Australia in its regional and global contexts The place of Australia in the world

Introduction Australia is an island continent and therefore has no land borders with any other country The security and wealth of Australians increasingly depends on the strength of the links and partnerships that are made between our country and other nations in the areas of migration, trade, defence, aid, tourism, communication, culture and sport.

Definitions Key WordDefinition aidmoney and resources that are given or lent to poor or developing nations by wealthier developed nations Asia-Pacific regionthe countries that make up the southern and eastern parts of Asia and some countries that border the Pacific Ocean communicationthe sending or passing on of information especially by electronic or mechanical means culturethe body of beliefs, attitudes, skills and tools with which members of a community structure their lives and interact with their environment defencethe protection of a country’s borders, people and national interests and the promotion of peace and security

Definitions continued Key WordDefinition migrationthe permanent movement of people between nations International tourism the temporary movement of people between nations International trade the movement of goods, services and ideas between countries Pacific RimMade up of countries that border the Pacific Ocean

Australia’s Place Australia is located in the South Eastern Hemisphere of the world, lying between the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans, south of the Asian continent

Australia’s place in the Asia-Pacific region The Asia-Pacific region is important to Australia because of its political, economic and social links The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is made up of the heads of government of a group of Pacific Rim countries Purpose – to improve the economic and political links between countries and discuss issues that affect this region Australia is a member of APEC

Australia’s nearest neighbours in Oceania Oceania is a geographical region that consists of lands that lie in the Pacific Ocean in the area between Asia and North and South America Countries and islands in the Oceania include: Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga Australia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), New Zealand Australasia means ‘south of Asia’ Australia’s nearest neighbours are PNG, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu

Australia’s territorial boundaries Australia has no land boundaries Australia has sovereign rights over the area 200 nautical miles around the continent This is called the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone Australia has maritime boundaries treaties with Indonesia, PNG, Solomon Island and France as the colonial power of New Caledonia

Australia interacts with other nations Historical Links include: The United Kingdom The United States and Canada New Zealand Geographical Links Building closer economic, cultural and political relationships with our Asian and Pacific neighbours is a priority for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) These relationships aim to improve and preserve security, wealth and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region Geographical links include: migration, defence, tourism, culture, trade, aid, communication, sport

Migration Almost 25% of the 21 million plus Australians were born overseas They come from more than 170 countries The largest migrant groups were from the United Kingdom and New Zealand Permanent departures from Australia moved to New Zealand, United Kingdom and China

Trade Australia’s trade accounts for only 1% of world trade Australia relies on trade for economic growth and its largest trading partners – for both imports and exports – are the United States, Japan, China and the United Kingdom Major Australian exports include tourism, coal, petroleum, gold 8 out of the 10 largest export markets are found in the Asia-Pacific region

Trade Australia’s top ten merchandise export markets by country 1. Japan 2. China 3. South Korea 4. USA 5. New Zealand 6. India 7. Taiwan 8. United Kingdom 9. Thailand 10. Indonesia

Defence The Australian Defence Force has links with the rest of the world through: joint military exercises Active combat Peace keeping Providing humanitarian relief Australia has strong defence links with the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand Recent active duty has occurred in Afghanistan, Iraq, Timor- Leste and Solomon Islands

Aid The Australian Government donates approximately AU$3 billion each year in overseas aid to countries with low living standards Australia also provides humanitarian aid in cases of regional emergencies such as natural disasters and war The top six receivers of Australian aid include Indonesia, PNG, Solomon Islands, Vietnam, Philippines and Cambodia

Tourism Australians make more than four million visits overseas each year and Australia receives around five million foreign visitors People visiting Australia come from the following top 5 countries: New Zealand, United Kingdom, Japan, USA, Singapore The top five destinations for Australian tourists include: New Zealand, United Kingdom, USA, Indonesia and Fiji

Communication Advanced technology including broadband and satellite Internet, mobile phone networks and digital television help to ensure that Australia is linked to the rest of the world Australia’s strongest communication links are with the United States, United Kingdom and those countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Communication links are increasingly made with China and India and other Asia-Pacific nations

Culture Culture includes: Art Literature Lifestyles Values Ways of living together Traditions Beliefs

Culture Traditionally, Australia’s cultural links have been European, Christian and Anglo-Saxon Today, due to the diverse backgrounds of people who have migrated to Australia, cultural links are many and varied This can be seen in the different restaurants, places of worship, festivals, books, music, film, entertainment and television now available in Australia

Sport Sport is part of Australia’s lifestyle and national identity Important international sporting events include the Olympics and Commonwealth Games Australia’s sporting ties are traditionally with the British Commonwealth countries Popular sports include cricket, tennis, rugby union and rugby league

Internet activity Collect digital images from the Internet to prepare a mind map showing Australia’s regional and global links Prepare the mind map and photos on a poster or PowerPoint slide