Australia Passport

[Country Name] The Commonwealth of Australia.

【 Area 】 7.6882 million square kilometers.

[Population] 26.82 million (as of September 2023). 51.1% are of British and Irish descent, 5.5% are of Chinese descent, and approximately 3.2% are indigenous people. The official language is English, and Chinese is the second most widely used language after English. About 43.9% of residents believe in Christianity, while the other five major religions are Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Judaism. 38.9% of the population have no religious beliefs or unknown religious beliefs.

【 Capital 】 Canberra.

[Head of State] King Charles III of England. The governor is the representative of the king, serving a term of 5 years. The current Governor General David Hurley was sworn in on July 1, 2019.

[Important holiday] Australia Day (Australian National Day): January 26th.

【 Overview 】 Located between the South Pacific and Indian Oceans, it consists of islands such as the Australian mainland, Tasmania, and overseas territories. To the east lies the Coral Sea and Tasman Sea in the Pacific Ocean, while to the north, west, and south lies the Indian Ocean and its marginal seas. The coastline is 36735 kilometers long. The northern region belongs to the tropical zone, while the majority belongs to the temperate zone. The annual average temperature is 27 ℃ in the north and 14 ℃ in the south.

The earliest inhabitants were indigenous people. In 1770, British navigator James Cook arrived on the east coast of Australia and declared that Britain occupied this land. On January 26, 1788, the first group of prisoners exiled by Britain to Australia arrived at Sydney Bay, and Britain began to establish a colony in Australia. Later, this day was designated as Australia Day. In July 1900, the British Parliament passed the "Australian Federal Constitution" and the "British Dominion Ordinance". On January 1, 1901, the various colonies of Australia were converted into states and the Commonwealth of Australia was established. In 1931, it became an independent country within the Commonwealth. In 1986, the British Parliament passed the "Relations with Australia Act", granting Australia full legislative and judicial power of final appeal.

The Australian Federal Parliament was established in 1901, consisting of the King (represented by the Governor General of Australia), the House of Representatives, and the Senate. The parliament implements universal suffrage. The House of Representatives has 151 members elected in proportion to the population, with a term of 3 years. The Senate has 76 members, with 12 from each of the 6 states and 2 from each of the 2 regions. Senators from each state serve a term of 6 years, with half being re elected every 3 years. Senators from each region serve a term of 3 years. In May 2022, Australia will hold a federal election to elect the 47th parliament. In the House of Representatives, the Labour Party has 77 seats, the Alliance Party has 58 seats, the Green Party has 4 seats, and other political parties and independent candidates have won a total of 12 seats.

The federal government is composed of the majority party in the House of Representatives or a coalition of political parties, with the party leader serving as the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers appointed by the Prime Minister. The government generally serves a term of three years. In May 2022, Albanese led the Labour Party to win the Australian federal election, marking the Labour Party's return to power after a nine-year hiatus. In June, the new Australian government took office. There are currently 30 members, including 23 cabinet ministers and 7 non cabinet ministers. The main members include Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Treasury Secretary Jim Chalmers, Finance Minister and Minister of Public and Women's Affairs Katy Gallagher, Trade and Tourism Minister and Special Secretary of State Don Farrell, Employment and Labor Relations Minister and Minister of the Arts Tony Burke, Health and Elderly Care Minister Mark Bulter, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, among others.

The country is divided into 6 states and 2 regions. The six states are New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania; The two regions are the Northern Territory and the Capital Territory. Each state has a governor, state legislature, state government, and governor.

The Federal High Court is the highest judicial institution in Australia, with appellate jurisdiction over other levels of courts and making decisions on cases involving constitutional interpretation. It is composed of one Chief Justice and six Justices. The current Chief Justice Susan Kiefel took office in January 2017. Each state has its own Supreme Court, District Court, and Local Court. Only the Supreme Court and District Court are established in the Capital Territory and Northern Territory regions.

The main political parties in Australia are:

(1) The Australian Labor Party, founded in 1891, is the largest political party in Australia and has close ties with trade unions, with most union members being collective members. He has been in power 11 times since 1940. The last term of office was from November 2007 to September 2013, and he won the federal election in May 2022 to return to power. Current leader Anthony Albanese.

(2) The Liberal Party: Established in 1944, formerly known as the United Australia Party founded in 1931. Mainly representing the interests of business owners. The last term of office was from 2013 to 2022. Failed in the May 2022 general election. Current leader Peter Dutton.

(3) National Party: Established in 1918, originally known as the Rural Party, later renamed the National Rural Party, and changed its name to its current form in 1982. Its sphere of influence is mainly in rural areas, representing the interests of farmers. From 1996 to 2007 and from 2013 to 2022, jointly governed with the Liberal Party. Failed in the May 2022 general election. Current leader David Littlepraud.

Other small parties include the Green Party, the Single National Party, and the Communist Party of Australia.

David Hurley: Governor. Born in August 1953 in New South Wales, Australia, graduated from the Royal Australian Military Academy. In 1993, he led the Australian Army's First Battalion to participate in peacekeeping military operations in Somalia. Appointed as Commander of the Australian Defence Force in 2011. Retired in 2014 and assumed the position of Governor of New South Wales. Appointed as the 27th Federal Governor of Australia in July 2019.

Anthony Albanese: Prime Minister. Born in Sydney, Australia in 1963, with a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Sydney. Elected as a member of the Australian Federal Parliament in 1996. Since 1998, he has served as the spokesperson for the Labour Party on issues such as employment and training, environment, and water resources. Since 2007, he has held positions such as Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Minister of Regional Development and Local Government Affairs, and Leader of the Labour Party in the Federal Parliament. Appointed as Vice Premier in 2013. Appointed as the leader of the Labour Party in 2019. Appointed as Prime Minister in May 2022.

Australia is an industrialized country with developed agriculture and animal husbandry, abundant natural resources, and abundant production of sheep, cattle, wheat, and sugar. It is also an important producer and exporter of mineral products in the world. Agriculture, animal husbandry, and mining are traditional industries in Australia, while manufacturing and high-tech industries are developing rapidly. The service industry has become the leading industry in the national economy. Since the 1970s, a series of economic reforms have been carried out, vigorously developing foreign trade, and the economy has maintained rapid growth. From 1991 to 2019, the economy maintained positive growth for 28 consecutive years. The main economic data are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product: 1.69 trillion US dollars. (2023)

Economic growth rate: 1.5%. (2023)

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: Approximately 63500 US dollars. (2023)

Currency: Australian dollar (1 Australian dollar ≈ 0.65 US dollars, April 2024).

Unemployment rate: 3.8% (March 2024).

Foreign exchange reserves: AUD 35.7 billion (September 2023).

There are abundant mineral resources, with at least 70 types. The proven economic reserves of lead, nickel, silver, uranium, zinc, and tantalum rank first in the world. Australia is the world's largest producer of lithium and zirconium, and its production of gold, iron ore, coal, lithium, manganese ore, nickel, silver, uranium, and zinc also ranks among the top in the world. Australia is still the world's largest exporter of bituminous coal, bauxite, diamonds, and zinc concentrates, the second largest exporter of alumina, iron ore, and uranium ore, and the third largest exporter of aluminum and gold. The proven mineral reserves with economic mining value include approximately 5.3 billion tons of bauxite, 14.6 billion tons of iron ore, 40.3 billion tons of black coal, 30 billion tons of brown coal, 22.9 million tons of lead, 22.6 million tons of nickel, 41400 tons of silver, 40835 tons of tantalum, 41 million tons of zinc, and 5570 tons of gold. The crude oil reserves are 227 billion liters, and the natural gas reserves are 2.2 trillion cubic meters. The forest coverage rate is 21%, and the natural forest area is about 163 million hectares (2/3 of which are eucalyptus trees). The fishery resources are abundant, with a fishing area 16% larger than the national land area, making it the third largest fishing area in the world. There are over 3000 species of marine and freshwater fish, as well as over 3000 species of crustaceans and mollusks, of which about 600 species have been commercially caught. The main aquatic products include shrimp, lobster, abalone, tuna, scallops, oysters, etc.

The main industries are manufacturing, construction, and mining. In the fiscal year 2020/2021, the manufacturing industry had a production value of AUD 107.38 billion, the construction industry had a production value of AUD 130.79 billion, and the mining industry had a production value of AUD 216.11 billion.

Agriculture and animal husbandry are developed and play an important role in the national economy. It is the world's largest exporter of wool and beef. The main crops are wheat, barley, cotton, sorghum, etc. The main livestock products are beef, milk, lamb, wool, poultry, etc.

The service industry is the most important and rapidly developing sector of the Australian economy, and has become a pillar industry of the national economy. In the fiscal year 2021/2022, the output value of the service industry accounted for 63.3% of Australia's gross domestic product, and Australia's service trade exports totaled AUD 61.07 billion.

The tourism industry is an important sector of the Australian economy. In 2023, the top five source countries for overseas tourists to Australia are New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and India.

Rich in tourism resources, famous tourist cities and attractions include Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Gold Coast, Darwin, Great Barrier Reef, Ailes Rock (Uluru), etc.

The international sea and air transportation industry is well-developed. Sydney is a major transportation hub in the South Pacific. The transportation situation is as follows:

Railway: Since the 1990s, the railway industry has undergone corporatization and privatization reforms. At present, the total length of railways in China is about 33000 kilometers, of which 10% are electrified lines. In the fiscal year 2020/2021, the railway system transported a total of 420.6 billion ton kilometers of goods, and the urban railway system transported 680 million passengers.

Highway: The total length of highways in China is 880000 kilometers. In 2021, the total number of registered motor vehicles in China was about 20.14 million, with buses accounting for 74.7%. Among them, gasoline powered vehicles account for 73.6% and diesel powered vehicles account for 24.4%.

Water transportation: With over 100 ports, Melbourne is the largest port in the country. In the fiscal year 2018/2019, the national port cargo throughput was approximately 1.69 billion tons.

Air freight: In the fiscal year 2020/2021, 394000 domestic flights were operated, among which the Melbourne Sydney, Brisbane Sydney, and Brisbane Melbourne routes were the three most important domestic routes. The main airlines are Qantas and Jetstar. In April 2020, Australian airline Virgin Australia announced bankruptcy. In the fiscal year 2020/2021, 45000 international flights were operated. The main airports are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Cairns, Canberra, Hobart, and Darwin.

The fiscal year is from July 1st to June 30th of the following year. The fiscal year balance deficit as of March 31, 2024 is 339 million Australian dollars.

The financial industry is mature and well-established, with strict supervision. Having the fifth largest financial system and capital market in the world. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is the central bank. National Bank, Federal Bank, Western Pacific Bank, and ANZ Bank are the four major banks, with total assets accounting for over 50% of all bank assets. The financial regulatory framework consists of three independent institutions: the Australian Prudential Financial Regulation Authority (APRA), the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), and the Reserve Bank of Australia.

The stock market is well-developed and operated by the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), with three traditional major stock indices including the All Ordinaries, All Industrials, and All Resources.

Australia relies heavily on international trade. Australia's main trading partners are China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Singapore, India, New Zealand, Germany, Malaysia, Thailand, etc. In recent years, the import and export situation of goods and services trade is as follows (in billions of Australian dollars):