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Introduction
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of 7,617,930 square kilometres (2,941,300 sq mi), Australia is the largest country by area in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country. Australia is the oldest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils. It is a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates, with deserts in the centre, tropical rainforests in the north-east, and mountain ranges in the south-east.
Indigenous Australians have inhabited the continent for approximately 65,000 years. The European maritime exploration of Australia commenced in the early 17th century with the arrival of Dutch explorers. In 1770, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788, a date which became Australia's national day. The European population grew steadily in subsequent decades, and by the time of an 1850s gold rush, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and an additional five self-governing crown colonies established. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Australia has since maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and wealthy market economy.
Politically, Australia is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy, comprising six states and ten territories. Australia's population of nearly 26 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Canberra is the nation's capital, while the five largest cities are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. Australia's demography has been shaped by centuries of immigration, with immigrants accounting for the highest proportion of the total population among major Western nations. Immigrants account for 30% of the country's population, and almost half of Australians have at least one parent born overseas. Australia's abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade relations are crucial to the country's economy, which generates its income from various sources including services, mining exports, banking, manufacturing, agriculture and international education.
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The Adelaide leak was the revelation to the press of a dressing-room incident during the third Test, a cricket match played during the 1932–33 Ashes series between Australia and England, more commonly known as the Bodyline series. During the course of play on 14 January 1933, the Australian Test captain Bill Woodfull was struck over the heart by a ball delivered by Harold Larwood. Although not badly hurt, Woodfull was shaken and dismissed shortly afterwards. On his return to the Australian dressing room, Woodfull was visited by the managers of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) team, Pelham Warner and Richard Palairet. Warner enquired after Woodfull's health, but the latter dismissed his concerns in brusque fashion. He said he did not want to speak to the Englishman owing to the Bodyline tactics England were using, leaving Warner embarrassed and shaken. The matter became public knowledge when someone present leaked the exchange to the press and it was widely reported on 16 January. Such leaks to the press were practically unknown at the time, and the players were horrified that the confrontation became public knowledge. (Full article...)
Selected biography -
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Did you know (auto-generated) -
- ... that Lowe Kong Meng imported goods for Chinese miners during the Victorian gold rush and became one of the wealthiest men in Victoria?
- ... that Joe the Pigeon was granted a pardon by the Australian government after being sentenced to euthanasia?
- ... that Paddy Morgan conceded the final of the 1976 Australian Professional Championship rather than play with Eddie Charlton's balls?
- ... that the recently restored Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Roebourne is the oldest church in North West Australia?
- ... that Australian actress Betty Bryant was honoured by Hillary Clinton for her humanitarian service?
- ... that the Australian national cricket team's 1999 tour of the West Indies was the first four-match series in the history of Test cricket to finish 2–2?
- ... that Australian writer Gertrude Hart was a co-founder of the Old Derelicts' Club, which later became the Society of Australian Authors?
- ... that Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe was the top try scorer at the 2018–19 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series, the first time the feat had been achieved by someone not from Australia or New Zealand?
In the news
- 3 July 2022 –
- Fifty-one people are arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy while trying to emigrate to Australia by sea. Police said that undocumented immigration has increased because of Sri Lanka's economic crisis. (Outlook)
- 17 June 2022 –
- The English men's cricket team achieve the highest ever One Day International score of 498 against The Netherlands, beating their previous world record of 481 against Australia in 2018. (BBC Sport)
- 6 June 2022 – 2022 monkeypox outbreak
- Singapore reports its first case of monkeypox in a man who travelled from Australia. (CNA)
- 1 June 2022 –
- Scientists from the University of Western Australia announce that a seagrass meadow of the species Posidonia australis covering 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi), approximately three times the size of Manhattan, found off of Western Australia's Shark Bay, actually belongs to one plant, making it the largest known plant on Earth. (BBC News)
- 30 May 2022 – 2022 Australian federal election
- 2022 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election
- Former Minister for Defence Peter Dutton is elected unopposed as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and, by extension, Leader of the Opposition following former Prime Minister Scott Morrison's resignation. (The Guardian)
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On this day
- 1851 – James Esmond announces the discovery of gold at Clunes, Victoria leading to the start of the Victorian Gold Rush.
- 1854 – The Mercury was first published in Hobart.
- 1900 – The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (UK) passed it received royal assent on the 9th.
- 1905 – Alfred Deakin becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the second time.
- 1945 – John Curtin, Prime Minister of Australia, died while in office.
- 1980 – Evonne Goolagong defeats Chris Evert to win her second women's singles title.
- 1985 – Justice Lionel Murphy of the High Court is convicted of perverting the course of justice.
- 2001 – Australia and newly independent East Timor sign the Timor Gap Treaty.
- 2004 – Australia and Thailand sign a free trade agreement.
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