2. Geography of Australia
Location: Australia and Oceania, continent
between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific
Ocean
Area:
Total: 7,741,220 sq km
Country comparison to the world: 6
Land: 7,682,300 sq km
Water: 58,920 sq km
note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie
Island
Area – comparative: Slightly smaller than the
U.S. contiguous 48 states
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 25,760 km
4. Religion in Australia
In the 21st century, religion in Australia is mainly
Christian.
In the 2011 census, 61.14% of Australia’s population
was recorded as following Christianity.
Historically, the percentage has been a lot higher and
the religious landscape of Australia is
expanding, together with multicultural immigration
and 22.3% of people without a religious affiliation.
22.3% of Australians responded “no religion” in the
2011 census; a further 8.55% declined to answer.
The remaining population is a varied group which
includes Buddhist (2.46%), Islamic (2.21%), Hindu
(1.28%), and Jewish (0.45%) communities.
The 1901 Constitution of Australia forbids the
Commonwealth government from establishing a
church or intervening with freedom of religion.
5. Religion statistics (2006 census)
Protestant 27.4% (Anglican 18.7%, Uniting Church
5.7%, Presbyterian and Reformed 3%)
Catholic 25.8%
Eastern Orthodox 2.7%
Other Christian 7.9%
Buddhist 2.1%
Muslim 1.7%
Other 2.4%
Unspecified 11.3%
None 18.7% (2006 census)
6. Australia’s political system: Introduction
The politics of Australia function within the structure of a federal constitutional parliamentary
democracy and constitutional monarchy.
The people of Australia elect parliamentarians (MPs) to Australia’s federal parliament, a bicameral
body which integrates characteristics of the fused executive inherited from the Westminster
system, and a strong federalist senate, taken from the United States Congress.
Australia functions mostly as a two-party system where voting is obligatory.
7. Australia’s political system: Government
Capital: Canberra
Largest city: Sydney
Official languages: None
National language: English (de facto)
Demonym: Australian, “Aussie”
Government: Federal parliamentary
constitutional monarchy
Monarch: Elizabeth II (see Politics of the
United Kingdom slide 13 for information)
Governor-General: Quentin Bryce
Prime Minister: Julia Gillard
Legislature: Parliament
Upper house: Senate
Lower house: House of Representatives
8. Australia’s political system: Federal
parliamentary parties
Australian Labor Party (ALP)
Liberal Party of Australia (Lib)
National Party of Australia (Nat.)
Australian Greens (GRN)
Katter’s Australian Party (KAP)
Democratic Labor Party (DLP)
9. Quentin Bryce
Born in Brisbane, Queensland on 23 December 1942.
25th and current Governor-General of Australia (and the first woman to
occupy the post) since 5 September 2008, having formerly served as
Governor of Queensland.
Spent her early years in Ilfracombe; her family later lived in a number
of country towns around Australia.
Attended the University of Queensland, where she earned a Bachelor
of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws; became one of the first women
admitted to the Queensland bar.
Became the first woman, in 1968, to be a faculty member of the law
school where she studied.
Joined the new National Women’s Advisory Council in 1978; this was
followed by various positions: first director of the Queensland
Women’s Information Service, Queensland director of the Human
Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, and the Federal Sex
Discrimination Commissioner in 1988.
Her contributions to the community led to her nomination as an Officer
of the Order of Australia in 1988, and as a Companion of the Order of
Australia, and Dame of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in 2003.
Was invested by the Queen of Australia as a Commander of the Royal
Victorian Order (CVO) as the Government House in Canberra on 26
October 2011.
Was nominated the Governor of Queensland in 2003.
Despite some concerns were brought up during her tenure in that post,
her term was to be extended to 2009, but on 13 April 2008, before the
initial five years were up, it was announced that she was to become
Australia’s next Governor-General; this decision was mostly
responded to positively and on 5 September 2008, she was sworn in,
succeeding Major General Michael Jeffery, making her the first woman
Governor-General.
10. Julia Gillard
Born 29 September 1961 in Barry, Wales.
27th and current PM of Australia and leader of the Australian Labor
Party since 24 June 2010; is the first woman to occupy either post.
Migrated with her family to Adelaide, South Australia, in 1966;
attended Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School.
Moved to Melbourne, Victoria in 1982; graduated from the University of
Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws in 1986.
Joined the law firm Slater & Gordon in 1987; specialised in industrial
law before she entered political life.
Was first elected to the Australian House of Representatives in the
1998 federal election for the seat of Lalor, Victoria.
Was elected to the Shadow Cabinet after the 2001 federal election;
was assigned the portfolio of Population and Immigration.
Undertook on the duty for both Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs
and Health in 2003.
When Kevin Rudd was elected as Labor Leader and became Leader
of the Opposition in December 2006, she was elected unopposed as
his deputy.
Became the first female Deputy PM of Australia upon Labor’s victory in
the 2007 federal election; also served as both Minister for Education
and Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.
Was elected unopposed as the Leader of the Labor Party on 24 June
2010, following Rudd’s loss of support and subsequent resignation;
hence became Australia's 27th PM.
The subsequent 2010 federal election saw the first hung
parliament in 70 years.
Was additionally able to form a minority government with the
backing of a Green MP and three independent MPs.
11. Australian Labor Party
Also known as ALP and Labor (Labour prior to 1912); left of centre Australian
political party.
Has ruled the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election.
Julia Gillard, current PM of Australia, is the party’s federal parliamentary leader.
In the state and territory parliaments, it rules in South Australia, Tasmania, and
the Australian Capital Territory.
Challenges the Liberal/National Coalition for political office at both the federal
and the state (and occasionally local) level.
Its constitution states: “The Australian Labor Party is a democratic socialist party
and has the objective of the democratic socialisation of
industry, production, distribution and exchange, to the extent necessary to
eliminate exploitation and other anti-social features in these fields.”
This “socialist objective” was introduced in 1921, though it has always been
deeply qualified by wording which makes it evident that Labor advocates private
belongings.
Has been a dead letter since the 1940s, as a consequence of the Chifley
government’s failure to nationalise the private banks.
Today, Labor classifies itself as “a coalition that includes
reformers, radicals, progressives, social democrats and democratic socialists
united by a critique of the inequalities in society, a commitment to a more just
and equal society, and the achieving of this aim by democratic means.”
Was founded in 1901 as a federal party before the first sitting of the Australian
Parliament, even though it is descended from labour parties founded in the
numerous Australian colonies by the emerging labour movement in
Australia, which officially began in 1891; is therefore Australia’s oldest political
party.
Colonial labour parties took seats after 1891, and federal seats after the
Federation during the 1901 federal election.
Was Australia’s first party to accomplish a majority in either of the Australian
Parliament’s two houses, during the 1901 federal election.
Pre-dates both the British Labour Party and the New Zealand Labour Party in
party establishment, government, and policy completion.
Member of Socialist International and Progressive Alliance.
