• Talk:Australia (Archive 1), Talk:Australia/Archive 2, Talk:Australia/Archive 3

Can someone find a nice place for this? The data comes from Changing patterns of population distribution in Australia --CloudSurfer 22:17, 16 Oct 2004 (UTC)

thanks, added to demographics of Australia. clarkk 14:26, 23 Oct 2004 (UTC)

A question has arisen in Talk:Pacific Ocean as to whether it's fair to say (as Pacific Ocean does) that Australia is "in" that Ocean. Australia is bounded on the west by the Indian Ocean, no? And on the south by the Southern Ocean, by the Oz definition of that. So is it considered to be "in" the Pacific? Sharkford 20:17, 2004 Oct 18 (UTC)

Prehaps "on the edge of", or "the southwestern boundary of", instead of "in". T.P.K. 07:15, 7 Nov 2004 (UTC)

I despise stereotypical Australian accents. The l is NOT elided. Does anyone have any evidence to suggest otherwise? Comment on the above: I despise people who say things like I despise the "stereotypical Australian" accent/ you are clearly a pompas arse.

Besides, an Australian would say Q_rstr\{Ili6.

moved from "economy" section in article, pending sources and npov-ing (this was added by an anonymous ip contributor), it seems a little too pro-liberal partisan, somebody with more economics than me needs to back this up with sources and apply npov where necessary: clarkk 06:18, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

These reforms have coincided with strong total factor productivity growth in the Australian economy. The strong supply-side policies implemented during this period have also been aided by the successful macroeconomic management of the Australian economy, which have complemented the supply-side policies in achieving some of the lowest interest rates in two decades, price stability and a low unemployment rate.

On the date of earliest human arrival, I haven't seen any evidence to support a date of 80,000 years ago, or for that matter 60,000 years ago. See this New Scientist article (which references a journal article in Nature if somebody wants to look it up), this page, or this article by Tim Flannery, all suggesting the mainstream opinion is around 45-50 thousand years ago. --Robert Merkel 04:55, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)

There is evidence of occupation over 100,000 years ago, Robert, but it comes from a single site, and has been strongly disputed. It doesn't seem to be taken seriously anymore. Most experts now seem to think that the correct date falls between 40,000 and 60,000 years. Flannery has mentioned various dates over his career (as new evidence comes to hand) the 47,000 in the article you linked to; 53,000 in a recent book. (I'm not sure which figure - the 47,000 or the 53,000 - represents Flannery's current view.)

Michael Archer in Going Native (Hodder, 2004) more-or-less accepts around 50,000 years as a given, but goes on to say that many Australian archaeologists believe that significantly older dates are plausible - dates in the order of 55,000 to 75,000 years ago. Archer writes: Given the Flores discoveries and their consequences for understanding the dispersal capabilities of H.ergaster and/or H. erectus immediately on our doorstep, we can't see why the real dates for human arrival in Australia shouldn't turn out to be much earlier than currently accepted, even well in excess of 100,000 years.

Archer laments the rise in sea levels that mean that the most likely sites to investigate for evidence of early occupation - i.e., seashore sites - are 120 metres underwater now. Nevertheless, he is confident that evidence can still be found further inland, and will be found eventually.

Despite all the above, both Archer and Flannery agree that the oldest firm dates we have are around 50,000 years ago, give or take. Older dates than this remain speculative. Tannin 23:58, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)

I'll try to rewrite to reflect that. --Robert Merkel 02:09, 29 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Looks good to me. Tannin

Any reason why Australia's capital city isn't Canberra and it's monarch Elizabeth II?

Draig Goch20

I'm sorry.. I dont understand. - Aaron Hill 02:06, Nov 7, 2004 (UTC)

A) It is B) It is. And so says the article.--MEYazYaz06:22, 18 Nov 2004 (UTC)

While I support the Queen's picture at Government of Australia, I do not support it here. It would be more appropriate to use John Howard's picture (and update it to new Prime ministers, if they ever come).--ZayZayEM 04:52, 17 Nov 2004 (UTC)

I just replaced the picture. I don't know which annoys me more, but JH's picture is definitely the more appropriate given the actual influence both figures have on Australia's government. --Robert Merkel 06:10, 18 Nov 2004 (UTC)

I agree with you both. Tannin 12:27, 18 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Additional demographic information Silm 29 Nov. 2004

An automated Wikipedia link suggester has some possible wiki link suggestions for the Australia article:

• Can link 2nd century AD: ...tin]] ''australis'' meaning ''southern'', and dates back to 2nd century AD legends of an "unknown southern land" (''i.e.'' ''terra aus... (link to section)
• Can link scientific name: ...dicus'' or [[New Holland]], a name which is recalled in the scientific name of the native [[cockatiel]], ''Nymphicus hollandicus'', a b... (link to section)
• Can link scientific evidence: ... still a subject of considerable research. There is strong scientific evidence for a presence around 50,000 years ago, a period of massive... (link to section)
• Can link American colonies: ...blishment of a penal colony there following the loss of the American colonies.... (link to section)
• Can link Port Jackson: ...tablishment of a settlement (later to become [[Sydney]]) in Port Jackson by Captain [[Arthur Phillip]] on [[January 26]], [[1788]]. ... (link to section)
• Can link First Fleet: ...p]] on [[January 26]], [[1788]]. The date of arrival of the First Fleet was later to become the date of Australia's national day, [... (link to section)
• Can link national day: ...the First Fleet was later to become the date of Australia's national day, [[Australia Day]]. ... (link to section)
• Can link responsible government: ...w was adopted in each colony at the time of the granting of responsible government, and was subsequently modified by the individual legislatur... (link to section)
• Can link social reform: ...ation as a 'working man's paradise' and as a laboratory for social reform, with the world's first [[secret ballot]] and first nationa... (link to section)
• Can link Executive Council: ...ent of Australia|Commonwealth Parliament]] *Executive - the Executive Council (Governor-General, Prime Minister and senior Cabinet Minist... (link to section)
• Can link act of parliament: ...mmittee of the Privy Council]] for final appeal. With this act of parliament, Australian law was made unequivocally the law in the natio... (link to section)
• Can link Australian law: ...y Council]] for final appeal. With this act of parliament, was made unequivocally the law in the nation, and the [[Hig... (link to section)
• Can link court of appeal: ...gh Court of Australia]] was confirmed as the single highest court of appeal. The theoretical possibility of the British Parliament ena... (link to section)
• Can link British Parliament: ...ighest court of appeal. The theoretical possibility of the British Parliament enacting laws to override the Australian Constitution was a... (link to section)
• Can link lower house: ...atives]] (or lower house) with 150 Members. Members of the lower house are elected on a population basis from single-member consti... (link to section)
• Can link sea port: ...s [[Jervis Bay Territory]] which serves as a naval base and sea port for the national capital.... (link to section)
• Can link land mass: ...Australia is [[desert]] or [[semi-arid]] — 40% of the land mass is covered by [[sand dune]]s. Only the south-east and south... (link to section)
• Can link temperate climate: ... dune]]s. Only the south-east and south-west corners have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil. The northern part of the count... (link to section)
• Can link tropical climate: ...rately fertile soil. The northern part of the country has a tropical climate: part is tropical [[rainforest]]s, part grasslands, and par... (link to section)
• Can link mixed economy: ... [[20th century]], Australia had a prosperous Western-style mixed economy, with a per capita [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] on par wi... (link to section)
• Can link Western European: ...[Gross domestic product|GDP]] on par with the four dominant Western European economies. In recent years, the Australian economy has been... (link to section)
• Can link economic downturn: ...Australian economy has been resilient in the face of global economic downturn, with steady growth. Rising output in the domestic economy... (link to section)
• Can link Bob Hawke: ...h. In the [[1980s]], the Labor Party, led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer Paul Keating, played a crucial role in modern... (link to section)
• Can link Paul Keating: ... Labor Party, led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer Paul Keating, played a crucial role in modernizing Australia's economy. ... (link to section)
• Can link labour market: ...m policies. Some have claimed that the deregulation of the labour market during this period has resulted in a needed flexibility in ... (link to section)
• Can link labour force: ...ing this period has resulted in a needed flexibility in the labour force. Others have criticised these deregulations as having a neg... (link to section)
• Can link Coalition government: ...ency towards wage bargaining). Also during this period, the Coalition government deregulated numerous other industries, including the teleco... (link to section)
• Can link natural monopolies: ...munications sector, and privatised many of the pre-existing natural monopolies. ... (link to section)
• Can link a level: ... growth. [[As of October 2004]], unemployment had fallen to a level of 5.2%, the lowest level since the late [[1970s]]. ... (link to section)
• Can link raw materials: ... of 5.2%, the lowest level since the late [[1970s]]. Many raw materials (including resources postulated to exist but yet to be disc... (link to section)
• Can link Britain and Ireland: ...the 1850s about two per cent of the combined populations of Britain and Ireland emigrated to New South Wales and Victoria.... (link to section)
• Can link developed countries: ...on, according to the 2001 Census. In common with many other developed countries, Australia is currently experiencing a demographic shift to... (link to section)
• Can link aging population: ...has now joined the Australian vocabulary. Because of the aging population, Australia maintains one of the most active immigration pro... (link to section)
• Can link tertiary education: ...ew Zealand citizens are excluded from government subsidised tertiary education or other advantages granted to Australian citizens and perm... (link to section)
• Can link spoken language: ...ies. [[English language|English]] is the main official and spoken language in Australia, although some of the surviving Aboriginal com... (link to section)
• Can link the early days: ...ustralia has had a significant school of [[painting]] since the early days of European settlement, and Australians with international ... (link to section)
• Can link art galleries: ...rized work of many Aboriginal artists. There are excellent art galleries (even in surprisingly small towns); a rich tradition in bal... (link to section)
• Can link popular music: ...arey]] and [[Nobel Prize]] winner [[Patrick White]]. In the popular music sphere band and musicians (some notable examples include th... (link to section)
• Can link television networks: ...nd the United States. Australia has three major commercial television networks, the [[Nine Network]], [[Seven Network]] and the [[Ten Netw... (link to section)
• Can link Press Freedom: ...tralia is in 41st position on a list of countries ranked by Press Freedom; well behind [[New Zealand]] (9th) and [[United Kingdom]] (... (link to section)