Australia

C

Political Divisions

The Commonwealth of Australia comprises six states and two territories. The states and their capitals are New South Wales (Sydney), Victoria (Melbourne), Queensland (Brisbane), South Australia (Adelaide), Western Australia (Perth), and Tasmania (Hobart). The territories and their chief cities are the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra) and the Northern Territory (Darwin).

D

Principal Cities

In terms of its urban communities, Australia is very much a country of suburbs. Its cities are extensive, and about 60 per cent of Australians live in the metropolitan areas of the six state capitals and Canberra. Sydney was Australia’s first city and remains its largest, with a population of 4,119,190 (2006). It is the country’s leading financial and commercial centre, and one of its most important ports. It also contains the world’s largest area of suburbs, and is twice the area of Beijing and six times that of Rome. Australia’s other major cities (with their populations) are: Melbourne, 3,592,591 (2006), Brisbane, 1,763,131 (2006), Perth, 1,445,078 (2006), and Adelaide, 1,105,839 (2006). Canberra, the purpose-built national capital and the only one of Australia’s largest cities located inland, has a population of 324,021 (2004 estimate).

E

Religion

Australia has no established Church and its constitution guarantees freedom of worship. Although the majority of the population characterizes itself as Christian, most individuals are not active in that faith and Australian society is predominantly secular. The largest Christian denominations are the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches, each with 26 per cent of the total population. Approximately 24 per cent more belong to other Christian denominations, predominantly Nonconformist and Protestant, but also including Eastern Orthodox communities. There are small Jewish, Buddhist, and Muslim communities. The number of Buddhists and Muslims has increased sharply since the 1970s, in keeping with changing immigration patterns.

F

Language

The official language is English, used by the majority of the population. Over 235 languages are spoken in Australia, many of which are Aboriginal languages (including Martu Wangka, Pitjantjatjara, and Walmajarri), some spoken by very small numbers. Kriol, an English-based creole language, is spoken by 20,000 or more in various parts of Australia including Roper River, Queensland, and the Northern Territory. Another English-based creole, Torres Strait Creole, is spoken by around the same number on Torres Strait Islands, Cape York, and northern Queensland. On Cocos Islands and Christmas Island, Malay, an Austronesian language, is spoken by around 1,000 people. In addition, many immigrant languages are heard, including Italian, Arabic, Chinese, and Greek.

G

Education

Education is primarily the responsibility of the six states and the Northern Territory. In each the training and recruitment of teachers are centralized under an education department. The federal government is responsible for the provision of education in Australia’s external territories, and for the funding of universities and colleges of advanced education. It also has special responsibility for student assistance, and education programmes for the Aboriginal community as well as for children from non-English-speaking backgrounds. Education is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 15 in all except Tasmania, where the upper age limit is 16. Most children, however, start school at five. State schools provide free secular education; students may attend religious classes provided by the clergy of various denominations. About 72 per cent of children attend state schools, which are normally co-educational and comprehensive in structure. In addition to the state school system there are private schools, which are usually denominational, often single sex, and charge tuition fees. A number of private schools, which in some states are called public schools, as in the United Kingdom, accept day students and boarders. Special arrangements are made for children living in the remote outback, or otherwise isolated from the school system, including extension learning schemes, and radio tuition through the Schools of the Air. Schooling is provided at kindergartens and pre-schools for children from 2 to 6 years of age. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts special schools’ programmes from lower primary to upper secondary level. Most children transfer from the primary to the secondary school level at the age of 12. Secondary schools, known as high schools and secondary colleges, provide five- or six-year courses, which enable final-year students to take state examinations for university entrance. In 1997 Australia had 8,123 state and private primary schools, with an annual enrolment of around 1.91 million students. The secondary school roll numbered 2.59 million in 1996. In the mid-1990s, around 5 per cent of the gross national product was spent on education.

The federal government maintains the Australian Defence Forces Academy, based in Canberra, with federal funding also supporting the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, and the National Institute of Dramatic Art—both in Sydney. The Australian National University, based in Canberra, and the Australian Maritime College, located in Launceston, Tasmania, were established under Commonwealth legislation.

In 1996, Australia had 36 public and 2 private universities, with a total enrolment of 686,000 students. A 2001 election pledge by the prime minister was to increase the number of university places by 28,000. There is also a large number of Colleges of Technical and Further Education (TAFE), which provide vocational education and training, as well as non-vocational courses. In 1998, enrolments at TAFE colleges exceeded 1.5 million students. Among the leading universities are the Australian National University (founded in 1946), in the Australian Capital Territory; Macquarie University (1964), the University of New South Wales (1948), and the University of Sydney (1850), in New South Wales; the University of Queensland (1910); the University of Adelaide (1874), in South Australia; the University of Tasmania (1890); La Trobe University (1964), the University of Melbourne (1853), and Monash University (1958), in Victoria; and the University of Western Australia (1911).