History
Main article: History of Australia
Cities
2023: Melbourne becomes Australia's biggest city for first time, overtaking Sydney
In mid-April 2023, it became known that Melbourne for the first time became the largest city in Australia, bypassing Sydney in terms of population. This happened primarily because of the change in territorial borders.
It is noted that the number of residents on the outskirts of Melbourne is constantly growing. Therefore, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) decided to expand the boundaries of the metropolis to include the Melton area. According to official figures, as of June 2021, the population of Melbourne is 4,875,400, which is 18.7 thousand more than in Sydney. At the same time, in the period from 2011 to 2021, the population of the Melton region increased by 61%.
 | Given Melton's merger with Melbourne under the new classification, Melbourne is home to more people than Sydney and has been since 2018. The 2021 census showed that Melton and the rest of Greater Melbourne now statistically represent one continuous area, says ABS spokesman Andrew Howe. |  |
Melbourne's population is growing rapidly due to the influx of migrants. Unlike Sydney, Melbourne has a reputation for welcoming population diversity. In addition, Melbourne has more employment and educational opportunities. However, Sydney is experiencing an outflow of residents to other parts of Australia, especially to the rest of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines a "significant urban area" as an area comprising all surrounding suburbs with a population of over 10,000. When calculated using the traditional "big capital" measure, Sydney still led by a margin of 283,600 from Melbourne in 2021. Melbourne is expected to overtake its northern rival in about 2031-2032 on this indicator.[1]
Population
Population
2022:26 million people
2017: 24.5 million people
The population of Australia as of 2017 was 24.5 million people.
Settlement areas
Migration
2021: Net population inflow in 4 years
Average age - 33 years
Nationalities
2010: 107,000 Jews
Richest people
2023: More than $4 million - the threshold for entering the number of the 1% richest people in the country
2022: The country has 1.84 million millionaires
Poverty
2023: Keeping the number of homeless people at 12 people per 10 thousand population
Mortality
2018
Low number of deaths in road accidents
The cause of the highest number of deaths is cardiovascular disease
2016: High drug deaths
Consumption
2019:747 cars per 1000 people
Cars per 1,000 people (World Bank, June 2019):
- UNITED STATES: 837
- Australia: 747
- Italy: 695
- Canada: 670
- Japan: 591
- Germany: 589
- Britain: 579
- France: 569
- Malaysia: 433
- Russia: 373
- Brazil: 350
- Mexico: 297
- Saudi Arabia: 209
- Turkey: 199
- Iran: 178
- SOUTH AFRICA: 174
- China: 173
- Indonesia: 87
- Nigeria: 64
- India: 22
Parliament
Main article: Australian Parliament
Government
Foreign policy
2022: Release of $0.25 billion in military aid to Ukraine during Russia's special operation
Armed Forces
2024: $18 billion military infrastructure upgrade plan over 10 years
Australia, with the further aggravation of the conflict between China and the United States, will play an important role as a bridgehead for the coalition forces of the West. Canberra understands this by increasing defense spending not only on the purchase of weapons, but also on the development of the necessary infrastructure.
In April 2024, a detailed document appeared on the website of the Australian Department of Defense on the upcoming investments through the Ministry of Defense in the construction, restoration and repair of the existing base, ranging from air bases to training grounds.
In total, the Australians intend to build/upgrade at least 11 air bases, six training grounds, three naval bases and two army bases.
The total amount of upcoming investments until 2034 will be about $18 billion. This amount does not include the costs of the defense department in other areas, such as centers for scientific development or cyber operations: judging by the documents, up to $22 billion will be allocated for them.
The lion's share of the costs will go to the northern regions along the shores of the Timor, Arafur and Coral Seas, that is, in the direction of China. At the same time, air bases are expanding to accommodate various types of aircraft: for example, objects are being built on the same Cocos Islands to allow the placement of anti-submarine R-8A aircraft.
2023
Defense spending - 2% of GDP
Plan to acquire 8 nuclear submarines for $368 billion
USA, Britain Australia and on March 13, 2023, unveiled a plan to acquire eight nuclear submarines by the Australian Navy. The transaction amount will be about 368 billion. dollars The agreement is planned to be implemented in four stages:
1. From 2023, Australian specialists will work alongside Americans and Britons in industry to share experiences. American nuclear submarines will call at Australian ports more often, and Australian sailors will join American crews for training.
2. From 2027, four US Navy nuclear submarines of the Virginia type and one British Navy nuclear submarine of the Astute type plan to visit Stirling Naval Base in Australia with the aim of training Australians.
3. From 2030, the US intends to sell Australia three Virginia-class submarines with a potential option for two more if necessary.
4. From 2030, it is planned to build new SSN-Aukus nuclear submarines, which should become the basis of the underwater nuclear forces of Britain and Australia. The first submarine may enter service with the British fleet in the late 2030s, and Australians will receive a national-made submarine in the early 2040s. In 2023, Australia will begin construction of a dedicated shipyard in Osborne.
The Australian government estimates that the program will need to create 20,000 jobs in the national shipbuilding industry and government entities over the next 30 years.
What about the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons?
Nuclear reactors that will be equipped with SSN-Aukus submarines will not be manufactured in Australia.
They intend to transport them from Britain or the United States in a welded power unit. It is reported that the reactors will not require refueling for the expected life. The Australian side said it would not enrich uranium or dispose of spent submarine fuel.
The increased attention to the union with the United States and Australia is due to the fact that the British government, according to the United Kingdom's Comprehensive Review of Defense and Foreign Policy, announces a further deterioration in the security situation.
And despite the fact that in the medium term the main task is to contain the "Russian threat" and support Ukraine, London intends to pay significant attention to the Indo-Pacific region (ITR).
According to the British side, the consequences of a potential armed conflict in the ITR may be greater than that in the conflict in Ukraine due to high dependence on China, and Beijing creates a challenge for the world order.
The Chinese leadership believes that this plan is a blatant act that poses a serious threat to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
They are also Beijing ironic about the fact that two states nuclear weapons transfer tons of weapons-grade enriched uranium to a non-nuclear weapon state, while seriously discussing the need for restrictions in this area.
Talk of buying submarines has been going on for the past few years and has already cost the Australian budget billions of dollars. He also had to pay over 800 million Australian dollars to the French, from whom it was originally planned to purchase 12 nuclear submarines, but the contract with which was disrupted.
US military advisers involved in the development of Australia's nuclear fleet program have already received multimillion-dollar fees.
At the same time, Australia still does not have a single nuclear submarine. And given the description of the stages of the project, under the most rosy scenario, they will be delivered only by 2030.
In May 2023, the US Department of Defense asked the US Congress to allow the sale of two Virginia-class nuclear submarines to Australia.
The transfer of submarines will not only allow Australians to be trained in their operation and maintenance, but also provides for Canberra's large-scale investment in the American military-industrial complex.
For example, Austal USA, an American subsidiary of the Australian shipbuilding company Austal, plans to build a new plant in Mobile, in the US state of Alabama. It is going to produce modules of nuclear submarines and subsequently transfer them to the shipyard General Dynamics Electric Boat in Connecticut, where they are building a Virginia-type nuclear submarine.
The second stage, which provides for the sale of Australia from three to five Virginia-type nuclear submarines, is scheduled for 2030. Until then, the United States would focus on developing an Australian industrial base in submarine manufacturing - construction shipyards and personnel training.
2018: Military budget 1.9% of GDP
Military budget in% of GDP, 2018:
- 8.8% Saudi Arabia
- 4.3% Israel
- 3.9% Russia
- 3.2% United States
- 2.5% Turkey
- 2.4% India
- 2.3% France
- 1.9% Australia
- 1.9% China
- 1.8% United Kingdom
- 1.3% Canada
- 1.2% Germany
(SIPRI)
2000
Economy
Main article: Australian economy
Automobile traffic
Australia is a left-handed country.
Education
Literacy rate
Health care
Main article: Healthcare in Australia
Sport
2022: The most popular sport is Australian rules football
in
Fauna
2020: Shark attack statistics
Information Security in Australia
Main article: Information Security in Australia
Australia's IT Market
2018
Internet penetration compared to other countries
Proportion of residents without a smartphone
A law requiring IT companies to disclose encrypted data
On 6 December 2018, the Australian Parliament passed a law requiring tech companies such as Google, Facebook and Apple to give police access to encrypted data. The bill will come into force before the end of 2018.
The bill provides for fines of up to A $10 million (approximately 480 million rubles) for legal entities and imprisonment for individuals if they refuse to transfer data related to alleged illegal activities.
When that law takes effect, Australia will be one of the first countries to require technology companies to provide widespread access to data by intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
| | Let's just secure Australians at Christmas, "Labor Party leader Bill Shorten told reporters. | |
Australia is not the only country where this law was promoted. His lobbying has a long history, especially in FVEY countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom).
The Australian government said the law was necessary to counter extremism and crime, and that security agencies would need to provide a rationale for accessing personal data. In turn, technology companies oppose this project, stating that the legalization of such tools will inevitably undermine the safety of all users.
After the Senate vote, representatives from Google, Amazon and Apple had no immediate comment. However, a Facebook spokesperson previously reached out to Reuters, saying: "This legislation does not comply with control and privacy legislation in the EU and other countries that deal very seriously with national security issues."[2]
Culture
1985
Crime
2019: Firearms trade on the dark web
Prisons
2019: The minimum age for children to be jailed is 10
2018: Number of prisoners per 100 thousand citizens
Calendar
Notes
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