Australia Today Australia is a stable, democratic society with a skilled workforce and a strong, competitive economy. With a population of 20 million, Australia is the only nation to govern an entire continent and is the sixth largest country in the world in land area. Australia's multicultural society includes its Indigenous peoples and migrants from some 200 countries. 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 had a high standard of living since the nineteenth century. It has made a significant investment in social infrastructure, including education, training, health and transport. Australia's workforce of approximately 10 million is highly trained. Many senior managers and technical staff have international experience, while almost half of Australia's workforce has university, trade or diploma qualifications. In a globalised economy, language skills are a key workforce advantage. Although Australia is an English-speaking country, more than 4.1 million of its people speak a second language. Australia offers the familiarity of a Western business culture with a workforce capable of operating in both Asian and Western business environments - Australia has the widest range of native Asian language skills in the region The language skills and other capabilities that attract foreign companies are, in part, a result of Australia's culturally diverse society. Migrants have had a marked influence on all aspects of Australian society. In more than 50 years of planned post-war migration, almost six million migrants have arrived in Australia from over 200 countries, including more than 600 000 refugees, and the population has increased from about seven million to more than 20 million. A strong economy Australia has one of the most stable economic, political and social environments in the region, which has led to increased investment from overseas in recent years. As a result of major diversification in Australia's export base, Australia is now not only a commodity exporter, it also has sophisticated manufacturing and service industries. Australia has one of the world's most open and innovative economies and the Australian Government is committed to maintaining this direction. Strong growth over the past decade has been accompanied by low inflation and interest rates, and a strong productivity performance. The Australian economy performed solidly in 2002-03. In contrast with weaker global conditions, Australia's economy was one of the strongest in the developed world, recording 2.7 per cent growth. The outlook remains positive for increased growth in future. Although trade in commodities remains strong, new services and sophisticated manufacturing export markets have emerged. The value of Australia's exports in goods and services reached A$151 billion in 2002, with service exports comprising A$31 billion of that figure – 21 per cent of total exports. Japan (A$22.1 billion) remains our largest export market, followed by the United States (A$11.5 billion) and the Republic of Korea (A$10 billion). Australia's strengths are not only in its traditional commodities sectors - a r ecent OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) study suggests that Australia is ranked as one of the six fastest-growing successful new economy traders – meaning that Australia is strong in information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, innovation systems, business environment and human resource development. Australian investment in ICT as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the third highest of OECD countries. The Reserve Bank of Australia has found a direct link between expenditure on ICT and the Australia's strong productivity growth. The take-up of e-commerce is projected to add 2.7 per cent to Australian GDP growth over the next ten years. A culturally diverse society Australia is a tolerant and inclusive society, a nation built by people from many different backgrounds - Vietnam, China, Greece and the UK are among the top 10 countries that Australians have migrated from. Cultural diversity has become a touchstone of Australia's national identity. One example of this diversity is the growth of Islam in Australia. Today, Muslims form an increasingly important part of Australia's diverse modern society and the most recent Australian Census in 2001 revealed a total of 281 576 Australian Muslims living in Australia. Australia accepts and respects the right of all Australians to express and share their individual cultural heritage within an overriding commitment to Australia's democratic foundations and to English as the national language. A vibrant scene for culture and the arts Australia's contemporary arts are as unique and diverse as the society and continent they come from. They reflect an ancient landscape that is home to both the world's oldest continuous cultural traditions and also to a rich mix of migrant cultures. Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists alike respond to the imaginative challenges Australia presents in diverse ways and have developed new modes of expression that have brought Australia's art and culture to international attention. Australian arts and artists have much to say and many unique ways to say it - Australia's physical isolation, rich Indigenous artistic traditions and diverse cultural influences have created a whole range of vibrant new art to share with the world. The Australian film industry has a reputation for innovation and quality, and for producing unique films with an Australian flavour that have global appeal. Australia is increasingly the destination of choice for foreign film producers attracted by our diverse landscapes for location shooting, dozens of sound stages and studios, music scoring and post-production facilities, flexible and professional crews and world-renown actors A proud record of delivering education Australia has a well-developed education system with very high rates of participation and secondary completion. The most recent Australian census in 2001 revealed that the retention rate of secondary school students to year 12 was 73.4 per cent, while that from years 10 to 12 was 75.4 per cent. Australian governments at all levels continually review and reform education and training to address the issues that arise from social and economic change. In many cases, Australian models attract international attention and Australia is involved in cooperating with the development of educational programs in a number of overseas countries. A strong commitment to science and technology Australia is committed to establishing a culture of innovation to make the best use of national and international information networks, encourage creativity in all forms of research, promote collaboration between university researchers and industry, and disseminate the outcomes of research to the wider community. Innovations in science and technology are strong drivers of economic growth. Australia is both well positioned and well resourced to make a difference in the global innovation race. The country has a vibrant and competitive economic environment, with high productivity and growth, which provides an ideal climate for innovation to thrive. Australian innovations are world–renowned, from medical breakthroughs such as the bionic ear and revolutionary flu treatments through to the world's first nanomachine, contactless smartcards, and the orbital engine. Australia has a sophisticated, world-leading ICT market, with growth of 26 per cent in the two years to June 2001 to reach A$75 billion. More than half of Australian small and medium enterprises use the Internet for B2B e-commerce. A third of the population are registered users of internet banking and mobile phone usage is the fourth highest in the Asia Pacific region. E-government use is widespread, and a third of Australians have accessed public sector services online. The Australian economy as a whole is one of the fastest growing among industrial nations. In 2003, the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook ranked Australia as the most resilient economy in the world, and the OECD forecast that Australia's economic growth in 2004 and 2005 would outstrip most industrial countries. The Yearbook ranked Australia 11th in the world on total expenditure on R&D, with US$ 5.9 billion. R&D expenditure by government agencies in Australia, as a percentage of GDP, is among the highest in the OECD, including higher than the US. Gross expenditure on R&D increased by 15 per cent from A$8 936m in 1998-99 to A$10 251m in 2000-01. A great place to visit Australia's spectacular natural environment, multicultural communities, food and wine, the friendliness of its people, combined with its weather and lifestyle make it one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. These qualities also make it one of the best places in the world in which to live and conduct business. Tourism is one of Australia's largest and fastest-growing industries. The n umbers of short-term visitors to Australia grew from 2.8 million in 1992–93 to nearly 5 million in 2002–03. The inbound tourism sector contributed about A$16 billion to the Australian economy in 2003-03. Inbound tourism accounts for 10.8 per cent of Australia's total export earnings, more than the combined value of Australian iron ore and aluminium exports for the year . A unique and spectacular environment Australia's unique environment has many native plants, animals and birds that exist nowhere else in the world. The country has a real commitment to conserving its natural heritage and has a range of protection procedures in place. Despite the vast size of the continent however, the majority of Australians live on the coast and in major cities - around 75 per cent of Australia's population lives in urban areas. Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth. Its interior has one of the lowest rainfalls in the world and about three-quarters of the land is arid or semi-arid. These arid areas extend from the large central deserts to the Western coast. Soils in these areas are characteristically very infertile compared to other deserts of comparable aridity. This has presented Australians with the challenge of how best to manage the variety of regions our continent possesses to meet the competing demands of agriculture, economy and conservation
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