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Australia Page |
Welcome to ElectionInfo.com's pages on Australia
Official Name: Commonwealth of Australia
Capital: Canberra
Area: 7,713,360 square kilometres ( 2,978,145 square miles )
Major cities (Population)
Sydney 3,590,000 (1995)
Melbourne 3,094,000 (1995)
Brisbane 1,450,000 (1995)
Perth 1,220,000 (1995)
Adelaide 1,039,000 (1995)
Canberra 303,846 (1991)
Population: 18,088,000 (1995 estimate)
Population growth rate: 1.4 per cent (1990-1995 average)
Type of government: Federal parliamentary state
Independence: 1 January 1901 (federation of United Kingdom colonies)
Constitution: 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
Voting Rights: Universal and compulsory at age 18
Government
The British monarch, represented by a governor-general, is head of state. Australia is a political federation with six states (New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia) and three territories (the Australian Capital Territory around Canberra, Jervis Bay Territory, and the Northern Territory). The states enjoy considerable autonomy, although national law overrides state laws that conflict with it. The federal parliament consists of a 147-member House of Representatives, elected for three years, and a 76-member Senate. The voting age is 18, and people can be fined for not voting. Australia was one of the first countries to extend the right to vote to women (1902).
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