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NSW Parliament

NSW Parliament

The Parliaments of the Australian states and territories are legislative bodies within the federal framework of the Commonwealth of Australia. Before the formation of the Commonwealth in 1901, the six Australian colonies were self-governing, with parliaments which had come into existence by stages from 1825, when the New South Wales Legislative Council was created, to 1891, Western Australia became the last of the colonies to gain full self-government. By ratifying the Constitution of Australia, the colonies agreed to become States of the Commonwealth, and to cede certain of their legislative powers to the Commonwealth Parliament, but otherwise retained their self-governing status with their own parliaments. The legislative powers of the state parliaments cannot be altered except by altering the Constitution, which can only be done by the Australian people voting in a referendum. The Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory, by contrast, are territories of the Commonwealth, and their parliaments were created by way of legislation of the Commonwealth Parliament. Although the Commonwealth treats the territories as though they were states for many purposes, they are not states, and the legislative powers of their parliaments can be altered or even abolished by the Commonwealth Parliament. All of the States except Queensland have bicameral parliaments, with a lower and upper house. The two Territories' parliaments are unicameral.

The Parliament of New South Wales

The New South Wales Legislative Council is the oldest legislative body in Australia, having been created in 1825 as an appointed body to advise the Governor. Today it has 42 members serving eight-year terms and elected by proportional representation. The Legislative Assembly was created in 1856 when New South Wales attained self-government. Today it has 93 members elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies.

The Parliament of Queensland

Queensland's Legislative Assembly was created in 1859 when the then colony attained self-government. The Legislative Council was abolished in 1922. Today it has 89 members elected for three-year terms from single-member constituencies.

The Parliament of South Australia

South Australia's Legislative Council was created in 1840 as an appointive body. Today it has 22 members, elected for eight-year terms by proportional representation. The House of Assembly was created in 1857 when South Australia attained self-government. Today it has 47 members, elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies.

The Parliament of Tasmania

Tasmania's Legislative Council was created in 1825 as an appointed body. (Tasmania was then called Van Diemen's Land.) Today it has 15 members, elected for six-year terms from single-member constituencies. The House of Assembly was created in 1856 when Tasmania attained self-government. Today has 25 members, elected for four-year terms from multi-member constituencies by the Hare-Clark system of proportional representation.

The Parliament of Victoria

Victoria's Legislative Council was created in 1851. Today it has 44 members serving eight year terms and elected from single-member constituencies. The Legislative Assembly was created in 1855 when Victoria attained self-government. Today it has 88 members elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies.

The Parliament of Western Australia

Western Australia's Legislative Council was created in 1832 as an appointive body. Today it has 34 members elected for four-year terms from multi-member constituencies by proportional representation. The Legislative Assembly was created in 1891 when Western Australia attained self-government. Today it has 57 members, elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies.

The Parliament of the Australian Capital Territory

The Australian Capital Territory's Legislative Assembly was created by an act of the Commonwealth Parliament in 1989. It has 17 members, elected for four-year terms from multi-member constituencies by the Hare-Clark system of proportional representation.

The Parliament of the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory's Legislative Assembly was created by an act of the Commonwealth Parliament in 1974. An earlier advisory body, the Northern Territory Legislative Council, existed from 1947 to 1974. The Assembly has 25 members, elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies.

External links


- [http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au The New South Wales Parliament]
- [http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au The Queensland Parliament]
- [http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au The South Australian Parliament]
- [http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au The Tasmanian Parliament]
- [http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au The Victorian Parliament]
- [http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au The Western Australian Parliament]
- [http://www.legassembly.act.gov.au The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly]
- [http://www.nt.gov.au/lant The Northern Territory Legislative Assembly] Category:Australian parliaments Category:Politics of Australia

Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the world's smallest continent and a number of islands in the Southern, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Australia's neighbouring countries are Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the northeast, and New Zealand to the southeast. The continent of Australia has been inhabited for over 40,000 years by Indigenous Australians. After sporadic visits by fishermen from the north and by European explorers and merchants starting in the 17th century, the eastern half of the continent was claimed by the British in 1770 and officially settled as the penal colony of New South Wales on 26 January 1788. As the population grew and new areas were explored, another five largely self-governing Crown Colonies were successively established over the course of the 19th century. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and remains a Commonwealth Realm. The current population of around 20.4 million is concentrated mainly in the large coastal cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Origin and history of the name

The name Australia is derived from the Latin australis, meaning southern. Legends of an "unknown southern land" (terra australis incognita) date back to the Roman times and were commonplace in mediæval geography, but they were not based on any actual knowledge of the continent. The Dutch adjectival form Australische ("Australian," in the sense of "southern") was used by Dutch officials in Batavia to refer to the newly discovered land to the south as early as 1638. The first English language writer to use the word "Australia" was Alexander Dalrymple in An Historical Collection of Voyages and Discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean, published in 1771. He used the term to refer to the entire South Pacific region, not specifically to the Australian continent. In 1793, George Shaw and Sir James Smith published Zoology and Botany of New Holland, in which they wrote of "the vast island, or rather continent, of Australia, Australasia or New Holland." New Holland was established on this site.]] The name "Australia" was popularised by the 1814 work A Voyage to Terra Australis by the navigator Matthew Flinders. Despite its title, which reflected the view of the Admiralty, Flinders used the word "Australia" in the book, which was widely read and gave the term general currency. Governor Lachlan Macquarie of New South Wales subsequently used the word in his dispatches to England. In 1817 he recommended that it be officially adopted. In 1824, the British Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known officially as Australia.

History

England, claiming the land for Britain in 1770. This replica was built in Fremantle in 1988 for Australia's bicentenary.]] The first human habitation of Australia is estimated to have occurred between 42,000 and 48,000 years ago. The first Australians were the ancestors of the current Indigenous Australians; they arrived via land bridges and short sea-crossings from present-day India or Southeast Asia. Most of these people were hunter-gatherers, with a complex oral culture and spiritual values based on reverence for the land and a belief in the Dreamtime. The Torres Strait Islanders, ethnically Melanesian, inhabited the Torres Strait Islands and parts of far-north Queensland; they possess distinct cultural practices and practised subsistence agriculture. The first undisputed recorded European sighting of the Australian continent was made by the Dutch navigator Willem Jansz, who sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in 1606. During the 17th century, the Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines of what they called New Holland, but made no attempt at settlement. In 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast of Australia, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Britain. The expedition's discoveries provided impetus for the establishment of a penal colony there following the loss of the American colonies that had previously filled that role. penal colony was Australia's largest penal colony.]] The British Crown Colony of New South Wales started with the establishment of a settlement at Port Jackson by Captain Arthur Phillip on 26 January 1788. This date was later to become Australia's national day, Australia Day. Van Diemen's Land, now known as Tasmania, was settled in 1803 and became a separate colony in 1825. Britain formally claimed the western part of Australia in 1829. Separate colonies were created from parts of New South Wales: South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851, and Queensland in 1859. The Northern Territory (NT) was founded in 1863 as part of the Province of South Australia. Victoria and South Australia were founded as "free colonies"—that is, they were never penal colonies, although the former did receive some convicts from Tasmania. Western Australia was also founded "free", but later accepted transported convicts due to an acute labour shortage. The transportation of convicts to Australia was phased out between 1840 and 1868. The Indigenous Australian population, estimated at about 350,000 at the time of European settlement, declined steeply for 150 years following settlement, mainly because of infectious disease, and forced migration, the removal of children and other colonial government policies, that some historians and Indigenous Australians have argued could be considered to constitute genocide by today's understanding. Such interpretations of Aboriginal history are disputed by some as being exaggerated or fabricated for political or ideological reasons. Following the 1967 referendum, the Federal government gained the power to implement policies and make laws with respect to Aborigines. Traditional ownership of land—native title—was not recognised until the High Court case Mabo v Queensland (No 2) overturned the notion of Australia as terra nullius at the time of European occupation. terra nullius ceremony in Port Melbourne, Victoria, 25 April 2005. Ceremonies such as this are held in virtually every suburb and town in Australia.]] A gold rush began in Australia in the early 1850s, and the Eureka Stockade rebellion in 1854 was an early expression of nationalist sentiment. Between 1855 and 1890, the six colonies individually gained responsible government, 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, defence and international shipping. On 1 January 1901, federation of the colonies was achieved after a decade of planning, consultation and voting, and the Commonwealth of Australia was born, as a Dominion of the British Empire. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was formed from New South Wales in 1911 to provide a location for the proposed new federal capital of Canberra (Melbourne was the capital from 1901 to 1927). The Northern Territory was transferred from the control of the South Australian government to the Commonwealth in 1911. Australia willingly participated in World War I; many Australians regard the defeat of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) at Gallipoli as the birth of the nation—its first major military action. Much like Gallipoli the Kokoda Track Campaign is regarded by many as a nation defining battle from World War II. The Statute of Westminster 1931 formally ended most of the constitutional links between Australia and Britain, but Australia did not adopt the Statute until 1942. The shock of Britain's defeat in Asia in 1942 and the threat of Japanese invasion caused Australia to turn to the United States as a new ally and protector. Since 1951, Australia has been a formal military ally of the US under the auspices of the ANZUS treaty. After World War II, Australia encouraged mass immigration from Europe; since the 1970s and the abolition of the White Australia policy, immigration from Asia and other parts of the world was also encouraged. As a result, Australia's demography, culture and image of itself were radically transformed. The final constitutional ties between Australia and Britain ended in 1986 with the passing of the Australia Act 1986, ending any British role in the Australian States, and ending judicial appeals to the UK Privy Council. Although Australian voters rejected a move to become a republic in 1999 by a 55% majority, Australia's links to its British past are increasingly tenuous. Since the election of the Whitlam Government in 1972, there has been an increasing focus on the nation's future as a part of the Asia-Pacific region.

Politics

Whitlam Government was opened in 1988 replacing the provisional Parliament House building opened in 1927.]] The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy and has a parliamentary system of government. Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Australia, a role that is distinct from her position as Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The Queen is nominally represented by the Governor-General; although the Constitution gives extensive executive powers to the Governor-General, these are normally exercised only on the advice of the Prime Minister. The most notable exercise of the Governor-General's reserve powers outside the Prime Minister's direction was the dismissal of the Whitlam Government in the constitutional crisis of 1975. There are three branches of government.
- The legislature: the Commonwealth Parliament, comprising the Queen, the Senate (the Red house), and the House of Representatives (the Green house); the Queen is represented by the Governor-General, who in practice exercises little or no power over the Parliament.
- The executive: the Federal Executive Council (the Governor-General as advised by the executive councillors); in practice, the councillors are the prime minister and ministers of state, whose advice the Governor-General accepts, with rare exceptions.
- The judiciary: the High Court of Australia and other federal courts. The State courts became formally independent from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council when the Australia Act was passed in 1986. The bicameral Commonwealth Parliament consists of the Queen, the Senate (the upper house) of 76 senators, and a House of Representatives (the lower house) of 150 members. Members of the lower house are elected from single-member constituencies, commonly known as 'electorates' or 'seats'. Seats in the House of Representatives are allocated to states on the basis of population. In the Senate, each state, regardless of population, is represented by 12 senators, with the ACT and the NT each electing two. Elections for both chambers are held every three years; typically only half of the Senate seats are put to each election, because senators have overlapping six-year terms. The party with majority support in the House of Representatives forms Government, with its leader becoming Prime Minister. There are three major political parties: the Labor Party, the Liberal Party and the National Party. Independent members and several minor parties—including the Greens, Family First and the Australian Democrats—have achieved representation in Australian parliaments, mostly in upper houses, although their influence has been marginal. Since the 1996 election, the Liberal/National Coalition led by the Prime Minister, John Howard, has been in power in Canberra. In the 2004 election, the Coalition won control of the Senate, the first time that a party (or coalition of governing parties) has done so while in government in more than 20 years. The Labor Party is in power in every state and territory. Voting is compulsory in each state and territory and at the federal level.

States and territories

Voting is compulsory Australia consists of six states, two major mainland territories, and other minor territories. The states are New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The two major mainland territories are the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. In most respects, the territories function similarly to the states, but the Commonwealth Parliament can override any legislation of their parliaments. By contrast, federal legislation overrides state legislation only with respect to certain areas as set out in Section 51 of the Constitution; all residual legislative powers are retained by the state parliaments, including powers over hospitals, education, police, the judiciary, roads, public transport and local government. Each state and territory has its own legislature (unicameral in the case of the Northern Territory, the ACT and Queensland, and bicameral in the remaining states). The lower house is known as the Legislative Assembly (House of Assembly in South Australia and Tasmania) and the upper house the Legislative Council. The heads of the governments in each state and territory are called premiers and chief ministers, respectively. The Queen is represented in each state by a governor; an administrator in the Northern Territory, and the Governor-General in the ACT, have analogous roles. Australia also has several minor territories; the federal government administers a separate area within New South Wales, the Jervis Bay Territory, as a naval base and sea port for the national capital. In addition Australia has the following, inhabited, external territories: Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and several largely uninhabited external territories: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands and the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Foreign relations and military

Over recent decades, Australia's foreign relations have been driven by a close association with the United States, through the ANZUS pact and by a desire to develop relationships with Asia and the Pacific, particularly through ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum. In 2005 Australia secured an inaugural seat at the East Asia Summit following its accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, in which the Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings provide the main forum for co-operation. Much of Australia's diplomatic energy is focused on international trade liberalisation. Australia led the formation of the Cairns Group and APEC, and is a member of the OECD and the WTO. Australia has pursued several major bilateral free trade agreements, most recently the US–Australia Free Trade Agreement. Australia is a founding member of the United Nations, and maintains an international aid program under which some 60 countries receive assistance. The 2005–06 budget provides A$2.5bn for development assistance; as a percentage of GDP, this contribution is less than that of the UN Millennium Development Goals. Australia's armed forces—the Australian Defence Force (ADF)—comprise the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Australian Army, and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). All branches of the ADF have been involved in UN and regional peacekeeping (most recently in East Timor, the Solomon Islands and Sudan), disaster relief, and armed conflict, including the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. The government appoints the chief of the Defence Force from one of the armed services; the current chief is Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston. In 2005–06, the defence budget is A$17.5bn.

Geography and climate

Angus Houston Australia's 7,686,850 km² (2,967,909 mi²) landmass is on the Indo-Australian Plate. Surrounded by the Indian, Southern and Pacific oceans, Australia is separated from Asia by the Arafura and Timor seas. Australia has a total 25,760 km (16,007 mi) of coastline and claims an extensive Exclusive Economic Zone of 8,148,250 km² or 3,146,057 mi² (excluding the Australian Antarctic Territory). Climate is highly influenced by ocean currents, including the El Niño southern oscillation, which is correlated with periodic drought, and the seasonal tropical low pressure system that produces cyclones in northern Australia. By far the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid. Australia is the driest inhabited continent, the flattest, and has the oldest and least fertile soils. Only the south-east and south-west corners of the continent have a temperate climate. The northern part of the country, with a tropical climate, has a vegetation consisting of rainforest, woodland, grassland and desert. The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef, lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 2,000 km (1,250 mi). The world's two largest monoliths are located in Australia, Mount Augustus in Western Australia is the largest and Uluru in central Australia is the second largest. At 2,228 m (7,310 ft), Mount Kosciuszko on the Great Dividing Range is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland, although Mawson Peak on the remote Australian territory of Heard Island is taller at 2,745 m (9,006 ft).

Flora and fauna

Heard Island of the wallaby is currently being sequenced; when the sequencing is completed, it will be a major contribution to marsupial biology.]] Although most of Australia is semi-arid or desert, it covers a diverse range of habitats, from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests. Because of the great age and consequent low levels of fertility of the continent, its extremely variable weather patterns, and its long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia's biota is unique and diverse. About 85% of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, more than 45% of birds, and 89% of in-shore, temperate-zone fish are endemic. Many of Australia's ecoregions, and the species within those regions, are threatened by human activities and introduced plant and animal species. The federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is a legal framework used for the protection of threatened species. Numerous protected areas have been created to protect and preserve Australia's unique ecosystems, 64 wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention, and 16 World Heritage Sites have been established. Australia was ranked 13th in the World on the 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index. Environmental Sustainability Index.]] Most Australian plant species are evergreen and many are adapted to fire and drought, including the eucalypts and acacias. Australia has a rich variety of endemic legume species that thrive in nutrient-poor soils because of their symbiosis with Rhizobia bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi. Well-known Australian fauna include monotremes (the platypus and echidna), and a host of marsupials, including the koala, kangaroo, wombat, and birds such as the emu, cockatoo, and kookaburra. The dingo was introduced by Austronesian people that traded with Indigenous Australians around 4000 BCE. Many plant and animal species became extinct soon after human settlement, including the Australian megafauna; many more have become extinct since European settlement, among them the Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger).

Economy

Thylacine Australia has a prosperous, Western-style mixed economy, with a per capita GDP slightly higher than those of the UK, Germany and France. The country was ranked third in the United Nations' 2005 Human Development Index and sixth in The Economist worldwide quality-of-life index 2005. In recent years, the Australian economy has been resilient in the face of global economic downturn. Rising output in the domestic economy has been offsetting the global slump, and business and consumer confidence remains robust. Australia's emphasis on reform is another key factor behind the economy's strength. In the 1980s, the Labor Party, led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer Paul Keating, started the process of modernising the Australian economy by floating the Australian dollar in 1983, and deregulating the financial system. Since 1996, the Howard government has continued the process of micro-economic reform, including the partial deregulation of the labour market and the privatisation of state-owned businesses, most notably in the telecommunications industry. Substantial reform of the indirect tax system was achieved in July 2000 with the introduction of a 10% Goods and Services Tax, which has slightly reduced the heavy reliance on personal and company income tax that still characterises Australia's tax system. The Australian economy has not suffered a recession since the early 1990s. As of July 2005, unemployment was 5.0% with 10,030,300 persons employed. The service sector of the economy, including tourism, education, and financial services, comprises 69% of GDP. Agriculture and natural-resources represent only 3% and 5% of GDP, respectively, but contribute substantially to Australia's export performance. Australia's largest export markets include Japan, China, the United States, South Korea and New Zealand. Areas of concern to some economists include the chronically high current account deficit and also high levels of net foreign debt.

Demographics

current account deficit Most of the estimated 20.4 million Australians are descended from 19th- and 20th-century immigrants, the majority from Britain and Ireland. Australia's population has quadrupled since the end of World War I , spurred by an ambitious immigration program. In 2001, the five largest groups of the 27.4% of Australians who were born overseas were from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Italy, Vietnam and China. Following the abolition of the White Australia policy, numerous government initiatives have been established to encourage and promote racial harmony based on a policy of multiculturalism. Australia’s population has increased by about 60 times since European settlement. The self-declared indigenous population—including Torres Strait Islanders, who are of Melanesian descent—was 410,003 (2.2% of the total population) in 2001, a significant increase from the 1977 census, which showed an indigenous population of 115,953. Indigenous Australians have higher rates of imprisonment and unemployment, lower levels of education and life expectancies for males and females that are 17 years lower than those of other Australians. Perceived racial inequality is an ongoing political and human rights issue for Australians. human rights.]] 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. A large number of Australians (759,849 for the period 2002–03) live outside their home country. Australia has maintained one of the most active immigration programs in the world to boost population growth. Most immigrants are skilled; the quota includes categories for family members and refugees. English is the official language, and is spoken and written in a distinct variety known as Australian English. According to the 2001 census, English is the only language spoken in the home for around 80% of the population. The next most common languages spoken at home are Chinese (2.1%), Italian (1.9%) and Greek (1.4%). A considerable proportion of first- and second-generation migrants are bilingual. It is believed that there were between 200 and 300 Australian Aboriginal languages at the time of first European contact. Only about 70 of these languages have survived, and all but 20 of these are now endangered. An indigenous language remains the main language for about 50,000 (0.02%) people. Australia has a sign language known as Auslan, which is the main language of about 6,500 deaf people. The Australian Constitution guarantees the separation of church and state; there is no state religion. The 2001 census identified that 68% of Australians call themselves Christian: 27% identifying themselves as Roman Catholic and 21% as Anglican. Five per cent of Australians identify themselves as followers of non-Christian religions, and 26% as non-religious. Like many Western countries, the level of active participation in church worship is much lower than this; weekly attendance at church services is about 1.5 million, about 7.5% of the population. School attendance is compulsory throughout Australia between the ages of 6–15 years (16 years in South Australia and Tasmania), contributing to an adult literacy rate that is assumed to be 99%. Government grants have supported the establishment of Australia's 38 universities, and although several private universities have been established, the majority receive government funding. There is a state-based system of vocational training colleges, known as TAFE Institutes, and many trades conduct apprenticeships for training new tradespeople. Approximately 58% of Australians between the ages of 25 and 64 have vocational or tertiary qualifications.

Culture

apprenticeship.]] The primary basis of Australian culture up until the mid-20th century was Anglo-Celtic, although distinctive Australian features had been evolving from the environment and indigenous culture. Over the past 50 years, Australian culture has been strongly influenced by American popular culture (particularly television and cinema), large-scale immigration from non-English-speaking countries, and Australia's Asian neighbours. Australia has a long history of visual arts, starting with the cave and bark paintings of its indigenous peoples. From the time of European settlement, a common theme in Australian art has been the Australian landscape, seen in the works of Arthur Streeton, Arthur Boyd and Albert Namatjira, among others. The traditions of indigenous Australians are largely transmitted orally and are closely tied to ceremony and the telling of the stories of the Dreamtime. Australian Aboriginal music, dance and art have a palpable influence on contemporary Australian visual and performing arts. Australia has an active tradition of music, ballet and theatre; many of its performing arts companies receive public funding through the federal government's Australia Council. There is a symphony orchestra in each capital city, and a national opera company, Opera Australia, first made prominent by the renowned diva Dame Joan Sutherland; Australian music includes classical, jazz, and many popular music genres. Australian literature has also been influenced by the landscape; the works of writers such as Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson captured the experience of the Australian bush. The character of colonial Australia, as embodied in early literature, resonates with modern Australia and its perceived emphasis on egalitarianism, mateship, and anti-authoritarianism. In 1973, Patrick White was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the only Australian to have achieved this; he is recognised as one of the great English-language writers of the 20th century. Australian English is a major variety of the language; its grammar and spelling are largely based on those of British English, overlaid with a rich vernacular of unique lexical items and phrases, some of which have found their way into standard English. Australia has two public broadcasters (the ABC and SBS), three commercial television networks, three pay TV services, and numerous public, non-profit television and radio stations. Australia's film industry has achieved critical and commercial successes. Each major city has daily newspapers, and there are two national daily newspapers, The Australian and The Australian Financial Review. According to Reporters Without Borders in 2005, Australia is in 31st position on a list of countries ranked by press freedom, behind New Zealand (9th) and the United Kingdom (28th) but ahead of the United States. This ranking is primarily due to the limited diversity of commercial media ownership in Australia. Most Australian print media in particular is under the control of either News Corporation or John Fairfax Holdings. John Fairfax Holdings Sport is an important part of Australian culture, assisted by a climate that favours outdoor activities; 23.5% Australians over the age of 15 regularly participate in organised sporting activities. At an international level, Australia has particularly strong teams in cricket, field hockey, netball, rugby league, rugby union, and performs well in cycling and swimming. Australia has participated in every summer Olympic Games of the modern era, and every Commonwealth Games. Australia has hosted the 1956 and 2000 Summer Olympics, and has ranked among the top five medal-takers since 2000. It has also hosted the 1938, 1962 and 1982 Commonwealth Games, and will host the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Australian rules football is one of the most popular national sports, albeit it, one that is only played in Australia; players gain some international prominence through International Rules which is an annual meeting between the Australian code and Irish Gaelic Football. Corporate and government sponsorship of many sports and élite athletes is common in Australia. Televised sport is popular; some of the highest rating television programs include the summer Olympic Games and the grand finals of local and international football competitions.

Related topics

References

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External links


- [http://wikitravel.org/en/Australia Wikitravel guide to Australia]
- [http://www.gov.au/ Australian Government Entry Portal]
- [http://www.australia.gov.au/ Commonwealth Government Online]
- [http://www.immi.gov.au/ Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA)]
- [http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/australia/index.html DFAT: Country Information]
- [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-27.000000,133.000000&spn=38.871300,61.703613&t=h&hl=en Satellite images of Australia] (Google Maps)
- [http://www.nla.gov.au/ National Library of Australia]
- [http://www.nma.gov.au/ National Museum of Australia]
- [http://www.australia.com/ Official Australia Tourism Website]
- [http://www.bom.gov.au/ Bureau of Meteorology]
- [http://www.m2006.com.au/ Official website of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games] A Category:Continents Category:Island nations Category:Members of the Commonwealth of Nations Category:Monarchies Category:Oceanic countries zh-min-nan:Ò-tāi-lī-a ko:오스트레일리아 ms:Australia ja:オーストラリア simple:Australia th:ประเทศออสเตรเลีย

1825

See also 1825 in the United States. 1825 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar).

Events


- January 4 - King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies dies and is succeeded by his son Francis I of the Two Sicilies.
- February 12 - The Creek cede the last of their lands in Georgia to the United States government, and migrate west
- March 4 - John Quincy Adams officially succeeds James Monroe as President of the United States.
- May 11 - American Tract Society, is founded.
- July 6 - The Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderborg-Beck gains possession of Glücksburg and changes his title to Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. The line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg later became the Royal House of Greece, Denmark and Norway.
- July 30 - Malden Island discovered.
- August 6 - Bolivia gains independence from Peru as a republic with the instigation of Simón Bolívar
- August 25 - Uruguay declares independence from Brazil (See Uruguay's independence)
- September 27 - The world's first modern railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway opens in England.
- October 26 - The Erie Canal opens - passage from Albany, New York to Lake Erie
- December 1 - Alexander I of Russia dies and is succeeded by his younger brother Nicholas I of Russia.
- Decembrist Revolt in Russia.
- The first horse-drawn omnibuses established in London
- First roller skates
- Aluminium discovered
- City of Brisbane founded - see History of Brisbane

Births


- January 25 - George Pickett, American Confederate general (d. 1876)
- March 22 - Jane Sym, First Lady of Canada (d. 1893)
- May 4 - Sir Thomas Henry Huxley, English biologist (d. 1895)
- May 8 - George Bruce Malleson, English officer and author (d. 1898)
- September 11 - Eduard Hanslick, Austrian music critic (d. 1904)
- September 25 - Joachim Heer, Swiss politician (d. 1879)
- October 10 - Paul Kruger, Boer resistance leader (d. July 14 1904)
- October 25 - Johann Strauss, Junior, Austrian composer (d. 1899)
- November 9 - A.P. Hill, American Confederate general (d. 1865)
- December 2 - Emperor Peter II of Brazil (d. 1891)

Month/day unknown


- Carolyn Merrick, American temperance movement leader (d. 1908)

Deaths


- January 4 - Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (b. 1751)
- May 7 - Antonio Salieri, Italian composer (b. 1750)
- May 19 - Claude Henri de Rouvroy, Comte de Saint-Simon, French politician (b. 1760)
- May 22 - Laskarina Bouboulina, Greek independence fighter (shot)
- May 23 - Ras Gugsa of Yejju, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia
- August 20 - William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock, Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1753)
- November 14 - Jean Paul, German writer (b. 1763)
- December 1 - Alexander I of Russia (b. 1777)
- December 28 - James Wilkinson, American soldier and statesman
- December 29 - Jacques-Louis David, French painter (b. 1748) Category:1825 ko:1825년 ms:1825

New South Wales

New South Wales (NSW) is Australia's most populous and oldest state, located in the south-east, north of Victoria and south of Queensland. It was founded in 1788 and originally comprised much of the Australian mainland. During the 19th century large areas were successively separated to form the British colonies of Tasmania (1825), Victoria (1851), Queensland (1859), and South Australia (which at that time included what is now the Northern Territory). In 1901 these colonies plus Western Australia federated to form the "Commonwealth of Australia". New South Wales is known the world over for the picturesque harbour of its capital, Sydney. Sydney is Australia's oldest and largest city and a centre of international finance. Sydney was the host city of the 2000 Olympic Summer Games.

Timeline


- 1770: Captain James Cook discovers the east coast of New Holland, what later became known as New South Wales, Australia.
- 1788: Captain Arthur Phillip establishes a British penal colony in Port Jackson.
- 1813: William Wentworth, Gregory Blaxland and William Lawson, leads an expedition which finds a route across the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, opening up the grazing lands of inland New South Wales.

Geography

Main article: Geography of New South Wales Its four main cities from north to south are Newcastle, Gosford, Sydney, and Wollongong which all lie along the coast. Towns include Albury, Broken Hill, Dubbo, Tamworth, Armidale, Lismore, Nowra, Griffith, Leeton, Wagga Wagga, Goulburn and Coffs Harbour. The state is bordered on the north by Queensland, on the west by South Australia, and on the south by Victoria. Its coast faces the Tasman Sea. New South Wales contains two Federal enclaves: the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and the Jervis Bay Territory. New South Wales can be divided physically into four sections:
- A thin coastal strip, with climates warming from cool temperate on the far south coast to subtropical near the Queensland border, including the regions south of Sydney such as the Illawarra , the Shoalhaven near Nowra, Newcastle and the Central Coast and the North Coast, North of The Hunter, as well as others.
- The mountainous areas of the Great Dividing Range and the high country surrounding them. Whilst not particularly steep, many peaks rise above 1000 m, with the highest Mount Kosciuszko at 2229 m (7308 ft). This includes the Southern Highlands, Central Tablelands and the New England regions.
- The agricultural plains that fill a significant portion of the state's area, with a much sparser population than the coast, includes The Riverina area around Wagga Wagga.
- The arid plains in the far north-west of the state, which are unsuitable for settlements of any notable size. Wagga Wagga

Government

Main article: Government of New South Wales Main article: Constitution of New South Wales The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution , which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then. Since 1901 New South Wales has been a state of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Australian Constitution regulates its relationship with the Commonwealth. Under the Australian Constitution, New South Wales ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas. The New South Wales Constitution says: "The Legislature shall, subject to the provisions of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, have power to make laws for the peace, welfare, and good government of New South Wales in all cases whatsoever." In practice, however, the independence of the Australian states has been greatly eroded by the increasing financial domination of the Commonwealth. The State Parliament is composed of two houses, the Legislative Assembly (lower house), and the Legislative Council (upper house). The head of the State Government is the Premier, currently Morris Iemma.

Economy

New South Wales has a Gross Domestic Product of AU$265,966,000,000, which equalled AU$39,950 per capita, in 2003. This was equal to US$30,277, above the major European Union economies.

Another New South Wales

The Australian region was not the first piece of land to be called New South Wales. A map of North America printed in the 1780s gave the name New South Wales to a mostly unexplored area along the south shore of Hudson's Bay where the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario now lie.

External links


- [http://www.austlii.edu.au/databases.html#nsw NSW State Law]
- [http://www.nsw.gov.au Official state website]
- [http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au New South Wales Parliament]
- [http://www.police.nsw.gov.au New South Wales Police]
- [http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/mapproj/se.htm Map of South East Australia from Geoscience Australia]

See also


- Australian States and Territories
- Local Government Areas of New South Wales
- National Parks in New South Wales
- Stamps and postal history of New South Wales
- List of highways in New South Wales
- List of postcodes in New South Wales
- New South Wales Rural Fire Service
- Australian Bureau of Meteorology ko:뉴사우스웨일스 주 ja:ニューサウスウェールズ州

1891

1891 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar).

Events


- January 1 - Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany
- January 20 - James Hogg becomes the first native Texan to be governor of that state.
- January 29 - Liliuokalani proclaimed Queen of Hawaii
- March 3 - The International Copyright Act of 1891 was passed by the 51st Congress of the United States of America
- March 9 - 12 - Powerful storm off England's south coast; 14 ships sink
- March 14 - In New Orleans, lynch mob storms the Old Parish Prison and lynches eleven Italians arrested but found innocent for the murder of Police Chief David Hennessey.
- March 17 - The British steamship SS Utopia sinks off the coast of Gibraltar, killing 574.
- April 1 - The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago, Illinois.
- May 1 - Nine killed and thirty wounded when troops fire on workers' May Day demonstration in support of eight-hour workday in Fourmies, France.
- May 5 - The Music Hall in New York (now known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with maestro Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.
- May 20 - First public display of Thomas Alva Edison's prototype kinetoscope (shown at Edison's Laboratory for a convention of the National Federation of Women's Clubs).
- June 16 - John Abbott becomes Canada's third prime minister.
- June 21 - First long-distance transmission of Alternating current by the Ames power plant near Telluride, Colorado by Lucien and Paul Nunn.
- August 27 - France and Russia conclude defensive alliance.
- October 1 - In California, Stanford University opens its doors
- December 29 - Thomas Edison patents the radio
- Building of The Trans-Siberian Railroad begins (ends 1917)
- The Brahmin teacher and nationalist, Bal Bangadhar tilak, begins agitation for Indian home Rule
- Civil War in Chile
- Kicking Bear surrenders
- Earthquake in Japan kills 25.000
- Famine in Russia
- Maria Skłodowska enters Sorbonne University
- New Scotland Yard becomes the HQ of London Metropolitan Police
- Swiss Army Knife
- Eugene Dubois made first discovery of Homo erectus fossils in Dutch colony of Java.
- Winter - James Naismith invents Basketball
- The Tobacco Protest occurs in Iran
- Oba Ovonramwen seizes the throne of Benin
- Auckland University Students' Association founded

Births


- January 8 - Walther Bothe, German physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics (d. 1957)
- February 9 - Ronald Colman, English actor (d. 1958)
- February 11 - J.W. Hearne English cricketer (d. 1965).
- February 27 - David Sarnoff, Russian-born broadcasting pioneer (d. 1971)
- March 10 - Sam Jaffe, American actor (d. 1984)
- March 19 - Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1974)
- March 29 - Yvan Goll, French lyricist and dramatist (d. 1950)
- April 2 - Max Ernst, German painter (d. 1976)
- April 13 - Nella Larsen, American novelist (d. 1964)
- April 17 - George Adamski, Polish-born UFO traveler (d. 1965)
- April 23 - Sergei Prokofiev, Soviet composer (d. 1953)
- May 15 - Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian writer (d. 1940)
- May 16 - Richard Tauber, Austrian tenor (d. 1948)
- May 18 - Rudolf Carnap, German philosopher (d. 1970)
- May 19 - Oswald Boelcke, German World War I pilot (d. 1916)
- May 22 - Eddie Edwards, American jazz trombonist (d. 1963)
- May 23 - Pär Lagerkvist, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1974)
- May 24 - William F. Albright, American archeologist and Biblical scholar (d. 1971)
- June 9 - Cole Porter, American composer and songwriter (d. 1964)
- June 20 - John A. Costello, second President of Ireland (d. 1976)
- June 21 - Hermann Scherchen, German conductor (d. 1966)
- June 30 - Man Mountain Dean, American professional wrestler (d. 1953)
- July 5 - John Howard Northrop, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
- September 12 - Pedro Albizu Campos, advocate of Puerto Rican independence (d. 1965)
- September 14 - William F. Friedman, American cryptographer (d. 1969)
- September 16 - Karl Dönitz, President of Germany (d. 1980)
- September 26 - Charles Munch, French conductor and violinist (d. 1968)
- September 28 - Myrtle Gonzalez, American film and stage actress (d. 1918)
- October 12 - Fumimaro Konoe, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1945)
- October 20 - James Chadwick, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1974)
- October 24 - Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, dictator of the Dominican Republic (d. 1961)
- November 14 - Frederick Banting, Canadian physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1941)
- November 15 - Vincent Astor, American philanthropist (d. 1959)
- November 15 - Erwin Rommel, German field marshal (d. 1944)
- December 10 - Nelly Sachs, German writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
- December 26 - Henry Miller, American writer (d. 1980)

Deaths


- January 5 - Emma Abbott, American opera singer (b. 1849)
- January 16 - Léo Delibes, French composer (b. 1836)
- January 21 - Calixa Lavallée, Canadian composer (b. 1842)
- March 15 - Théodore de Banville, French writer (b. 1823)
- March 15 - Sir Joseph Bazalgette, English civil engineer (b. 1819)
- April 7 - P. T. Barnum, American showman (b. 1810)
- April 24 - Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Prussian field marshal (b. 1800)
- May 8 - Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Russian-born author and theosophist (b. 1831)
- July 4 - Hannibal Hamlin, Vice President of the United States (b. 1809)
- August 12 - James Russell Lowell, American poet and essayist (b. 1819)
- August 14 - Sarah Childress Polk, First Lady of the United States (b. 1803)
- September 11 - Antero de Quental, Portuguese poet (b. 1842)
- September 15 - Ivan Goncharov, Russian author (b. 1812)
- September 28 - Herman Melville, American novelist (b. 1819)
- October 6 - Charles Stewart Parnell, Irish nationalist leader (b. 1846)
- October 15 - Gilbert Arthur a Beckett, English writer (b. 1837)
- November 10 - Arthur Rimbaud, French poet (b. 1854)
- December 5 - Pedro II, Brazilian deposed emperor (b. 1826)

Fictional events of the year

Sherlock Holmes is believed to have died in the Reichenbach fall with the "Napoleon of crime", Professor James Moriarty. Category:1891 ko:1891년 simple:1891 th:พ.ศ. 2434

Western Australia

Western Australia is Australia's largest state in area, covering the western third of the mainland, and is bordered by South Australia and the Northern Territory. It is, after Yakutia in Russia, the second largest subnational entity in the world.

Geography

Western Australia consists of several extremely old cratons which merged (probably during the Neoproterozoic) to form the Australian Craton. Because the only mountain-building since then has been of the Stirling Range with the rifting from Antarctica, the land is extremely eroded and ancient, with no part of the State today above 1245 metres (at Mount Meharry in the Pilbara). Most parts of the State form a low plateau with an average elevation of about 400 metres (1200 feet), very low relief, and no surface runoff. This descends relatively sharply to the coastal plains, in some cases forming a sharp escarpment (as with the Darling Range/Darling Scarp near Perth). The extreme age of the landscape has meant that the soils are remarkably infertile and frequently laterised. Even soils derived from granitic bedrock contain an order of magnitude less available phosphorus and only half as much nitrogen as soils in comparable climates in other continents. Soils derived from extensive sandplains or ironstone are even less fertile, being even more devoid of soluble phosphate and also deficient in zinc, copper, molybdenum and sometimes potassium and calcium. The state capital is the city of Perth, which lies on the south-western coastline. Perth's metropolitan area had an estimated population of 1.433 million in 2003 which was almost three quarters of the state's population. The Perth metropolitan area has grown to include the port of Fremantle and the town of Rockingham. Other important or well-known centres include Mandurah (pop. 54,000), Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Albany, Geraldton, Port Hedland and Broome, but these are all relatively small cities or towns. The southwest coastal area is relatively temperate and forested. Annual rainfall varies from 300 millimetres (12 inches) at the edge of the wheatbelt to 1400 millimetres (55 inches) in the wettest areas near Northcliffe, but the months of November to March are generally very dry and plants must be adapted to this as well as the extreme poverty of all soils., The central four-fifths of the State is semi-arid or desert, and is lightly inhabited with the only significant activity being mining. Annual rainfall here averages about 200 to 250 millimetres (8 to 10 inches) but is very erratic because most of it is produced in torrential falls by cyclones that are often absent. An exception to this is the northern tropical regions. The Kimberley has an extremely hot monsoonal climate with average annual rainfall ranging from 500 to 1500 millimetres (20 to 60 inches), but there is a very long almost rainless season from April to November. Almost all (85 percent) of the State's runoff occurs in the Kimberley, but because it occurs in violent floods and the insurmountable poverty of the generally shallow soils, the only development has taken place along the Ord River with an ambitious scheme that has only recently begun to pay off. Western Australia does not have daylight saving, considering the major population centres in the south of the state experience very early sunrises in summer and early sunsets. This means that most outdoor activities, for which Western Australia is famous, wind down by about 8pm.

People

Although Western Australia has been occupied by the Aboriginal people for many thousands of years, the present state has its origins in the British settlement known as the Swan River Colony, founded at Perth in 1829 (although the first British settlement occurred in Albany in 1826). Since that time, many immigrants have continued to be of British origin, outnumbered only by arrivals from other Australian states. There has also been significant immigration from New Zealand and South Africa. Small numbers of Southeast Asian (especially ethnic Chinese) immigrants began to arrive in Western Australia in the mid 19th century. Western Australia was the last colony which accepted convicts, and the natives of Russia deported from England during the following years would arrive only there. Immigration restrictions (the White Australia Policy) caused non-white immigration to cease in the 1890s. Following World War II, immigration from Europe increased, especially from Italy, Yugoslavia, Russia, and Greece. In the 1970s, a new wave of Asian immigrants, mostly ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese began to arrive in Western Australia. Perth, in particular, paralleled the multicultural experience of other large Australian cities and has become home to people from most of the countries in the world. Presently, 11.9% of Western Australian residents were born in the United Kingdom or Ireland, while 5.3% were born in Asia. In recent years, Western Australia has had the highest overseas migration rates in the nation.

Economy

Western Australia's economy has been largely based on the extraction and export of mining and petroleum commodities, especially iron ore, alumina, natural gas, nickel and gold. Western Australia is a leading alumina extractor, producing more than 20% of the world's aluminium. It is also the world's third-largest iron ore producer, producing around 15% of the world's total iron ore output. Western Australia also extracts up to 75% of Australia's 240 tonnes of gold. Western Australia's economy recently has benefited from an unprecedented amount of foreign demand for resources, particularly from China. This has contributed to GSP growth of 4.8%, 7.5% and 2.7% for the 2002/03, 2003/04 and 2004/05 financial years respectively. [http://www.dtf.wa.gov.au/cms/tre_content.asp?id=604] [http://www.dtf.wa.gov.au/cms/uploadedFiles/stateaccounts200405.pdf] financial years] Agricultural exports are also important, especially wheat, barley and sheep products such as wool and meat. In recent years, tourism has grown in importance, with the majority of visitors coming from the United Kingdom and Ireland, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia. Western Australia is also unique in that unlike the rest of Australia, retail trade is tightly regulated and there are strict restrictions on the hours that stores are allowed to open. While certain designated "tourist areas" are allowed to trade on weekends, most other suburban shopping centres are not allowed to trade in the evenings and on Sundays. Tourists who may not accustomed to such restrictions are advised to to plan their shopping accordingly, especially after visiting the other major cities in Australia, as most major stores in WA are closed after 5:30 pm weekdays, 5:00 pm Saturdays and all day Sundays.

Government

With the federation of the Australian colonies in 1901, Western Australia became a State within Australia's federal structure; this involved ceding certain powers to the Commonwealth (or Federal) government in accordance with the Constitution; all powers not specifically granted to the Commonwealth remained solely with the State, however over time the Commonwealth has effectively expanded its powers through increasing control of taxation and financial distribution. The State legislature is bicameral, consisting of the Legislative Assembly (or lower house), and the Legislative Council (or upper house). Suffrage is universal for Australian citizens residing in Western Australia over 18 years of age. Whilst the sovereign of Western Australia is the Queen of Australia (Queen Elizabeth II), and executive power nominally vested in her State representative the Governor (currently John Sanderson until August 2005, to be replaced by Governor-elect Ken Michael), executive power is effectively administered by the premier and ministers. The premier (currently Geoff Gallop) and ministers are drawn from the party or coalition of parties holding a majority of seats in the lower house of Parliament, (currently Labour). Interestingly, in a referendum in April 1933, 68% of voters voted for the state to leave the Commonwealth of Australia with the aim of returning to the British Empire as an autonomous territory. The State Government sent a delegation to Westminster, however the British Government refused to intervene and therefore no action was taken to implement this decision. Westminster

Major population centres (ranking)

# Perth # Fremantle # Rockingham # Mandurah # Albany

Native species

Albany
- Birds (see List of Western Australian birds) WA is home to around 540 species of birds (depending on the taxonomy you choose to adopt). Of these around 15 are endemic to the state. The best areas for birds are the south-western corner of the state and the area around Broome and the Kimberley.
- Flora (see Flora of Western Australia) Western Australia, in its south west region has some of the largest numbers of plant species for its area in the world. Prior to European settlers expanding agriculture, it is speculated that there were significant numbers of flower and plant species that were never described before they became extinct.

Education

Education in Western Australia consists of one year of pre-school at age 5, followed by seven years of primary school education, ie Years 1 through 7. Students move into Year 8 at age 13 and five years of secondary education. The final two years of secondary education are currently changing to compulsory. All students who completed Year 10 in 2005 are now required to undertake further studies in yr 11. Commencing in 2008 all students will be required to complete 12 years of study before leaving school. Students will have the option to study at Tafe in their eleventh year or continue through high school with a vocational course or a specific University entrance course. The major universities in Western Australia are the University of Western Australia, Edith Cowan University, Curtin University, Murdoch University and the University of Notre Dame.

Media

Western Australia has only one daily newspaper, the independent tabloid The West Australian, and one Sunday tabloid newspaper, News Corporation's The Sunday Times. However, interstate broadsheet publications like The Age and The Australian newspapers are also popular. With the advent of the Internet, other online publications from around the world are now easily accessible. Some, like the New South Wales based Sydney Morning Herald, which provide free access to its site, is becoming increasingly popular at the expense of The West Australian which charges for its service. Metropolitan Perth has six broadcast television stations, while regional Western Australia is served by four broadcast networks. Statewide satallite and/or cable services are also provided by pay television giant Foxtel, which acquired the Galaxy Television satellite service in the 1990s. The top five radio stations broadcasting in Perth include, (2005 ratings), Mix 94.5FM, ABC 720AM, 96FM, NOVA 93.7FM, and 6PR AM.

See also


- History of Western Australia
- Premier of Western Australia
- National Parks of Western Australia
- Local Government Areas of Western Australia
- List of Western Australian towns
- Regions of Western Australia
- List of highways in Western Australia
- List of Statues in Western Australia
- Western Plateau

External links


- [http://www.wa.gov.au/ Official Western Australia site]
- [http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/ Parliament House Western Australia]
- [http://www.govhouse.wa.gov.au/ Government House Web Site]
- [http://www.onlinewa.com.au/ OnlineWA]
- [http://www.slp.wa.gov.au/ State Law Publisher]
- [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@census.nsf/ddc9b4f92657325cca256c3e000bdbaf/9d7b3b8ed6083e71ca256bbf000171db!OpenDocument#Top 2001 Census Basic Community Profile and Snapshot] free
- Category:Former British colonies ko:웨스턴오스트레일리아 주 ja:西オーストラリア州

Parliament of Australia

The Parliament of Australia is the legislative branch of Australia. According to Section 1 of the Constitution of Australia, Parliament consists of the Queen of Australia, the House of Representatives (the "lower house"), and t