The Australian Union (as a separate state) began its historical journey on the first day of the twentieth century - January 1, 1901. The announcement of Australia by the Federation of Colonies was timed to coincide with this date. Six years later, the Australian Union received the status of British dominion.
The Dominion Institute was "invented" in the bowels of the
British Empire's foreign affairs department in the late nineteenth century. Anticipating that a gigantic empire inhabited by a large number of ethnic groups alien to English traditions would not be able to exist for long, it was decided to release some territories into "autonomous navigation." First of all, the new practice concerned territories where the predominant or significant population was Europeans loyal to the politics of the Foreign Office. The states that received the dominion status recognized the authority of the English crown, but in matters of internal governance (and later in foreign policy activities) they became independent.
Canada became the first British dominion in 1867, the Australian Union was the second. Then came the turn of New Zealand, the Union of South Africa and Ireland. After the Second World War, a "parade of sovereignty" began, and when in 1949 the "budding" India declared itself a republic and even abandoned the formal power of the British Empire, they decided to abandon the term "dominion".
The State of the Australian Union occupies the mainland of the same name, the
island of Tasmania and a large number of smaller islands and islets in the southern Pacific and Indian oceans. The mainland lies in hot
climatic zones, only a relatively small area of the southeast part refers to the temperate climate. As for the landscape, perhaps the most monotonous among all continents is Australia. The geography of the mainland is simple and unpretentious: along the entire east coast there is the Great Dividing Range, and almost the rest of the territory is occupied by plains, mostly desert.
In the economy of the Australian Union, mining takes a significant place, which the country is very rich in. In addition, in areas with a temperate climate, there are good conditions for farming. These two industries dominated Australia until the end of World War II. Upon its completion, an industrial boom began in the country.
Now Australia specializes in shipbuilding, electrical engineering and transport engineering (primarily, the production of railway wagons intended for the transport of live cattle and agricultural products).
The Australian tax system is characterized by the fact that residents of the Australian Union pay taxes regardless of the source of income. That is, a resident can earn money in Russia or Mexico, but taxes will still have to be paid in Australia. To avoid double taxation, the government has concluded more than forty agreements with various states.
The Australian economy since the beginning of the 90s of the last century does not know what a recession is, the unemployment rate in the country is less than five percent (and tends to decrease further), and inflation is two to three percent per year. According to various estimates, the level and quality of life in Australia is within the first five countries. Only a warm, human-friendly climate remains to be added to this optimistic picture. And here she is - Australia in all its glory.