《英美國(guó)家概況》Chapter17-Government-and-Society

AustraliaChapter17GovernmentandSocietySpeakers:AliceChloeDaisyⅠ.Government

Australia‘ssystemofgovernmentreflectsboththeBritishandNorthAmericanmodelsofliberaldemocracy(民主),butwithsomeuniqueAustralianfeatures.GOVERNMENTThecommonwealthofAustralia,formedin1901,iscomprisedof6statesand2mainlandterritories(領(lǐng)土).AustraliafollowsthefederationmodeloftheUS,.Thefederalgovernmenthasathree-tiresystem.ItisbasedonapopularityelectedParliamentwith2chambers.ThepartyorgroupofpartieswithamajorityintheHouseofRepresentativesformsthegovernment.Thelegislature(立法機(jī)關(guān)〕TheParliament(議會(huì))oftheCommonwealthisthefederallegislatureofAustralia.TheAustraliaparliamentconsistsoftheQueenand2Houses—theUpperhouseandtheLowerhouse.TheSenate〔參議院〕consistsof76Senators.TheSenatehasvirtuallyequalpowertomakelawswiththeHouseofRepresentatives.TheHouseofRepresentativeshas150members,eachrepresentinganelectoraldivision.Membersareelectedforatermofupto3years.ThecentralfunctionoftheHouseofRepresentativesistheconsiderationandpassingofnewlawsandamendments(修正案)orchangestoexistinglaws.TheExecutive〔政府部門(mén)〕①I(mǎi)nAustralia,executiveauthorityisvested(賦予權(quán)利〕intheGovernorGeneral,whoisappointedbytheBritishmonarch(君主)ontheadviceofthePrimeMinister(總理).②ThekingorQueenofBritish:theroyalheadofstate,norealpower,asymbolicrole.③TheGovernorGeneralcanonlyactontheadviceoftheFederalExecutiveCouncilortheCabinet.④Federalpolicy,inpractice,isdeterminedbytheCabinet,whichischairedbythePrimeMinister.TheJudiciary(司法部)①Thejudiciaryisabsolutelyseparatefromtheexecutivebranchandthelegislature(立法部)soastochecktheconcentration(民主)ofgovernmentpower.②TheAustralianjudiciaryincludestheHighCourt,theFederalCourt,theFamilyCourt,theFederalMagistrates(地方)Courtandstateandterritory(領(lǐng)土)courts.PoliticalPartiesTherearethreemajorpoliticalpartiesinAustralia:theAustralianLaborParty,theLiberalPartyandtheNationals.Australiahasatwo-partysystem.TheAustralianLaborParty,nominally(名義上地)representingthetradeunions,isAustralia’soldestpoliticalparty.Inthepastmorethan100years,theAustralianLaborPartyhadgovernedatthefederallevelforonly33years.Inthe20thcentury,thepartyexperiencedthreetraumatic(痛苦的)splitsandwaskeptoutofofficeformanyyears.TheLiberalPartynominally

representsurbanbusiness-relatedgroups.Itisarelativelyyoungparty.Sincethen,ithasremainedoneofAustralia’smajorpartiesandhasenjoyedalongperiodofsuccess.TheNationalsisthesecondoldestpoliticalpartyinAustralia.ElectionAustraliaisoneofthefewcountriesthathavecompulsoryvoting.Withthethree-tier(三層)government,Australianelectorallaws,practicesandsystemsvarygreatly.Thus,Australiancitizenshavebeenfacedwithnotonlyhighfrequency,butalsocomplexityanddiversityoftheelectoralsystems.Themajorityofvotersdependupon“how-to-vote”cardstoguidethem.Ofalltheelections,thegeneralelectionisthemostimportant,theresultofwhichdetermineswhichpartyleaderwillrulethecountryasthePrimeMinister.TherearethreeelectoralsystemswhichareimportantinAustralia,namelythesimplemajoritysystem,thepreferentialvotingsystemandtheproportional(成比例的)representationsystem.Ⅱ.People

PopulationThepopulationofAustraliaisabout22.9million〔2013〕.Theindigenous(本地的)population,theAustralianAborigines〔尤指澳大利亞的土著居民),estimated(估計(jì)，估算)300,000atthetimeoftheEuropeanarrival,numbered517,000in2006.Thoughstillmorerural(鄉(xiāng)下的)thanthegeneralpopulation,theAboriginalpopulationhasbecomemoreurbanized(都市化的),withone-thirdofthemlivinginmajorcities.Australiaisthemostsparsely(稀疏地)populatedoftheinhabitedcontinents.Intermsoflandmass,Australiaisthesixthlargestnationintheworld.However,itranks53rdintermsofpopulation,withanoverallpopulationdensity(人口密度)ofabout3peoplepersquarekilometer.

MulticulturalSocietyDiversityofPopulation人口多樣性:ThreemajorcontributorstoAustralia'sdiversepopulationaretheindigenous(本地的)peoples,theBritishcolonial(殖民的)pastandextensive(廣闊的)immigrationfromdifferentcountriesandcultures.Theindigenous(本地的)Australiansmakeuponlyabout2.5%ofthetotalpopulation.Theoverwhelming(壓倒性的)majorityareimmigrants[OverhalfofthemarefromEurope,predominantly(占主導(dǎo)地位地)Britain.Inrecentyears,therehasbeenanewtrendofimmigrationfromNewZealand,China,IndiaandVietnam.]andtheirdescendants(后裔).DiversityofLanguage語(yǔ)言多樣性:WhlieEnglishisthedominant(占優(yōu)勢(shì)的)languageinAustralia,manypeoplespeakalanguageotherthanEnglishwithintheirfamiliesandcommunities.Collectively(總的來(lái)說(shuō)),Australiansspeakover200languages.ThemostcommonlanguageotherthanEnglishareItalian,Greek,ChineseandArabic.Inaddition,thereareabout50indigenous(本地的)languagesandAustraliancreoles(克里奧耳語(yǔ)，一種歐洲語(yǔ)言和其他語(yǔ)言的混合語(yǔ))spokenbytheAustralians.DiversityofReligion宗教多樣性：ThemajorreligioninAustraliaisChristianity(基督教)andChristiansrepresent69%ofthepopulation.Thenon-ChristianreligionsincludeJudaism(猶太教),Hinduism(印度教),BuddhismandIslam(伊斯蘭教).Buddhismisthelargestnon-Christianreligionandispracticedby1.9%ofthetotalpopulation.Islam,thesecondlargestnon-ChristianreligioninAustraliatoday,ispracticedby1.5%ofthetotalpopulation.

ImmigrationintoAustraliaSince1945,morethan7.2millionpeoplehavecometoAustraliaasnewsettlers.AfterWorldWar2,immigrationtoAustraliamushroomedasaresultofaterriblelaborshortage(勞動(dòng)力短缺)andagrowingbeliefthatsubstantial(大量的)populationgrowthwasessential(根本的)forthecountry'sfuture.Recently,morethan100,000peopleimmigratedtoAustraliaeveryyear.Today,nearlyone-fourthofAustralianswerebornoverseas.ThecurrentAustralianimmigrationprogramisglobalanddoesnotdiscriminateonracialorethnic(種族的)grounds.Australiaalsoacceptsimmigrationonothercriteria(準(zhǔn)那么，標(biāo)準(zhǔn)),suchasfamilyreunion(家庭重聚)andhumanitariangrounds(人道根底).

Ⅲ.Economy

AgricultureAustraliaisself-sufficientinfood;theraisingofsheepandcattleandtheproductionofgrainhavelongbeenthecountry'smajoroccupations.Despiteitslimitedarable(適于耕種的)area,Australiaisoneoftheworld'sleadingexportersofagriculturalproducts.Today,however,astheAustraliaeconomybecomesincreasinglydiverse,theproportion(比例)hasdeclineddespiteanincreasingagriculturaloutput.

IndustryAustraliaisalsoahighlyindustrializedcountry.Itisaleadingsupplierofmineral(礦物)resourcestointernationalmarkets.Manufacturing(制造業(yè))inAustraliawasdevelopedinthelate19thcentury.In1908,theAustraliangovernmentbegantotakemeasurestopromotethedevelopmentofmanufacturing,mainlythroughtariffs(關(guān)稅).BytheendofWorldWarⅡ,manufacturingcontributedmorethanone-fourthofGDP,peakingataboutone-thirdfrom1959to1960.Decliningsharplyfromthishighpoint,manufacturingnowemploysabout10%ofthelaborforceandcontributesabout9%ofAustralia'sGDP.

ForeigntradeForeigntradehastraditionallyplayedanessentialroleinAustralia'seconomicgrowth,largelydominated(控制)bythecountry'srichnaturalresourcesandcomparativelysmallpopulation.Todaytradecontinuestobethebest-performingindustryinAustralia.

TourismTourismisoneofAustralia'slargestandfastest-growingindustries.Itemploys4.5%oftheworkforceandcontributesabout2.6%ofAustralia'sGDP.Australiaisrenowned(享有聲譽(yù)的)foritsuniqueplantandanimalspecies(物種).Itisestimatedthattherearearound27,700differentplantsandanimalsnativetoAustralia.Emu澳洲鴕鳥(niǎo)Duckmole鴨嘴獸

TouristattractionsUluru(艾爾斯巨石)theGreatBarrierReef(大堡礁)theGoldCoast(黃金海岸)theheart-shapedisland(心形島)theSydneyOperaHousetheSydneyHarborBridgeⅣ.EducationEDUCATIONElementaryandsecondaryeducationWhenchildrenarebetween2and5yearsold,theycangotokindergartens,daycentersandplaygroupsofschooling.Mostboysandgirlsenterthesecondaryschoolat12.secondaryschoolusuallylasts6years.Theaustraliabroadcastingcorporationalsoprovidesavarietyofprimaryandearlyeducationprogramsforchildrernlivinginisolatedareas.FamousuniversitieslikeAustraliaNationalUniversity,CanberraUniversity,R