Australia is the only continent that is all one country. It is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations, which means it is an independent nation, and it is one of the most advanced countries of the world. Queen Elizabeth of England is also Queen of Australia.
Australia is the only
continent that is all one country. It is a member of the British
Commonwealth of Nations, which means it is an independent nation, and
it is one of the most advanced countries of the world. Queen
Elizabeth of England is also Queen of Australia. There is a governor
general, who represents the British Crown (the Queen), and two houses
in the legislature, which makes the laws. There arc six states in the
Commonwealth of Australia, and two territories. The states are New
South Wales, Victoria Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia,
and the island of Tasmania.
The territories are
Northern Territory, and Australian Capital Territory, which is
somewhat equivalent to the District of Columbia in the United States.
Each state has its own legislature, as the states of the United
States do. The central government has charge of the post office, and
regulates the telephone and telegraph systems and of course the money
system. However, each state in Australia owns and operates the
railway lines within its borders. This has caused some difficulty,
because the gauge (width) of the tracks was different in different
states, so that a train could not cross a state line and a traveler
had to change railroad lines at state borders. This has been
corrected for the most part. All children must go to grammar school,
and anyone who wants a good education can get one free at trade
schools, agricultural colleges and universities. In social security,
the Australian government is even more advanced than the United
States.
There are pension funds
for many different groups of people. There are pensions for the
blind, the old, the unemployed, those with tuberculosis, and in some
cases the families of former soldiers. Not only are these groups
protected by pensions, but there is a cash bonus paid to the parents
of every child born in the Commonwealth
