About Australia

Australia has the world’s 13th-largest economy and ninth-highest per capita income (IMF). With the second-highest human development index globally, the country ranks highly in quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, and civil liberties and political rights. Australia is a member of the United Nations, G20, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Trade Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the Pacific Islands Forum. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia had the world’s 9th largest immigrant population, with immigrants accounting for 26% of the population.

Australia has six states—New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA), Tasmania (TAS), Victoria (VIC) and Western Australia (WA) — and two major mainland territories — the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory (NT). In most respects these two territories function as states, except that the Commonwealth Parliament has the power to modify or repeal any legislation passed by the territory parliaments.

Australia has 37 government-funded universities and two private universities, as well as a number of other specialist institutions that provide approved courses at the higher education level. The OECD places Australia among the most expensive nations to attend university. There is a state-based system of vocational training, known as TAFE, and many trades conduct apprenticeships for training new tradespeople. About 58% of Australians aged from 25 to 64 have vocational or tertiary qualifications, and the tertiary graduation rate of 49% is the highest among OECD countries. The ratio of international to local students in tertiary education in Australia is the highest in the OECD countries. In addition, 38 percent of Australia’s population has a university or college degree, which is among the highest percentages in the world.

Climate and Culture

Life and culture of Australia is quite cosmopolitan in nature. The people of varied nationalities have migrated to Australia and settled there. Although Australia has no official language, English, however, is the most commonly spoken language. Apart from English, other languages such as Mandarin, Italian, Arabic, and Greek are also widely spoken. Australia is a secular country and, therefore, there is no state religion. Nonetheless, the people adhering to Christian way of life and beliefs constitute majority in Australia. Other non- Christian religions such as Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism also has its fair share of followers in the country.

Australia experiences temperate weather. Climatic conditions can vary from one part of the country to the other because of the sheer size of the country. The northern part of the country experiences warm weather most of the year while the southern part usually, witnesses cooler winters. Indian population is scattered across the country. Nevertheless, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth are the places where majority of Indians reside and work in Australia. Also, these are the cities where Indian cuisine restaurants and movie theaters showcasing Indian movies are found the most. These cities have highly cosmopolitan culture and are very welcoming.

From the point of view of employment, tourism is one of the top industries in Australia. Consequently, finding a temporary or a part time job in a hotel or a bar is not difficult. Apart from this, agriculture; manufacturing and telecommunications are other flourishing areas of employment.