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| Australia |
A strong Australian dollar against the US Dollar has seen pressure placed on Australian exporters and the manufacturing slowdown in China is creating some cause for concern in the mining sector. Gold demand will remain high as more people hedge away from the volatile currency markets.
The 3 main eastern seaboard Cities (Sydney , Melbourne and Brisbane) dominate Australia's economy which has been one of the few in the world to avoid recession in recent years.
The state of Queensland was hit hard by cyclone Yasi at the start of 2011 and is looking to recover from heavy losses to it banana and sugar cane production. Coking coal exports are also significant from this area and supplies are now getting back to normal. Australia is a fascinating place to visit and boasts 17 World Heritage sites.
Australia PM Julia Gillard has unveiled plans to slap a tax on carbon emissions for the country's worst polluters, in one of the biggest economic reforms in years.
Qantas has began to restore its airline services after an Australian tribunal ruled to end a prolonged labor dispute that had forced the Australian airline to ground its fleet world-wide over the weekend. About 70,000 travelers had become stranded around the world. (see article here )
Energy Efficiency
As well as Europe, the US, Australia, Cuba, Canada and the Philippines are all banning , or have banned, incandescent bulbs.
Australia Key Facts and Figures
Capital : Canberra
World Cities 2012
Alpha+ Cities - Sydney
Alpha- Cities - Melbourne
Beta- Cities - Brisbane, Perth
Largest City - Sydney ( pop 4.34m)
Melbourne ( pop 4m 2011 est)
Brisbane (pop 1.9m)
Perth ( pop 1.6m)
Adelaide ( pop 1.1m)
Australian Population : 22m (2009 estimate)
Area : 7,682,300 sq km
Currency : Australian Dollar AUD
Language : English
GDP : $522bn USD
WELT - Australian Economy ranked 13th in the world
Gold Producer - Rank 2nd 210,000kg
Reserve Bank Reserve Bank of Australia
Central Bank Rate 4.75%
Inflation 3.3%
Current Credit Rating AAA
Arable as % of total land : 6%
Urban Population : 92%
Drive on the - left
Car Code - AUS
Calling Code - + 61
Internet TLD - .au
HDI - Ranked 2nd (0.970)
Press Freedom Index - 18/178
Shark Attack Hotspots 2010 - Australia 14 Attacks (Rank 2nd)
WEF* Tech Pioneers 2011 - Atlassian
G20 Member - Australia
APEC Member - Australia (see APEC article )
Hotels - Australia
Education Index - Rank =1st
Global 500 Companies - 9/500 (see below)
Hard Rock Cafes - Surfers Paradise
World Heritage Sites - Australia has 17 in the UNESCO Listings
WWF - Australia Site
HDR Index 2010 - 2nd Australia
Rugby World Cup Hosts - 1987, 2003 (2)
Rugby World Cup Winners - 1991 , 1999 (2)
Employment in Australia
JobSearch - Over 60,000 Jobs Available
Seek - Seek Australia
Jobs - Jobs by State
My Career - Use your LinkedIn profile to match jobs
Career One - Career One - Powered by Monster
Working In - Australian Jobs
Top 10 Searches Australia 2004-present Facebook | Games | Lyrics | YouTube | Ebay | Google | Hotmail | Weather | Game | News
Coin Collecting Glossary
Koala - Australian platinum coin, minted since 1987, .995 fine.
World Heritage Sites | Australia (17)
- Great Barrier Reef
- Kakadu National Park
- Willandra Lakes Region
- Lord Howe Island Group
- Tasmanian Wilderness
- Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
- Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
- Wet Tropics of Queensland
- Shark Bay, Western Australia
- Fraser Island
- Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte)
- Heard and McDonald Islands
- Macquarie Island
- Greater Blue Mountains Area
- Purnululu National Park
- Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens
- Sydney Opera House
| 2011 | January | Tennis | Australian Open | Melbourne |
| 2011 | Sept | AFL | Grand Final | Melbourne, Australia |
| 2011 | Nov | Horse Racing | Melbourne Cup | Victoria, Australia |
Global 500 Companies | Australia
| Country Rank | Company | Global 500 rank | Revenues ($ millions) | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BHP Billiton | 120 | 59,473 | Melbourne |
| 2 | Woolworths | 180 | 42,196 | Bella Vista |
| 3 | Australia & New Zealand Banking | 247 | 33,396 | Melbourne |
| 4 | Commonwealth Bank of Australia | 267 | 31,654 | Sydney |
| 5 | National Australia Bank | 272 | 31,213 | Melbourne |
| 6 | Westpac Banking | 283 | 30,108 | Sydney |
| 7 | Wesfarmers | 287 | 30,050 | Perth |
| 8 | Telstra | 410 | 22,371 | Melbourne |
| 9 | Caltex Australia | 467 | 19,770 | Sydney |
PocketInfo News | Australia
On 2 Dec 2010 Prime Minister Julia Gillard made a statement that she 'absolutely condemns' Wikileaks' actions and that the release of information on the site was 'grossly irresponsible' and 'illegal.' (Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is Australian and he responded two days later by accusing his prime minister of betraying him as an Australian citizen)
Recent News
Australia Jokes
Famous Cricket Sledges On 2 Dec 2010 Prime Minister Julia Gillard made a statement that she 'absolutely condemns' Wikileaks' actions and that the release of information on the site was 'grossly irresponsible' and 'illegal.' (Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is Australian and he responded two days later by accusing his prime minister of betraying him as an Australian citizen)Recent News
- Australia considers scrapping the 5 cent coin.
- The Queensland Reds beat the Canterbury Crusaders in a close fought Super 15 Final
- Extra time was required for Australia to beat the Silver Ferns of New Zealand by a single goal in a thrilling World Netball Championship final which was held in Singapore.
Australia Jokes
Australian Sites
First 5000 | Business Development Alliance for Australian CompaniesNRL | The best site about the National Rugby League
Australian History - Rum Rebellion 1808
The Rum Rebellion of 1808 was the only successful armed takeover of government in the history of Australia. It began when New South Wales governor William Bligh was deposed by George Johnston, commander of the New South Wales Corps. The coup was a retaliation against attempts by successive governors to curb the power of the Corps and interfere with its lucrative rum trade—which gave the rebellion its name. Lonely Planet Top Cities to visit 2011
9. Newcastle | Australia
Is it Australia’s most underrated city? Anyone surprised to see Newcastle on the list of 2011′s hottest cities (and there’s a few of you, right?) probably hasn’t pulled in off the Pacific Highway, or at least not for a while. Newcastle flies under the radar of Aussies and international travellers in part because it’s overshadowed by its bigger, bolder and better-known sibling, Sydney, 150km south. But, at around one-tenth the size, Australia’s second-oldest city has Sydney-like assets: surf beaches, a sun-drenched subtropical climate, and diverse dining, nightlife and arts. Not only is Newcastle ideally located just two hours by road or rail or 30 minutes by plane or seaplane from Sydney, it’s less than an hour’s drive west to the Hunter Valley wineries, south to sailboat-filled Lake Macquarie, north to whale-watching and sharkfeeding at Port Stephens and to sandboarding at Stockton Beach (the southern end of the 32km-long beach is a five-minute ferry ride across Newcastle’s harbour).- Australia | Former Greenpeace Chief Paul Gilding was profiled by Rebecca Thurlow in the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal. In his new book he argues that a massive ecological crisis is inevitable. Gilding is still relatively young at 52 but his exposure to environmental issues via his various experiences has led him to 'hedge' for the future. He believes the world is due for massive financial and ecological change his book is called The Great Disruption : How the Climate crisis will Transform the Global Economy.Source WSJ , Pocketinfo
- Australia | What price a safer world? The anniversary of 9/11 is coming up this week and there will be thousands of column inches dedicated to what has changed the dynamic of the world for decades. Paul Daley's Opinion piece is worth a read - SMH
- Stosur, a native of Brisbane in Queensland state, defeated three-time champion Serena Williams of the U.S. 6-2, 6-3 to become the first woman from Australia to win the title since Margaret Court in 1973.
- Ireland have caused the biggest shock at the Rugby World Cup so far beating one of the favourites Australia 15-6 in a pool match at Eden Park Auckland. The implications are big Australia are now in grave danger of having to play South Africa in the quarter-finals.
Australia is New Zealand's most significant and important trading partner , taking 24 per cent of exports in the year to June 2010. If Australia slows down so too will New Zealand. Australia's manufacturing sector was facing big challenges as a result of the aussie dollar's meteoric rise against the greenback (USD) over the past year, which made its exports less competitive.
Australian Hotels | Book here and pay to the hotel on arrival.
Brisbane , Perth , Melbourne , Adelaide , Sydney , Canberra , Cairns
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