Australia is a stable, culturally diverse and democratic society with a skilled workforce and a strong, competitive economy. With a population of more than 20.6 million, Australia is the only nation to govern an entire continent. It is the earth’s biggest island and the sixth-largest country in the world in land area.

Australia is one of the world’s oldest landmasses and has been populated by human beings for an estimated 60 000 years. Before the arrival of European settlers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples inhabited most areas of the continent. Australia’s contemporary history is relatively short, with the first European settlement established by Great Britain on 26 January 1788.

Australia has 10 per cent of the world’s biodiversity and a great number of its native plants, animals and birds exist nowhere else in the world. Australia is committed to conserving its unique environment and natural heritage and has a range of protection procedures in place, including World Heritage listings and many national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

At June 2006, Australia had the 13th biggest overall economy in the world and the 10th biggest industrialised economy. It was the 8th richest nation in per capita terms (excluding tax havens) and is the 6th oldest continuously functioning democracy in the world.

Australia’s population includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and migrants from some 200 countries. In almost 60 years of planned post-war migration, Australia has welcomed more than 6.5 million migrants, including more than 660 000 refugees. During this time, the population has almost tripled from about 7 million.

Migrants have brought with them language skills and other capabilities that are valuable in today’s global economy and workforce. Although English is the official language in Australia, more than 4.1 million Australians speak a second language. As a result, Australia offers the familiarity of a Western business culture with a workforce capable of operating in many different business environments.

¤ Economy : Australia has had one of the most outstanding economies of the world in recent years. As a high-growth, low-inflation, low interest rate economy, it is more vibrant than ever before. There is an efficient government sector, a flexible labour market and a very competitive business sector.

With its abundant physical resources, Australia has enjoyed a high standard of living since the nineteenth century. It has made a comparatively large investment in social infrastructure, including education, training, health and transport.

The Australian workforce has seen many improvements over the last decade, leading to the surge in productivity in the 1990s. The complex and centralised award based industrial relations system has given way to a more decentralised one with many employees working under workplace agreements tailored to meet enterprise needs.

¤ Immigration : Australia's culturally diverse society includes its Indigenous peoples and settlers from countries all around the world. Immigration is an important feature of Australian society. Since 1945, over six million people from 200 countries have come to Australia as new settlers. Migrants have made a major contribution to shaping modern Australia. People born overseas make up almost one quarter of the total population. The federal government sets immigration intake numbers on a yearly basis. Australia's immigration policies are non-discriminatory and all applicants to migrate must meet the same selection criteria. more

Travel Information
¤ Getting Here : Australia has laws that are in place to protect you, locals and our environment. These laws prevent anyone entering Australia with drugs, steroids, weapons, firearms, and protected wildlife. Some common items are prohibited too. These include fresh or packaged food, fruit, eggs, meat, vegies, seeds, skins and feathers. All these items need to be declared at Customs for Quarantine on arrival. Make your arrival easy and find out what you should leave at home, for a detailed list of items visit Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service.

You should also be thinking about Duty Free/Tax free shopping. Everyone over the age of 18 has a limit of AU$900 worth of goods, such as souvenirs and camera and a limit of AU$450 if you are under the age of 18. This excludes alcohol and cigarettes. You may bring in 2.25 litres of alcohol and 250 cigarettes or 250 grams of tobacco product but you must be over the age of 18. Any goods exceeding this and you must declare it at Customs. You can find more detailed information on the Australian Customs Service website.

If you must bring medicine with you, you will need your doctor to provide a prescription and a letter outlining the medicine and its purpose. The letter will need to specify the medical condition you have that requires the medicine you are carrying. Having this available will save you time on landing. With any liquids or gel based items you must display and carry them in a clear bag. For further information on these security measures please refer to the Australian Government's Department of Transport and Regional Services

Once you've organised your travel documents, it's best to shop around for a flight. Remember to check if there are any mandatory stop overs and their duration.

Public transport is available at all airports for your convenience. It's a good idea to arrange your accommodation before your arrival, as last minute accommodation may be hard to find.

¤ Visas :You’ll need a visa to enter Australia. Tourist visas are valid for three months, but you can also apply for a longer-term stay. Find out more about the different visas and how to apply.

¤ Climate :Imagine a hot red land edged with surreal beaches. Now imagine that on this land, you can also discover lush rainforests, cool lagoons and slopes iced with snow waiting for you to explore. Yes, Australia has all of this on offer.

Culture of Australia
The demographics of Australia show it to be one of the most urbanised populations in the world; the majority of Australians live on the coast. Australia's cities are melting pots of different cultures. The influence of the longer-established southern European communities in particular has been pervasive. The great post-World War II influx of both English and non English-speaking migrants from England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Germany, Former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Malta, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, East Asia and South-East Asia has had a significant impact. Lesser numbers of immigrants have come from the African and American continents. To understand its culture the physical distances between settlements and the very centralised nature of those settlements within each state must be borne in mind.

¤ Architecture : Contemporary Australian architecture includes a number of iconic structures, including the Sydney Opera House (the original design being by Jorn Utzon), the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne and Parliament House, Canberra. Significant architects include Harry Seidler and Francis Greenway. Australia has had a significant school of painting since the early days of European settlement and Australians with international reputations include Sir Sidney Nolan, Sir Russell Drysdale, Arthur Boyd, Brett Whiteley, Pro Hart and Ken Done — not to mention the prized work of many indigenous artists such as Emily Kame Kngwarreye.

¤ Cinema :Australia has a long history of film production. It is claimed that the first feature-length film was the Australian production The Story of the Kelly Gang. However, the purchase of virtually all cinemas by American distribution companies saw an almost total disappearance of Australian films from the screens. A notable exception was Charles Chauvel's classic Jedda (1955). During the late 1960s and 1970s an influx of government funding saw the development of a new generation of directors and actors telling distinctively Australian stories. Films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock and Sunday Too Far Away had an immediate international impact.

The 1980s is regarded as perhaps a golden age of Australian cinema, with many very successful films, from the dark science fiction of Mad Max to the comedy of Crocodile Dundee, a film that defined Australia in the eyes of many foreigners despite having remarkably little to do with the lifestyle of most Australians. The 1990s saw a run of successful comedies such as Muriel's Wedding, The Castle and Strictly Ballroom, which helped launch the careers of Toni Collette, P. J. Hogan and Baz Luhrmann. The indigenous film industry continues to produce a reasonable number of films each year; also, many US producers have moved productions to Australia following the decision by Fox head Rupert Murdoch to move the new studios to Melbourne and Sydney where filming could be effectively completed well below US costs. Notable productions include The Matrix and Star Wars episodes II and III.