of the prime
minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is
usually appointed prime minister by the governor general for a
three-year term
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the
Senate (76 seats—12 from each of the six states and two from each of
the two territories; one-half of the members elected every three
years by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of
Representatives (148 seats; members elected by popular vote on the
basis of proportional representation to serve three-year terms; no
state can have fewer than five representatives)
elections: Senate—last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by
October 2001); House of Representatives—last held 3 October 1998
(next to be held by October 2001)
election results: Senate—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by
party—Liberal-National 35, Labor 29, Australian Democrats 9, Greens
1, One Nation 1, independent 1; House of Representatives—percent of
vote by party—NA; seats by party—Liberal-National 80, Labor 67,
independent 1
Judicial branch: High Court, the Chief Justice and six other
justices are appointed by the governor general
Political parties and leaders:
Political pressure groups and leaders: Australian Democratic
Labor Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and
Nuclear Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group)
International organization participation: ANZUS, APEC, AsDB,
Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM
(guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Andrew Sharp PEACOCK chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Genta Hawkins HOLMES
embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital
Territory 2600
mailing address: APO AP 96549
consulate(s) general: Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney
Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant; the remaining half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars
Economy
Economy—overview: Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four dominant West European economies. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Commodities account for 57% of the value of total exports, so that a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increased exports of manufactured goods, but competition in international markets continues to be severe. Australia has suffered from the low growth and high unemployment characterizing the OECD countries in the early 1990s, but the economy has expanded at reasonably steady rates in recent years. Canberra's emphasis on reforms is a key factor behind the economy's resilience to the regional crisis and its stronger than expected growth rate that reached 4.5% last year. After a slow start in 1998, exports rebounded in the second half of the year because of a sharp currency depreciation and a redirection of sales to Europe, North America, and Latin America.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$393.9 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 4.5% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$21,200 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 31% services: 65% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 24.8% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (1998)
Labor force: 9.2 million (December 1997)
Labor force—by occupation: services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture 5% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 8.1% (1998)
Budget:
revenues: $90.73 billion
expenditures: $89.04 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY98/99 est.)
Industries: mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food
processing, chemicals, steel
Industrial production growth rate: 1.2% (1995)
Electricity—production: 166.683 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 91.14% hydro: 8.84% nuclear: 0% other: 0.02% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 166.683 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry
Exports: $56 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports—commodities: coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore,
wheat, machinery and transport equipment
Exports—partners: Japan 20%, ASEAN 16%, EU 10%, South Korea 9%,
US 9%, NZ 8%, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China (1997)
Imports: $61 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports—commodities: machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products
Imports—partners: EU 25%, US 23%, Japan 13%, China, NZ (1997)
Debt—external: $156 billion (June 1997)
Economic aid—donor: ODA, $1.43 billion (FY97/98)
Currency: 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1—1.56 (February 1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3668 (1994)
Fiscal year: 1 July—30 June
Communications
Telephones: 8.7 million (1987 est.)
Telephone system: excellent domestic and international service domestic: domestic satellite system international: submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations—10 Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat