Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic''|journal=Earth-Science Reviews|volume=69|issue=3–4|pages=249–279|doi=10.1016/j.earscirev.2004.09.001|bibcode=2005ESRv...69..249C}}</ref>

The Australian mainland's ], excluding the thinned margins, has an average thickness of 38{{Nbsp}}km, with a range in thickness from 24&nbsp;km to 59&nbsp;km.<ref>McKenzie et al. (ed) 2004 Australian Soils and Landscapes: an illustrated compendium ] Publishing: 395 p.</ref> Australia's geology can be divided into several main sections, showcasing that the continent grew from west to east: the Archaean ]ic shields found mostly in the west, ] ] in the centre and ] ], metamorphic and ] in the east.<ref>Bishop P & Pillans B. (eds) 2010, Australian Landscapes Geological Society of London Special Publication 346</ref>

The Australian mainland and Tasmania are situated in the middle of the ] and have no active volcanoes,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/land-of-earthquakes-and-volcanoes.htm |title=Land of earthquakes and volcanoes?|first=Kevin|last=Mccue |access-date=25 April 2010|date=26 February 2010|publisher=Australian Geographic |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306150520/http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/land-of-earthquakes-and-volcanoes.htm |archive-date=6 March 2010}}</ref> but due to passing over the ], recent volcanism has occurred during the ], in the ] of western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia. Volcanism also occurs in the island of New Guinea (considered geologically as part of the Australian continent), and in the Australian external territory of ].<ref>Van Ufford AQ & Cloos M. 2005 ''Cenozoic tectonics of New Guinea'' AAPG Bulletin 89: 119–140</ref> ] in the Australian mainland and Tasmania is also low, with the greatest number of fatalities having occurred in the ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ga.gov.au/urban/factsheets/earthquakes_newcastle.jsp |title=Earthquake History, Regional Seismicity And The 1989 Newcastle Earthquake |publisher=Geoscience Australia|date=22 June 2004 |access-date=27 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040826220212/http://www.ga.gov.au/urban/factsheets/earthquakes_newcastle.jsp |archive-date=26 August 2004}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Australia}}
] of Australia<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Beck|first1=Hylke E.|last2=Zimmermann|first2=Niklaus E. |last3=McVicar|first3=Tim R.|last4=Vergopolan|first4=Noemi|last5=Berg|first5=Alexis|last6=Wood|first6=Eric F.|title=Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution |journal=Scientific Data|date=30 October 2018|volume=5|issue=1|page=180214|doi=10.1038/sdata.2018.214|pmid=30375988|pmc=6207062|bibcode=2018NatSD...580214B}}</ref>]]

The climate of Australia is significantly influenced by ocean currents, including the ] and the ], which is correlated with periodic ], and the seasonal tropical low-pressure system that produces cyclones in northern Australia.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/climate-watch/no-more-drought-its-a-permanent-dry/2007/09/06/1188783415754.html|title=No more drought: it's a 'permanent dry'|last=Kleinman|first=Rachel|date=6 September 2007|access-date=30 March 2010|publisher=The Age|location=Melbourne|archive-date=10 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010150803/http://www.theage.com.au/news/climate-watch/no-more-drought-its-a-permanent-dry/2007/09/06/1188783415754.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/article2465960.ece |title=Australia's epic drought: The situation is grim|last=Marks|first=Kathy|newspaper=The Independent|date=20 April 2007 |access-date=30 March 2010|location=London |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070422065131/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/article2465960.ece |archive-date=22 April 2007}}</ref> These factors cause rainfall to vary markedly from year to year. Much of the northern part of the country has a tropical, predominantly summer-rainfall (]).<ref name=bomclim>{{Cite web |title=Australia – Climate of Our Continent|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/ausclim/zones.htm |access-date=17 June 2010 |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20090317054300/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/96122/20090317-1643/www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/ausclim/zones.html |archive-date=17 March 2009}}{{Cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The south-west corner of the country has a ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Climate of Western Australia|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/ausclim/ausclimwa.htm |access-date=6 December 2009 |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20090317054300/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/96122/20090317-1643/www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/ausclim/ausclimwa.html |archive-date=17 March 2009}}{{Cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The south-east ranges from ] (Tasmania and coastal Victoria) to ] (upper half of New South Wales), with the highlands featuring ] and ]s. The interior is ] to ].<ref name=bomclim/>

Driven by ], average temperatures have risen ]. Associated changes in rainfall patterns and climate extremes exacerbate existing issues such as drought and ]. 2019 was Australia's warmest recorded year,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/state-of-the-climate/documents/State-of-the-Climate-2020.pdf|title=State of the Climate 2020|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|date=November 2020|access-date=2 December 2020|archive-date=24 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124014610/http://www.bom.gov.au/state-of-the-climate/documents/State-of-the-Climate-2020.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> and the ] was the country's worst ].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Australia fires: Life during and after the worst bushfires in history|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52410744|publisher=BBC News|date=28 April 2020|access-date=18 July 2020|archive-date=15 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715111438/https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52410744|url-status=live}}</ref> ] per capita are among the highest in the world.<ref>{{Cite report|date=9 March 2020|title=Environment at a Glance Indicators: Climate change|url=https://www.oecd.org/environment/environment-at-a-glance/Climate-Change-Archive-February-2020.pdf|publisher=OECD|page=6|access-date=3 December 2020|archive-date=21 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221214907/https://www.oecd.org/environment/environment-at-a-glance/Climate-Change-Archive-February-2020.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

] are frequently in place in many regions and cities of Australia in response to chronic shortages due to urban population increases and localised drought.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Heggie|first1=Jon |title=Making Every Drop Count: How Australia is Securing its Water Future|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/partner-content-how-australia-is-securing-its-water-future/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718182729/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/partner-content-how-australia-is-securing-its-water-future/|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 July 2020|publisher=National Geographic|date=August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nwc.gov.au/urban/more/national-review-of-water-restrictions-in-australia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227083656/http://www.nwc.gov.au/urban/more/national-review-of-water-restrictions-in-australia |archive-date=27 February 2012 |title=National review of water restrictions in Australia|publisher=Australian Government National Water Commission|date=15 January 2010 |access-date=27 September 2012}}</ref> Throughout much of the continent, ] regularly follows extended periods of drought, flushing out inland river systems, overflowing dams and inundating large inland flood plains, as occurred throughout Eastern Australia in the early 2010s after the ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theconversation.com/yes-australia-is-a-land-of-flooding-rains-but-climate-change-could-be-making-it-worse-157586|last=Gergis|first=Joelle|title=Yes, Australia is a land of flooding rains. But climate change could be making it worse|date=23 March 2021|website=The Conversation|access-date=2 April 2021|archive-date=4 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210404091437/https://theconversation.com/yes-australia-is-a-land-of-flooding-rains-but-climate-change-could-be-making-it-worse-157586|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Biodiversity===
{{See also|Fauna of Australia|Flora of Australia|Fungi of Australia}}
] and the '']'']]

Although most of Australia is semi-arid or desert, the continent includes a diverse range of habitats from ] heaths to ]s. Fungi typify that diversity—an estimated 250,000 species—of which only 5% have been described—occur in Australia.<ref>Pascoe, I. G.; (1991) History of systematic mycology in Australia ''History of Systematic Botany in Australasia'' Ed. by: P. Short Australian Systematic Botany Society Inc. pp. 259–264</ref> Because of the continent's great age, extremely variable weather patterns, and long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia's ] is unique. About 85% of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, more than 45% of ], and 89% of in-shore, temperate-zone fish are ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/about-biodiversity.html |title=About Biodiversity |access-date=18 September 2007|publisher=Department of the Environment and Heritage |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205015628/http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/about-biodiversity.html |archive-date=5 February 2007}}</ref> Australia has at least 755 species of reptile, more than any other country in the world.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lambertini|first=Marco|title=A Naturalist's Guide to the Tropics|year=2000|isbn=978-0-2264-6828-0|publisher=University of Chicago Press|url=http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/468283.html|format=excerpt|access-date=30 March 2010|archive-date=5 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205010300/http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/468283.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Besides Antarctica, Australia is the only continent that developed without feline species. Feral cats may have been introduced in the 17th century by Dutch shipwrecks, and later in the 18th century by European settlers. They are now considered a major factor in the decline and extinction of many vulnerable and endangered native species.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-13/greg-hunt-feral-cat-native-animals-fact-check/5858282|title=Fact check: Are feral cats killing over 20 billion native animals a year?|date=20 November 2014|work=ABC News|access-date=22 January 2017|archive-date=8 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108001903/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-13/greg-hunt-feral-cat-native-animals-fact-check/5858282|url-status=live}}</ref> Seafaring immigrants from Asia are believed to have brought the ] to Australia sometime after the end of the last ice age{{Mdash}}perhaps 4000 years ago{{Mdash}}and Aboriginal people helped disperse them across the continent as pets, contributing to the demise of ] on the mainland.<ref name=jackson2015>{{cite book|last1=Jackson|first1=Stephen|last2=Groves|first2=Colin|title=Taxonomy of Australian Mammals|publisher=CSIRO Publishing, Clayton, Victoria, Australia|year=2015|pages=287–290|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RPznCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA288|isbn=978-1-4863-0013-6}}</ref> Australia is also one of 17 megadiverse countries.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Evans |first1=Megan C. |last2=Watson |first2=James E. M. |last3=Fuller |first3=Richard A. |last4=Venter |first4=Oscar |last5=Bennett |first5=Simon C. |last6=Marsack |first6=Peter R. |last7=Possingham |first7=Hugh P. |title=The Spatial Distribution of Threats to Species in Australia |journal=BioScience |date=April 2011 |volume=61 |issue=4 |page=282 |doi=10.1525/bio.2011.61.4.8 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

] are mostly made up of evergreen species, particularly ] trees in the less arid regions; ] replace them as the dominant species in drier regions and deserts.<ref name=dfat>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/flora_and_fauna.html |title=About Australia: Flora and fauna |access-date=15 May 2010|date=May 2008|publisher=Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211203954/http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/flora_and_fauna.html |archive-date=11 February 2014}}</ref> Among well-known ] are the ]s (the ] and ]); a host of ]s, including the ], ], and ], and birds such as the ] and the ].<ref name=dfat/> Australia is home to ] including some of the most venomous snakes in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 January 2015 |title=Snake bite – The Australian Venom Compendium Concept |url=http://www.avru.org/compendium/biogs/A000084b.htm |access-date=15 January 2022 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115112947/http://www.avru.org/compendium/biogs/A000084b.htm |archive-date=15 January 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The ] was introduced by Austronesian people who traded with Indigenous Australians around 3000 ].<ref name="savolainen2004">{{Cite journal|last1=Savolainen|first1=P.|last2=Leitner|first2=T.|last3=Wilton|first3=A.N.|last4=Matisoo-Smith|first4=E.
|last5=Lundeberg|first5=J.|title=A detailed picture of the origin of the Australian dingo, obtained from the study of mitochondrial DNA|doi=10.1073/pnas.0401814101|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=101|issue=33|pages=12387–12390|year=2004|pmid=15299143|pmc=514485|bibcode=2004PNAS..10112387S|doi-access=free}}</ref> Many animal and plant species became extinct soon after first human settlement,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/view.php?articleID=170 |title=Humans to blame for extinction of Australia's megafauna|publisher=University of Melbourne|date=8 June 2001 |access-date=30 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402065113/http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/view.php?articleID=170 |archive-date=2 April 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> including the ]; others have disappeared since European settlement, among them the thylacine.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.naturalworlds.org/thylacine/index.htm |title=The Thylacine Museum – A Natural History of the Tasmanian Tiger |publisher=The Thylacine Museum |access-date=14 October 2013 |archive-date=15 March 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060315214219/http://www.naturalworlds.org/thylacine/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/ts-day/index.html |title=National Threatened Species Day |publisher=Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Government|year=2006 |access-date=21 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209084616/http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/ts-day/index.html |archive-date=9 December 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Many of Australia's ecoregions, and the species within those regions, are threatened by human activities and ] animal, ]n, fungal and plant species.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/index.html |title=Invasive species|publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts|date=17 March 2010 |access-date=14 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629001302/http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/index.html |archive-date=29 June 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> All these factors have led to Australia's having the highest mammal extinction rate of any country in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2012/10/australias-most-endangered-species|title=Australia's most endangered species|publisher=Australian Geographic|access-date=16 June 2014|date=2 October 2012|archive-date=7 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707222631/http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2012/10/australias-most-endangered-species|url-status=live}}</ref> The federal ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' is the legal framework for the protection of threatened species.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/about/index.html |title=About the EPBC Act|publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts |access-date=14 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531084042/http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/about/index.html |archive-date=31 May 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> Numerous ] have been created under the ] to protect and preserve unique ecosystems;<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/publications/strategy/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312021249/http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/publications/strategy/index.html |archive-date=12 March 2011 |title=National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity|publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts|date=21 January 2010 |access-date=14 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/publications/strategy/chap1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313222100/http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/publications/strategy/chap1.html |archive-date=13 March 2011 |title=Conservation of biological diversity across Australia |publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts|date=19 January 2009 |access-date=14 June 2010}}</ref> 65 ]s are ] under the ],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ramsar.org/document/the-list-of-wetlands-of-international-importance-the-ramsar-list|title=The List of Wetlands of International Importance|publisher=Ramsar Convention|pages=6–7|date=22 May 2010|access-date=14 June 2010|archive-date=15 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015201559/http://www.ramsar.org/document/the-list-of-wetlands-of-international-importance-the-ramsar-list|url-status=live}}</ref> and 16 natural ]s have been established.<ref name="WHC">{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/au|title=Australia|work=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=5 September 2009|archive-date=2 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091002202106/http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/au|url-status=live}}</ref> Australia was ranked 21st out of 178 countries in the world on the 2018 ].<ref>{{Citation |title=2018 EPI Results|url=https://epi.envirocenter.yale.edu/epi-topline|work=Environmental Performance Index|publisher=Yale Center for International Earth Science Information Network |access-date=24 September 2018 |archive-date=23 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723205354/https://epi.envirocenter.yale.edu/epi-topline |url-status=dead}}</ref> There are more than 1,800 animals and plants on Australia's threatened species list, including more than 500 animals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-24/australias-long-list-of-threatened-species/11234090|title='Haunting': What it's like watching the last of a species die|last=March|first=Stephanie|date=24 June 2019|work=ABC News|access-date=16 July 2019|archive-date=13 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713234527/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-24/australias-long-list-of-threatened-species/11234090|url-status=live}}</ref> ] discovered a ] site of a ] ] in ], in South Australia, that presents evidence that this now arid ] and dry ]/] was once home to an abundance of life.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mind-Blowing New Fossil Site Found in The 'Dead' Heart of Australia |author=Michelle Starr |date=7 January 2022 |website=Science Alert |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/incredible-new-fossil-site-found-in-the-dead-heart-of-australia |access-date=7 January 2022 |archive-date=7 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107221514/https://www.sciencealert.com/incredible-new-fossil-site-found-in-the-dead-heart-of-australia |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=See the spectacular fossils from a newly discovered prehistoric rainforest |date=7 January 2022 |author=Michael Greshko |website=National Geographic |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/see-the-spectacular-fossils-from-a-newly-discovered-prehistoric-rainforest|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107192025/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/see-the-spectacular-fossils-from-a-newly-discovered-prehistoric-rainforest|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 January 2022}}</ref>

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Australian Government|Politics of Australia|Monarchy of Australia}}
{{Multiple image
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| image1 = King Charles III (July 2023).jpg
| caption1 = ],<br />]
| image2 = Sam Mostyn 2024.jpg
| caption2 = ],<br />]
| image3 = Anthony Albanese portrait (cropped).jpg
| caption3 = ],<br />]
}}

Australia is a ], a ] and a ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 January 2024 |title=Australian system of government |url=https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/system-of-government/australian-system-of-government |access-date= |website=Parliamentary Education Office |language=en |archive-date=14 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214204120/https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/system-of-government/australian-system-of-government |url-status=live }}</ref> The country has maintained its mostly unchanged ] alongside a stable ] political system since ] in 1901. It is one of the world's oldest federations, in which power is divided between the federal and ] governments. The ] combines elements derived from the political systems of the United Kingdom (a ], constitutional monarchy and ]) and the United States (], a ] and ] with an elected upper house), resulting in a distinct hybrid.<ref name="Thompson-1980">{{Cite journal |last=Thompson |first=Elaine |year=1980 |title=The 'Washminster' Mutation |journal=] |volume=15 |issue=2 |page=32 |doi=10.1080/00323268008401755}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=14 December 2023 |title=What is the Washminster system? |url=https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/your-questions-on-notice/questions/what-is-the-washminster-system |access-date= |website=Parliamentary Education Office |language=en |archive-date=15 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215070719/https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/your-questions-on-notice/questions/what-is-the-washminster-system |url-status=live }}</ref>

] between three groups:<ref name="Parliamentary Education Office-2023_2">{{Cite web |title=Separation of powers: Parliament, Executive and Judiciary |url=https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/system-of-government/separation-of-powers-parliament-executive-and-judiciary/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031132705/https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/system-of-government/separation-of-powers-parliament-executive-and-judiciary/ |archive-date=31 October 2023 |access-date=8 November 2023 |website=Parliamentary Education Office |publisher= |language=en}}</ref>
* Legislature: the bicameral ], comprising the ], the ], and the ]
* Executive: the ], led by the prime minister (the leader of the party or coalition with a majority in the House of Representatives), their chosen ] and other ministers; formally appointed by the governor-general<ref name="Factbook-Government">{{Cite CIA World Factbook |country=Australia |section=Government |access-date=16 August 2024}}</ref>
* Judiciary: the ] and other ]

] reigns as ] and is represented in Australia by the ] at the federal level and by the ] at the state level, who by ] of the Constitution and convention act on the advice of their ministers.<ref name="Davison pp287–8">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|pages=287–88}}</ref><ref name="gg">{{Cite web |url=http://www.gg.gov.au/governorgeneral/category.php?id=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804130529/http://www.gg.gov.au/governorgeneral/category.php?id=2 |archive-date=4 August 2008 |title=Governor-General's Role|publisher=Governor-General of Australia |access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref> Thus, in practice the governor-general acts as a legal figurehead for the actions of the ] and the Cabinet. The governor-general may in some situations exercise ]s: powers exercisable in the absence or contrary to ministerial advice. When these powers may be exercised is governed by convention and their precise scope is unclear. The most notable exercise of these powers was the dismissal of the ] in the ].<ref>{{Cite web|publisher=Parliament of Australia|date=23 January 1998 |access-date=18 June 2010|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rn/1997-98/98rn25.htm |title=The Reserve Powers of the Governor-General|author=Downing, Susan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726170040/http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rn/1997-98/98rn25.htm |archive-date=26 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
], ]]]
In the Senate (the upper house), there are 76 senators: twelve each from the states and two each from the mainland territories (the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory).<ref name=sen>{{Cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2007/guide/senatecomposition.htm |title=Senate Summary|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=23 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100506235552/http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2007/guide/senatecomposition.htm |archive-date=6 May 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> The House of Representatives (the lower house) has 151 members elected from single-member ], commonly known as "electorates" or "seats", allocated to states on the basis of population, with each of the current states guaranteed a minimum of five seats.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Muller |first=Damon |date=26 April 2023 |title=The process for, and consequences of, changing the size of the Commonwealth Parliament: a quick guide |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp2223/Quick_Guides/ChangingSizeCommonwealthParliament |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511175801/https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp2223/Quick_Guides/ChangingSizeCommonwealthParliament |archive-date=11 May 2023 |access-date= |website=Parliament of Australia |language=en-AU}}</ref> The lower house has a maximum term of three years, but this is not fixed and governments usually dissolve the house early for an election at some point in the 6 months before the maximum.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Completed_Inquiries/em/elect04/report |title=The 2004 Federal Election |date=10 October 2005 |publisher=Parliament of Australia |isbn=978-0-642-78705-7 |at=paras. 7.26–7.27 |language=en-AU |chapter=Parliamentary terms |chapter-url=https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Completed_Inquiries/em/elect04/chapter7 |access-date=25 January 2024 |archive-date=25 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005940/https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Completed_Inquiries/em/elect04/report |url-status=live }}</ref> Elections for both chambers are generally held simultaneously with senators having overlapping six-year terms except for those from the territories, whose terms are not fixed but are tied to the electoral cycle for the lower house. Thus only 40 of the 76 places in the Senate are put to each election unless the cycle is interrupted by a ].<ref name="sen" />

Australia's ] uses ] for the House of Representatives and all state and territory lower house elections (with the exception of Tasmania and the ACT which use the ]). The Senate and most state upper houses use the ] which combines preferential voting with ] for each state. ] for all enrolled citizens 18 years and older in every jurisdiction.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aec.gov.au/pdf/voting/compulsory_voting.pdf |title=Compulsory Voting in Australia|last=Evans|first=Tim|year=2006|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|page=4 |access-date=21 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611200653/http://www.aec.gov.au/pdf/voting/compulsory_voting.pdf |archive-date=11 June 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aec.gov.au/FAQs/Enrolment.htm#compulsory |title=Is it compulsory to enrol, regardless of age or disability?|work=Enrolment – Frequently Asked Questions|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |access-date=11 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524015925/https://aec.gov.au/FAQs/Enrolment.htm |archive-date=24 May 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |first=Judith |last=Brett |title=From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage: How Australia Got Compulsory Voting |publisher=Text Publishing Co |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-9256-0384-2}}</ref> 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 constitutional power to appoint the prime minister and, if necessary, dismiss one that has lost the confidence of Parliament.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gg.gov.au/content.php/page/id/3/title/governor-generals-role |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014171300/http://www.gg.gov.au/content.php/page/id/3/title/governor-generals-role |archive-date=14 October 2012 |title=Governor-General's Role|publisher=Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia |access-date=13 January 2012}}</ref> Due to the relatively unique position of Australia operating as a ] parliamentary democracy with a powerful and elected upper house, the system has sometimes been referred to as having a "Washminster mutation",<ref name="Thompson-1980" /> or as a semi-parliamentary system.<ref name=Ganghof>{{Cite journal |last1=Ganghof |first1=S |title=A new political system model: Semi-parliamentary government |journal=European Journal of Political Research |date=May 2018 |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=261–281 |doi=10.1111/1475-6765.12224 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

There are two major political groups that usually form government federally: the ] <!-- NOTE TO EDITORS: The name of the party is spelt "Labor" (i.e., no "u") even though the usual Australian spelling is "labour". --> and the ], which is a formal grouping of the ] and its minor partner, the ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2007/guide/glossary.htm#coalition |title=Glossary of Election Terms |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=23 April 2010 |archive-date=6 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306034515/http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2007/guide/glossary.htm#coalition |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2007/results/sop.htm |title=State of the Parties|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=23 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418163914/http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2007/results/sop.htm |archive-date= 18 April 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> At the state level of government, the relationship between the Nationals and the Liberal Party differs, with the parties ] and the ] (federal parliamentarians sit in either the Liberal or National partyroom however); in coalition in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia; and in competition with the Liberals in South Australia and Tasmania.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 July 2008 |title=The Liberal-National Party – a new model party? |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-07-30/the-liberal-national-party---a-new-model-party/457812 |access-date=8 September 2021 |website=ABC News |language=en-AU |archive-date=7 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007033647/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-07-30/the-liberal-national-party---a-new-model-party/457812 |url-status=live }}</ref> Within Australian political culture, the Coalition is considered ] and the Labor Party is considered ].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Fenna|first1=Alan|last2=Robbins|first2=Jane|last3=Summers|first3=John |title=Government Politics in Australia|publisher=Pearson Higher Education AU|location=London|year=2013|isbn=978-1-4860-0138-5|page=139}}</ref> Independent members and several minor parties have achieved representation in Australian parliaments, mostly in upper houses. The ] are the third largest party by both vote and membership and the fourth largest by parliamentary representation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/old-greens-wounds-reopen-as-members-vote-on-directly-electing-leader-20200422-p54m5r.html|title=Old Greens wounds reopen as members vote on directly electing leader|last=Harris|first=Rob|date=22 April 2020|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=24 April 2020|archive-date=22 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422080256/https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/old-greens-wounds-reopen-as-members-vote-on-directly-electing-leader-20200422-p54m5r.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Jackson |first1=Stewart |title=The Australian Greens : from activism to Australia's third party |date=2016 |publisher=Melbourne University Press |isbn=978-0-5228-6794-7}}</ref> The ] was held on 21 May 2022 and resulted in the Australian Labor Party, led by ], being elected to ].<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 May 2022 |title=Anthony Albanese sworn in as Prime Minister |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-23/anthony-albanese-to-be-sworn-in-prime-minister/101089902 |access-date=22 May 2022 |archive-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522182422/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-23/anthony-albanese-to-be-sworn-in-prime-minister/101089902 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===States and territories===
{{Main|States and territories of Australia}}
]

Australia has six states—] (NSW), ] (Vic), ] (Qld), ] (WA), ] (SA) and ] (Tas)—and two mainland self-governing territories—the ] (ACT) and the ] (NT).<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 December 2023 |title=What's the difference between a territory and a state parliament? |url=https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/your-questions-on-notice |access-date= |website=Parliamentary Education Office |language=en |archive-date=18 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318145108/https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/your-questions-on-notice |url-status=live }}</ref>

The states have the general power to make laws except in the few areas where the constitution grants the Commonwealth exclusive powers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pyke |first=John |title=Government powers under a Federal Constitution: constitutional law in Australia |date=2020 |publisher=Lawbook Co |isbn=978-0-455-24415-0 |edition=2nd |location=Pyrmont, NSW |pages=405–6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 July 2022 |title=Three levels of government: governing Australia |url=https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/three-levels-of-government/three-levels-of-government-governing-australia |access-date=25 January 2024 |website=Parliamentary Education Office |language=en |archive-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104073724/https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/three-levels-of-government/three-levels-of-government-governing-australia |url-status=live }}</ref> The Commonwealth can only make laws on topics listed in the constitution but its laws prevail over those of the states to the extent of any inconsistency.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pyke |first=John |title=Government powers under a Federal Constitution: constitutional law in Australia |date=2020 |publisher=Lawbook Co |isbn=978-0-455-24415-0 |edition=2nd |location=Pyrmont, NSW |pages=528–30, 577–80}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|coaca430|Australian Constitution|109}}. "When a law of a State is inconsistent with a law of the Commonwealth, the latter shall prevail, and the former shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be invalid."</ref> Since Federation, the Commonwealth's power relative to the states ] due to the increasingly wide interpretation given to listed Commonwealth powers{{snd}}and because of the states' ] on Commonwealth grants.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pyke |first=John |title=Government powers under a Federal Constitution: constitutional law in Australia |date=2020 |publisher=Lawbook Co |isbn=978-0-455-24415-0 |edition=2nd |location=Pyrmont, NSW |pages=607–9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Beck |first=Luke |title=Australian constitutional law: concepts and cases |date=2020 |publisher=Cambridge university press |isbn=978-1-108-70103-7 |location=Port Melbourne, VIC |pages=521–8}}</ref>

Each state and major mainland territory has its own ]—] in the Northern Territory, the ACT and Queensland, and bicameral in the other states. The lower houses are known as the ] (the ] in South Australia and Tasmania); the upper houses are known as the ]. The ] in each state is the ] and in each territory the ]. The King is represented in each state by a ]. At the Commonwealth level, the King's representative is the governor-general.<ref name="gg"/>

The Commonwealth government directly administers the internal ] and the external territories: the ], the ], the ], the ] (Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands), ],{{Refn|Norfolk Island previously was self-governed, however this was revoked in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080806021653/http://ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/Territories_of_AustraliaNorfolk_IslandAdministrator_of_Norfolk_Island|url=http://ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/Territories_of_AustraliaNorfolk_Island|publisher=Australian Government Attorney-General's Department |title=Administrator of Norfolk Island |archive-date=6 August 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/may/12/norfolk-island-loses-its-parliament-as-canberra-takes-control|title=Norfolk Island loses its parliament as Canberra takes control|first1=Monica|last1=Tan|author2=Australian Associated Press|date=12 May 2015|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=21 October 2015|archive-date=28 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028072820/http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/may/12/norfolk-island-loses-its-parliament-as-canberra-takes-control|url-status=live}}</ref>}} and the ].{{Refn|This ] is recognised by only by New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, and Norway.}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Australian Territories |url=https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/territories-regions-cities/australian-territories |access-date=16 February 2024 |website=Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts |archive-date=8 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308213252/https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/territories-regions-cities/australian-territories |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Factbook-Government"/> The remote ] and ] are part of Tasmania and New South Wales respectively.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Macquarie Island research station to be closed in 2017|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-13/macquarie-island-research-station-to-be-closed-in-2017/7839640|work=ABC News|date=13 September 2016|access-date=19 October 2019|archive-date=25 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025034637/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-13/macquarie-island-research-station-to-be-closed-in-2017/7839640|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Southerden |first=Louise |date=8 November 2017 |title=Which island should you visit - Lord Howe or Norfolk? A guide to both |url=https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/a-tale-of-two-islands-lord-howe-v-norfolk-20171107-gzg8tz.html |access-date= |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en |archive-date=16 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216030715/https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/a-tale-of-two-islands-lord-howe-v-norfolk-20171107-gzg8tz.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Australia}}
]]]
Australia is a ],<ref name="Lowy">{{Cite report |url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/downloads/lowy-institute-2023-asia-power-index-key-findings-report.pdf |title=Lowy Institute Asian Power Index |date=2023 |page=29 |isbn=978-0-6480189-3-3 |access-date=4 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220212559/https://power.lowyinstitute.org/downloads/lowy-institute-2023-asia-power-index-key-findings-report.pdf |archive-date=20 February 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> whose foreign relations has three core bi-partisan pillars: commitment to the US alliance, engagement with the ] and support for international institutions, rules and co-operation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gyngell |first=Allan |date=31 July 2022 |title=A new Australian foreign policy agenda under Albanese |url=https://eastasiaforum.org/2022/07/31/a-new-australian-foreign-policy-agenda-under-albanese/ |access-date= |website=East Asia Forum |language=en-AU |archive-date=17 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217023926/https://eastasiaforum.org/2022/07/31/a-new-australian-foreign-policy-agenda-under-albanese/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Australian-Government-2017">{{Cite report |url=https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/2017-foreign-policy-white-paper.pdf |title=2017 Foreign Policy White Paper |date=2017 |publisher=Australian Government |pages=1–8 |access-date=17 February 2024 |archive-date=19 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119034716/https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/2017-foreign-policy-white-paper.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Firth |first=Stewart |title=Australia in international politics: an introduction to Australian foreign policy |date=2011 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |isbn=978-1-74237-263-1 |edition=3rd |location=Crows Nest, NSW |pages=332–8 |language=en-AU}}</ref> Through the ] pact and its status as a ], Australia maintains a ], which encompasses strong defence, security and trade ties.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Australia and the United States |url=https://usa.embassy.gov.au/australia-and-united-states |access-date=17 February 2024 |website=Australian Embassy and Consulates |archive-date=17 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217023926/https://usa.embassy.gov.au/australia-and-united-states |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bureau of Political-Military Affairs |date=20 January 2021 |title=Major Non-NATO Ally Status |url=https://www.state.gov/major-non-nato-ally-status/ |access-date=25 January 2024 |website=] |language=en-US |archive-date=27 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227062358/https://www.state.gov/major-non-nato-ally-status/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the Indo-Pacific, the country seeks to increase its trade ties through the open flow of trade and capital, while managing the rise of Chinese power by supporting the existing rules based order.<ref name="Australian-Government-2017" /> Regionally, the country is a member of the ], the ], the ] and the ]. Internationally, the country is a member of the ] (of which it was a founding member), the ], the ] and the ]. This reflects the country's generally strong commitment to ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Page |first=Mercedes |date=31 May 2022 |title=Multilateralism matters again |url=https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/multilateralism-matters-again |access-date= |website=The Interpreter |publisher=Lowy Institute |language=en |archive-date=15 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215011829/https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/multilateralism-matters-again |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Watson |first=Mark R |date=30 October 2023 |title=Australia and the Quad: A Watering Can or a Hammer? |url=https://www.nbr.org/publication/australia-and-the-quad-a-watering-can-or-a-hammer/ |access-date=15 February 2024 |website=The National Bureau of Asian Research |language=en |archive-date=15 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215011829/https://www.nbr.org/publication/australia-and-the-quad-a-watering-can-or-a-hammer/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Australia is a member of several defence, intelligence and security groupings including the ] intelligence alliance with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand; the ANZUS alliance with the United States and New Zealand; the ] security treaty with the United States and United Kingdom; the ] with the United States, India and Japan; the ] with New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Singapore; and the ] defence and security agreement with Japan.] with American President ] in 2022]]
Australia has pursued the cause of international ].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Capling|first=Ann |title=Australia and the Global Trade System: From Havana to Seattle|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2013|isbn=978-0-5217-8525-9|page=116}}</ref> It led the formation of the ] and ],<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Gallagher, P. W.|title=Setting the agenda for trade negotiations: Australia and the Cairns group|journal=Australian Journal of International Affairs|volume=42|issue=1 April 1988|pages=3–8|doi=10.1080/10357718808444955|year=1988}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.apec2007.org/aa.htm|title=APEC and Australia|publisher=APEC 2007|date=1 June 2007|access-date=23 April 2010|archive-date=21 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421170701/http://www.apec2007.org/aa.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> and is a member of the ] (OECD) and the ] (WTO).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oecd.org/about/0,3347,en_33873108_33873229_1_1_1_1_1,00.html |title=Australia:About|publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |access-date=23 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420083545/http://www.oecd.org/about/0%2C3347%2Cen_33873108_33873229_1_1_1_1_1%2C00.html |archive-date=20 April 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/countries_e/australia_e.htm |title=Australia – Member information|publisher=World Trade Organization |access-date=23 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525011833/http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/countries_e/australia_e.htm |archive-date=25 May 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> Beginning in the 2000s, Australia entered into the ] and the ] multilateral ]s as well as bilateral free trade agreements with the ], ], ], ], ], the ] and ], with the most recent deal signed in 2023 with the UK.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Australia's free trade agreements (FTAs) |url=https://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/trade-agreements |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119034906/https://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/trade-agreements |archive-date=19 January 2024 |access-date=25 January 2024 |website=Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade}}</ref>

Australia maintains a deeply integrated relationship with neighbouring New Zealand, with free mobility of citizens between the two countries under the ] and free trade under the ] agreement.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trans-Tasman Roadmap to 2035 |url=https://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/new-zealand/trans-tasman-roadmap-2035 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726060824/https://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/new-zealand/trans-tasman-roadmap-2035 |archive-date=26 July 2023 |access-date=7 February 2024 |website=Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade}}</ref> The most favourably viewed countries by the Australian people in 2021 include New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and South Korea.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://poll.lowyinstitute.org/files/lowyinsitutepoll-2021.pdf|title=2021 Lowy Institute Poll|last=Kassam|first=Natasha|date=2021|publisher=Lowy Institute|access-date=16 January 2022|archive-date=19 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319051732/https://poll.lowyinstitute.org/files/lowyinsitutepoll-2021.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> It also maintains an ] under which some 75 countries receive assistance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Australian Aid |url=https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Pages/australian-aid |website=Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |access-date=15 February 2024 |archive-date=15 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215012143/https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Pages/australian-aid |url-status=live }}</ref> Australia ranked fourth in the ]'s 2021 ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cgdev.org/publication/commitment-development-index-2021|title=The Commitment to Development Index 2021|last1=Mitchell|first1=Ian|last2=Robinson|first2=Lee|last3=Cichocka|first3=Beata|last4=Ritchie|first4=Euan|date=13 September 2021|access-date=17 August 2022|publisher=]|location=]|archive-date=5 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005091011/https://www.cgdev.org/publication/commitment-development-index-2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

The power over foreign policy is highly concentrated in the prime minister and the ], with major decision such as joining the ] made with without prior Cabinet approval.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=David |date=31 December 2023 |title=Cabinet papers 2003: Howard government sends Australia into the Iraq war |url=http://theconversation.com/cabinet-papers-2003-howard-government-sends-australia-into-the-iraq-war-217812 |access-date=17 February 2024 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US |archive-date=17 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217023925/http://theconversation.com/cabinet-papers-2003-howard-government-sends-australia-into-the-iraq-war-217812 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Firth |first=Stewart |title=Australia in international politics: an introduction to Australian foreign policy |date=2011 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |isbn=978-1-74237-263-1 |edition=3rd |location=Crows Nest, NSW |pages=78–84 |language=en-AU}}</ref> Similarly, the Parliament does not play a formal role in foreign policy and the power to declare war lies solely with the executive government.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Appleby |first=Gabrielle |date=2 September 2014 |title=Explainer: Australia's war powers and the role of parliament |url=http://theconversation.com/explainer-australias-war-powers-and-the-role-of-parliament-31112 |access-date=17 February 2024 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US |archive-date=6 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906181159/https://theconversation.com/explainer-australias-war-powers-and-the-role-of-parliament-31112 |url-status=live }}</ref> The ] supports the executive in its policy decisions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 2013 |title=Capability review: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |url=https://www.apsc.gov.au/capability-review-department-foreign-affairs-and-trade |access-date=20 December 2024 |website=Australian Public Service Commision |publisher= |page=2}}</ref>

===Military===
{{Main|Australian Defence Force}}
], a ] ], and ], an ] ], sailing in formation]]

The two main institutions involved in the management of Australia's armed forces are the ] (ADF) and the ], together known as "]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Organisation structure |url=https://www.defence.gov.au/about/who-we-are/organisation-structure |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103154937/https://www.defence.gov.au/about/who-we-are/organisation-structure |archive-date=3 November 2023 |access-date=16 February 2024 |website=Australian Government: Defence}}</ref> The Australian Defence Force is the military wing, headed by the ], and contains three branches: the ], the ] and the ]. In 2021, it had 84,865 currently serving personnel (including 60,286 regulars and 24,581 reservists).<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 June 2022 |title=Australian Defence Force service |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/australian-defence-force-service |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119193626/https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/australian-defence-force-service |archive-date=19 November 2023 |website=]}}</ref> The Department of Defence is the civilian wing and is headed by the secretary of defence. These two leaders collective manage Defence as a ], with shared and joint responsibilities.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.defence.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-10/Defence-Annual-Report-2022-23.pdf |title=Defence Annual Report 2022–23 |date=18 September 2023 |publisher=Australian Government: Defence |page=23 |isbn=978-1-925890-47-1 |issn=1323-5036 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217203427/https://www.defence.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-10/Defence-Annual-Report-2022-23.pdf |archive-date=17 December 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> The titular role of ] is held by the ]; however, actual command is vested in the chief of the Defence Force.<ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|da190356|Defence Act 1903|9}}</ref> The executive branch of the Commonwealth government has overall control of the military through the ], who is subject to the decisions of Cabinet and its ].<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://ad-aspi.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/import/12_53_35_PM_ASPI_defence_almanac_2011_12.pdf?VersionId=vNzXEQtA5bqdxWO9r60xyDAD45g2_d1H |title=Australian Defence Almanac: 2011–2012 |last=Khosa |first=Raspal |date=July 2011 |publisher=Australian Strategic Policy Institute |pages=2, 12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002182101/https://ad-aspi.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/import/12_53_35_PM_ASPI_defence_almanac_2011_12.pdf?VersionId=vNzXEQtA5bqdxWO9r60xyDAD45g2_d1H |archive-date=2 October 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Major ] include the ] (foreign intelligence), the ] (signals intelligence) and the ] (domestic security).

In 2022, defence spending was 1.9% of ], representing the world's ].<ref>{{cite web |date=April 2023 |title=Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2022 |url=https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/2304_fs_milex_2022.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423231601/https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/2304_fs_milex_2022.pdf |archive-date=23 April 2023 |access-date=29 April 2023 |publisher=] |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2024, the ADF had active operations in the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific (including security and aid provisions); was contributing to UN forces in relation to ], ], and ]; and domestically was ] and assisting in ] relief.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Operations |url=https://www.defence.gov.au/defence-activities/operations |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130011529/https://www.defence.gov.au/defence-activities/operations |archive-date=30 January 2024 |access-date=25 February 2024 |website=] |publisher=]}}</ref>

===Human rights===
{{See also|Human rights in Australia}}

Australia has generally strong protections for ], and the country has signed up to a wide range of international rights treaties.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Australia: Events of 2023 |url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2024/country-chapters/australia |access-date=30 August 2024 |website=World Report 2024 |publisher=]}}</ref> Important documents protecting human rights include the ], the '']'', the '']'', the '']'', and the '']''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Legal - Legislation |url=https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/legal/legislation |access-date=3 September 2023 |website=Australian Human Rights Commission}}</ref> ] has been legal in the nation since 2017.<ref>{{cite news |date=26 June 2013 |title=The 20 most and least gay-friendly countries in the world |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2013-06-26/20-most-and-least-gay-friendly-countries-world |access-date=31 December 2017 |work=Public Radio International}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Same-Sex Marriage Around the World |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/fact-sheet/gay-marriage-around-the-world/ |access-date=3 September 2023 |website=Pew Research Center}}</ref> Unlike other comparable Western democracies, Australia does not have a single federal ] in the Constitution or under legislation; however, the ACT, Victoria, and Queensland have state-based ones.

International organisations such as ] and ] have expressed concerns in areas including ], ], the lack of entrenched ], and ].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=28 March 2023 |title=Amnesty International Report 2022/23: The state of the world's human rights |url=https://www.amnesty.org.au/amnesty-international-report-2022-23-the-state-of-the-worlds-human-rights/ |access-date=25 January 2024 |website=] |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=11 January 2024 |title=Australia: Setbacks, Inaction on Key Rights Issues |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/01/11/australia-setbacks-inaction-key-rights-issues |access-date=25 January 2024 |website=] |language=en-AU}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Australia}}
{{Further|Economic history of Australia|Tourism in Australia}}
] is the ] of Australia.]]
Australia's ] ] is rich in ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Russell|first=Clyde|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-column-russell-commodities-australia-idUKKBN2BM0WC |title=Column: Resource-rich Australia shows vagaries of any commodity supercycle|date=30 March 2021|work=] |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref> It is the world's ] by nominal terms, and the ] by ]. {{As of|2021}}, it has the ] of wealth per adult, after ],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Wealth Databook 2021|url=https://www.credit-suisse.com/media/assets/corporate/docs/about-us/research/publications/global-wealth-databook-2021.pdf |access-date=14 August 2022|publisher=]}}</ref> and has the ] financial assets per capita.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Carrera|first1=Jordi Bosco|last2=Grimm|first2=Michaela|last3=Halzhausen|first3=Arne|last4=Pelaya|first4=Patricia|url=https://www.allianz.com/content/dam/onemarketing/azcom/Allianz_com/economic-research/publications/specials/en/2021/october/2021_10_07_Global-Wealth-Report.pdf |title=ALLIANZ GLOBAL WEALTH REPORT 2021|date=7 October 2021|publisher=] |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref> Australia has a labour force of some 13.5 million, with an unemployment rate of 3.5% as of June 2022.<ref name="ABSLabourForce">{{Cite web|website=Australian Bureau of Statistics|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia/latest-release |title=Labour Force, Australia|date=14 July 2022 |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref> According to the ], the ] exceeds 13.6% of the population, encompassing 3.2&nbsp;million. It also estimated that there were 774,000 (17.7%) children under the age of 15 living in relative poverty.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://povertyandinequality.acoss.org.au/poverty/|title=Poverty – Poverty and Inequality}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acoss.org.au/media_release/report-shows-three-million-people-in-poverty-in-australia-and-why-we-must-act-to-support-each-other/|title=Report shows three million people in poverty in Australia and why we must act to support each other|date=21 February 2020|website=ACOSS}}</ref> The ] is the national currency, which is also used by three island states in the Pacific: ], ], and ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/30205/ado2013-small-island-economies.pdf |title=Small island economies|year=2013|publisher=] |access-date=14 August 2022|quote=All three countries use the Australian dollar as legal tender.}}</ref>

], about $963 billion in June 2022, exceeds 45.1% of the country's total GDP, and is the world's ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dossor|first=Rob|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/BudgetReview202122/CommonwealthDebt |title=Commonwealth debt|publisher=] |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref> Australia had the ] of ] in the world in 2020, after Switzerland.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/HH_LS@GDD/AUS/CHE |title=Household debt, loans and debt securities|publisher=] |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref> ] are among the highest in the world, especially in the large urban areas.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Neubauer|first=Ian|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/4/6/australians-home-ownership-dream-turns-soar-as-prices-soar |title='Ridiculous prices': Australians' home ownership dreams turn sour|work=]|date=6 April 2022 |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref> The large service sector accounts for about 71.2% of total GDP, followed by the industrial sector (25.3%), while ] is by far the smallest, making up only 3.6% of total GDP.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/australia |title=Australia. CIA – The World Factbook |work=]|publisher=] |access-date=22 January 2011}}</ref> Australia is the world's ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.trademap.org/Country_SelProductCountry.aspx?nvpm=1%7c036%7c%7c%7c%7cTOTAL%7c%7c%7c2%7c1%7c1%7c2%7c1%7c%7c2%7c1%7c1%7c1 |title=List of importing markets for the product exported by Austral1ia in 2021|publisher=] |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.trademap.org/Country_SelProductCountry.aspx?nvpm=1%7c036%7c%7c%7c%7cTOTAL%7c%7c%7c2%7c1%7c1%7c1%7c1%7c%7c2%7c1%7c1%7c1 |title=List of supplying markets for the product imported by Australia in 2021|publisher=] |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref> China is Australia's ] by a wide margin, accounting for roughly 40% of the country's exports and 17.6% of its imports.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/29/trade-war-with-china-australias-economy-after-covid-19-pandemic.html |title=Australia's growth may 'never return' to its pre-virus path after trade trouble with China, says economist|last=Tan|first=Weizhen|date=29 December 2020|publisher=] |access-date=10 February 2021}}</ref> Other major export markets include Japan, the United States, and South Korea.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dfat.gov.au/publications/trade-and-investment/trade-and-investment-glance-2020 |title=Trade and investment at a glance 2020|publisher=] |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref>

Australia has high levels of competitiveness and economic freedom, and was ranked tenth in the ] in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=United Nations Development Programme |date=September 2022 |title=United Nations Development Programme, The 2021/2022 Human Development Report: Uncertain times, unsettled lives, Shaping our future in a transforming world (p 272) |url=https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2021-22 |access-date=13 August 2023 |website=United Nations}}</ref> {{As of|2022}}, it is ranked twelfth in the ] and nineteenth in the ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Country Rankings|url=https://www.heritage.org/index/ranking|publisher=]|access-date=14 August 2022|archive-date=30 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430170123/https://www.heritage.org/index/ranking|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2022.pdf |title=The Global Competitiveness Report|publisher=]|last=Schwab|first=Klaus|author-link=Klaus Schwab|year=2022}}</ref> It attracted 9.5&nbsp;million international tourists in 2019,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://statistics.jnto.go.jp/en/graph/#graph--inbound--travelers--transition |title=Trends in the Visitor Arrivals to Japan by Year|publisher=JNTO |access-date=11 December 2020}}</ref> and was ] among the countries of ] in 2019 for inbound tourism.<ref name="WTOB">{{Cite journal|date=August–September 2020|publisher=UNWTO |title=Statistical Annex|journal=UNWTO World Tourism Barometer|volume=18|issue=5|page=18|doi=10.18111/wtobarometereng.2020.18.1.5|doi-access=free}}</ref> The 2021 '']'' ranked Australia seventh-highest in the world out of 117 countries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Travel & Tourism Development Index 2021 |date=May 2022|publisher=]|url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Travel_Tourism_Development_2021.pdf |access-date=31 July 2022}}</ref> Its international tourism receipts in 2019 amounted to $45.7 billion.<ref name="WTOB"/>

===Energy===
{{Main|Energy policy of Australia|Renewable energy in Australia}}
In 2021–22, Australia's generation of electricity was sourced from ] (37.2%), ] (12%), ] (18.8%), ] (6.5%), ] (11.1%), ] (13.3%), ] (1.2%) and others (1.7%).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Australian electricity generation - fuel mix |url=https://www.energy.gov.au/energy-data/australian-energy-statistics/data-charts/australian-electricity-generation-fuel-mix |access-date=5 February 2024 |website=energy.gov.au}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Australian electricity generation renewable sources |url=https://www.energy.gov.au/energy-data/australian-energy-statistics/data-charts/australian-electricity-generation-renewable-sources |access-date=5 February 2024 |website=energy.gov.au}}</ref> Total consumption of energy in this period was sourced from coal (28.4%), oil (37.3%), gas (27.4%) and renewables (7%).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Australian energy mix by state and territory 2021-22 |url=https://www.energy.gov.au/energy-data/australian-energy-statistics/data-charts/australian-energy-mix-state-and-territory-2021-22 |access-date=5 February 2024 |website=energy.gov.au}}</ref> From 2012 to 2022, the energy sourced from renewables has increased 5.7%, while energy sourced from coal has decreased 2.6%. The use of gas also increased by 1.5% and the use of oil stayed relatively stable with a reduction of only 0.2%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Energy consumption |url=https://www.energy.gov.au/energy-data/australian-energy-statistics/energy-consumption |access-date=5 February 2024 |website=energy.gov.au}}</ref>

In 2020, Australia produced 27.7% of its electricity from renewable sources, exceeding the ] set by the Commonwealth government in 2009 of 20% renewable energy by 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Renewable Energy Target Scheme Design |url=http://www.climatechange.gov.au/renewabletarget/pubs/RET-scheme-design.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515035607/http://www.climatechange.gov.au/renewabletarget/pubs/RET-scheme-design.pdf |archive-date=15 May 2009 |access-date=15 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Clean Energy Council Australia |title=Clean Energy Australia Report 2021 |url=https://assets.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/documents/resources/reports/clean-energy-australia/clean-energy-australia-report-2021.pdf |access-date=3 June 2021 |website=Clean Energy Australia}}</ref> A new target of 82% per cent renewable energy by 2030 was set in 2022<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 August 2023 |title=Australia will fall well short of 82 per cent renewable energy by 2030, analysts predict, as problems mount |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-06/australia-likely-to-fall-short-of-82pc-renewable-energy-target/102689392 |access-date=5 February 2024 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref> and a target for ] by 2050 was set in 2021.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Evans |first=Jake |date=26 October 2021 |title=What is the government's plan to get Australia to net zero? |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-26/how-will-australia-reach-net-zero-by-2050-and-2030-targets/100565342 |access-date=11 February 2024 |work=] |language=en-AU}}</ref>

===Science and technology===
In 2019, Australia spent $35.6 billion on ], allocating about 1.79% of GDP.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 March 2021 |title=Research and Experimental Development, Businesses, Australia, 2019–20 financial year |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/technology-and-innovation/research-and-experimental-development-businesses-australia/latest-release |access-date=20 May 2022 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> A recent study by ] for the Tech Council shows that the Australian tech sector combined contributes $167 billion a year to the economy and employs 861,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 April 2022 |title=Australia wants a place in ranks of global tech nations |url=https://www.afr.com/technology/australia-wants-a-place-in-ranks-of-global-tech-nations-20220328-p5a8kh |access-date=20 May 2022 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en}}</ref> In addition, recent ]s in Sydney and Melbourne are already valued at $34 billion combined.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 September 2021 |title=Sydney's startup ecosystem is worth $24 billion, Melbourne's $10.5bn |url=https://www.startupdaily.net/2021/09/sydneys-startup-ecosystem-is-worth-24-billion-melbournes-10-5bn |access-date=20 May 2022 |website=Startup Daily |language=en-US}}</ref> Australia ranked 23rd in the ] 2024.<ref>{{Cite book |year=2024 |title=Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/ |access-date=6 October 2024 |page=18 |publisher=] |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.50062 |isbn=978-92-805-3681-2 |author1=World Intellectual Property Organization. |last2=Dutta |first2=Soumitra. |last3=Lanvin |first3=Bruno. |last4=Rivera León |first4=Lorena. |last5=Wunsch-Vincent |first5=Sacha. }}</ref>

With only 0.3% of the world's population, Australia contributed 4.1% of the world's published research in 2020, making it one of the top 10 research contributors in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Research Output {{!}} Australian Innovation System Monitor |url=https://publications.industry.gov.au/publications/australianinnovationsystemmonitor/science-and-research/research-output/index.html |access-date=24 July 2022 |website=publications.industry.gov.au}}</ref><ref name="Berthold-2021">{{Cite web |last=Berthold |first=Emma |date=17 May 2021 |title=Science in Australia |url=https://www.science.org.au/curious/policy-features/science-australia |access-date=24 July 2022 |website=Curious |language=en}}</ref> ], Australia's national science agency, contributes 10% of all research in the country, while the rest is carried out by universities.<ref name="Berthold-2021"/> Its most notable contributions include the invention of ],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hannaford |first=Peter |title=Alan Walsh 1916–1998 |url=http://www.science.org.au/academy/memoirs/walsh2.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070224214248/http://www.science.org.au/academy/memoirs/walsh2.htm |archive-date=24 February 2007 |access-date=5 December 2022 |website=AAS Biographical Memoirs |publisher=]}}</ref> the essential components of ] technology,<ref>{{Cite web |title= Wi-fi |url=https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/wi-fi |access-date=6 December 2022 |website=National Museum of Australia |publisher= |language=en}}</ref> and the development of the first commercially successful ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 November 2014 |title=Proceeds of crime: how polymer banknotes were invented |url=https://blog.csiro.au/proceeds-of-crime-how-polymer-banknotes-were-invented |access-date=6 December 2022 |website=CSIROscope |language=en-AU}}</ref> {{As of|2024}}, 13 Australian scientists have been awarded the ] in physics, chemistry or medicine,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nobel Australians |url=https://www.science.org.au/education/history-australian-science/nobel-australians |access-date=21 December 2024 |website=] |language=}}</ref> and two have been awarded the ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Watson |first=Laura |date=1 August 2018 |title=AMSI Congratulates Australia's Second Ever Fields Medallist |url=https://amsi.org.au/2018/08/02/amsi-congratulates-australias-second-ever-fields-medallist/ |access-date=21 December 2024 |website=] |language=}}</ref>

Australia is a key player in supporting ]. Facilities such as the ] and ] radio telescopes, telescopes such as the ], and ground stations such as the ] are of great assistance in ] missions, primarily by ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Dave |title=Australia's part in 50 years of space exploration with NASA |url=http://theconversation.com/australias-part-in-50-years-of-space-exploration-with-nasa-24530 |access-date=13 December 2022 |website=The Conversation |date=19 March 2014 |language=en}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Australia}}
Australia has a ] of 3.4 persons per square kilometre of total land area, which makes it one of the ]. The population is heavily concentrated on the east coast, and in particular in the south-eastern region between ] to the north-east and ] to the south-west.<ref name="ABS-regional-population-latest" />

Australia is also highly urbanised, with 67% of the population living in the Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (metropolitan areas of the state and mainland territorial capital cities) in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3218.0 |title=Main Features – Main Features |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia |agency=] |date=27 March 2019|work=3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017–18}}</ref> Metropolitan areas with more than one million inhabitants are ], ], ], ] and ].<ref name="ABS-regional-population-latest" />

In common with many other developed countries, Australia is experiencing a demographic shift towards an older population, with more retirees and fewer people of working age. In 2021, the ] of the population was 39 years.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 June 2022 |title=Population: Census |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/population-census/latest-release |publisher=]}}</ref> In 2015, 2.15% of the Australian population ], one of the ] worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates15.shtml |title=United Nations Population Division – Department of Economic and Social Affairs |access-date=13 May 2016}}</ref>

===Cities===
{{Main|List of cities in Australia by population|List of cities in Australia}}
Australia contains five cities (including their suburbs) that consist of more than one million people. Most of Australia's population live close to coastlines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/beach/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226144234/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/beach/ |archive-date=26 February 2010 |title=The Beach |work=Australian Government: Culture Portal |publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Commonwealth of Australia |date=17 March 2008 }}</ref>
{{Largest cities of Australia}}

=== Ancestry and immigration ===
{{Main|Immigration to Australia}}
]
Between 1788 and the ], the vast majority of ] and ] came from the ] (principally ], ] and ]), although there was significant immigration from ] and ] during the 19th century. Following Federation in 1901, the ] was strengthened, restricting further migration from these areas. However, this policy was relaxed following WW2 and in the decades following, Australia received a ] from across ], with many more immigrants arriving from ] and ] than in previous decades. All overt racial discrimination ended in 1973, with ] becoming official policy.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.immi.gov.au/facts/06evolution.htm |title=The Evolution of Australia's Multicultural Policy |access-date=18 September 2007|year=2005|publisher=Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060219130703/http://www.immi.gov.au/facts/06evolution.htm |archive-date=19 February 2006}}</ref> Subsequently, there has been a large and continuing wave of immigration from across the world, with ] being the largest source of immigrants in the 21st century.<ref name="Australian-Government-Department-of-Home-Affairs-2019">{{Cite web |url=https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-stats/files/report-migration-program-2018-19.pdf |title=2018–19 Migration Program Report|website=Australian Government Department of Home Affairs|date=30 June 2019}}</ref>

Today, Australia has the world's ] immigrant population, with immigrants accounting for 30% of the population, the ] among major ] nations.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/migration-australia/2019-20#australia-s-population-by-country-of-birth |title=Main Features – Australia's Population by Country of Birth|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia |agency=] |date=23 April 2021 |work=3412.0 – Migration, Australia, 2019–20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=International migrant stock 2017: maps |website=United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division|url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimatesmaps.shtml?1t1 |access-date=15 January 2022 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209122006/https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimatesmaps.shtml?1t1 |archive-date= 9 December 2018 }}</ref> In 2022–23, 212,789 permanent migrants were admitted to Australia, with a net migration population gain of 518,000 people inclusive of non-permanent residents.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 December 2023 |title=Overseas Migration |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/overseas-migration/latest-release |access-date=7 February 2024 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=Australia's Migration Trends 2022–23 |url=https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-stats/files/migration-trends-2022-23.PDF |publisher=Department of Home Affairs}}</ref> Most entered on skilled visas,<ref name="Australian-Government-Department-of-Home-Affairs-2019"/> however the immigration program also offers visas for family members and ]s.<ref name="immig">{{Cite web |title=Net Overseas Migration |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/3412.0Main%20Features52018-19?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=3412.0&issue=2018-19&num=&view= |access-date=4 May 2020 |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref>

The ] asks each Australian resident to nominate up to two ] each ] and the responses are classified into broad ancestry groups.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 June 2022 |title=Understanding and using Ancestry data |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/detailed-methodology-information/information-papers/understanding-and-using-ancestry-data |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209190954/https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/detailed-methodology-information/information-papers/understanding-and-using-ancestry-data |archive-date=9 February 2024 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref><ref name="abs">{{Cite web | url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/australian-standard-classification-cultural-and-ethnic-groups-ascceg/latest-release | title=Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups (ASCCEG), 2019 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics | date=18 December 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231121023512/https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/australian-standard-classification-cultural-and-ethnic-groups-ascceg/latest-release |archive-date= 21 November 2023 }}</ref> At the 2021 census, the most commonly nominated ancestry groups as a proportion of the total population were:<ref name="abs.gov.au">. 2021. Australian Bureau of Statistics.</ref> 57.2% ] (including 46% ] and 11.2% ] and ]an), 33.8% ],{{Refn|group="N"|Includes those who nominate "Australian" as their ancestry.<ref name="Australian-Bureau-of-Statistics-2022"/> The Australian Bureau of Statistics has stated that most who nominate "Australian" as their ancestry have at least partial ] ] ancestry.<ref name="13010-Year-Book-Australia-1995">{{Cite news|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/49f609c83cf34d69ca2569de0025c182!OpenDocument |title=Feature Article – Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Australia (Feature Article) |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia |agency=] |work=1301.0 – Year Book Australia, 1995}}</ref>}} 17.4% ] (including 6.5% ] and ], 6.4% ], and 4.5% ]), 3.2% ], 1.4% ], and 1.3% ]. At the 2021 census, the most commonly nominated individual ancestries as a proportion of the total population were:{{Refn|group="N"|Each person may nominate more than one ancestry, so the total may exceed 100%.<ref>{{cite web | title=Understanding and using Ancestry data | website=Australian Bureau of Statistics | date=28 June 2022 | url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/detailed-methodology-information/information-papers/understanding-and-using-ancestry-data | access-date=30 May 2024}}</ref>}}<ref name="Australian-Bureau-of-Statistics-2022"/> <!-- Only ancestries with >1% are listed. -->
{{Columns-list|colwidth=12em|
* ] (33%)
* ] (29.9%){{Refn|group="N"|The Australian Bureau of Statistics has stated that most who nominate "Australian" as their ancestry have at least partial ] ] ancestry.<ref name="13010-Year-Book-Australia-1995"/>}}
* ] (9.5%)
* ] (8.6%)
* ] (5.5%)
* ] (4.4%)
* ] (4%)
* ] (3.1%)
* ] (2.9%){{Refn|group="N"|Those who nominated their ancestry as "Australian Aboriginal". Does not include ]. This relates to nomination of ancestry and is distinct from persons who identify as Indigenous (Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander) which is a separate question.}}
* ] (1.7%)
* ] (1.6%)
* ] (1.5%)
* ] (1.3%)
* ] (1%)
}}

At the 2021 census, 3.8% of the Australian population identified as being ]—] and ].{{Refn|group="N"|Indigenous identification is separate to the ancestry question on the Australian Census and persons identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander may identify any ancestry.}}<ref name="abs"/>

===Language===
{{Main|Languages of Australia}}
Although English is not the official language of Australia in law, it is the '']'' official and national language.<ref name="language2">{{Cite web |title=Pluralist Nations: Pluralist Language Policies? |url=http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/multicultural/confer/04/speech18b.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220020910/http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/multicultural/confer/04/speech18b.htm |archive-date=20 December 2008 |access-date=11 January 2009 |work=1995 Global Cultural Diversity Conference Proceedings, Sydney |publisher=]}} "English has no de jure status but it is so entrenched as the common language that it is de facto the official language as well as the national language."</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ward |first=Rowena |date=2019 |title='National' and 'Official' Languages Across the Independent Asia-Pacific |journal=Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies |volume=16 |issue=1/2 |pages=83–4 |doi=10.5130/pjmis.v16i1-2.6510 | doi-access=free |quote=The use of English in Australia is one example of both a de facto national and official language: it is widely used and is the language of government and the courts, but has never been legally designated as the country's official language.}}</ref> ] is a major variety of the language with a distinctive accent and lexicon,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Bruce |title=The Vocabulary Of Australian English |url=http://www.nma.gov.au/libraries/attachments/exhibitions/vocabulary_of_australian_english/files/5471/Vocabulary%20of%20Australian%20English.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110320004658/http://www.nma.gov.au/libraries/attachments/exhibitions/vocabulary_of_australian_english/files/5471/Vocabulary%20of%20Australian%20English.pdf |archive-date=20 March 2011 |access-date=5 April 2010 |publisher=National Museum of Australia}}</ref> and differs slightly from other varieties of English in grammar and spelling.<ref>"The Macquarie Dictionary", Fourth Edition. The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd, 2005.</ref> ] serves as the standard dialect.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lalande |first=Line |date=4 May 2020 |title=Australian English in a nutshell |url=https://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/en/blogue-blog/australian-english-eng |publisher=Government of Canada}}</ref> The Australian sign language known as ] was used at home by 16,242 people at the time of the 2021 census.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census of Population and Housing: Cultural diversity data summary, 2021, TABLE 5. LANGUAGE USED AT HOME BY STATE AND TERRITORY |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/cultural-diversity-census/2021#data-downloads |access-date=7 May 2021 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref>

At the 2021 census, English was the only language spoken in the home for 72% of the population. The next most common languages spoken at home were ] (2.7%), ] (1.4%), ] (1.3%), ] (1.2%) and ] (0.9%).<ref>{{Cite web |title=2021 Australia, Census All persons QuickStats |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/AUS |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315155123/https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/AUS |archive-date= 15 March 2024 }}</ref>

More than 250 ] are thought to have existed at the time of first European contact.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.arts.gov.au/what-we-do/indigenous-arts-and-languages/indigenous-languages-and-arts-program/national-indigenous-languages-report |title=National Indigenous Languages Report |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia |year=2020 |location=Canberra |pages=13}}</ref> The National Indigenous Languages Survey (NILS) for 2018–19 found that more than 120 Indigenous language varieties were in use or being revived, although 70 of those in use were endangered.<ref>National Indigenous Language Report (2020). pp. 42, 65</ref> The 2021 census found that 167 Indigenous languages were spoken at home by 76,978 Indigenous Australians — Yumplatok (]), ] (a ]) and ] (a ]) were among the most widely spoken.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 June 2022 |title=Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Census |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-people-census/2021 |access-date=7 May 2023 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> NILS and the Australian Bureau of Statistics use different classifications for Indigenous Australian languages.<ref>National Indigenous Languages Report (2020). p. 46</ref>

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in Australia}}
] in Sydney belongs to the ], Australia's largest religious denomination.]]
Australia has no ]; section 116 of the ] prohibits federal legislation
that would establish any religion, impose any religious observance, or prohibit the free exercise of any religion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Australia: Religious Freedom |url=http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/religion.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806061716/http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/religion.html |archive-date=6 August 2011 |access-date=31 December 2011 |publisher=Dfat.gov.au}}</ref> However, the states still retain the power to pass religiously discriminatory laws.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Puls |first=Joshua |date=1998 |title=The Wall of Separation: Section 116, the First Amendment and Constitutional Religious Guarantees |url=https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/FedLRev/1998/6.pdf |journal=Federal Law Review |page=160 |via=Austlii}}</ref>

At the 2021 census, 38.9% of the population identified as having ],<ref name="Australian-Bureau-of-Statistics-2022">{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=General Community Profile |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/community-profiles/2021/AUS/download/GCP_AUS.xlsx |series=2021 Census of Population and Housing |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |type=] file}}</ref> up from 15.5% in 2001.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2001/0 | title=2001 Australia, Census All persons QuickStats |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308064233/https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2001/0 |archive-date= 8 March 2024 }}</ref> The largest religion is ] (43.9% of the population).<ref name="Australian-Bureau-of-Statistics-2022"/> The largest Christian denominations are the ] (20% of the population) and the ] (9.8%). Non-British immigration since the ] has led to the growth of non-Christian religions, the largest of which are ] (3.2%), ] (2.7%), ] (2.4%), ] (0.8%), and ] (0.4%).<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 April 2022 |title=Religious affiliation in Australia |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/religious-affiliation-australia |access-date= |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Australian-Bureau-of-Statistics-2022"/>

In 2021, just under 8,000 people declared an affiliation with traditional Aboriginal religions.<ref name="Australian-Bureau-of-Statistics-2022"/> In ] and the ] framework developed in Aboriginal Australia, the ] is a ] era in which ancestral ]ic spirit beings formed ]. The Dreaming established the laws and structures of society and the ceremonies performed to ensure continuity of life and land.<ref>Flood, Josephine (2019). pp. 163–69</ref>

===Health===
{{See also|Health care in Australia}}
Australia's life expectancy of 83 years (81 years for males and 85 years for females)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN?locations=AU |title=Life expectancy at birth, total (years) – Australia|publisher=] |access-date=17 August 2022}}</ref> is the ]. It has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.health.gov.au/internet/skincancer/publishing.nsf/Content/fact-2 |title=Skin cancer – key statistics|year=2008|publisher=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208171642/http://www.health.gov.au/internet/skincancer/publishing.nsf/Content/fact-2 |archive-date=8 February 2014}}</ref> while ] is the largest preventable cause of death and disease, responsible for 7.8% of the total mortality and disease. Ranked second in preventable causes is ] at 7.6%, with obesity third at 7.5%.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/hwe/bodaiia03/bodaiia03-c05.pdf |title=Risks to health in Australia|website=Australian Institute of Health and Welfare|date=26 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226105813/http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/hwe/bodaiia03/bodaiia03-c05.pdf |archive-date=26 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 February 2011 |title=quitnow – Smoking – A Leading Cause of Death |url=http://quitnow.info.au/internet/quitnow/publishing.nsf/Content/warnings-graph |access-date=15 January 2022 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219073743/http://quitnow.info.au/internet/quitnow/publishing.nsf/Content/warnings-graph |archive-date=19 February 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Australia ranked 35th in the world in 2012 for its proportion of obese women<ref>{{Cite web |title= Global prevalence of adult obesity | date=January 2012 |url=http://www.iaso.org/site_media/uploads/Global_prevalence_of_adult_obesity_Ranking_by_country_2012.pdf |access-date=15 January 2022 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829014750/http://www.iaso.org/site_media/uploads/Global_prevalence_of_adult_obesity_Ranking_by_country_2012.pdf |archive-date=29 August 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and near the top of ] for its proportion of ] adults;<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/Publishing.nsf/Content/health-pubhlth-strateg-hlthwt-obesity.htm |title=About Overweight and Obesity|publisher=Department of Health and Ageing |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507033011/http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-pubhlth-strateg-hlthwt-obesity.htm |archive-date=7 May 2010 |url-status=dead |access-date=11 May 2010}}</ref> 63% of its adult population is either overweight or obese.<ref name="aihw">{{Cite web |url=http://www.aihw.gov.au/overweight-and-obesity |title=Overweight and obesity|date=25 February 2021 |publisher=Australian Institute of Health and Welfare}}</ref>

Australia spent around 9.91% of its total GDP to health care in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS?locations=AU |title=Current healthcare expenditure (% of GDP) – Australia|publisher=] |access-date=17 August 2022}}</ref> It introduced a ] in 1975.<ref name="Biggs-2004">{{Cite web |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/SP/medicare.htm |title=Medicare – Background Brief|last=Biggs|first=Amanda|date=29 October 2004|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia|location=Canberra, ACT|work=Parliament of Australia: Parliamentary Library |access-date=16 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414012007/http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/SP/medicare.htm |archive-date=14 April 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Following a period in which access to the scheme was restricted, the scheme became ] once more in 1981 under the name of ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 June 2020 |title=International Health Care System Profiles: Australia |url=https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy-center/countries/australia |access-date=7 February 2024 |website=The Commonwealth Fund |language=en}}</ref> The program is nominally funded by an income tax surcharge known as the ], currently at 2%.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Medicare-levy |title=Medicare levy|publisher=Australian Taxation Office|date=18 October 2017 |access-date=9 April 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629085049/http://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Medicare-levy/ |archive-date=29 June 2013}}</ref> The states manage hospitals and attached outpatient services, while the Commonwealth funds the ] (subsidising the costs of medicines) and ].<ref name="Biggs-2004"/>

===Education===
{{Main|Education in Australia}}
]'' (] pictured).]]
School attendance, or registration for ],<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Townsend|first1=Ian |title=Thousands of parents illegally home schooling|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-28/thousands-of-parents-illegally-home-schooling/3798008 |access-date=2 December 2015|work=ABC News|date=30 January 2012}}</ref> is compulsory throughout Australia. Education is primarily the responsibility of the individual states and territories; however, the Commonwealth has significant influence through funding agreements.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Australian Education System |url=https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/australian-education-system-foundation.pdf |access-date=6 February 2024 |publisher=Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |pages=7–9}}</ref> Since 2014, a ] developed by the Commonwealth has been implemented by the states and territories.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ross |first=Emily |date=18 November 2021 |title=Why do Australian states need a national curriculum, and do teachers even use it? |url=http://theconversation.com/why-do-australian-states-need-a-national-curriculum-and-do-teachers-even-use-it-171745 |access-date=6 February 2024 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref> Attendance rules vary between states, but in general children are required to attend school from the age of about 5 until about 16.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/settle-in-australia/everyday-life/education |title=Education|publisher=Department of Immigration and Citizenship |access-date=14 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140218220904/http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/settle-in-australia/everyday-life/education |archive-date=18 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/education_in_australia.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514101140/http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/education_in_australia.html |archive-date=14 May 2011 |title=Our system of education|publisher=Australian Government: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |access-date=13 January 2012}}</ref> In some states (Western Australia, Northern Territory and New South Wales), children aged 16–17 are required to either attend school or participate in vocational training, such as an ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://det.wa.edu.au/schoolsandyou/detcms/navigation/parents-and-community/schooling/?oid=Category-id-3869597 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321204923/http://det.wa.edu.au/schoolsandyou/detcms/navigation/parents-and-community/schooling/?oid=Category-id-3869597 |archive-date=21 March 2012 |title=The Department of Education – Schools and You – Schooling|website=det.wa.edu.au |access-date=31 December 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Education Act (NT) – Section 20 |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nt/consol_act/ea104/s20.html|website=austlii.edu.au}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Education Act 1990 (NSW) – Section 21 |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/ea1990104/s21b.html|work=austlii.edu.au}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Minimum school leaving age jumps to 17|url=http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/minimum-school-leaving-age-jumps-to-17-20090128-7r4d.html|publisher=The Age |access-date=30 May 2013|date=28 January 2009}}</ref> According to the 2022 ] evaluations, Australian 15-year-olds ranked ninth in the OECD for reading and science and tenth for maths. However, less than 60% of Australian students achieved the National Proficiency Standard – 51% in maths, 58% in science and 57% in reading.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 December 2023 |title=PISA 2022 Results (Volume I and II) - Country Notes: Australia |url=https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2023/11/pisa-2022-results-volume-i-and-ii-country-notes_2fca04b9/australia_aa76963a.html |access-date=31 July 2024 |website= |publisher=OECD |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Long |first=Claudia |date=6 December 2023 |title=Australia is now in the world's top 10 academic performers – but the data paints a complex picture |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-05/pisa-international-school-rankings-in-maths-science-reading/103185468 |access-date=31 July 2024 |work=ABC News Australia}}</ref>

Australia has an adult literacy rate that was estimated to be 99% in 2003.<ref name=cialittab>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2103.html#136 |title=Literacy|work=CIA World Factbook |access-date=10 October 2013 |archive-date=24 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124171442/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2103.html#136 |url-status=dead}}</ref> However, a 2011–2012 report for the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 44% of the population does not have high literary and numeracy competence levels, interpreted by others as suggesting that they do not have the "skills needed for everyday life".<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 October 2013 |title=Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, Australia |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/education/programme-international-assessment-adult-competencies-australia/latest-release |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backgroundbriefing/2013-09-22/4962902 |title=A literacy deficit|website=abc.net.au|date=22 September 2013 |access-date=10 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=12 April 2021 |title=Australia's adult literacy crisis |url=https://ala.asn.au/stories/australias-adult-literacy-crisis/ |access-date=26 January 2024 |website=Adult Learning Australia |language=en-US}}</ref>

Australia has 37 government-funded universities and three private universities, as well as a number of other specialist institutions that provide approved courses at the higher education level.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ausitaleem.com.pk/australian-education-system.shtml |title=Australian Education {{pipe}} Australian Education System {{pipe}} Education {{pipe}} Study in Australia|publisher=Ausitaleem.com.pk |access-date=31 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119063252/http://www.ausitaleem.com.pk/australian-education-system.shtml |archive-date=19 January 2012}}</ref> The OECD places Australia among the most expensive nations to attend university.<ref> {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102101942/http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/44/35/37376068.pdf|date=2 January 2016}} Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development</ref> There is a state-based system of vocational training, known as ], and many trades conduct apprenticeships for training new tradespeople.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/about/default.asp |title=About Australian Apprenticeships|publisher=Australian Government |access-date=23 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111234035/http://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/about/default.asp |archive-date=11 November 2009}}</ref> About 58% of Australians aged from 25 to 64 have vocational or tertiary qualifications<ref>{{Cite web|website=Australian Bureau of Statistics|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/1a79e7ae231704f8ca256f720082feb9!OpenDocument |title=Year Book Australia 2005 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409132916/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs%40.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/1a79e7ae231704f8ca256f720082feb9%21OpenDocument |archive-date=9 April 2016 |date=21 January 2005 }}</ref> and the tertiary graduation rate of 49% is the highest among OECD countries. 30.9% of Australia's population has attained a higher education qualification, which is among the highest percentages in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-most-educated-countries-in-the-world.html;_ylt=AlaWy8IcyeBaviKi7_.WJyhE6odG;_ylu=X3oDMTJrY2d2NGZyBG1pdANDeFMgRmluYW5jaWFsbHkgRml0IEFydGljbGUgQXJ0aWNsZSBCb2R5IFByb2QEcG9zAzMEc2VjA01lZGlhQXJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTNjdGVoaXJqBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDY2IyOTRhMGEtYmY2OS0zYTdlLThlYTUtZWFlNTU3YWI1ZTc3BHBzdGNhdANleGNsdXNpdmVzfGZpbmFuY2lhbGx5Zml0BHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQ--;_ylv=3?page=1 |title=The Most Educated Countries in the World – Yahoo Finance|last=Sauter|first=Michael B.|publisher=Finance.yahoo.com|date=24 September 2012 |access-date=14 November 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204213400/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-most-educated-countries-in-the-world.html%3B_ylt%3DAlaWy8IcyeBaviKi7_.WJyhE6odG%3B_ylu%3DX3oDMTJrY2d2NGZyBG1pdANDeFMgRmluYW5jaWFsbHkgRml0IEFydGljbGUgQXJ0aWNsZSBCb2R5IFByb2QEcG9zAzMEc2VjA01lZGlhQXJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--%3B_ylg%3DX3oDMTNjdGVoaXJqBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDY2IyOTRhMGEtYmY2OS0zYTdlLThlYTUtZWFlNTU3YWI1ZTc3BHBzdGNhdANleGNsdXNpdmVzfGZpbmFuY2lhbGx5Zml0BHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQ--%3B_ylv%3D3?page=1 |archive-date=4 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2012/09/27/and-the-worlds-most-educated-country-is/ |title=And the World's Most Educated Country Is ...|magazine=Time|first=Samantha |last=Grossman|date=27 September 2012 |access-date=14 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/036 |title=2016 Census QuickStats: Australia |website=censusdata.abs.gov.au |access-date=14 February 2018 |archive-date=20 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620052901/http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/036 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Australia has the highest ratio of ] per head of population in the world by a large margin, with 812,000 international students enrolled in the nation's universities and vocational institutions in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fbusiness%2Fproperty%2Fbooming-student-market-a-valuable-property%2Fnews-story%2F6bb3823260aa3443f0c26909406d089b&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&nk=5cfb870de12779cf853780286e352a51-1587312248 |title=Subscribe to The Australian {{pipe}} Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps|website=theaustralian.com.au}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2019/11/australian-universities-double-down-on-international-students |title=Australian universities double down on international students|first1=Leith van OnselenLeith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB|last1=Fund|first2=MB Super Leith has previously worked at the Australian|last2=Treasury|first3=Victorian |last3=Treasury|first4=Goldman|last4=Sachs|date=31 October 2019|website=MacroBusiness}}</ref> Accordingly, in 2019, international students represented on average 26.7% of the student bodies of Australian universities. International education therefore represents one of the country's largest exports and has a pronounced influence on the country's demographics, with a significant proportion of international students remaining in Australia after graduation on various skill and employment visas.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-27/temporary-graduate-visa-485-boom/10035390 |title=Record number of international students sticking around on work visas|first=political reporter Jackson|last=Gothe-Snape|date=27 July 2018|newspaper=ABC News}}</ref> Education is Australia's third-largest export, after iron ore and coal, and contributed more than $28 billion to the economy in the 2016–17 financial year.<ref group="N">That is, 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017.</ref><ref name="Berthold-2021"/>

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Australia}}
] was completed in 1973 and declared a UNESCO ] in 2007, making it the youngest building to have received the designation.<ref>'']'' (August 2007), '''96''' (11), p. 14</ref>]]
Contemporary Australian culture reflects the ], ], and post-1945 history of ].<ref>{{Harvnb|Jupp1|pp=796–802}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Teo|White|2003|pp=118–20}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Jupp1|pp=808–12, 74–77}}</ref> The ] has also been influential.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=White |first1=Richard |date=1 January 1983 |title=A Backwater Awash: The Australian Experience of Americanisation |journal=Theory, Culture and Society |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=108–122 |doi=10.1177/026327648300100309 |s2cid=144339300}}</ref> The evolution of Australian culture since British colonisation has given rise to distinctive cultural traits.<ref name="Davison pp98–92">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|pages=98–99}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Teo|White|2003|pp=125–27}}</ref>

Many Australians identify ], ], irreverence and a lack of formality as part of their ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cultural life |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Australia/Cultural-life |access-date=5 February 2024 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=Australian Culture: Core Concepts |url=https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/australian-culture/australian-culture-core-concepts |access-date=5 February 2024 |website=Cultural Atlas |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond |url=https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizenship-subsite/files/our-common-bond-testable.pdf |publisher=Australian Government |page=36}}</ref> These find expression in ], as well as ], which is often characterised as dry, irreverent and ironic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Luu |first=Chi |date=7 February 2018 |title=Small Poppy Syndrome: Why are Australians so Obsessed With Nicknaming Things? |url=https://daily.jstor.org/australians-obsessed-nicknaming/ |access-date=12 February 2024 |website=JSTOR Daily |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kidd |first1=Evan |last2=Kemp |first2=Nenagh |author-link2=Nenagh Kemp |last3=Kashima |first3=Emiko S. |last4=Quinn |first4=Sara |date=June 2016 |title=Language, Culture, and Group Membership: An Investigation Into the Social Effects of Colloquial Australian English |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022022116638175 |journal=Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology |language=en |volume=47 |issue=5 |pages=713–733 |doi=10.1177/0022022116638175 |issn=0022-0221 |s2cid=147360478 |url-access=subscription |hdl-access=free |hdl=11858/00-001M-0000-002E-24A7-F}}</ref> New citizens and visa holders are required to commit to "Australian values", which are identified by the ] as including: a respect for the freedom of the individual; recognition of the rule of law; opposition to racial, gender and religious discrimination; and an understanding of the "]", which is said to encompass the equality of opportunity for all and compassion for those in need.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meeting our requirements: Australian values |url=https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/meeting-our-requirements/australian-values |access-date=6 February 2024 |publisher=Department of Home Affairs}}</ref> What these values mean, and whether or not Australians uphold them, has been debated since before Federation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Snow |first=Deborah |date=18 January 2019 |title=Australian values: what the bloody hell are they? |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/australian-values-what-the-bloody-hell-are-they-20190118-p50s76.html |access-date=6 February 2024 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dyrenfurth |first=Nick |date=June 2007 |title=John Howard's Hegemony of Values: The Politics of 'Mateship' in the Howard Decade |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10361140701319994 |journal=Australian Journal of Political Science |language=en |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=211–230 |doi=10.1080/10361140701319994 |s2cid=154041199 |issn=1036-1146 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Crowe |first=Shaun |date=14 January 2015 |title=Book review: Mateship – A Very Australian History |url=http://theconversation.com/book-review-mateship-a-very-australian-history-35858 |access-date=6 February 2024 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Zhuang |first=Yan |date=19 November 2021 |title=What Does Mateship Mean to You? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/19/world/asia/what-does-mateship-mean-to-you.html |work=New York Times}}</ref>

===Arts===
{{Main|Australian art|Australian literature|Theatre of Australia|Dance in Australia|Music of Australia}}
] in Hobart, Tasmania, ]'s '']'' mural (1970) is inspired by the Aboriginal creation myth of the ], as well as desert flowers in bloom after a drought.<ref>"Sidney Nolan's Rainbow Serpent is larger than life" (16 June 2012), ''The Australasian''.</ref>]]
Australia has more than 100,000 ] sites,<ref>Tacon, Paul S. C.; Ouzman, Sven (2004). "Worlds within stone: the inner and outer rock-art landscapes of northern Australia and southern Africa". In Nash, George; Chippindale, Christopher (ed.). ''The Figured Landscapes of Rock-Art: Looking at Pictures in Place''. Cambridge University Press. pp. 39–68. 9780521524247.</ref> and traditional designs, patterns and stories infuse ], "the last great art movement of the 20th century" according to critic ];<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/06/arts/06iht-aborigine.html |title=Powerful growth of Aboriginal art |last=Henly |first=Susan Gough |date=6 November 2005 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> its exponents include ].<ref>Smith, Terry (1996). "Kngwarreye Woman, Abstract Painter", p. 24 in ''Emily Kngwarreye – Paintings'', North Ryde NSW: Craftsman House / G + B Arts International. {{ISBN|978-90-5703-681-1}}.</ref> Early colonial artists showed a fascination with the unfamiliar land.<ref name="wwwartgallerynswgovau"/> The ] works of ], ] and other members of the 19th-century ]—the first "distinctively Australian" movement in Western art—gave expression to nationalist sentiments in the lead-up to Federation.<ref name="wwwartgallerynswgovau">{{Cite web |title=Collection {{pipe}} Art Gallery of NSW|url=https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/ |access-date=15 January 2022|website=www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au}}</ref> While the school remained influential into the 1900s, ] such as ] and ], and, later, ], explored new artistic trends.<ref name="wwwartgallerynswgovau"/> The landscape remained central to the work of Aboriginal watercolourist ],<ref>Sayers, Andrew (2001). ''Australian Art''. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. pp. 78–88. {{ISBN|978-0-19-284214-5}}.</ref> as well as ], ] and other post-war artists whose works, eclectic in style yet uniquely Australian, moved between the ] and the ].<ref name="wwwartgallerynswgovau"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Brett Whiteley: nature :: Art Gallery NSW|url=https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/brett-whiteley-nature/ |access-date=15 January 2022|website=www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au}}</ref>

] grew slowly in the decades following European settlement though Indigenous ]s, many of which have since been recorded in writing, are much older.<ref>Sarwal, Amit; Sarwal, Reema (2009). ''Reading Down Under: Australian Literary Studies Reader''. SSS Publications. p. xii. {{ISBN|978-8-1902-2821-3}}.</ref> In the 19th century, ] and ] captured the experience of ] using a distinctive Australian vocabulary.<ref>Mulligan, Martin; Hill, Stuart (2001). ''Ecological Pioneers: A Social History of Australian Ecological Thought and Action''. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-5210-0956-0}}, p. 72.</ref> Their works are still popular; Paterson's ] "]" (1895) is regarded as Australia's unofficial national anthem.<ref>O'Keeffe, Dennis (2012). ''Waltzing Matilda: The Secret History of Australia's Favourite Song''. ]. p. back cover. {{ISBN|978-1-7423-7706-3}}.</ref> ] is the namesake of Australia's ], awarded annually to the best novel about Australian life.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 February 2012 |title=The Miles Franklin Literary Award – australia.gov.au |url=http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/miles-franklin-literary-award |access-date=15 January 2022 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227135804/http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/miles-franklin-literary-award |archive-date=27 February 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Its first recipient, ], went on to win the ] in 1973.<ref> {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819205739/http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/australias-nobel-laureates |date=19 August 2016 }}, australia.gov.au. Retrieved 17 April 2015.</ref> Australian ] winners include ], ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hughes-d'Aeth|first=Tony |title=Australia's Booker prize record suggests others will come in Flanagan's wake|url=http://theconversation.com/australias-booker-prize-record-suggests-others-will-come-in-flanagans-wake-33025 |access-date=15 January 2022|website=The Conversation |date=15 October 2014 |language=en}}</ref> Australian public intellectuals have also written seminal works in their respective fields, including feminist ] and philosopher ].<ref>Williams, Robyn (12 November 2016). , ABC Radio National. Retrieved 12 November 2016.</ref>

] scene, ] ranks among the world's ].]]
In the performing arts, Aboriginal peoples have traditions of religious and secular song, dance and rhythmic music often performed in ]s.<ref>Flood (2019). pp. 62, 64-5</ref> At the beginning of the 20th century, ] was one of the world's leading opera singers,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.themonthly.com.au/encounters-shane-maloney-nellie-melba-enrico-caruso--160 |title=Nellie Melba & Enrico Caruso |work=]|author=Maloney, Shane |date= January 2006 |access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref> and later popular music acts such as the ], ], ] and ] achieved international recognition.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Compagnoni |first=Tom |date=4 September 2022 |title=The 43-year-old invention behind 2022's biggest music sensation |url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/the-sydney-invention-that-transformed-the-sound-of-music-20220904-p5bf93.html |website=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> Many of Australia's performing arts companies receive funding through the Australian government's ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/13753/Australia_Council_for_the_Arts_-_Funding_Guide_2010.pdf |year=2010 |title=Arts funding guide 2010 |publisher=] |access-date=14 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705002654/http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/13753/Australia_Council_for_the_Arts_-_Funding_Guide_2010.pdf |archive-date=5 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> There is a symphony orchestra in each state,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/50231/LECG_Orchestras_Review_evaluation_summary.pdf |title=Evaluation of the Orchestras Review 2005 funding package implementation |access-date=23 April 2010 |publisher=Australia Council |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314080534/http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/50231/LECG_Orchestras_Review_evaluation_summary.pdf |archive-date=14 March 2011 }}</ref> and a national opera company, ],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/the_arts/artists_and_orgs/artists/opera_australia |title=Opera Australia |publisher=Australia Council |access-date=23 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723135113/http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/the_arts/artists_and_orgs/artists/opera_australia |archive-date=23 July 2008 }}</ref> well known for its famous ] ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/music/opera |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110406111552/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/music/opera |archive-date=6 April 2011 |title=Opera in Australia |publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts |date=5 March 2007}}</ref> Ballet and dance are represented by ] and various state companies. Each state has a publicly funded theatre company.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/brandis/media/media_releases/2007/35_per_cent_increase_in_funding_for_australias_major_performing_arts_companies |title=35 per cent increase in funding for Australia's major performing arts companies |author=Brandis, George |publisher=Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts |date=8 May 2007 |access-date=23 April 2010 |author-link=George Brandis |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20071112025600/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/36698/20071112-1356/www.minister.dcita.gov.au/brandis/media/media_releases/2007/35_per_cent_increase_in_funding_for_australias_major_performing_arts_companies.html |archive-date=12 November 2007}}{{Cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

===Media===
{{Main|Cinema of Australia|Television in Australia|Media of Australia}}
] and outlaw ] in '']'' (1906), the world's first feature-length narrative film]]
'']'' (1906), the world's first ] narrative film, spurred a boom in ] during the ] era.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=37899&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html |title=Return of the Kelly Gang |work=] |author=Chichester, Jo |publisher=] |year=2007 |access-date=1 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204220758/http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID%3D37899%26URL_DO%3DDO_TOPIC%26URL_SECTION%3D201.html |archive-date= 4 February 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> After World War I, ] monopolised the industry,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.afc.gov.au/downloads/policies/early%20history_final1.pdf |title=The first wave of Australian feature film production |access-date=23 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090706104843/http://www.afc.gov.au/downloads/policies/early%20history_final1.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2009}}</ref> and by the 1960s Australian film production had effectively ceased.<ref>{{Cite web |work=Australian Government: Culture Portal |url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/film |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110327002350/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/film |archive-date=27 March 2011 |title=Culture.gov.au – "Film in Australia" |publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Commonwealth of Australia |date=22 November 2007}}</ref> With the benefit of government support, the ] of the 1970s brought provocative and successful films, many exploring themes of national identity, such as '']'', '']'' and '']'',<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Krausz |first=Peter |date=2002 |title=Australian Identity: A Cinematic Roll Call |url=http://students.adelaidehs.sa.edu.au/Subjects/Issues/australianidentity.pdf |journal=Australian Screen Education Online |issue=29 |pages=24–29 |issn=1443-1629 |access-date=22 January 2016 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303200657/http://students.adelaidehs.sa.edu.au/Subjects/Issues/australianidentity.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> while '']'' and the ] movement's '']'' series became international blockbusters.<ref>Moran, Albert; Vieth, Errol (2009). ''The A to Z of Australian and New Zealand Cinema''. Scarecrow Press. {{ISBN|978-0-8108-6347-7}}, p. 35.</ref> In a film market flooded with foreign content, Australian films delivered a 7.7% share of the local box office in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Quinn|first=Karl|date=4 December 2015 |title=Australian film has had its biggest year at the box office ever. Why? |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/australian-film-has-had-its-biggest-year-at-the-box-office-ever-why-20151204-glfut3.html |access-date=15 January 2022|website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref> The ] are Australia's premier film and television awards, and notable ] include ], ], ] and ].<ref> {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308090335/http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/awards/ten-great-australian-moments-at-the-oscars/story-e6frfpli-1226841441307 |date=8 March 2014 }} (26 February 2014), news.com.au. Retrieved 7 February 2016.</ref>

Australia has two public broadcasters (the ] and the multicultural ]), three commercial television networks, several pay-TV services,<ref name="BBC-News-2009">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/1250188.stm|publisher=BBC News |title=Country profile: Australia|date=13 October 2009 |access-date=7 April 2010}}</ref> and numerous public, non-profit television and radio stations. Each major city has at least one daily newspaper,<ref name="BBC-News-2009"/> and there are two national daily newspapers, '']'' and '']''.<ref name="BBC-News-2009"/> In 2024, ] placed Australia 39th on a list of 180 countries ranked by ], behind New Zealand (19th) and the United Kingdom (23rd), but ahead of the United States (55th).<ref>{{Cite web |year=2024 |title=Press Freedom Index 2024 |url=https://rsf.org/en/index |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424043201/https://rsf.org/en/ranking_table |archive-date=24 April 2016 |access-date=30 November 2024 |publisher=]}}</ref> This relatively low ranking is primarily because of the limited diversity of commercial media ownership in Australia;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Media Ownership In Australia – 1999 {{pipe}} AustralianPolitics.com|url=https://australianpolitics.com/1999/12/01/media-ownership-in-australia.html |access-date=15 January 2022|website=australianpolitics.com}}</ref> most print media are under the control of ] (59%) and ] (23%).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Minter |first=Elizabeth |date=12 April 2021 |title=Media concentration by Murdoch, Nine and Stokes, and ABC cuts, a danger to democracy – report |url=https://michaelwest.com.au/media-concentration-by-murdoch-nine-and-stokes-and-abc-cuts-a-danger-to-democracy-report/ |access-date=7 February 2024 |website=Michael West |language=en}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
{{Main|Australian cuisine}}
]s]]
Most Indigenous Australian groups subsisted on a diet of native fauna and flora, otherwise called ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/bushtucker |title=Bush Tucker Plants, or Bush Food |publisher=Teachers.ash.org.au |access-date=26 April 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511094258/http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/bushtucker/| archive-date= 11 May 2011 | url-status=live}}</ref> It has increased in popularity among non-Indigenous Australians since the 1970s, with examples such as ], the ] and ] now widely available.<ref>Lockhart, Jessica Wynne (4 August 2023). , '']''. Retrieved 5 February 2024.</ref><ref>McCubbing, Gus (4 November 2022). , '']''. Retrieved 5 February 2024.</ref>

The first colonists introduced ] and ] to the continent.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/foodanddrink/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326134155/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/foodanddrink/ |archive-date=26 March 2010 |title=Australian food and drink|publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts |date=23 September 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sbs.com.au/food/cuisineindex/RecipeByCuisineMain/383 |title=Modern Australian recipes and Modern Australian cuisine|publisher=] |access-date=23 April 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503111747/http://www.sbs.com.au/food/cuisineindex/RecipeByCuisineMain/383| archive-date= 3 May 2010 | url-status=live}}</ref> This influence is seen in dishes such as ], and in the ], which is related to the British ]. Also during the colonial period, Chinese migrants paved the way for a distinctive ].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jonsen|first=Helen |title=Kangaroo's Comments and Wallaby's Words: The Aussie Word Book|publisher=Hippocrene Books|year=1999|isbn=978-0-7818-0737-1|page=23}}</ref>

Post-war migrants transformed Australian cuisine, bringing with them their culinary traditions and contributing to new ] dishes.<ref>Newton, John (2018). ''The Getting of Garlic: Australian Food from Bland to Brilliant, with Recipes Old and New''. NewSouth Publishing. ISBN 9781742244365, pp. 32, 230–231.</ref> Italians introduced espresso coffee and, along with Greeks, helped develop Australia's café culture, of which the ] and ] are now considered Australian staples.<ref>Waters, Cara (15 June 2015). , ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 6 February 2024.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/flat-white-coffee-culture-antipodean-mcdonalds-advert-starbucks-latte-a8246111.html |title=How the flat white conquered the coffee scene|work=]|date=9 April 2018 |access-date=4 October 2018}}</ref> ], ]s, ] and ] are also often called iconic Australian foods.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Santich|first=Barbara |title=Bold Palates: Australia's Gastronomic Heritage|publisher=Wakefield Press|year=2012|isbn=978-1-7430-5094-1|page=290}}</ref>

Australia is a leading exporter and consumer of ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wineaustralia.com/report-downloads/08d4027a-e89e-469d-bf9a-a5b548237ea4 |title=Australian wine: Production, sales and inventory report, 2018–19|date=12 February 2020|website=wineaustralia.com|publisher=Wine Australia |access-date=11 April 2020 |archive-date=11 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411112731/https://www.wineaustralia.com/report-downloads/08d4027a-e89e-469d-bf9a-a5b548237ea4 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ] is produced mainly in the southern, cooler parts of the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cellarmasters.com.au/discover/wine-regions/australia|publisher=Cellarmasters|title=Wine Regions of Australia|access-date=2 April 2021|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225154/https://www.cellarmasters.com.au/discover/wine-regions/australia|url-status=dead}}</ref> The nation also ranks highly in ],<ref name="Kirin"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080623213209/http://www.kirinholdings.co.jp/english/ir/news_release051215_4.html |date=23 June 2008 }}, Table 3, Kirin Research Institute of Drinking and Lifestyle – Report Vol. 29–15 December 2005, Kirin Holdings Company.</ref> with each state and territory hosting numerous breweries.

===Sport and recreation===
{{Main|Sport in Australia}}
] is strongly associated with the history and development of ] and ], Australia's two most popular spectator sports.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 September 2009 |title=National Sports Museum – Heritage Listing |url=http://www.nsm.org.au/The%2520MCG/Heritage%2520Listing.aspx?p=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914092919/http://www.nsm.org.au/The%20MCG/Heritage%20Listing.aspx?p=1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 September 2009 |access-date=15 January 2022 |website= }}</ref>]]
The most popular sports in Australia by adult participation are: swimming, athletics, cycling, soccer, golf, tennis, basketball, surfing, netball and cricket.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 2023 |title=Clearinghouse for sport: Ausplay National Sport and Activity Physical Participation Report 2022-23, p 9 |url=https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/research/ausplay/results#latest |access-date=11 May 2024 |website=Australian Sports Commission}}</ref>

Australia is one of five nations to have participated in every ] of the modern era,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Oxlade |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Oxlade (writer) |url=https://archive.org/details/olympics0000oxla/page/61 |title=Olympics |author2=Ballheimer, David |publisher=DK |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7566-1083-8 |series=DK Eyewitness |page=}}</ref> and has hosted the Games twice: ] in Melbourne and ] in Sydney.<ref name="Davison pp479-80">{{Harvnb|Davison|Hirst|Macintyre|1998|pages=479–80}}</ref> It is also set to host the ] in ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 July 2021 |title=Brisbane announced as 2032 Olympic Games host city at IOC meeting in Tokyo |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-21/brisbane-queensland-announced-as-2032-olympic-games-host-city/100311320 |access-date=22 July 2021 |work=]}}</ref> Australia has also participated in every ],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flag Bearers |url=http://www.commonwealthgames.org.au/page/65/by-games |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726210627/http://www.commonwealthgames.org.au/page/65/by-games |archive-date=26 July 2014 |access-date=23 April 2010 |publisher=Australian Commonwealth Games Association}}</ref> hosting the event in ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Past Commonwealth Games |url=http://www.thecgf.com/games/games_index.asp?linkresults=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315102922/http://www.thecgf.com/games/games_index.asp?linkresults=1 |archive-date=15 March 2010 |access-date=23 April 2010 |publisher=Commonwealth Games Federation}}</ref>

Cricket is a major national sport.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Harte |first1=Chris |title=The Penguin history of Australian cricket |last2=Whimpress |first2=Bernard |publisher=Viking |year=2008 |isbn=9780670072880 |edition=3rd |location=Camberwell, Vic |pages=1}}</ref> The ] competed against ] in the first ] match (1877) and the first ] (1971), and against ] in the first ] (2004), winning all three games.<ref>{{Harvp|Harte|Whimpress|2008|pp=92-94, 528, 722}}</ref> It has also won the men's ] a record six times.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 November 2023 |title=Australia stuns India to claim record-extending sixth Cricket World Cup crown in Ahmedabad |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-19/live-updates-cricket-world-cup-final-india-vs-australia/103124084 |access-date=20 November 2023 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref>

Australia has professional leagues for ], whose relative popularity is ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fujak |first=Hunter |date=15 July 2022 |title=The Barassi Line: a globally unique divider splitting Australia's footy fans |url=http://theconversation.com/the-barassi-line-a-globally-unique-divider-splitting-australias-footy-fans-185132 |access-date=4 February 2024 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref> Originating in Melbourne in the 1850s, ] attracts the most television viewers in all states except New South Wales and Queensland, where ] holds sway, followed by ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273772263|date=21 December 2013 |title=The 'Barassi Line': Quantifying Australia's Great Sporting Divide |access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref> ], while ranked fourth in television viewers and resources, has the highest overall participation rates.<ref>{{Cite book|last1 = Skinner |first1 = James |last2 = Zakus H. |first2 = Dwight | last3 = Edwards |first3 = Allan | editor-first= Brown|editor-last = Adam|title = Football and Community in the Global Context: Studies in Theory and Practice|publisher = Routledge|year = 2013|pages = 92–93|chapter = Coming in from the Margins: Ethnicity, Community Support and the Rebranding of Australian Soccer |isbn = 978-1-317-96905-1}}</ref>

The ] movement originated in Australia in the early 20th century, following the relaxation of laws prohibiting daylight bathing on Australian beaches. The volunteer lifesaver is one of the country's icons.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Booth|first=Douglas|author-link=Doug Booth |title=Australian Beach Cultures: The History of Sun, Sand and Surf|publisher=Routledge|year=2012|isbn=978-0-7146-8178-8|page=39}}</ref><ref name=Aust_SLSC> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060511163956/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/surflifesaving/ |date=11 May 2006 }}. , Commonwealth Government of Australia, 2006.</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Australia|Oceania}}
* ]
* ]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group="N"}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{Free-content attribution
| title = World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2023
| author = FAO
| publisher = FAO
| documentURL = https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en?details=cc8166en
| licence statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/whttps://commons.wikimedia.org/File:World_Food_and_Agriculture_-_Statistical_Yearbook_2023.pdf
| license = CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |title=The Oxford Companion to Australian History|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Melbourne|year=1998|isbn=978-0-1955-3597-6|last1=Davison|first1=Graeme|last2=Hirst|first2=John|author-link2=John Hirst (historian)|last3=Macintyre|first3=Stuart|author-link3=Stuart Macintyre}}
* &nbsp;Flood, Josephine (2019). The Original Australians: The Story of the Aboriginal People (2nd&nbsp;ed.). Crows Nest, NSW: Allen and Unwin. ISBN 9781760527075.
* {{Cite book|first=James|last=Jupp|year=2001 |title=The Australian people: an encyclopedia of the nation, its people, and their origins|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-5218-0789-0|ref=CITEREFJupp1}}
* {{Cite book|first1=James|last1=Jupp|author2=Director Centre for Immigration and Multicultural Studies James Jupp |title=The Australian People: An Encyclopedia of the Nation, Its People and Their Origins|url={{GBurl|id=wgoFxfSTfYAC|p=35}}|year=2001|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-5218-0789-0|ref=CITEREFJupp2}}
* {{Cite book |title=Australian painting 1788–1990|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Melbourne|year=1991|isbn=978-0-1955-4901-0|author1=Smith, Bernard|author2=Smith, Terry|ref=Smith|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/6028116/}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Teo|first1=Hsu-Ming |last2=White|first2=Richard|year=2003 |title=Cultural history in Australia|publisher=University of New South Wales Press|isbn=978-0-8684-0589-6}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Further|Bibliography of Australian history}}
{{Refbegin}}
* Blainey, Geoffrey (2015). The Story of Australia's People, Volume 1: The Rise and Fall of Ancient Australia, Penguin Books Australia Ltd., Vic. {{ISBN|978-0-6700-7871-4}}
* Denoon, Donald, et al. (2000). ''A History of Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific''. Oxford: Blackwell. {{ISBN|978-0-631-17962-7}}.
* Goad, Philip and Julie Willis (eds.) (2011). ''The Encyclopedia of Australian Architecture''. Port Melbourne, Victoria: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-5218-8857-8}}.
* Hughes, Robert (1986). ''The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding''. Knopf. {{ISBN|978-0-394-50668-5}}.
* ]. . United Kingdom: Chatto and Windus.
* {{Cite book |last=Kemp |first=David |title=The Land of Dreams: How Australians Won Their Freedom, 1788–1860 |url={{GBurl|id=LUVvDwAAQBAJ}} |year=2018 |publisher=Melbourne University Publishing |isbn=978-0-5228-7334-4 |oclc=1088319758}}
* Powell, J.M. (1988). ''An Historical Geography of Modern Australia: The Restive Fringe''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-521-25619-3}}
* Robinson, G.M., Loughran, R.J., and Tranter, P.J. (2000). ''Australia and New Zealand: Economy, Society and Environment''. London: Arnold; New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-340-72033-2}} paperback, {{ISBN|978-0-340-72032-5}} hardback.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Misplaced Pages|date=17 January 2006|AustraliaPart1.ogg|AustraliaPart2.ogg}}
{{Sister project links|voy=Australia|d=Q408|collapsible=collapsed}}
* on '']''
* from ]
* from the ]
* {{Wikiatlas|Australia}}
* {{Osmrelation-inline|80500}}

'''Government'''
*
*
*
*

'''Travel'''
* {{official website|https://www.australia.com/}} of Tourism Australia
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Revision as of 01:07, 22 December 2024

Country in Oceania This article is about the country. For the continent, see Australia (continent). For other uses, see Australia (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Australasia, Austrasia, or Austria.

Commonwealth of Australia
A blue field with the Union Flag in the upper hoist quarter, a large white seven-pointed star in the lower hoist quarter, and constellation of five white stars in the fly – one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars Flag Coat of arms of Australia Coat of arms
Anthem: "Advance Australia Fair"
A map of the eastern hemisphere centred on Australia, using an orthographic projection  Commonwealth of Australia   Australian territorial claim in Antarctica
CapitalCanberra
35°18′29″S 149°07′28″E / 35.30806°S 149.12444°E / -35.30806; 149.12444
Largest citySydney (metropolitan)
Melbourne (urban)
Official language and national languageEnglish (de facto)
None (de jure)
Religion (2021)
Demonym(s)
GovernmentFederal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Monarch Charles III
• Governor-General Sam Mostyn
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
LegislatureParliament
• Upper houseSenate
• Lower houseHouse of Representatives
Independence from the United Kingdom
• Federation and creation of the Constitution 1 January 1901
• Balfour Declaration 15 November 1926
• Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 9 October 1942
• Australia Acts 3 March 1986
Area
• Total7,688,287 km (2,968,464 sq mi) (6th)
• Water (%)1.79 (2015)
Population
• 2024 estimateNeutral increase 27,579,200 (54th)
• 2021 censusNeutral increase 25,890,773
• Density3.6/km (9.3/sq mi) (244th)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• TotalIncrease $1.898 trillion (19th)
• Per capitaIncrease $69,475 (23rd)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• TotalIncrease $1.802 trillion (14th)
• Per capitaIncrease $65,966 (12th)
Gini (2020)Positive decrease 32.4
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.946
very high (10th)
CurrencyAustralian dollar ($) (AUD)
Time zoneUTC+8; +9.5; +10 (AWST, ACST, AEST)
• Summer (DST)UTC+10.5; +11 (ACDT, AEDT)
DST not observed in Qld, WA and NT
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Drives onLeft
Calling code+61
ISO 3166 codeAU
Internet TLD.au

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. Australia has a total area of 7,688,287 km (2,968,464 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest country in the world and the largest in Oceania. It is the world's oldest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent, with some of the least fertile soils. It is a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates including deserts in the interior and tropical rainforests along the coast.

The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south-east 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 the oldest living culture in the world. Australia's written history commenced with Dutch exploration of most of the coastline in the 17th-century. British colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of the penal colony of New South Wales. By the mid-19th century, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and five additional self-governing British colonies were established, each gaining responsible government by 1890. The colonies federated in 1901, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. This continued a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom, highlighted by the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942, and culminating in the Australia Acts of 1986.

Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy comprising six states and ten territories. Its population of more than 28 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Canberra is the nation's capital, while its most populous cities are Sydney and Melbourne, both with a population of more than 5 million. Australia's culture is diverse, and the country has one of the highest foreign-born populations in the world. It has a highly developed economy and one of the highest per capita incomes globally. Its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade relations are crucial to the country's economy. It ranks highly for quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties and political rights.

Australia is a middle power, and has the world's thirteenth-highest military expenditure. It is a member of international groups including the United Nations; the G20; the OECD; the World Trade Organization; Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation; the Pacific Islands Forum; the Pacific Community; the Commonwealth of Nations; and the defence and security organisations ANZUS, AUKUS, and the Five Eyes. It is also a major non-NATO ally of the United States.

Etymology

Main article: Name of Australia

The name Australia (pronounced /əˈstreɪliə/ in Australian English) is derived from the Latin Terra Australis ('southern land'), a name used for a hypothetical continent in the Southern Hemisphere since ancient times. Several 16th-century cartographers used the word Australia on maps, but not to identify modern Australia. When Europeans began visiting and mapping Australia in the 17th century, the name Terra Australis was applied to the new territories.

Until the early 19th century, Australia was best known as New Holland, a name first applied by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1644 (as Nieuw-Holland) and subsequently anglicised. Terra Australis still saw occasional usage, such as in scientific texts. The name Australia was popularised by the explorer Matthew Flinders, who said it was "more agreeable to the ear, and an assimilation to the names of the other great portions of the Earth". The first time that Australia appears to have been officially used was in April 1817, when Governor Lachlan Macquarie acknowledged the receipt of Flinders' charts of Australia from Lord Bathurst. In December 1817, Macquarie recommended to the Colonial Office that it be formally adopted. In 1824, the Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known officially by that name. The first official published use of the new name came with the publication in 1830 of The Australia Directory by the Hydrographic Office.

Colloquial names for Australia include "Oz", "Straya" and "Down Under". Other epithets include "the Great Southern Land", "the Lucky Country" (from the 1964 book of the same name), "the Sunburnt Country", and "the Wide Brown Land". The latter two both derive from Dorothea Mackellar's 1908 poem "My Country".

History

Main article: History of Australia For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Australian history.

Indigenous prehistory

Main articles: Prehistory of Australia and Indigenous Australians
Aboriginal rock art in the Kimberley region of Western Australia

Indigenous Australians comprise two broad groups:

Human habitation of the Australian continent is estimated to have begun 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, with the migration of people by land bridges and short sea crossings from what is now Southeast Asia. It is uncertain how many waves of immigration may have contributed to these ancestors of modern Aboriginal Australians. The Madjedbebe rock shelter in Arnhem Land is possibly the oldest site showing the presence of humans in Australia. The oldest human remains found are the Lake Mungo remains, which have been dated to around 41,000 years ago.

Aboriginal Australian culture is one of the oldest continuous cultures on Earth. At the time of first European contact, Aboriginal Australians belonged to wide range of societies, with diverse economies spread across at least 250 different language groups. Estimates of the Aboriginal population before British settlement range from 300,000 to 3 million. Aboriginal Australians cultures were (and remain) deeply connected with the land and the environment, with stories of The Dreaming maintained through oral tradition, songs, dance and paintings. Certain groups engaged in fire-stick farming, fish farming, and built semi-permanent shelters. These practices have variously been characterised as "hunter-gatherer", "agricultural", "natural cultivation" and "intensification".

Torres Strait Islander people first settled their islands at least 2,500 years ago. Culturally and linguistically distinct from mainland Aboriginal peoples, they were seafarers and obtained their livelihood from seasonal horticulture and the resources of their reefs and seas. Agriculture also developed on some islands and villages appeared by the 1300s. By the mid-18th century in northern Australia, contact, trade and cross-cultural engagement had been established between local Aboriginal groups and Makassan trepangers, visiting from present-day Indonesia.

European exploration and colonisation

Main articles: European maritime exploration of Australia, European land exploration of Australia, and History of Australia (1788–1850)
Landing of Lieutenant James Cook at Botany Bay, 29 April 1770
Landing of James Cook at Botany Bay on 29 April 1770 to claim Australia's east coast for Great Britain

The Dutch are the first Europeans that recorded sighting and making landfall on the Australian mainland. The first ship and crew to chart the Australian coast and meet with Aboriginal people was the Duyfken, captained by Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon. He sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in early 1606, and made landfall on 26 February 1606 at the Pennefather River near the modern town of Weipa on Cape York. Later that year, Spanish explorer Luís Vaz de Torres sailed through and navigated the Torres Strait Islands. The Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines and named the island continent "New Holland" during the 17th century, and although no attempt at settlement was made, a number of shipwrecks left men either stranded or, as in the case of the Batavia in 1629, marooned for mutiny and murder, thus becoming the first Europeans to permanently inhabit the continent. In 1770, Captain James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, which he named "New South Wales" and claimed for Great Britain.

Following the loss of its American colonies in 1783, the British Government sent a fleet of ships, the First Fleet, under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip, to establish a new penal colony in New South Wales. A camp was set up and the Union Flag raised at Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, on 26 January 1788, a date which later became Australia's national day.

Most early settlers were convicts, transported for petty crimes and assigned as labourers or servants to "free settlers" (willing immigrants). Once emancipated, convicts tended to integrate into colonial society. Convict rebellions and uprisings were suppressed under martial law, which lasted for two years following the 1808 Rum Rebellion, Australia's only successful coup d'état. During the next two decades, social and economic reforms, together with the establishment of a Legislative Council and Supreme Court, saw the penal colony transition to a civil society.

The indigenous population declined for 150 years following European settlement, mainly due to infectious disease. British colonial authorities did not sign any treaties with Aboriginal groups. As settlement expanded, tens of thousands of Indigenous people and thousands of settlers were killed in frontier conflicts while settlers dispossessed surviving Indigenous peoples of most of their land.

Colonial expansion

Main articles: History of Australia (1788–1850) and History of Australia (1851–1900)
A calm body of water is in the foreground. The shoreline is about 200 metres away. To the left, close to the shore, are three tall gum trees; behind them on an incline are ruins, including walls and watchtowers of light-coloured stone and brick, what appear to be the foundations of walls, and grassed areas. To the right lie the outer walls of a large rectangular four-storey building dotted with regularly spaced windows. Forested land rises gently to a peak several kilometres back from the shore.
Tasmania's Port Arthur penal settlement is one of eleven UNESCO World Heritage-listed Australian Convict Sites.

In 1803, a settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land (present-day Tasmania), and in 1813, Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Wentworth crossed the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, opening the interior to European settlement. The British claim extended to the whole Australian continent in 1827 when Major Edmund Lockyer established a settlement on King George Sound (modern-day Albany). The Swan River Colony (present-day Perth) was established in 1829, evolving into the largest Australian colony by area, Western Australia. In accordance with population growth, separate colonies were carved from New South Wales: Tasmania in 1825, South Australia in 1836, New Zealand in 1841, Victoria in 1851, and Queensland in 1859. South Australia was founded as a free colony—it never accepted transported convicts. Growing opposition to the convict system culminated in its abolition in the eastern colonies by the 1850s. Initially a free colony, Western Australia practised penal transportation from 1850 to 1868.

The six colonies individually gained responsible government between 1855 and 1890, thus becoming elective democracies managing most of their own affairs while remaining part of the British Empire. The Colonial Office in London retained control of some matters, notably foreign affairs.

In the mid-19th century, explorers such as Burke and Wills charted Australia's interior. A series of gold rushes beginning in the early 1850s led to an influx of new migrants from China, North America and continental Europe, as well as outbreaks of bushranging and civil unrest; the latter peaked in 1854 when Ballarat miners launched the Eureka Rebellion against gold licence fees. The 1860s saw the rise of blackbirding, where South Sea Islanders were coerced or abducted into indentured labour, mainly by Queensland colonists.

From 1886, Australian colonial governments began removing many Aboriginal children from their families and communities, justified on the grounds of child protection and forced assimilation policies. The Second Boer War (1899–1902) marked the largest overseas deployment of Australia's colonial forces.

Federation to the World Wars

Main article: History of Australia (1901–1945) See also: Federation of Australia, Military history of Australia during World War I, and Military history of Australia during World War II
The Big Picture, a painting by Tom Roberts, depicts the opening of the first Australian Parliament in 1901.

On 1 January 1901, federation of the colonies was achieved after a decade of planning, constitutional conventions and referendums, resulting in the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia as a nation under the new Australian Constitution.

After the 1907 Imperial Conference, Australia and several other self-governing British settler colonies were given the status of self-governing dominions within the British Empire. Australia was one of the founding members of the League of Nations in 1920, and the United Nations in 1945. The Statute of Westminster 1931 formally ended the ability of the UK to pass federal laws without Australia's consent. Australia adopted it in 1942, but it was backdated to 1939 to confirm the validity of legislation passed during World War II.

The Australian Capital Territory was formed in 1911 as the location for the future federal capital of Canberra. While it was being constructed, Melbourne served as the temporary capital from 1901 to 1927. The Northern Territory was transferred from the control of South Australia to the Commonwealth in 1911. Australia became the colonial ruler of the Territory of Papua (which had initially been annexed by Queensland in 1883) in 1902 and of the Territory of New Guinea (formerly German New Guinea) in 1920. The two were unified as the Territory of Papua and New Guinea in 1949 and gained independence from Australia in 1975.

The 1942 Bombing of Darwin, the first of more than 100 Japanese air raids on Australia during World War II

In 1914, Australia joined the Allies in fighting the First World War, and took part in many of the major battles fought on the Western Front. Of about 416,000 who served, about 60,000 were killed and another 152,000 were wounded. Many Australians regard the defeat of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) at Gallipoli in 1915 as the "baptism of fire" that forged the new nation's identity. The beginning of the campaign is commemorated annually on Anzac Day, a date which rivals Australia Day as the nation's most important.

From 1939 to 1945, Australia joined the Allies in fighting the Second World War. Australia's armed forces fought in the Pacific, European and Mediterranean and Middle East theatres. The shock of Britain's defeat in Singapore in 1942, followed soon after by the bombing of Darwin and other Japanese attacks on Australian soil, led to a widespread belief in Australia that a Japanese invasion was imminent, and a shift from the United Kingdom to the United States as Australia's principal ally and security partner. Since 1951, Australia has been allied with the United States under the ANZUS treaty.

Post-war and contemporary eras

Main article: History of Australia (1945–present)
Postwar migrants from Europe arriving in Australia in 1954

In the decades following World War II, Australia enjoyed significant increases in living standards, leisure time and suburban development. Governments encouraged a large wave of immigration from across Europe, with such immigrants referred to as "New Australians". This required a relaxation of the white Australia policy, which was justified to Australians using the slogan "populate or perish".

A member of the Western Bloc during the Cold War, Australia participated in the Korean War and the Malayan Emergency during the 1950s and the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1972. During this time, tensions over communist influence in society led to unsuccessful attempts by the Menzies Government to ban the Communist Party of Australia, and a bitter split in the Labor Party in 1955.

As a result of a 1967 referendum, the federal government gained the power to legislate with regard to Indigenous Australians, and Indigenous Australians were fully included in the census. Pre-colonial land interests (referred to as native title in Australia) was recognised in law for the first time when the High Court of Australia held in Mabo v Queensland (No 2) that Australia was neither terra nullius ('land belonging to no one') or "desert and uncultivated land" at the time of European settlement.

Following the abolition of the last vestiges of the White Australia policy in 1973, Australia's demography and culture transformed as a result of a large and ongoing wave of non-European immigration, mostly from Asia. The late 20th century also saw an increasing focus on foreign policy ties with other Pacific Rim nations. The Australia Acts severed the remaining constitutional ties between Australia and the United Kingdom while maintaining the monarch in her independent capacity as Queen of Australia. In a 1999 constitutional referendum, 55% of voters rejected abolishing the monarchy and becoming a republic.

Following the September 11 attacks on the United States, Australia joined the United States in fighting the Afghanistan War from 2001 to 2021 and the Iraq War from 2003 to 2009. The nation's trade relations also became increasingly oriented towards East Asia in the 21st century, with China becoming the nation's largest trading partner by a large margin.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, several of Australia's largest cities were locked down for extended periods and free movement across the national and state borders was restricted in an attempt to slow the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Geography

Main articles: Geography of Australia and Environment of Australia See also: Environmental issues in Australia

General characteristics

Map showing the topography of Australia, showing some elevation in the west and very high elevation in mountains in the south-east
Topographic map of Australia (dark green represents the lowest elevation and dark brown the highest)

Surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans, Australia is separated from Asia by the Arafura and Timor seas, with the Coral Sea lying off the Queensland coast, and the Tasman Sea lying between Australia and New Zealand. The world's smallest continent and sixth-largest country by total area, Australia—owing to its size and isolation—is often dubbed the "island continent" and is sometimes considered the world's largest island. Australia has 34,218 km (21,262 mi) of coastline (excluding all offshore islands), and claims an extensive exclusive economic zone of 8,148,250 square kilometres (3,146,060 sq mi). This exclusive economic zone does not include the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Mainland Australia lies between latitudes and 44° south, and longitudes 112° and 154° east. Australia's size gives it a wide variety of landscapes, with tropical rainforests in the north-east, mountain ranges in the south-east, south-west and east, and desert in the centre. The desert or semi-arid land commonly known as the outback makes up by far the largest portion of land. Australia is the driest inhabited continent; its annual rainfall averaged over continental area is less than 500 mm. The population density is 3.4 inhabitants per square kilometre, although the large majority of the population lives along the temperate south-eastern coastline. The population density exceeds 19,500 inhabitants per square kilometre in central Melbourne. In 2021 Australia had 10% of the global permanent meadows and pastureland. Forest cover is around 17% of Australia's total land area.

Fitzroy Island, one of the 600 islands within the main archipelago of the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef, lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for more than 2,000 km (1,200 mi). Mount Augustus, claimed to be the world's largest monolith, is located in Western Australia. At 2,228 m (7,310 ft), Mount Kosciuszko is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland. Even taller are Mawson Peak, at 2,745 m (9,006 ft), on the remote Australian external territory of Heard Island, and, in the Australian Antarctic Territory, Mount McClintock and Mount Menzies, at 3,492 m (11,457 ft) and 3,355 m (11,007 ft) respectively.

Eastern Australia is marked by the Great Dividing Range, which runs parallel to the coast of Queensland, New South Wales and much of Victoria. The name is not strictly accurate, because parts of the range consist of low hills, and the highlands are typically no more than 1,600 m (5,200 ft) in height. The coastal uplands and a belt of Brigalow grasslands lie between the coast and the mountains, while inland of the dividing range are large areas of grassland and shrubland. These include the western plains of New South Wales, and the Mitchell Grass Downs and Mulga Lands of inland Queensland. The northernmost point of the mainland is the tropical Cape York Peninsula.

Uluru in the semi-arid region of Central Australia

The landscapes of the Top End and the Gulf Country—with their tropical climate—include forest, woodland, wetland, grassland, rainforest and desert. At the north-west corner of the continent are the sandstone cliffs and gorges of The Kimberley, and below that the Pilbara. The Victoria Plains tropical savanna lies south of the Kimberley and Arnhem Land savannas, forming a transition between the coastal savannas and the interior deserts. At the heart of the country are the uplands of central Australia. Prominent features of the centre and south include Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock), the famous sandstone monolith, and the inland Simpson, Tirari and Sturt Stony, Gibson, Great Sandy, Tanami, and Great Victoria deserts, with the famous Nullarbor Plain on the southern coast. The Western Australian mulga shrublands lie between the interior deserts and Mediterranean-climate Southwest Australia.

Geology

Main article: Geology of Australia
Basic geological regions of Australia (by age)

Lying on the Indo-Australian Plate, the mainland of Australia is the lowest and most primordial landmass on Earth with a relatively stable geological history. The landmass includes virtually all known rock types and from all geological time periods spanning more than 3.8 billion years of the Earth's history. The Pilbara Craton is one of only two pristine Archaean 3.6–2.7 Ga (billion years ago) crusts identified on the Earth.

Having been part of all major supercontinents, the Australian continent began to form after the break-up of Gondwana in the Permian, with the separation of the continental landmass from the African continent and Indian subcontinent. It separated from Antarctica over a prolonged period beginning in the Permian and continuing through to the Cretaceous. When the last glacial period ended in about 10,000 BC, rising sea levels formed Bass Strait, separating Tasmania from the mainland. Then between about 8,000 and 6,500 BC, the lowlands in the north were flooded by the sea, separating New Guinea, the Aru Islands, and the mainland of Australia. The Australian continent is moving toward Eurasia at the rate of 6 to 7 centimetres a year.

The Australian mainland's continental crust, excluding the thinned margins, has an average thickness of 38 km, with a range in thickness from 24 km to 59 km. Australia's geology can be divided into several main sections, showcasing that the continent grew from west to east: the Archaean cratonic shields found mostly in the west, Proterozoic fold belts in the centre and Phanerozoic sedimentary basins, metamorphic and igneous rocks in the east.

The Australian mainland and Tasmania are situated in the middle of the tectonic plate and have no active volcanoes, but due to passing over the East Australia hotspot, recent volcanism has occurred during the Holocene, in the Newer Volcanics Province of western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia. Volcanism also occurs in the island of New Guinea (considered geologically as part of the Australian continent), and in the Australian external territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands. Seismic activity in the Australian mainland and Tasmania is also low, with the greatest number of fatalities having occurred in the 1989 Newcastle earthquake.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Australia
Köppen climate types of Australia

The climate of Australia is significantly influenced by ocean currents, including the Indian Ocean Dipole and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, which is correlated with periodic drought, and the seasonal tropical low-pressure system that produces cyclones in northern Australia. These factors cause rainfall to vary markedly from year to year. Much of the northern part of the country has a tropical, predominantly summer-rainfall (monsoon). The south-west corner of the country has a Mediterranean climate. The south-east ranges from oceanic (Tasmania and coastal Victoria) to humid subtropical (upper half of New South Wales), with the highlands featuring alpine and subpolar oceanic climates. The interior is arid to semi-arid.

Driven by climate change, average temperatures have risen more than 1°C since 1960. Associated changes in rainfall patterns and climate extremes exacerbate existing issues such as drought and bushfires. 2019 was Australia's warmest recorded year, and the 2019–2020 bushfire season was the country's worst on record. Australia's greenhouse gas emissions per capita are among the highest in the world.

Water restrictions are frequently in place in many regions and cities of Australia in response to chronic shortages due to urban population increases and localised drought. Throughout much of the continent, major flooding regularly follows extended periods of drought, flushing out inland river systems, overflowing dams and inundating large inland flood plains, as occurred throughout Eastern Australia in the early 2010s after the 2000s Australian drought.

Biodiversity

See also: Fauna of Australia, Flora of Australia, and Fungi of Australia
A koala holding onto a eucalyptus tree with its head turned so both eyes are visible
The koala and the Eucalyptus

Although most of Australia is semi-arid or desert, the continent includes a diverse range of habitats from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests. Fungi typify that diversity—an estimated 250,000 species—of which only 5% have been described—occur in Australia. Because of the continent's great age, extremely variable weather patterns, and long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia's biota is unique. About 85% of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, more than 45% of birds, and 89% of in-shore, temperate-zone fish are endemic. Australia has at least 755 species of reptile, more than any other country in the world. Besides Antarctica, Australia is the only continent that developed without feline species. Feral cats may have been introduced in the 17th century by Dutch shipwrecks, and later in the 18th century by European settlers. They are now considered a major factor in the decline and extinction of many vulnerable and endangered native species. Seafaring immigrants from Asia are believed to have brought the dingo to Australia sometime after the end of the last ice age—perhaps 4000 years ago—and Aboriginal people helped disperse them across the continent as pets, contributing to the demise of thylacines on the mainland. Australia is also one of 17 megadiverse countries.

Australian forests are mostly made up of evergreen species, particularly eucalyptus trees in the less arid regions; wattles replace them as the dominant species in drier regions and deserts. Among well-known Australian animals are the monotremes (the platypus and echidna); a host of marsupials, including the kangaroo, koala, and wombat, and birds such as the emu and the kookaburra. Australia is home to many dangerous animals including some of the most venomous snakes in the world. The dingo was introduced by Austronesian people who traded with Indigenous Australians around 3000 BCE. Many animal and plant species became extinct soon after first human settlement, including the Australian megafauna; others have disappeared since European settlement, among them the thylacine.

Many of Australia's ecoregions, and the species within those regions, are threatened by human activities and introduced animal, chromistan, fungal and plant species. All these factors have led to Australia's having the highest mammal extinction rate of any country in the world. The federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is the legal framework for the protection of threatened species. Numerous protected areas have been created under the National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity to protect and preserve unique ecosystems; 65 wetlands are listed under the Ramsar Convention, and 16 natural World Heritage Sites have been established. Australia was ranked 21st out of 178 countries in the world on the 2018 Environmental Performance Index. There are more than 1,800 animals and plants on Australia's threatened species list, including more than 500 animals. Paleontologists discovered a fossil site of a prehistoric rainforest in McGraths Flat, in South Australia, that presents evidence that this now arid desert and dry shrubland/grassland was once home to an abundance of life.

Government and politics

Main articles: Australian Government, Politics of Australia, and Monarchy of Australia Charles III,
King of AustraliaSam Mostyn,
Governor-GeneralAnthony Albanese,
Prime Minister

Australia is a constitutional monarchy, a parliamentary democracy and a federation. The country has maintained its mostly unchanged constitution alongside a stable liberal democratic political system since Federation in 1901. It is one of the world's oldest federations, in which power is divided between the federal and state governments. The Australian system of government combines elements derived from the political systems of the United Kingdom (a fused executive, constitutional monarchy and strong party discipline) and the United States (federalism, a written constitution and strong bicameralism with an elected upper house), resulting in a distinct hybrid.

Federal government power is partially separated between three groups:

Charles III reigns as King of Australia and is represented in Australia by the governor-general at the federal level and by the governors at the state level, who by section 63 of the Constitution and convention act on the advice of their ministers. Thus, in practice the governor-general acts as a legal figurehead for the actions of the prime minister and the Cabinet. The governor-general may in some situations exercise reserve powers: powers exercisable in the absence or contrary to ministerial advice. When these powers may be exercised is governed by convention and their precise scope is unclear. The most notable exercise of these powers was the dismissal of the Whitlam government in the constitutional crisis of 1975.

A large white and cream coloured building with grass on its roof. The building is topped with a large flagpole.
Parliament House, Canberra

In the Senate (the upper house), there are 76 senators: twelve each from the states and two each from the mainland territories (the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory). The House of Representatives (the lower house) has 151 members elected from single-member electoral divisions, commonly known as "electorates" or "seats", allocated to states on the basis of population, with each of the current states guaranteed a minimum of five seats. The lower house has a maximum term of three years, but this is not fixed and governments usually dissolve the house early for an election at some point in the 6 months before the maximum. Elections for both chambers are generally held simultaneously with senators having overlapping six-year terms except for those from the territories, whose terms are not fixed but are tied to the electoral cycle for the lower house. Thus only 40 of the 76 places in the Senate are put to each election unless the cycle is interrupted by a double dissolution.

Australia's electoral system uses preferential voting for the House of Representatives and all state and territory lower house elections (with the exception of Tasmania and the ACT which use the Hare-Clark system). The Senate and most state upper houses use the proportional system which combines preferential voting with proportional representation for each state. Voting and enrolment is compulsory for all enrolled citizens 18 years and older in every jurisdiction. 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 constitutional power to appoint the prime minister and, if necessary, dismiss one that has lost the confidence of Parliament. Due to the relatively unique position of Australia operating as a Westminster parliamentary democracy with a powerful and elected upper house, the system has sometimes been referred to as having a "Washminster mutation", or as a semi-parliamentary system.

There are two major political groups that usually form government federally: the Australian Labor Party and the Coalition, which is a formal grouping of the Liberal Party and its minor partner, the National Party. At the state level of government, the relationship between the Nationals and the Liberal Party differs, with the parties merged in Queensland and the Northern Territory (federal parliamentarians sit in either the Liberal or National partyroom however); in coalition in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia; and in competition with the Liberals in South Australia and Tasmania. Within Australian political culture, the Coalition is considered centre-right and the Labor Party is considered centre-left. Independent members and several minor parties have achieved representation in Australian parliaments, mostly in upper houses. The Australian Greens are the third largest party by both vote and membership and the fourth largest by parliamentary representation. The most recent federal election was held on 21 May 2022 and resulted in the Australian Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese, being elected to government.

States and territories

Main article: States and territories of Australia
Australia's states and territories

Australia has six states—New South Wales (NSW), Victoria (Vic), Queensland (Qld), Western Australia (WA), South Australia (SA) and Tasmania (Tas)—and two mainland self-governing territories—the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory (NT).

The states have the general power to make laws except in the few areas where the constitution grants the Commonwealth exclusive powers. The Commonwealth can only make laws on topics listed in the constitution but its laws prevail over those of the states to the extent of any inconsistency. Since Federation, the Commonwealth's power relative to the states has significantly increased due to the increasingly wide interpretation given to listed Commonwealth powers – and because of the states' heavy financial reliance on Commonwealth grants.

Each state and major mainland territory has its own parliamentunicameral in the Northern Territory, the ACT and Queensland, and bicameral in the other states. The lower houses are known as the Legislative Assembly (the House of Assembly in South Australia and Tasmania); the upper houses are known as the Legislative Council. The head of the government in each state is the Premier and in each territory the Chief Minister. The King is represented in each state by a governor. At the Commonwealth level, the King's representative is the governor-general.

The Commonwealth government directly administers the internal Jervis Bay Territory and the external territories: the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, the Coral Sea Islands, the Heard Island and McDonald Islands, the Indian Ocean territories (Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands), Norfolk Island, and the Australian Antarctic Territory. The remote Macquarie Island and Lord Howe Island are part of Tasmania and New South Wales respectively.

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Australia
Diplomatic missions of Australia

Australia is a middle power, whose foreign relations has three core bi-partisan pillars: commitment to the US alliance, engagement with the Indo-Pacific and support for international institutions, rules and co-operation. Through the ANZUS pact and its status as a major non-NATO ally, Australia maintains a close relationship with the US, which encompasses strong defence, security and trade ties. In the Indo-Pacific, the country seeks to increase its trade ties through the open flow of trade and capital, while managing the rise of Chinese power by supporting the existing rules based order. Regionally, the country is a member of the Pacific Islands Forum, the Pacific Community, the ASEAN+6 mechanism and the East Asia Summit. Internationally, the country is a member of the United Nations (of which it was a founding member), the Commonwealth of Nations, the OECD and the G20. This reflects the country's generally strong commitment to multilateralism.

Australia is a member of several defence, intelligence and security groupings including the Five Eyes intelligence alliance with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand; the ANZUS alliance with the United States and New Zealand; the AUKUS security treaty with the United States and United Kingdom; the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with the United States, India and Japan; the Five Power Defence Arrangements with New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Singapore; and the Reciprocal Access defence and security agreement with Japan.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with American President Joe Biden in 2022

Australia has pursued the cause of international trade liberalisation. It led the formation of the Cairns Group and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and is a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Beginning in the 2000s, Australia entered into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership multilateral free trade agreements as well as bilateral free trade agreements with the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, with the most recent deal signed in 2023 with the UK.

Australia maintains a deeply integrated relationship with neighbouring New Zealand, with free mobility of citizens between the two countries under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement and free trade under the Closer Economic Relations agreement. The most favourably viewed countries by the Australian people in 2021 include New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and South Korea. It also maintains an international aid program under which some 75 countries receive assistance. Australia ranked fourth in the Center for Global Development's 2021 Commitment to Development Index.

The power over foreign policy is highly concentrated in the prime minister and the national security committee, with major decision such as joining the 2003 invasion of Iraq made with without prior Cabinet approval. Similarly, the Parliament does not play a formal role in foreign policy and the power to declare war lies solely with the executive government. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade supports the executive in its policy decisions.

Military

Main article: Australian Defence Force
HMAS Canberra, a Canberra-class landing helicopter dock, and HMAS Arunta, an Anzac-class frigate, sailing in formation

The two main institutions involved in the management of Australia's armed forces are the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Department of Defence, together known as "Defence". The Australian Defence Force is the military wing, headed by the chief of the defence force, and contains three branches: the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force. In 2021, it had 84,865 currently serving personnel (including 60,286 regulars and 24,581 reservists). The Department of Defence is the civilian wing and is headed by the secretary of defence. These two leaders collective manage Defence as a diarchy, with shared and joint responsibilities. The titular role of commander-in-chief is held by the governor-general; however, actual command is vested in the chief of the Defence Force. The executive branch of the Commonwealth government has overall control of the military through the minister of defence, who is subject to the decisions of Cabinet and its National Security Committee. Major Australian intelligence agencies include the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (foreign intelligence), the Australian Signals Directorate (signals intelligence) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (domestic security).

In 2022, defence spending was 1.9% of GDP, representing the world's 13th-largest defence budget. In 2024, the ADF had active operations in the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific (including security and aid provisions); was contributing to UN forces in relation to South Sudan, Syria–Israel peacekeeping, and North Korea; and domestically was assisting to prevent asylum-seekers enter the country and assisting in natural disaster relief.

Human rights

See also: Human rights in Australia

Australia has generally strong protections for civil and political rights, and the country has signed up to a wide range of international rights treaties. Important documents protecting human rights include the Constitution, the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, and the Age Discrimination Act 2004. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the nation since 2017. Unlike other comparable Western democracies, Australia does not have a single federal charter of rights in the Constitution or under legislation; however, the ACT, Victoria, and Queensland have state-based ones.

International organisations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have expressed concerns in areas including asylum-seeker policy, Indigenous deaths in custody, the lack of entrenched rights protection, and laws restricting protesting.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Australia Further information: Economic history of Australia and Tourism in Australia
The central business district of Sydney is the financial centre of Australia.

Australia's high-income mixed-market economy is rich in natural resources. It is the world's fourteenth-largest by nominal terms, and the 18th-largest by PPP. As of 2021, it has the second-highest amount of wealth per adult, after Luxembourg, and has the thirteenth-highest financial assets per capita. Australia has a labour force of some 13.5 million, with an unemployment rate of 3.5% as of June 2022. According to the Australian Council of Social Service, the poverty rate of Australia exceeds 13.6% of the population, encompassing 3.2 million. It also estimated that there were 774,000 (17.7%) children under the age of 15 living in relative poverty. The Australian dollar is the national currency, which is also used by three island states in the Pacific: Kiribati, Nauru, and Tuvalu.

Australian government debt, about $963 billion in June 2022, exceeds 45.1% of the country's total GDP, and is the world's eighth-highest. Australia had the second-highest level of household debt in the world in 2020, after Switzerland. Its house prices are among the highest in the world, especially in the large urban areas. The large service sector accounts for about 71.2% of total GDP, followed by the industrial sector (25.3%), while its agriculture sector is by far the smallest, making up only 3.6% of total GDP. Australia is the world's 21st-largest exporter and 24th-largest importer. China is Australia's largest trading partner by a wide margin, accounting for roughly 40% of the country's exports and 17.6% of its imports. Other major export markets include Japan, the United States, and South Korea.

Australia has high levels of competitiveness and economic freedom, and was ranked tenth in the Human Development Index in 2022. As of 2022, it is ranked twelfth in the Index of Economic Freedom and nineteenth in the Global Competitiveness Report. It attracted 9.5 million international tourists in 2019, and was ranked thirteenth among the countries of Asia-Pacific in 2019 for inbound tourism. The 2021 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranked Australia seventh-highest in the world out of 117 countries. Its international tourism receipts in 2019 amounted to $45.7 billion.

Energy

Main articles: Energy policy of Australia and Renewable energy in Australia

In 2021–22, Australia's generation of electricity was sourced from black coal (37.2%), brown coal (12%), natural gas (18.8%), hydro (6.5%), wind (11.1%), solar (13.3%), bio-energy (1.2%) and others (1.7%). Total consumption of energy in this period was sourced from coal (28.4%), oil (37.3%), gas (27.4%) and renewables (7%). From 2012 to 2022, the energy sourced from renewables has increased 5.7%, while energy sourced from coal has decreased 2.6%. The use of gas also increased by 1.5% and the use of oil stayed relatively stable with a reduction of only 0.2%.

In 2020, Australia produced 27.7% of its electricity from renewable sources, exceeding the target set by the Commonwealth government in 2009 of 20% renewable energy by 2020. A new target of 82% per cent renewable energy by 2030 was set in 2022 and a target for net zero emissions by 2050 was set in 2021.

Science and technology

In 2019, Australia spent $35.6 billion on research and development, allocating about 1.79% of GDP. A recent study by Accenture for the Tech Council shows that the Australian tech sector combined contributes $167 billion a year to the economy and employs 861,000 people. In addition, recent startup ecosystems in Sydney and Melbourne are already valued at $34 billion combined. Australia ranked 23rd in the Global Innovation Index 2024.

With only 0.3% of the world's population, Australia contributed 4.1% of the world's published research in 2020, making it one of the top 10 research contributors in the world. CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, contributes 10% of all research in the country, while the rest is carried out by universities. Its most notable contributions include the invention of atomic absorption spectroscopy, the essential components of Wi-Fi technology, and the development of the first commercially successful polymer banknote. As of 2024, 13 Australian scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize in physics, chemistry or medicine, and two have been awarded the Fields Medal.

Australia is a key player in supporting space exploration. Facilities such as the Square Kilometre Array and Australia Telescope Compact Array radio telescopes, telescopes such as the Siding Spring Observatory, and ground stations such as the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex are of great assistance in deep space exploration missions, primarily by NASA.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Australia

Australia has a population density of 3.4 persons per square kilometre of total land area, which makes it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. The population is heavily concentrated on the east coast, and in particular in the south-eastern region between South East Queensland to the north-east and Adelaide to the south-west.

Australia is also highly urbanised, with 67% of the population living in the Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (metropolitan areas of the state and mainland territorial capital cities) in 2018. Metropolitan areas with more than one million inhabitants are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

In common with many other developed countries, Australia is experiencing a demographic shift towards an older population, with more retirees and fewer people of working age. In 2021, the average age of the population was 39 years. In 2015, 2.15% of the Australian population lived overseas, one of the lowest proportions worldwide.

Cities

Main articles: List of cities in Australia by population and List of cities in Australia

Australia contains five cities (including their suburbs) that consist of more than one million people. Most of Australia's population live close to coastlines.

  Largest populated areas in Australia
2021 data from Australian Bureau of Statistics
Rank Name State Pop. Rank Name State Pop.
1 Sydney NSW 5,259,764 11 Geelong Vic 289,400
2 Melbourne Vic 4,976,157 12 Hobart Tas 251,047
3 Brisbane Qld 2,568,927 13 Townsville Qld 181,665
4 Perth WA 2,192,229 14 Cairns Qld 155,638
5 Adelaide SA 1,402,393 15 Darwin NT 148,801
6 Gold CoastTweed Heads Qld/NSW 706,673 16 Toowoomba Qld 143,994
7 NewcastleMaitland NSW 509,894 17 Ballarat Vic 111,702
8 CanberraQueanbeyan ACT/NSW 482,250 18 Bendigo Vic 102,899
9 Sunshine Coast Qld 355,631 19 Albury-Wodonga NSW/Vic 97,676
10 Wollongong NSW 305,880 20 Launceston Tas 93,332

Ancestry and immigration

Main article: Immigration to Australia
Australian residents by country of birth (2021 census)

Between 1788 and the Second World War, the vast majority of settlers and immigrants came from the British Isles (principally England, Ireland and Scotland), although there was significant immigration from China and Germany during the 19th century. Following Federation in 1901, the white Australia policy was strengthened, restricting further migration from these areas. However, this policy was relaxed following WW2 and in the decades following, Australia received a large wave of immigration from across Europe, with many more immigrants arriving from Southern and Eastern Europe than in previous decades. All overt racial discrimination ended in 1973, with multiculturalism becoming official policy. Subsequently, there has been a large and continuing wave of immigration from across the world, with Asia being the largest source of immigrants in the 21st century.

Today, Australia has the world's eighth-largest immigrant population, with immigrants accounting for 30% of the population, the highest proportion among major Western nations. In 2022–23, 212,789 permanent migrants were admitted to Australia, with a net migration population gain of 518,000 people inclusive of non-permanent residents. Most entered on skilled visas, however the immigration program also offers visas for family members and refugees.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics asks each Australian resident to nominate up to two ancestries each census and the responses are classified into broad ancestry groups. At the 2021 census, the most commonly nominated ancestry groups as a proportion of the total population were: 57.2% European (including 46% North-West European and 11.2% Southern and Eastern European), 33.8% Oceanian, 17.4% Asian (including 6.5% Southern and Central Asian, 6.4% North-East Asian, and 4.5% South-East Asian), 3.2% North African and Middle Eastern, 1.4% Peoples of the Americas, and 1.3% Sub-Saharan African. At the 2021 census, the most commonly nominated individual ancestries as a proportion of the total population were:

At the 2021 census, 3.8% of the Australian population identified as being IndigenousAboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders.

Language

Main article: Languages of Australia

Although English is not the official language of Australia in law, it is the de facto official and national language. Australian English is a major variety of the language with a distinctive accent and lexicon, and differs slightly from other varieties of English in grammar and spelling. General Australian serves as the standard dialect. The Australian sign language known as Auslan was used at home by 16,242 people at the time of the 2021 census.

At the 2021 census, English was the only language spoken in the home for 72% of the population. The next most common languages spoken at home were Mandarin (2.7%), Arabic (1.4%), Vietnamese (1.3%), Cantonese (1.2%) and Punjabi (0.9%).

More than 250 Australian Aboriginal languages are thought to have existed at the time of first European contact. The National Indigenous Languages Survey (NILS) for 2018–19 found that more than 120 Indigenous language varieties were in use or being revived, although 70 of those in use were endangered. The 2021 census found that 167 Indigenous languages were spoken at home by 76,978 Indigenous Australians — Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole), Djambarrpuyngu (a Yolŋu language) and Pitjantjatjara (a Western Desert language) were among the most widely spoken. NILS and the Australian Bureau of Statistics use different classifications for Indigenous Australian languages.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Australia
St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney belongs to the Roman Catholic Church, Australia's largest religious denomination.

Australia has no state religion; section 116 of the Australian Constitution prohibits federal legislation that would establish any religion, impose any religious observance, or prohibit the free exercise of any religion. However, the states still retain the power to pass religiously discriminatory laws.

At the 2021 census, 38.9% of the population identified as having "no religion", up from 15.5% in 2001. The largest religion is Christianity (43.9% of the population). The largest Christian denominations are the Roman Catholic Church (20% of the population) and the Anglican Church of Australia (9.8%). Non-British immigration since the Second World War has led to the growth of non-Christian religions, the largest of which are Islam (3.2%), Hinduism (2.7%), Buddhism (2.4%), Sikhism (0.8%), and Judaism (0.4%).

In 2021, just under 8,000 people declared an affiliation with traditional Aboriginal religions. In Australian Aboriginal mythology and the animist framework developed in Aboriginal Australia, the Dreaming is a sacred era in which ancestral totemic spirit beings formed The Creation. The Dreaming established the laws and structures of society and the ceremonies performed to ensure continuity of life and land.

Health

See also: Health care in Australia

Australia's life expectancy of 83 years (81 years for males and 85 years for females) is the fifth-highest in the world. It has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, while cigarette smoking is the largest preventable cause of death and disease, responsible for 7.8% of the total mortality and disease. Ranked second in preventable causes is hypertension at 7.6%, with obesity third at 7.5%. Australia ranked 35th in the world in 2012 for its proportion of obese women and near the top of developed nations for its proportion of obese adults; 63% of its adult population is either overweight or obese.

Australia spent around 9.91% of its total GDP to health care in 2021. It introduced a national insurance scheme in 1975. Following a period in which access to the scheme was restricted, the scheme became universal once more in 1981 under the name of Medicare. The program is nominally funded by an income tax surcharge known as the Medicare levy, currently at 2%. The states manage hospitals and attached outpatient services, while the Commonwealth funds the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (subsidising the costs of medicines) and general practice.

Education

Main article: Education in Australia
Australia has the highest ratio of international students per capita in the world, with Melbourne ranking fifth among the 2023 QS Best Student Cities (University of Melbourne pictured).

School attendance, or registration for home schooling, is compulsory throughout Australia. Education is primarily the responsibility of the individual states and territories; however, the Commonwealth has significant influence through funding agreements. Since 2014, a national curriculum developed by the Commonwealth has been implemented by the states and territories. Attendance rules vary between states, but in general children are required to attend school from the age of about 5 until about 16. In some states (Western Australia, Northern Territory and New South Wales), children aged 16–17 are required to either attend school or participate in vocational training, such as an apprenticeship. According to the 2022 PISA evaluations, Australian 15-year-olds ranked ninth in the OECD for reading and science and tenth for maths. However, less than 60% of Australian students achieved the National Proficiency Standard – 51% in maths, 58% in science and 57% in reading.

Australia has an adult literacy rate that was estimated to be 99% in 2003. However, a 2011–2012 report for the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 44% of the population does not have high literary and numeracy competence levels, interpreted by others as suggesting that they do not have the "skills needed for everyday life".

Australia has 37 government-funded universities and three private universities, as well as a number of other specialist institutions that provide approved courses at the higher education level. The OECD places Australia among the most expensive nations to attend university. There is a state-based system of vocational training, known as TAFE, and many trades conduct apprenticeships for training new tradespeople. About 58% of Australians aged from 25 to 64 have vocational or tertiary qualifications and the tertiary graduation rate of 49% is the highest among OECD countries. 30.9% of Australia's population has attained a higher education qualification, which is among the highest percentages in the world.

Australia has the highest ratio of international students per head of population in the world by a large margin, with 812,000 international students enrolled in the nation's universities and vocational institutions in 2019. Accordingly, in 2019, international students represented on average 26.7% of the student bodies of Australian universities. International education therefore represents one of the country's largest exports and has a pronounced influence on the country's demographics, with a significant proportion of international students remaining in Australia after graduation on various skill and employment visas. Education is Australia's third-largest export, after iron ore and coal, and contributed more than $28 billion to the economy in the 2016–17 financial year.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Australia
The Sydney Opera House was completed in 1973 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007, making it the youngest building to have received the designation.

Contemporary Australian culture reflects the country's Indigenous traditions, Anglo-Celtic heritage, and post-1945 history of multicultural immigration. The culture of the United States has also been influential. The evolution of Australian culture since British colonisation has given rise to distinctive cultural traits.

Many Australians identify egalitarianism, mateship, irreverence and a lack of formality as part of their national identity. These find expression in Australian slang, as well as Australian humour, which is often characterised as dry, irreverent and ironic. New citizens and visa holders are required to commit to "Australian values", which are identified by the Department of Home Affairs as including: a respect for the freedom of the individual; recognition of the rule of law; opposition to racial, gender and religious discrimination; and an understanding of the "fair go", which is said to encompass the equality of opportunity for all and compassion for those in need. What these values mean, and whether or not Australians uphold them, has been debated since before Federation.

Arts

Main articles: Australian art, Australian literature, Theatre of Australia, Dance in Australia, and Music of Australia
Held at the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Tasmania, Sidney Nolan's Snake mural (1970) is inspired by the Aboriginal creation myth of the Rainbow Serpent, as well as desert flowers in bloom after a drought.

Australia has more than 100,000 Aboriginal rock art sites, and traditional designs, patterns and stories infuse contemporary Indigenous Australian art, "the last great art movement of the 20th century" according to critic Robert Hughes; its exponents include Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Early colonial artists showed a fascination with the unfamiliar land. The impressionistic works of Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts and other members of the 19th-century Heidelberg School—the first "distinctively Australian" movement in Western art—gave expression to nationalist sentiments in the lead-up to Federation. While the school remained influential into the 1900s, modernists such as Margaret Preston and Clarice Beckett, and, later, Sidney Nolan, explored new artistic trends. The landscape remained central to the work of Aboriginal watercolourist Albert Namatjira, as well as Fred Williams, Brett Whiteley and other post-war artists whose works, eclectic in style yet uniquely Australian, moved between the figurative and the abstract.

Australian literature grew slowly in the decades following European settlement though Indigenous oral traditions, many of which have since been recorded in writing, are much older. In the 19th century, Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson captured the experience of the bush using a distinctive Australian vocabulary. Their works are still popular; Paterson's bush poem "Waltzing Matilda" (1895) is regarded as Australia's unofficial national anthem. Miles Franklin is the namesake of Australia's most prestigious literary prize, awarded annually to the best novel about Australian life. Its first recipient, Patrick White, went on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1973. Australian Booker Prize winners include Peter Carey, Thomas Keneally and Richard Flanagan. Australian public intellectuals have also written seminal works in their respective fields, including feminist Germaine Greer and philosopher Peter Singer.

Arising from the Australian pub rock scene, AC/DC ranks among the world's best-selling music acts.

In the performing arts, Aboriginal peoples have traditions of religious and secular song, dance and rhythmic music often performed in corroborees. At the beginning of the 20th century, Nellie Melba was one of the world's leading opera singers, and later popular music acts such as the Bee Gees, AC/DC, INXS and Kylie Minogue achieved international recognition. Many of Australia's performing arts companies receive funding through the Australian government's Australia Council. There is a symphony orchestra in each state, and a national opera company, Opera Australia, well known for its famous soprano Joan Sutherland. Ballet and dance are represented by The Australian Ballet and various state companies. Each state has a publicly funded theatre company.

Media

Main articles: Cinema of Australia, Television in Australia, and Media of Australia
Actor playing the bushranger and outlaw Ned Kelly in The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906), the world's first feature-length narrative film

The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906), the world's first feature-length narrative film, spurred a boom in Australian cinema during the silent film era. After World War I, Hollywood monopolised the industry, and by the 1960s Australian film production had effectively ceased. With the benefit of government support, the Australian New Wave of the 1970s brought provocative and successful films, many exploring themes of national identity, such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, Wake in Fright and Gallipoli, while Crocodile Dundee and the Ozploitation movement's Mad Max series became international blockbusters. In a film market flooded with foreign content, Australian films delivered a 7.7% share of the local box office in 2015. The AACTAs are Australia's premier film and television awards, and notable Academy Award winners from Australia include Geoffrey Rush, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger.

Australia has two public broadcasters (the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the multicultural Special Broadcasting Service), three commercial television networks, several pay-TV services, and numerous public, non-profit television and radio stations. Each major city has at least one daily newspaper, and there are two national daily newspapers, The Australian and The Australian Financial Review. In 2024, Reporters Without Borders placed Australia 39th on a list of 180 countries ranked by press freedom, behind New Zealand (19th) and the United Kingdom (23rd), but ahead of the United States (55th). This relatively low ranking is primarily because of the limited diversity of commercial media ownership in Australia; most print media are under the control of News Corporation (59%) and Nine Entertainment Co (23%).

Cuisine

Main article: Australian cuisine
South Australian wines

Most Indigenous Australian groups subsisted on a diet of native fauna and flora, otherwise called bush tucker. It has increased in popularity among non-Indigenous Australians since the 1970s, with examples such as lemon myrtle, the macadamia nut and kangaroo meat now widely available.

The first colonists introduced British and Irish cuisine to the continent. This influence is seen in dishes such as fish and chips, and in the Australian meat pie, which is related to the British steak pie. Also during the colonial period, Chinese migrants paved the way for a distinctive Australian Chinese cuisine.

Post-war migrants transformed Australian cuisine, bringing with them their culinary traditions and contributing to new fusion dishes. Italians introduced espresso coffee and, along with Greeks, helped develop Australia's café culture, of which the flat white and avocado toast are now considered Australian staples. Pavlovas, lamingtons, Vegemite and Anzac biscuits are also often called iconic Australian foods.

Australia is a leading exporter and consumer of wine. Australian wine is produced mainly in the southern, cooler parts of the country. The nation also ranks highly in beer consumption, with each state and territory hosting numerous breweries.

Sport and recreation

Main article: Sport in Australia
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is strongly associated with the history and development of cricket and Australian rules football, Australia's two most popular spectator sports.

The most popular sports in Australia by adult participation are: swimming, athletics, cycling, soccer, golf, tennis, basketball, surfing, netball and cricket.

Australia is one of five nations to have participated in every Summer Olympics of the modern era, and has hosted the Games twice: 1956 in Melbourne and 2000 in Sydney. It is also set to host the 2032 Games in Brisbane. Australia has also participated in every Commonwealth Games, hosting the event in 1938, 1962, 1982, 2006 and 2018.

Cricket is a major national sport. The Australian national cricket team competed against England in the first Test match (1877) and the first One Day International (1971), and against New Zealand in the first Twenty20 International (2004), winning all three games. It has also won the men's Cricket World Cup a record six times.

Australia has professional leagues for four football codes, whose relative popularity is divided geographically. Originating in Melbourne in the 1850s, Australian rules football attracts the most television viewers in all states except New South Wales and Queensland, where rugby league holds sway, followed by rugby union. Soccer, while ranked fourth in television viewers and resources, has the highest overall participation rates.

The surf lifesaving movement originated in Australia in the early 20th century, following the relaxation of laws prohibiting daylight bathing on Australian beaches. The volunteer lifesaver is one of the country's icons.

See also

Notes

  1. Australia also has a royal anthem, "God Save the King", which may be played in place of or alongside the national anthem when members of the royal family are present. If not played alongside the royal anthem, the national anthem is instead played at the end of an official event.
  2. Sydney is the largest city based on Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSAs). These represent labour markets and the functional area of Australian capital cities. Melbourne is larger based on ABS Significant Urban Areas (SUAs). These represent Urban Centres, or groups of contiguous Urban Centres, that contain a population of 10,000 people or more.
  3. The religion question is optional in the Australian census.
  4. ^ There are minor variations from three basic time zones; see Time in Australia.
  5. The earliest recorded use of the word Australia in English was in 1625 in "A note of Australia del Espíritu Santo, written by Sir Richard Hakluyt", published by Samuel Purchas in Hakluytus Posthumus, a corruption of the original Spanish name "Austrialia del Espíritu Santo" (Southern Land of the Holy Spirit) for an island in Vanuatu. The Dutch adjectival form australische was used in a Dutch book in Batavia (Jakarta) in 1638, to refer to the newly discovered lands to the south.
  6. For instance, the 1814 work A Voyage to Terra Australis.
  7. Australia describes the body of water south of its mainland as the Southern Ocean, rather than the Indian Ocean as defined by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). In 2000, a vote of IHO member nations defined the term "Southern Ocean" as applying only to the waters between Antarctica and 60° south latitude.
  8. Includes those who nominate "Australian" as their ancestry. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has stated that most who nominate "Australian" as their ancestry have at least partial Anglo-Celtic European ancestry.
  9. Each person may nominate more than one ancestry, so the total may exceed 100%.
  10. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has stated that most who nominate "Australian" as their ancestry have at least partial Anglo-Celtic European ancestry.
  11. Those who nominated their ancestry as "Australian Aboriginal". Does not include Torres Strait Islanders. This relates to nomination of ancestry and is distinct from persons who identify as Indigenous (Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander) which is a separate question.
  12. Indigenous identification is separate to the ancestry question on the Australian Census and persons identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander may identify any ancestry.
  13. That is, 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017.

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Bibliography

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Further information: Bibliography of Australian history

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