Australian Union: basic information

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

The Commonwe alth of Australia (as a separate state) began its historical journey on the first day of the twentieth century - January 1, 1901. It was on this date that Australia was declared a federation of colonies. Six years later, the Commonwe alth of Australia received the status of a British dominion.

The institution of the Dominions was "invented" in the depths of the Foreign Office of the British Empire at the end of the nineteenth century. Anticipating that a gigantic empire inhabited by a large number of ethnic groups alien to English traditions would not be able to exist for a long time, it was decided to release some territories for “autonomous navigation”. First of all, the new practice concerned territories where the predominant or significant population was Europeans loyal to the policy of the Foreign Office. The states that received the status of a dominion recognized the authority of the English crown, but in matters of internal government (and later in foreign policy) they became independent.

Canada became the first British dominion in 1867, the Commonwe alth of Australia was the second. Then it was the turnNew Zealand, the Union of South Africa and Ireland. After the Second World War, a “parade of sovereignties” began, and when in 1949 the “spin off” India declared itself a republic and even renounced the formal power of the British Empire, the term “dominion” was abandoned.

The State of the Commonwe alth of Australia occupies the mainland of the same name, the island of Tasmania and a large number of smaller islands and islets in the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. The mainland lies in hot climatic zones, only a relatively small southeastern part belongs to a temperate climate. As for the landscape, perhaps the most monotonous among all the continents is Australia. The geography of the mainland is simple and unpretentious: along the entire eastern coast there is the Great Dividing Range, and almost the entire rest of the territory is occupied by plains, mostly desert.

In the economy of the Commonwe alth of Australia, a significant place is occupied by the extraction of minerals, in which the country is very rich. In addition, in areas with a temperate climate, there are good conditions for agriculture. These two branches of the economy dominated Australia until the end of World War II. Upon its completion, an industrial boom began in the country.

Now Australia specializes in shipbuilding, electrical engineering and transport engineering (first of all, this is the production of railway cars designed to transport livestock and productsagriculture).

The tax system in Australia is characterized by the fact that residents of the Commonwe alth of Australia pay taxes regardless of the source of income. That is, a resident can earn in Russia or Mexico, but still have to pay taxes in Australia. In order to avoid double taxation, the government of the country has concluded more than forty agreements with various states.

The Australian economy has not known what a recession is since the early 90s of the last century, the unemployment rate in the country is less than five percent (and tends to fall further), and inflation is two to three percent a year. According to various estimates, the level and quality of life in Australia is within the top five countries. To this optimistic picture, it remains only to add a warm, human-friendly climate. And here it is - Australia in all its glory.