Australia

The history of australia
• The History of Australia refers to the history of the area and people
of the Commonwealth of Australia and its preceding Indigenous
and colonial societies. Aboriginal Australians are believed to have
first arrived on the Australian mainland by boat from the Malay
Archipelago between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago. The
artistic, musical and spiritual traditions they established are among
the longest surviving such traditions in human history.
• The first known landing in Australia by Europeans was by Dutch
navigator Willem Janszoon in 1606. Other Dutch navigators
explored the western and southern coasts in the 17th century, and
dubbed the continent "New Holland."Macassan trepangers visited
Australia's northern coasts after 1720, possibly earlier. Other
European explorers followed until, in 1770, James Cook charted the
East Coast of Australia for Britain and returned with accounts
favouring colonisation at Botany Bay (now in Sydney), New South
Wales.

A First Fleet of British ships arrived at Botany Bay in
January 1788 to establish a penal colony. In the
century that followed, the British established other
colonies on the continent, and European explorers
ventured into its interior. Indigenous Australians were
greatly weakened and their numbers diminished by
introduced diseases and conflict with the colonists
during this period.
Gold rushes and agricultural industries brought
prosperity. Autonomous Parliamentary democracies
began to be established throughout the six British
colonies from the mid-19th century. The colonies
voted by referendum to unite in a federation in 1901,
and modern Australia came into being. Australia
fought on the side of Britain in the two world wars and
became a long-standing ally of the United States when
threatened by Imperial Japan during World War II.
Trade with Asia increased and a post-war multicultural
immigration programme received more than 6.5
million migrants from every continent. The population
tripled in six decades to around 21 million in 2010,
with people originating from 200 countries sustaining
the world's 14th largest economy.

Some Aboriginal groups believed that their culture was irretrievably
lost, and the best way forward was to integrate into the mainstream
population. Unfortunately they were not culturally well-equipped to
handle it. Modern first-world culture is very different to tribal
culture. Modern economies are based on production, not
relationships. They are based on ownership, not community. And
they are based on long term sacrifice and planning, not reaction.
Some Aboriginal groups thought that going back was the way
forward, and that they were better off living in tribal environments
isolated from the rest of society. Many of their politically correct
European countrymen were keen on this idea - it was a chance to
curate their indigenous populations, in the same way that many
older Australians have a statue of an Aborigine in their front yard
instead of a garden gnome.
However, the attractions of Western technology, culture and drugs
were more attractive to many Aborigines, so an curative approach
didn't work.
Most solutions suggested for the future of the Aborigines were a
contradictory mixture of the integrative and curative extremes, and
were destined to result in an indefinite reliance on welfare, and
hence relative poverty.
The reality is that Aboriginal culture has nothing to offer modern
Australia apart from some interesting painting styles (lots of dots),
interesting musical sounds (like the didgeridoo), and quaint myths
about the dream time. To ignore this fact is to sentence yet more
Australian Aborigines to dependence and relative poverty.

National symbols of Austrailan

When the Australian colonies federated to form the Commonwealth of
Australia on 1 January 1901, there was an urgent demand for a new
national flag as an emblem for the new country. An official competition for
a design was arranged, which attracted 32,823 entries. Five of these
contained almost identical designs and were placed equal first. Apart from
later changes in the size of the stars and the number of points, they had
produced the present Australian National Flag.
The Australian National Flag consists of three parts set on a blue field. The
first part is the Union Jack, acknowledging the historical link with Britain.
The second part is the Southern Cross (a constellation of stars only visible
in the Southern Hemisphere), representing Australia’s geographical
location in the world. Finally, the Commonwealth Star represents
Australia's federal system of government. Originally, the Commonwealth
Star had six points (for the six states), but in 1908 a seventh point was
added to represent the Territories of the Commonwealth of Australia.
Australian National Flag

The
Australian
Aboriginal
Flag
The Australian
flag has the
Union Jack and
the Southern
Cross

Australian National Anthem
Advance Australia Fair was one of many Australian nationalistic songs written in the late-nineteenth
century as debates about the creation of the new nation were taking place in the different colonies.
Although it is thought to have been first performed in 1878 by Mr Andrew Fairfax in Sydney, possibly
the most significant early performance of Advance Australia Fair was at the inauguration of the
Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, where it was sung by a choir of 10,000. Advance Australia Fair was
not considered the national anthem, however, with this role going to the British anthem God Save the
Queen [or King] for most of the twentieth century.
A determined search for a truly Australian national anthem did not begin in earnest until the
Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956. The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducted a national opinion
poll of 60,000 people in 1974 and in 1977 the Australian Electoral Office ran a poll for a tune for a
national song in conjunction with a referendum.
In the 1977 plebiscite, four songs were in contention for the official title:
Advance Australia Fair
God save the Queen [or King] (the British anthem)
Waltzing Matilda (one of Australia's best-known national songs), and
Song of Australia (a popular national song written in 1859)
The results of the plebiscite were conclusive with 43.2 per cent (or 2,940,854 votes) going to Advance
Australia Fair. Next most popular was Waltzing Matilda with 28.3 per cent, despite its arguable status as
the best-known, best-loved and most iconic national song. In 1984 the government announced that the
tune of Advance Australia Fair together with modifications to two verses of the lyrics would become
the Australian National Anthem.

Commonwealth Coat of Arms
The Commonwealth Coat of Arms is the formal symbol of the Commonwealth
of Australia and its ownership and authority. King Edward VII made the first
official grant of a coat of arms to the Commonwealth of Australia in a Royal
Warrant dated 7 May 1908.
The absence of specific references to the states in the shield in the 1908 Arms
led to a number of alterations approved on the recommendation of the
Commonwealth Government by King George V. King George V granted the
second Commonwealth Coat of Arms in a Royal Warrant dated 19 September
1912.
Symbols of Australia’s six states appear together on the shield, which is the
central feature of a coat of arms. The border of the shield symbolises
federation. The kangaroo and emu are the native animals that hold the shield
with pride.
A gold Commonwealth Star sits above the shield. Six of the star’s points
represent the Australian states. The seventh point represents the territories.
A wreath of gold and blue sits under the Commonwealth Star. Gold and blue
are the Commonwealth Coat of Arms’ livery or identifying colours.
Australia’s floral emblem, the golden wattle, frames the shield and
supporters. A scroll contains the word ‘Australia’.

Australia’s national colours
Australia’s national colours, green and gold, were popular and well loved by
Australians long before they were officially proclaimed by the Governor-General
on 19 April 1984.
At international sporting events since before Federation, and of course at many
since, the colours have been associated with the achievements of many great
Australian sports men and women.
As well as instilling national pride on the field, spectators often also don the
official colours and cheer their team waving green and gold boxing kangaroo
flags. Back home in Australia, the green triangle and gold kangaroo of the
Australian Made logo is the most recognised country of origin symbol on
Australian shop shelves.
Prior to proclamation, Australia had no official colours and different
combinations vied for the honour: red, white and blue; blue and gold; and green
and gold. The colours red, white and blue featured in the first Coat of Arms of the
Commonwealth in 1908 and are the colours of the Australian National Flag. Blue
and gold have heraldic significance, as the colours of the crest in the 1912
(present) Commonwealth Coat of Arms.
But it was the green and gold of Australia’s landscape, principally of many
species of wattle, which won the day. Green and gold is also represented on the
Commonwealth Coat of Arms by the wattle which is an ornamental accessory to
the shield.

Australia's floral
emblem
The golden wattle, Acacia pycnantha, Australia’s national floral
emblem, encapsulates the spirit of the Australian bush. The shrub or small tree
grows in the understorey of open forest, woodland and in open scrub in South
Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
Like all emblems and symbols, the golden wattle captures an essence of Australia
that brings the colours, smells and textures of the Australian bush alive.
The flower has long been recognised as Australia’s premier floral symbol and was
officially proclaimed in 1988. In 1912, on the recommendation of the Prime
Minister, the Hon. Andrew Fisher MP, wattle was included as the decoration
surrounding the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and it has also been used in the
design of Australian stamps and many awards in the Australian honours system.
Golden wattle was honoured further with the proclamation in 1992 that 1
September in each year be observed as National Wattle Day. This day provides an
opportunity for all Australians to celebrate our floral heritage, particularly through
the planting of an Acacia species suitable for the area in which they live.

Australia's
national
gemstone
The opal is a rare and beautiful precious
stone.
A very special series of geographical and
climatic phenomena need to coincide for the
opal to form. The great desert regions of
central Australia provide such conditions and
Australia produces over 90 per cent of the
world’s precious opal.
Australia ’s precious opals include the black
opal (produced in Lightning Ridge, New
South Wales), white opal (majority of the
world’s production occurs in Coober Pedy,
South Australia), crystal opal and boulder
opal (mined in Central Queensland). The
precious stone was proclaimed Australia’s
national gemstone on 28 July 1993.
In Aboriginal legend, the mesmerising opal
was a gift from the sky, from a rainbow that
had touched the earth and created the
colours of the opal.

City of Sydney
• The City of Sydney is the local government
area covering the Sydney central business district and
surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater
metropolitan area of Sydney, New South
Wales,Australia.
• The central business district of Sydney is roughly
bounded by Circular Quay and Sydney Harbour to the
north, Macquarie Street to the east, Darling Harbour to
the west and Liverpool Street and Central railway
station to the south.
• On 6 February 2004, the former local government area
of the City of South Sydney was formally merged into
the City of Sydney. Suburbs within the boundaries of the
City of Sydney before the merger include the actual
downtown or central business district of Sydney
itself, Pyrmont and Ultimo to the west, Haymarket to
the south and Woolloomooloo to the east and other
subur bs. Suburbs within the City of South Sydney
before the merger included Alexandria, Darlington (now
mostly occupied by the University of
Sydney), Erskineville, Newtown, Redfern, Glebe, Waterl
oo, Paddington.

Albury
• Albury is a major regional city
in New South
Wales, Australia, located on
the Hume Highway on the
northern side of the Murray River.
It is wholly within the boundaries
of the City of Albury local
government area. Albury has an
urban population of 45,627
people. It is separated from its
twin city in Victoria, Wodonga by
the Murray River. Together the
two cities form an urban area
with a population of more than
80,000. It is 462 kilometres
(287 mi) from the state capital
Sydney and 259.2 kilometres
(161.1 mi) from
the Victorian capital Melbourne.

City of Liverpool
• Liverpool is a suburb in south-
western Sydney, in the state
of New South Wales, Australia.
Liverpool is located 32 km south-
west of the Sydney central
business district, and is the
administrative centre of
the local government area of
the City of Liverpool. It was
identified in the New South
Wales Government's Sydney
Metropolitan Strategy as a
regional city, establishing it as a
major centre in Greater Western
Sydney.

Queanbeyan
• Queanbeyan is a regional centre in the Southern Tablelands in
south-eastern New South Wales adjacent to theAustralian Capital
Territory. The city's mixed economy is based on light construction,
high technology, manufacturing, service, retail and agriculture. It is
the council seat of the Queanbeyan City Council. In 2006,
Queanbeyan had a population of 34,084 people.
• Following the founding of Canberra, Australia's federal capital, just
15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west, Queanbeyan has become an integral
part of the capital city's economy. The word Queanbeyan is the
anglicised form of 'Quinbean' - an Aboriginal word meaning "clear
waters".

Aboriginal
people
When Sydney Cove was first settled by the
British, it is believed there were about 300,000
Aboriginal people in Australia and around 250
different languages, many as distinct from each
other as English is from Chinese. Tasmania alone
had eight languages, and tribes living on opposite
sides of present-day Sydney Harbour spoke
mutually unintelligible languages.
In such a society, based on family groups with an
egalitarian political structure, a coordinated
response to the European colonizers was not
possible. Despite the presence of the Aboriginal
people, the newly arrived Europeans considered
the new continent to be terra nullius - a land
belonging to no-one.
Conveniently, they saw no recognizable system of
government, no commerce or permanent
settlements and no evidence of landownership.
(Had there been such systems, and if the
Aboriginal people had offered coordinated
resistance, the English might have been forced to
legitimize their colonization by entering into a
treaty with the Aboriginal landowners, as
happened in New Zealand with the Treaty of
Waitangi.)

Many Aboriginal people were driven from their land by force, and many more succumbed to
exotic diseases such as smallpox, measles, venereal disease, influenza, whooping
cough, pneumonia and tuberculosis. Others voluntarily left their lands to travel to the fringes
of settled areas to obtain new commodities such as steel and cloth, and experience hitherto
unknown drugs such as tea, tobacco and alcohol.
The delicate balance between Aboriginal people and nature was broken, as the European
invaders cut down forests and introduced numerous feral and domestic animals - by 1860
there were 20 million sheep in Australia. Sheep and cattle destroyed water holes and ruined
the habitats which had for tens of thousands of years sustained mammals, reptiles and
vegetable foods. Many species of plants and animals disappeared altogether.
There was still considerable conflict between Aboriginal people and White settlers. Starving
Aboriginal people speared sheep and cattle and then suffered fierce reprisal raids which
often left many dead. For the first 100 years of 'settlement' very few Europeans were
prosecuted for killing Aboriginal people, although the practice was widespread.
In many parts of Australia, Aboriginal people defended their lands with desperate guerrilla
tactics. Warriors including Pemulwy, Yagan, Dundalli, Jandamarra (known to the Whites as
'Pigeon') and Nemarluk were feared by the colonists for a time, and some settlements had to
be abandoned. Until the 1850s, when Europeans had to rely on inaccurate and unreliable
flintlock rifles, Aboriginal people sometimes had the benefit of superior numbers, weapons
and tactics.

• However, with the introduction of
breach-loading repeater rifles in
the 1870s, armed resistance was
quickly crushed (although on
isolated occasions into the
1920s, Whites were still speared
in central and northern Australia).
Full-blood Aboriginal people in
Tasmania were wiped out almost
to the last individual, and
Aboriginal society in southern
Australia suffered terribly. Within
100 years of European settlement
all that was left of traditional
Aboriginal society consisted of
relatively small groups in central
and northern Australia.

European exploration
The first recorded European sighting of the South Australian coast was in 1627 when
the Dutch ship't Gulden Zeepaerdt (The Golden Seahorse), skippered by Franchois
Thijssen, examined the coastline. Thijssen named his discovery "Pieter Nuyts Land",
after the highest ranking individual on board.
In 1801-02 Matthew Flinders led the first circumnavigation of Australia aboard the
HMS Investigator, a Royal Navy survey ship. French Captain Nicolas Baudin was also
on a survey mission in 1802, independently charting the southern coast of the
Australian continent with the French naval ships the Géographe and the Naturaliste.
The British and French expeditions sighted each other, and despite France and
Britain being at war at the time, they met peacefully at Encounter Bay, on the
Fleurieu Peninsula.
Baudin referred to the land as "Terre Napoléon". On the same voyage, Baudin
named the Fleurieu Peninsula after Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu, a French
explorer and statesman. In 1802 Flinders named Mount Lofty but recorded little of
the area which is now Adelaide.
Charles Sturt led an expedition from New South Wales in 1829, which followed first
the Murrumbidgee River into a 'broad and noble river', which he named the Murray
River. His party then followed this river to its junction with the Darling River and
continued down river on to Lake Alexandrina, where the Murray meets the sea in
South Australia. Suffering greatly, the party had to then row back upstream
hundreds of kilometers for the return journey.

Establishing a colonyIn 1895 women in South Australia were among the first in the world to attain the vote and were the first to be
able to stand for parliament.
Copper was discovered near Kapunda in 1842. In 1845 even larger deposits of copper were discovered at Burra
which brought wealth to the Adelaide shopkeepers who invested in the mine. John Ridley invented a reaping
machine in 1843 which changed farming methods throughout South Australia and the nation at large. By 1843,
93 km² of land was growing wheat (compared to 0.08 km² in 1838). Toward the end of the century South
Australia would become known as the "granary of Australia".
Gold discoveries in Victoria in 1851 brought a severe labour shortage in Adelaide which was created by the
exodus of workers leaving to seek their fortunes on the goldfields. However, this also created high demand for
South Australian wheat. The situation improved when prospectors returned with their gold finds
During the 1850s over 5400 hard working Germans settled in South Australia many started off the wine
industry in the Barossa Valley and they opened the first Luthern church in Hahndorf.
South Australians were keen to establish trade links with Victoria and New South Wales, but overland
transport was too slow. A £4,000 prize was offered in 1850 by the South Australian government for the first
two people to navigate the River Murray in an iron steamboat as far as its junction with the Darling River. In
1853 William Randell of Mannum and Francis Cadell of Adelaide, unintentionally making the attempt at the
same time, raced each other to Swan Hill with Cadell coming in first.
By the mid 19th century, there was a strong desire for representative and responsible government in the
colonies of Australia. In 1840, the Adelaide City Council was established as the first city council in the
Australian colonies. The Australian Colonies Government Act [1850] was a landmark development which
granted representative constitutions to New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania and the
colonies enthusiastically set about writing constitutions which produced democratically progressive
parliaments with the British monarch as the symbolic head of state. In 1850 and elections for legislative
councils were held in the colonies of Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.
In 1855, limited self-government was granted by London to New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and
Tasmania. An innovative secret ballot was introduced in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia in 1856, in
which the government supplied voting paper containing the names of candidates and voters could select in
private. This system was adopted around the world, becoming known as the "Australian Ballot". 1855 also saw
the granting of the right to vote to all male British subjects 21 years or over in South Australia.

South Australia became a self-governing colony in 1856 with the ratification of a new constitution by the
British parliament. A bicameral parliament was elected on 9 March 1857, by which time 109,917 people
lived in the province.South Australia's 1856 constitution was among the most democratic in the world -
more so than the other Australian colonies, the United Kingdom and most European countries at that time.
It provided for: Adult male suffrage; Secret ballot voting; one man, one vote; no property qualifications for
Members of its House of Assembly and a relatively low property qualification for Members of its Legislative
Council.
In 1877, it became the first part of the British Empire to legalise Trade Unions and in 1891, four United Labor
Party candidates were elected to Parliament, becoming the first endorsed Labor members in Australia.
Further copper discoveries were made in 1859 at Wallaroo and in 1861 at Moonta.
South Australia was a haven for religious refugees leaving Europe over this period. German Lutherans
established the influential Hermmannsberg Mission in Central Australia in 1870. David Unaipon who was to
become a preacher and Australia's first Aboriginal author was born at Point McLeay Mission in South
Australia in 1872. The son of Australia's first Aboriginal pastor, he is today honoured on the Australian $50
note. Saint Mary Mackillop co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in rural South Australia in
1866. Dedicated to the education of the children of the poor, it was the first religious order to be founded by
an Australian. Mackillop established schools, orphanages and welfare institutions throughout the colonies.
She became the first Australian to be honoured by canonisation as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church in
2010.
During John McDouall Stuart's 1862 expedition to the north coast of Australia he discovered 200,000 km²
of grazing territory to the west of Lake Torrens and Lake Eyre. Stuart succeeded in traversing Central
Australia from south to north. His expedition mapped out the route which was later followed by the
Australian Overland Telegraph Line. South Australia was made responsible for the administration of the
Northern Territory. Which was previously under control by the New South Wales government.
Propertied women in the colony of South Australia were granted the vote in local elections (but not
parliamentary elections) in 1861. Women became eligible to vote for the Parliament of South Australia in
1895. This was the first legislation in the world permitting women also to stand for election to political office
and, in 1897, Catherine Helen Spence became the first female political candidate for political
office, unsuccessfully standing for election as a delegate to the Federal Convention on Australian Federation.
Western Australia granted voting rights to women in 1899. By the 1890s, several new factors were drawing
the Australian colonies towards political union and South Australians voted by referendum to join the
Commonwealth of Australia

The Education System in Australia

• The Education System in Australia consists of a
total of 12 years. Primary schools and high
schools are based on the age of the student, so
that every room has the same age group, with a
student hardly having to repeat a year. The
students with problems in their studies may be
put into special classes to help with academic
deficits. The majority of the children start in the
primary school with the age of 5 years (year 1)
and the child studies in the primary school until
they are around 12 years old ( year 7).

• Primary and Secondary Schools of Australia - There are many types of education for
children up to 5 years, but the main ones are the "Child Care" regulated centers or
families in registered residences who take care of the kids in a system called "Family Day
Care".
• High School - the student goes for secondary school with 12/13 years (year 8), and is
he/she is only compulsorily required to stay to year 10, receiving a junior high school
certificate but not a high school certificate. The year 11 (15/16 YO) and 12 (16/17 YO),
are optional but are required to be successfully completed to attain a high school
diploma. Some of the options for those students leaving the school in year 10 include
training –apprenticeship, to enter the work force or to study in any vocational course.
• Year 11 and 12 - The results of the last two years of high school are the most important
ones, as they are the ones to be evaluated for entry levels in Universities. The results
which you achieve for each subject (compared to the rest of the students) will then give
you a rank. The board of secondary studies than calculates an “OP” score (overall
position) using a formula of you high school results and a test called “QCS” (in
Queensland) which is taken by every year 12 in the state, which is used to compare
students (schools) of the same year level between schools. The last 2 years is where
students begin to guide their education towards their chosen professions. The student
will choose what to study depending on the career in which they intend to follow. For
example, a student who wants to do Engineering in University should chose subjects
such as physics, and high level mathematics instead of subjects such as history, or
biology. For international students there are options with easier level subjects inside the
curriculum. There is the easy level English, the easy mathematics etc, and they are the
options for the students not going to apply for a academic career in an university
course. In general the subjects are divided in letters such as Maths type A, B, C or names
such as Board English (harder one) and English Communication (easier one).

• The difference between private and public
schools in Australia - There are Private and Public
schools. Private Schools in general are related to a
religion and usually they offer more options in
music and sports. In both all students have to use
of uniforms but in the private schools the rules
are more restricted about the use of a complete
uniform. The educational courses and standards
of all high schools are very similar and all prepare
students for the same national, recognized
qualifications in the country. Some schools also
offer in the years 11 and 12 professional
qualifications level for Certificate 2 and 3.

• Universities in Australia - Australia has both government and private
Universities that offer to programs called "Under Graduate", and after
graduation courses called "Graduate Programs or Post Graduate". In general
the time of duration of the Graduate Certificates =6 months, Master=1
year, Master Honor=1.5 year, Doctorate= 2 years. However these degrees are
not measured by time but by subjects/ courses taken, therefore depending
on how may subjects/courses you are doing per semester, it may impact the
time it takes to complete them. Most of these post graduate courses
however, do have a time limit to complete.
• Educative credit in Universities (HECS)- For all Australian citizens, the
government provides a interest free loan called “HECS”, which only needs to
be paid once that person is earning above a certain level ($28,000 p.a). Once
that person earns above that threshold than the Government begins to
deduct a tax or percentile from their income. Therefore Australians do not
need to pay for their education until they are earning enough money. Post
Graduate courses have a similar finance.
• English Tests for Universities and Foundation - The test IELTS is the preferred
one for Australian institutions to measure the level of English of international
students in Australia, but the TOEFL (more popular in U.S.A.) is also accepted.
Many Universities offer English courses for foreigners, and also preparation
courses called foundations for successful enrolment in Universities. If an
English course in a University combined with a University course, it may allow
for an extended Visa(Combined VISA), covering all the time of study, without
the need to pay all in advanced.

Entertainment and media in
Australia
newspapers, magazines,radio
and television, information
agencies.

• Australian media has an extensive
history, which shows that it has played an
extensive and very significant role in
introducing the population of the world to
the media, a popular means of
entertainment. Australian media has been
a pioneer in the world regarding
introducing audiences to the
television, print media and the radio and
most recently, the Internet. Media in
Australia has a long history, hence, it is not
unusual to find television and radio sets in
all households within the Australian
community, even in the outback area. The
media is made accessible to the Australian
audience, especially through 2 major
broadcasting services within the
country, namely the Special Broadcasting
Service and the Australian Broadcasting
Corporation. Both these corporations are
well-known agencies, providing quality-
broadcasting services to the Australian
audience. These broadcasting agencies
mainly operate in the areas of
radio, Internet and the free-to-air television

• Like most other countries across the globe, Australian audiences had access to
only the press as the very first form of Australian media. Although, the press in
Australia had started its operations with just few national newspapers, today
its coverage includes nothing less than 12 national newspapers, 35 daily
newspapers in various regions and some 470 other gazettes published
periodically in various parts of Australia. Some of the most famous and widely
read of these Australian newspapers are The Australian, The Age, The
Australian Financial Review and The Sydney Morning Herald. Over its long
course, the Australian press today, has successfully satisfied Australian's
curiosity in all fields ranging from, politics, leisure, fashion and current affairs.
Apart from the regional and national editions, the Australian press also
publishes magazines that cater to almost 80000 readers across the country.
• Television was the second form of media that found its way into the Australian
homes. The first record of television, being watched as a popular means of
entertainment was in New South Wales and Victoria in the year 1956.
However, it was a little later in 1971, that the northern Australia found access
to television as a popular form of entertainment. Australian television is
governed by 3 major networks called Nine Network, Network Ten and Seven
Network. All 3 networks work in collaboration to provide television services in
the major cities of Australia, while smaller territories are served by either 2 or
1 of these Australian networks. Australian networks have been providing digital
television communication since 2001. Pay television is accessed by almost 25%
of the Australian community.

• Radio has become a part of the
Australian media since 1932,
when the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation had
first aired Talkback Radio in
Melbourne. Australian radio has
come a long way ever since, and
today almost 264 stations cater
to the Australian community. On
the administrative front,
Australian media is regulated by
the Australian Communications
and Media Authority, which is
the main governing body behind
the Australian radio and
television. The Broadcasting
Services Act of 1992, are the
new set of revised rules and
regulations that govern media
ownership rights in Australia

Some more interesting things
that you may not know about
Australia.

• 1. The black box flight recorder for
aircraft was invented in Australia in 1958
by the Aeronautical research
scientist David Warren.
• 2. The oldest newspaper in Australia is
the Sydney Morning Herald, published in
1831.
• 3. A resident of Sydney is called
Sydneysiders.
• 4. In 1926, New South Wales became the
first government in the world to pay
pensions to women.
• 5. Australia is the only continent without
an active volcano.
• 6. The largest Greek population in the
world beside Athens in Greece can be
found in Melbourne Victoria.
• 7. Over 200 different languages and
dialects are spoken in Australia including
45 Indigenous languages. The most
common non-English spoken languages
are
Italian, Greek, Cantonese, Arabic, Vietna
mese and Mandarin.

Nicole Kidman
• Nicole Mary Kidman, (born 20
June 1967) is an Australian
actress, singer and film
producer. Kidman's film career
began in 1983. She starred in
various Australian film and
television productions until her
breakthrough in the 1989
thriller Dead Calm. Following
several films over the early
1990s, she came to worldwide
recognition for her
performances in Days of
Thunder (1990), Far and
Away(1992), and Batman
Forever (1995). She followed
these with other successful
films in the late 1990s.

Hugh Jackman
• Hugh Jackman is an actor
famous for his acting roles
in films such as X-men,
Wolverine, Paperback Hero
and Australia, but also for
his musical talent, for
example in his role as Peter
Allen in the Broadway
Musical ‘The Boy from Oz’.
He is not only a major
Hollywood actor, his musical
skills are also astounding as
you will see in the video
below.

The Wiggles
• The Wiggles are the most famous
children’s singing group in
Australia in recent years. They
have become a world-wide
phenomenon, spawning many
new Wiggles groups all over the
world, who sing for children in
their local languages. The original
group included Anthony
Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page and
Jeff Fatt, with Anthony retiring for
health reasons in 2006.
With their friends Captain
Feathersword, Dorothy the
Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, and
Wags the Dog, they have become
part of most Australian families
over the last 20 years.

Australia

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