Australia Slightly smaller than the U.S. contiguous 48 states, Australia is the seventh largest country in the world by land area. The continent of Australia is the smallest continent in the world, including mainland Australia, its largest landmass, and surrounding islands. Australia is rich in natural resources including opal, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, uranium, diamonds, zinc, silver, and rare earth minerals. Minerals including iron ore and coal contribute its largest share of exports. 112,113 The country's earliest occupants, the Aboriginal people, now constitute less than 3 percent of its nearly 25.69 million population. The population is ethnically very diverse: 36 percent are English, just over 33 percent are Australian, 11 percent are Irish, about 9 percent are Scottish, and the rest are mostly Chinese, Italian, German, Greek, and Dutch. Linguistically, the country is equally diverse. Over 72 percent of the population speaks English, but other languages, including Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, and Greek. are also used. By religion, the population is predominantly Christian: approximately 23 percent are Protestant, 23 percent are Roman Catholic, and over 4 percent represent other Christians. A third of the population does not identify with any religion. With a median age of approximately 37 years, the largest demographic is the 25-to-54-year-old group, accounting for over 40 percent of the population. The net migration rate ranks 11 th in the world. 114,115 The government of Australia has been a federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, and a Commonwealth realm since the country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1901. The Prime Minister is the head of the government, and the Queen is the chief of the state. The country follows the common law system similar to the United Kingdom. It is an open market and a member of many bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. 116 Australia's economy has had a remarkable run propelled by natural resources and mining booms, open trade, immigration, and a skilled workforce. Going for nearly three decades without a recession, and even avoiding a recession during the 2008 global financial crisis that impacted most other major economies, Australia slipped into its first recession since 1991 in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. At US\$1.36 trillion, the country's GDP fell by nearly -2.4 percent in 2020 , a greater decline than during the 1991 recession. 11 7,118 You Be the International Management Consultant Two of the biggest mining giants operating in Australia are BHP Group, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, and Rio Tinto Group, headquartered in London, in the United Kingdom. In recent years, both firms have faced criticism over their destruction of sacred Aboriginal sites. Jakob Stausholm, a Danish businessman, took over as the CEO of Rio Tinto in January 2021 following the resignation of Jean-Sbastien Jacques because of the fir.

1. Australia Slightly smaller than the U.S. contiguous 48 states, Australia is the seventh largest
country in the world by land area. The continent of Australia is the smallest continent in the
world, including mainland Australia, its largest landmass, and surrounding islands. Australia is
rich in natural resources including opal, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, uranium, diamonds, zinc,
silver, and rare earth minerals. Minerals including iron ore and coal contribute its largest share of
exports. 112,113 The country's earliest occupants, the Aboriginal people, now constitute less
than 3 percent of its nearly 25.69 million population. The population is ethnically very diverse:
36 percent are English, just over 33 percent are Australian, 11 percent are Irish, about 9 percent
are Scottish, and the rest are mostly Chinese, Italian, German, Greek, and Dutch. Linguistically,
the country is equally diverse. Over 72 percent of the population speaks English, but other
languages, including Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, and Greek. are also
used. By religion, the population is predominantly Christian: approximately 23 percent are
Protestant, 23 percent are Roman Catholic, and over 4 percent represent other Christians. A third
of the population does not identify with any religion. With a median age of approximately 37
years, the largest demographic is the 25-to-54-year-old group, accounting for over 40 percent of
the population. The net migration rate ranks 11 th in the world. 114,115 The government of
Australia has been a federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, and a
Commonwealth realm since the country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1901.
The Prime Minister is the head of the government, and the Queen is the chief of the state. The
country follows the common law system similar to the United Kingdom. It is an open market and
a member of many bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. 116 Australia's economy has had
a remarkable run propelled by natural resources and mining booms, open trade, immigration, and
a skilled workforce. Going for nearly three decades without a recession, and even avoiding a
recession during the 2008 global financial crisis that impacted most other major economies,
Australia slipped into its first recession since 1991 in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic. At US$1.36 trillion, the country's GDP fell by nearly -2.4 percent in 2020 , a greater
decline than during the 1991 recession. 11 7,118 You Be the International Management
Consultant Two of the biggest mining giants operating in Australia are BHP Group,
headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, and Rio Tinto Group, headquartered in London, in the
United Kingdom. In recent years, both firms have faced criticism over their destruction of sacred
Aboriginal sites. Jakob Stausholm, a Danish businessman, took over as the CEO of Rio Tinto in
January 2021 following the resignation of Jean-Sbastien Jacques because of the firm's
controversial destruction of Juukan Gorge, a 46,000-year-old Aboriginal heritage and mining
site. After public protests in 2020, BHP Group decided to halt its plans to destroy 40 Aboriginal
sites in Pilbara as part of an expansion of its iron ore mine. 119 Workplace harassment and
bullying, rampant in the mining industry in Australia, have also plagued the two firms and added

2. to reputational costs. Under the leadership of Jakob Stausholm, Rio Tinto commissioned an
external investigation into its workplace culture. The report produced from the investigation
revealed that nearly half the firm's employees had experienced bullying over the past five years,
including sexual harassment, assault, rape, and racism. Fearing for their jobs, many employees
had not been willing to speak out. As corporate leadership, as well as investors, had turned a
blind eye, many of the harassing behaviors had become common practice, and many perpetrators
had been promoted for their work achievements. 120,121 Questions 1. What is the responsibility
of companies in protecting the environment in industries such as mining and oil and natural gas?
2. What should Rio Tinto and BHP do to offer a more equitable and fun workplace to the
employees? 3. What could a country like Australia that is heavily reliant on natural resources do
to grow its economy in a more sustainable manner?