Australia

       

Together with tens of thousands new immigrants each year, we share the optimism and sincere belief that Australia will continue to provide a successful opportunity and a stable and prosperous environment to those who elect to become a part of this young and dynamic country. Australia is a land of opportunity and economic prosperity, quality and affordable education, excellent and affordable health care and retirement options. Over 70% of households own their current home.

Official name: Commonwealth of Australia
Population: 20 720 000
Land: 7 692 024 sq km
Length of coastline: 59 736 km
Form of state: Federal democracy
Legal system: Based on the constitution of 1901
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented in Australia by a governor-general

Unemployment rate: 5.2%
Medium full time earnings: AUD$ 58 984 per year

States and Territories	Capital Cities - Population:
New South Wales:	Sydney
Victoria:	Melbourne
Queensland:	Brisbane
South Australia:	Adelaide
Western Australia:	Perth
Tasmania:	Hobart
Northern Territory:	Darwin
Australian Capital Territory:	Canberra

Capital Cities - Annual Average Daily Minimum Temperature in °C:

Sydney - 14.4
Melbourne - 11.2
Brisbane - 15.7
Adelaide - 12.1
Perth - 12.5
Hobart - 8.8
Darwin - 23.4
Canberra - 6.7

Capital Cities - Annual Average Daily Maximum Temperature in °C:

Sydney - 22.3
Melbourne - 20.1
Brisbane - 25.3
Adelaide - 22.1
Perth - 24.5
Hobart - 17.2
Darwin - 32.1
Canberra - 19.7

Australia was in 2006 ranked number three by the United Nations Human Development Index, as one of the best countries in the world to live in. The United Nations HDI is a standard means of measuring well-being.

1. Norway
2. Iceland
3. Australia
4. Ireland
5. Sweden
6. Canada
7. Japan
8. United States of America
9. Switzerland
10. Netherlands

*The Australian standard of living is even more impressive when you look at the list of the best cities in the world to live in published by the prestigious British magazine The Economist and The Economist Intelligence Unit. Measuring: security, healthcare, environment, culture, education, infrastructure. The first cities are:

1. Melbourne, Australia
1. Vancouver, Canada
3. Perth, Australia
4. Vienna, Austria
4. Toronto, Canada
4. Geneva, Switzerland
4. Zurich, Switzerland
8. Adelaide, Australia
8. Brisbane, Australia
8. Sydney, Australia
8. Auckland, New Zealand
8. Montreal, Canada
8. Calgary, Canada

*Country Competitiveness Index measures: economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure.

1. United States of America
2. Hong Kong
3. Singapore
4. Iceland
5. Denmark
6. Australia
7. Canada

Index of Economic Freedom. This index measures 10 broad factors of economic freedom, including: Labour Freedom, Freedom from Government, Property Rights, Business Freedom and other.

1. Hong Kong
2. Singapore
3. Ireland
4. Australia
5. United States of America
6. New Zealand
7. Canada
8. Chile
9. Switzerland
10. United Kingdom

Employees paid holiday entitlement. The number of annual leave days and public holidays employees do enjoy every year.

1. Finland
2. France
3. Greece
4. Sweden
5. Spain
6. Cuba
7. Germany
8. United Kingdom
9. Australia
10. Hong Kong

How simple is starting a business. This index identifies the time, cost, legal and bureaucratic obstacles an entrepreneur must overcome to incorporate and register a new firm.

1. Australia
2. Canada
3. Belgium
4. Singapore
5. Iceland
6. Denmark
7. United States of America
8. Mauritius
9. Turkey
10. France

*Technological Readiness measures: the labour force access to new knowledge, training in new processes and the latest technologies.

1. Sweden
2. Singapore
3. Israel
4. Iceland
5. Switzerland
6. United Kingdom
7. Australia
8. United States of America
9. Luxembourg
10. Denmark
11. Netherlands
12. Finland
13. Hong Kong
14. Taiwan
15. Norway

Purchasing Power Index is published by the Swiss bank UBS every 3 years and compares salaries (after tax) with prices of over 100 goods and services (no rents considered) in 70 cities:

1. Zurich
2. Geneva
3. Dublin
4. Los Angeles
5. Luxembourg
6. Chicago
7. New York
8. Berlin
9. Sydney
10. Auckland

Corruption Index is published by Transparency International:

1. Iceland
2. New Zealand
3. Finland
4. Denmark
5. Singapore
6. Sweden
7. Switzerland
8. Norway
9. Australia
10. Austria

Foreign-born persons with tertiary education as a percentage of all residents with tertiary education:

1. Luxembourg - 49%
2. Australia - 29%
3. Switzerland - 27%
4. Canada - 26%
5. New Zealand - 24,5%
6. Ireland - 18%
7. United Kingdom - 16%
8. Portugal - 15,5%
9. Austria - 14,5%
10. Sweden - 14%
11. United States of America - 13,5%

Statistics:

The Australian Bureau of Statistics
United Nations Human Development Index, New York, USA
The Economist Intelligence Unit, London, United Kingdom
IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, Lausanne, Switzerland
International Labour Organisation
Centre for Economic and Policy Research
Access Economics
Transparency International
OECD - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
World Economic Forum
*Indexes do show data average over the last 4 years
All data valid: June 2010