Д. С. Ведунова "Explore It. Australia"

The Australian Senate has 76В members. Six states nominate twelve senators each, and two territories nominate two senators each, elected through aВ single, non-transitional vote. Senators are elected for flexible terms not exceeding six years. Half ofВ the senators must participate inВ the fight inВ every federal election. The Senate has been granted substantial powers under the constitution, far exceeding those ofВ the upper houses ofВ Great Britain and Canada. He has the power toВ block the House bill, as well as any budget spending. The Senate thus has the power toВ overthrow the government, as happened during the 1975В Australian constitutional crisis.

Since the bill must successfully pass through both houses toВ become law, if there is aВ disagreement between the House ofВ Representatives and the Senate, it is possible toВ freeze government spending indefinitely. These deadlocks are resolved inВ accordance with article 57В ofВ the Constitution, the procedure for the dissolution ofВ both houses and the appointment ofВ double elections. Such elections are rare, not because there are not enough reasons toВ hold them, but because they pose aВ real political threat toВ any government that wants toВ bring them toВ their attention. OfВ the six double elections that have been held since the founding ofВ the federation, half have led toВ the fall ofВ the government. Only once, inВ 1974, was the complete procedure for breaking the deadlock followed, with aВ joint meeting ofВ both chambers, at which bills were discussed that brought the situation toВ aВ deadВ end.

Executive power

The role ofВ the head ofВ state inВ Australia is split between two people: the monarch ofВ Australia and the governor general ofВ Australia. The functions and roles ofВ the Governor General include the appointment ofВ ambassadors, ministers and judges, the issuance ofВ royal assent toВ legislation, the issuance ofВ electoral orders, and the conferring ofВ honors. The Governor General is the President ofВ the Federal Executive Council and Commander-in-Chief ofВ the Australian Defense Force. He holds these posts under the Australian Constitution. InВ practice, except inВ exceptional circumstances, the Governor-General exercises these powers only inВ consultation with the Prime Minister. As such, the role ofВ the governor general is often described as aВ largely ceremonial post.

The Prime Minister of Australia is the highest minister of government, the leader of the Cabinet of Ministers and the head of government, and is appointed by the Governor General of Australia. The post of prime minister is, in practice, the most important political office in Australia. As the pinnacle of the country’s executive branch, the position is not mentioned in the Australian Constitution and exists thanks to an unwritten political custom. Except in exceptional circumstances, the prime minister is always the leader of a political party or coalition with the support of a majority in the House of Representatives. The only time a senator was appointed prime minister was with John Gorton, who later stepped down from his position in the Senate and was elected to the House of Representatives (Senator George Pearce was acting prime minister for seven months in 1916, while Billy Hughes was abroad).

The Cabinet of Ministers of Australia is a council of chief ministers responsible to Parliament. The Cabinet is appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister and proceeds with his approval. Cabinet meetings are held in strict confidentiality once a week to discuss vital issues and formulate common policies. Outside the cabinet are junior ministers responsible for a specific area of policy and reporting directly to any cabinet minister. The Australian Constitution does not recognize the Cabinet as a legal entity, and its decisions have no legal effect. All members of the government are simultaneously members of the Executive Council, a body chaired – in theory, although rarely in practice – by the Governor-General, and which meets solely to confirm and enforce decisions already made by the Cabinet. Therefore, there is always a member of government with the title of Vice President of the Executive Council.

Reflecting the influence ofВ the Westminster system, ministers are selected from among elected members ofВ parliament. All ministers are expected toВ personally advocate for collective government decisions. AВ minister who cannot publicly defend government action is expected toВ resign inВ most cases. Such resignations are rare; public disclosure ofВ divisions within the cabinet is also rare. Intraparty loyalty is seen as aВ significant factor inВ Australian politics.

Economy ofВ Australia

Australia is a highly developed post-industrial state. Australia’s economy is one of the largest economies in the world, with a GDP of US $ 1.57 trillion. The aggregate wealth of Australia is $ 6.4 trillion. In 2012, Australia ranked 12th in the list of the largest national economies in terms of nominal GDP and 18th in terms of GDP. The share of the Australian economy is approximately 2.1% of the world economy. Australia is ranked 19th in the world in both import and export.

The Australian Securities Exchange in Sydney is the largest stock exchange in Australia and the South Pacific, and also ranks 9th in the world in terms of market capitalization of $ 1.4 trillion. Australia is home to some of the world’s largest companies such as: BHP Billiton, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank, Rio Tinto, ANZ, Westpac, Telstra, Macquarie Group, Woolworths Limited and AMP Limited – the 10 largest companies in Australia.

The Australian dollar is the currency ofВ the Commonwealth ofВ Australia and its territories, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands and Norfolk Island. It is also the official currency ofВ several independent Pacific states: Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu.

Australia is aВ member ofВ APEC, G20, OECD and WTO. The country has also signed free trade agreements with ASEAN, Chile, New Zealand and the United States. AВ 1983В trade agreement toВ strengthen economic ties between Australia and New Zealand, which gradually removed restrictions on import and export operations, was able toВ significantly help integration with the New Zealand economy and inВ 2011В aВ plan was adopted toВ form aВ single Australasian economic market byВ 2015.

Р’В The Australian economy is dominated byВ the service sector, which covers about 68% ofВ GDP.

The mining sector accounts for 10% of GDP; sectors of the economy related to the extraction of minerals account for another 9% of GDP. Economic growth is highly dependent on the mining and agricultural sectors, whose products are mainly exported to the markets of East Asia. Over the past decade, one of the main trends in the sectoral economy has been the growth (in relative terms) of the mining sector (including oil). In terms of its contribution to GDP, this sector grew from 4.5% in 1993—1994 to almost 8% in 2006—2007.

The share of raw materials in exports is significant – 54%

Australia’s GDP per capita is higher than the UK, Germany and France in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) currencies. Australia’s GDP per capita (PPP) is ranked 5th in the world (IMF 2011). The country was ranked second in the 2011 UN HDI and sixth by The Economist on the World Quality of Life Index in 2005. Australia has a credit rating of “AAA” – higher than the United States.

According to Credit Suisse’s 2011 Total World Wealth Report, Australia has an average wealth of $ 222,000, the highest in the world and nearly four times that of an adult in the United States. The proportion of those with wealth over $ 100,000 is the highest in the world – eight times the world average. The average wealth is $ 397,000, the second largest in the world after Switzerland.

Inflation is usually 2—3%, and the basic interest rate is 1.5—5%. The service sector in the economy, including tourism, education and financial services, accounts for 70% of GDP. The Australian National University in Canberra is supporting an interest rate forecasting project for the Australian economy, which is calculated from statistics by the so-called “shadow” members of the ANU faculty.

GDP

Australia’s average GDP growth rate during the period from 1901 to 2000 was 3.4% annually. Over the past 23 years, Australia has been demonstrating continuous GDP growth, despite two global recessions in economic activity, with an average growth rate of 3.3% per year.

History

After the transport of criminals to the “eastern mainland” ended in 1840, Australia was heavily dependent on subsidies from Britain. Economic growth was supported largely by huge government spending on transport, communications and urban infrastructure, which was also heavily dependent on British finance. At the same time, opportunities for high profits from grazing and mining have attracted a significant amount of British private and corporate capital. The rise of the mining industry laid the foundation for Australia’s economic growth. As the economy grew, there was a need for large-scale immigration to meet the growing demand for labour.

Mining has provided long and stable economic growth inВ the post-war period. Western Australia inВ particular benefited particularly from iron and gold mining inВ the 1960s and 1970s, which fuelled increased consumer protection inВ Perth, the capital and most populous city ofВ Western Australia, and increased deurbanization inВ other regional areas. centres.

InВ 1983, under Prime Minister Robert Hawke, but mainly with the assistance ofВ Treasury Secretary Paul Keating, the Australian dollar was introduced and aВ course ofВ financial deregulation wasВ set.

Since the early 1980s. and toВ date, the Australian economy is undergoing prolonged economic liberalization. The Australian economy has grown at an average annual rate ofВ 3.6% for over 15В years, well above the OECD average ofВ about 2.5%.

Demographics

On 22В August 2020, the population ofВ Australia is estimated at 25,682,185. Australia is the 50th most populous country inВ the world. The population is concentrated mainly inВ urban areas and is expected toВ exceed 28В million byВ 2030.

Australia’s population began to grow at around 350,000 during the first British settlement in 1788, and has since expanded due to numerous waves of immigration. Also, due to immigration, the European component of the population is decreasing in percentage, as in many other Western countries.

Australia has hardly more than two people per square kilometer of its total area. At the same time, dividing the population of Australia (24,512,108 people) by its area (about 7.7 million square kilometers), we get a different number: 3.18 people per square kilometer. With 89% of its population living in urban areas, Australia is one of the most urbanized countries in the world. Average life expectancy in Australia for 2005—2010 is 81.2 years, which is one of the highest in the world.

The earliest, reliably known, information about the arrival ofВ indigenous Australians on the continent ofВ Australia dates back about 40,000В years ago. Most likely, the settlers came from the islands ofВ Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

The first inhabitants ofВ Australia were originally hunter-gatherers who, over many generations toВ come, spread widely across the continent and the surrounding islands. Despite the fact that their technical skills remained rather primitive, based on the use ofВ wood, bone, stone tools and weapons, their spiritual and social life was very complex. Most spoke several languages, and confederations sometimes formed among highly distant tribal groups. The density ofВ the indigenous population ranged from one person per square mile along the coast toВ one person per 35В square miles (91В kmВІ) inВ arid inland regions. Procurement ofВ food, usually for aВ small family, required about 3В working days aВ week. Even inВ the more fertile southeast, they lacked agriculture.

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