Australia Apostille

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Australia Apostille

Designated Competent Authority(ies):

The Secretary to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Commonwealth of Australia

Contact details:

Address:	R.G. Casey Building John McEwen Crescent Barton, ACT 0221 Australia.
Telephone:	+61 (2) 6261 3644 / +61 (2) 6261 1111
Fax:	+61 (2) 6261 2820 / +61 (2) 6261 3111
E-mail:	Melbourne, Victoria: notarialsvic@dfat.gov.au Sydney, New South Wales: dfat.nsw@dfat.gov.au Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: consular.feedback@dfat.gov.au Adelaide, South Australia: adelaide.sa@dfat.gov.au Brisbane,Queensland: dfatbris@dfat.gov.au Darwin, Northern Territory: dfat.darwin@dfat.gov.au Hobart, Tasmania: dfat.tasmania@dfat.gov.au Perth, Western Australia: enquirieswa@dfat.gov.au
General website (see also “Practical Information”):	http://www.dfat.gov.au

Practical Information:

Price:	$60 Australian dollars for a single-sided page document $80 Australian dollars for a binding (documents of two or more pages)
Useful Links:	http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/authen.html http://www.dfat.gov.au/sydney/faq.pdf
Regional offices	http://www.smartraveler.gov.au/state_offices.html

PROFILE

OFFICIAL NAME:
Commonwealth of Australia

On a blue field, U.K. Union Jack in the top left corner, a large white star directly beneath symbolizing federation, and five smaller white stars on the right half representing the Southern Cross constellation

Geography
Area: 7.7 million sq. km. (3 million sq. mi.); about the size of the 48 contiguous United States.
Cities (2006): Capital--Canberra (pop. 323,000). Other cities--Sydney(4.3 million), Melbourne (3.6 million), Brisbane (1.8 million), Perth(1.5 million), Adelaide (1.1 million), Darwin (114,000), Hobart(48,808).
Terrain: Varied, but generally low-lying.
Climate: Relatively dry and subject to drought, ranging from temperate in the south to tropical in the far north.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Australian(s).
Population (2007 est.): 21 million.
Annual population growth rate: 1.3%.
Ethnic groups: European 92%, Asian 6%, Aboriginal 2%.
Religions (2006): Catholic 26%, Anglican 19%, other Christian 19%, other non-Christian 5%, no religion 19% and not stated 12%.
Languages: English.
Education: Years compulsory--to age 15 in all states except Tasmania, where it is 16. Literacy--over 99%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--4.63/1,000. Life expectancy--males 78 yrs., females 83 yrs.
Work force (10.4 million): Agriculture--3.0%; mining--4.9%; manufacturing--10.3%; services--72.4%; public administration and defense--3.8%.

Government
Type: Democratic, federal-state system recognizing British monarch as sovereign.
Constitution: Passed by the British Parliament on July 9, 1900.
Independence (federation): January 1, 1901.
Branches:Head of state is the British monarch, who is also the Australiansovereign, represented by an appointed governor general. Legislative--bicameralParliament (76-member Senate, 150-member House of Representatives). TheHouse of Representatives selects as head of government the PrimeMinister, who then appoints his cabinet. Judicial--independent judiciary.
Administrative subdivisions: Six states and two territories.
Politicalparties: Australian Labor, Liberal, the Greens, the Nationals, andFamily First. The Australian Labor Party currently forms the government.
Suffrage: Universal and compulsory over 18.
Central government budget (revenue): FY 2007-2008 $219.4 billion; FY 2008-2009 $231.8 billion (2006 US$/$A = 1.32).
Defense: $19.9 billion or 1.81% of GDP for FY 2007-2008. (2006 US$/$A = 1.32).

Economy
GDP (year to March 2007): $714.1 billion.
Inflation rate (year to September 2007): 3.2% per annum.
Reserve Bank official interest rate: 6.50%.
Trade: Exports ($114 billion, 2005-2006)--coal, iron ore, non-monetary gold, crude petroleum, and bovine meat. Major markets--China, Japan, South Korea, U.S. ($7.3 billion), and New Zealand. Imports($125 billion, 2005-2006)--passenger motor vehicles, crude petroleum,computers, medicaments, and telecommunications equipment. Major suppliers--China, U.S. ($17.1 billion), Japan, Singapore, and Germany.

PEOPLE
Australia'saboriginal inhabitants, a hunting-gathering people generally referredto today as Aboriginals and Torres Straits Islanders, arrived more than40,000 years ago. Although their technical culture remainedstatic--depending on wood, bone, and stone tools and weapons--theirspiritual and social life was highly complex. Most spoke severallanguages, and confederacies sometimes linked widely scattered tribalgroups. Aboriginal population density ranged from one person per squaremile along the coasts to one person per 35 square miles in the aridinterior. When Capt. James Cook claimed Australia for Great Britain in1770, the native population may have numbered 300,000 in as many as 500tribes speaking many different languages. The aboriginal populationcurrently numbers approximately 517,200, representing about 2.5% of thepopulation. Since the end of World War II, the government and thepublic have made efforts to be more responsive to aboriginal rights andneeds.

Immigration has been a key toAustralia's development since the beginning of European settlement in1788. For generations, most settlers came from the British Isles, andthe people of Australia are still predominantly of British or Irishorigin, with a culture and outlook similar to those of Americans.However, since the end of World War II, the population has more thandoubled; non-European immigration, mostly from the Middle East, Asia,and Latin America, has increased significantly since 1960 through anextensive, planned immigration program. From 1945 through 2000, nearly5.9 million immigrants settled in Australia, and about 80% haveremained; nearly three out of every 10 Australians are foreign-born.Britain, Ireland, Italy, Greece, New Zealand, and the former Yugoslaviawere the largest sources of post-war immigration, but New Zealand hasnow overtaken Britain as the largest source country for permanentmigrants to Australia, with India, China, and the Philippines making upthe rest of the top five.

Australia's humanitarian and refugeeadmissions of about 13,000 per year are in addition to the normalimmigration program. In recent years, refugees from Africa, the MiddleEast, and Southwest Asia have comprised the largest element inAustralia's refugee program.

Although Australia has scarcely morethan three people per square kilometer, it is one of the world's mosturbanized countries. Less than 2.5% of the population lives in remoteor very remote areas.

Cultural Achievements
Much ofAustralia's culture is derived from European roots, but distinctiveAustralian features have evolved from the environment, aboriginalculture, and the influence of Australia's neighbors. The vigor andoriginality of the arts in Australia--film, opera, music, painting,theater, dance, and crafts--are achieving international recognition.

Australian actors such as Nicole Kidman,Rachel Griffiths, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Paul Hogan, HughJackman, and Heath Ledger have achieved enormous popularity in theUnited States. Australian movies and directors such as Peter Weir andPhilip Noyes, the conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, and singers such asOlivia Newton-John, children's musicians The Wiggles, AC/DC, Dame JoanSutherland, Dame Nellie Melba, and Kylie Minogue, also are well known.

Australia has had a widely respectedschool of painting since the early days of European settlement, andAustralians with international reputations include Sidney Nolan,Russell Drysdale, Pro Hart, and Arthur Boyd. Writers who have achievedworld recognition include Thomas Keneally, Colleen McCullough, NevilShute, Morris West, Jill Ker Conway, Peter Carey, Robert Hughes,Germaine Greer, and Nobel Prize winner Patrick White.

HISTORY
Australiawas uninhabited until stone-culture peoples arrived, perhaps by boatacross the waters separating the island from the Indonesia archipelagomore than 40,000 years ago. Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and Englishexplorers observed the island before 1770, when Captain Cook exploredthe east coast and claimed it for Great Britain (three Americancolonists were crew members aboard Cook's ship, the Endeavour).

On January 26, 1788 (now celebrated asAustralia Day), the First Fleet under Capt. Arthur Phillip landed atSydney, and formal proclamation of the establishment of the Colony ofNew South Wales followed on February 7. Many but by no means all of thefirst settlers were convicts, many condemned for offenses that todaywould often be thought trivial. The mid-19th century saw the beginningof government policies to emancipate convicts and assist theimmigration of free persons. The discovery of gold in 1851 led toincreased population, wealth, and trade.

The six colonies that now constitute thestates of the Australian Commonwealth were established in the followingorder: New South Wales, 1788; Tasmania, 1825; Western Australia, 1830;South Australia, 1836; Victoria, 1851; and Queensland, 1859. Settlementhad preceded these dates in most cases. Discussions between Australianand British representatives led to adoption by the British Governmentof an act to constitute the Commonwealth of Australia in 1900. SinceFederation, the Commonwealth Government has established twoself-governing territories: the Northern Territory, 1978; and theAustralian Capital Territory (where the national capital, Canberra, islocated), 1989.

The first federal Parliament was openedat Melbourne in May 1901 by the Duke of York (later King George V). InMay 1927, the seat of government was transferred to Canberra, a plannedcity designed by an American, Walter Burley Griffin. The first sessionof Parliament in that city was opened by another Duke of York (laterKing George VI). Australia passed the Statute of Westminster AdoptionAct on October 9, 1942, which officially established Australia'scomplete autonomy in both internal and external affairs. Its passageformalized a situation that had existed for years. The Australia Act(1986) eliminated almost all remaining vestiges of British legalauthority.

GOVERNMENT
TheCommonwealth government was created with a Constitution patternedpartly on the U.S. Constitution, although it does not include a "billof rights". The powers of the Commonwealth are specifically defined inthe Constitution, and the residual powers remain with the states.Proposed changes to the Constitution must be approved by the Parliamentand the people, via referendum, in order to take effect.

Australia is an independent nationwithin the Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state andsince 1973 has been officially styled "Queen of Australia." The Queenis represented throughout Australia by a governor general and in eachstate by a governor. The governor general retains reserve powers of theQueen, including the power to dismiss ministers, last exercised in 1975.

The federal Parliament is bicameral,consisting of a 76-member Senate and a 150-member House ofRepresentatives. Twelve senators from each state are elected for 6-yearterms, with half elected every 3 years. Each territory has two senatorswho are elected for 3-year terms. The members of the House ofRepresentatives are allocated among the states and territories roughlyin proportion to population. In ordinary legislation, the two chambershave parallel powers, but all proposals for appropriating revenue orimposing taxes must be introduced in the House of Representatives.Under the prevailing Westminster parliamentary system, the leader ofthe political party or coalition of parties that wins a majority of theseats in the House of Representatives is named prime minister. Theprime minister and the cabinet wield actual power and are responsibleto the Parliament, of which they must be elected members. Generalelections are held at least once every 3 years; the last generalelection was in November 2007.

Each state is headed by a premier, whois the leader of the party with a majority or a working minority in thelower house of the state legislature (Queensland is an exception, witha unicameral parliament). Australia's two self-governing territorieshave political systems similar to those of the states, with unicameralassemblies. Each territory is headed by a Chief Minister who is theleader of the party with a majority or a working minority in theterritory's legislature. Australia's 673 local councils assist in thedelivery of services such as road maintenance, sewage treatment, andthe provision of recreational facilities.

At the apex of the court system is theHigh Court of Australia. It has general appellate jurisdiction over allother federal and state courts and possesses the power ofconstitutional review.

Principal Government Officials
Governor General--Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael Jeffery
Prime Minister--Kevin Rudd
Deputy Prime Minister--Julia Gillard
Foreign Minister--Stephen Smith
Defense Minister--Joel Fitzgibbon
Ambassador to the United States--Dennis Richardson
Ambassador to the United Nations--Robert Hill

Australia maintains an embassyin the United States at 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC20036 (tel. 202-797-3000), and consulates general in New York(212-351-6500), San Francisco (415-536-1970), Honolulu (808-524-5050),Los Angeles (310-229-4800), Chicago (312-419-1480) and Atlanta(404-760-3400).

POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Threepolitical parties dominate the center of the Australian politicalspectrum. The Liberal Party (LP), nominally representing urban businessinterests, and the Nationals, nominally representing rural interests,are the more conservative parties. The Australian Labor Party (ALP)nominally represents the trade unions and left-of-center groups. TheALP, founded by labor unions, traditionally had been moderatelysocialist in its policies and approaches to social issues. Today, it isa best described as a social democratic party. All political groups aretied by tradition to domestic welfare policies offering extensivesocial welfare programs. Over the last decade, Australia's socialwelfare system has increased assistance to families while imposingobligations on those receiving unemployment benefits and disabilitypensions. There is strong bipartisan sentiment on many internationalissues, including Australia's commitment to its alliance with theUnited States.

The ALP, under the leadership of KevinRudd, defeated the Liberal/National coalition, led by former PrimeMinister John Howard, in an election on November 24, 2007. The ALP nowholds 84 seats in the House of Representatives, against 64 for theLiberal/National coalition, and 2 independents. Currently, in theSenate, the coalition holds a majority with 39 seats in the 76-seatchamber, but with the election--which was also for half the upperhouse--a new Senate will be seated in July 2008 in which no party willhave a majority. The composition of the Senate is likely to be 37 seatsfor the coalition, 32 for the ALP, five seats for the Green Party, onefor the Family First Party, and one independent.

Rudd and the ALP won the election with amessage promising new leadership after 11 years of the Howardgovernment. They campaigned on a conservative platform that mimickedcoalition polices in key policy areas such as tax cuts and economicmanagement, while differentiating themselves on unpopular Howardgovernment policies on workplace relations reform and climate change.The Rudd government has ratified the Kyoto Protocol and will work withthe international community on combating climate change. It will alsoseek to undo some of the labor market reforms instituted by the Howardgovernment after the 2004 election. The reforms, which eliminated someworker protections in the name of labor-market flexibility, were neveraccepted by many working families in Australia, and they desertedHoward in the election. The new Australian government's foreign policyis likely to show strong continuity with that of its predecessors,stressing relations with four key countries: the United States, Japan,China, and Indonesia. The Rudd government strongly supports U.S.engagement in the Asia-Pacific region and has pledged to maintainAustralian troops in Afghanistan. It will withdraw Australia's combattroops from Iraq in 2008, however, leaving air, naval, and trainingassets in and around Iraq.

ECONOMY
Australia'sadvanced market economy is dominated by its services sector (72% ofGDP), yet it is the agricultural and mining sectors (8% of GDPcombined) that account for the bulk (52%) of Australia's exports.Australia's comparative advantage in the export of primary products isa reflection of the natural wealth of the Australian continent and itssmall domestic market; 21 million people occupy a continent the size ofthe contiguous United States. The relative size of the manufacturingsector has been declining for several decades, but has now steadied ataround 10% of GDP. Australia currently enjoys a record-highterms-of-trade (TOT) that is 30% above its long-run average, reflectingthe rise in global commodity prices created by booming demand in Chinaand the drop in prices for imports for manufactured goods, mainly fromChina.

Since the 1980s, Australia hasundertaken significant structural reform of its economy and hastransformed itself from an inward-looking, highly protected andregulated marketplace to an open, internationally competitive,export-oriented economy. Key economic reforms included unilaterallyreducing high tariffs and other protective barriers to free trade,floating the Australian dollar, deregulating the financial servicessector, including liberalizing access for foreign banks, increasingflexibility in the labor market, reducing duplication and increasingefficiency between the federal and state branches of government,privatizing many government-owned monopolies, and reforming thetaxation system, including introducing a broad-based Goods and ServicesTax (GST) and large reductions in income tax rates.

Australia is now in its 17th year ofuninterrupted economic expansion and enjoys a higher standard of livingthan any G7 country other than the United States. Australia's economicstanding in the world is a result of a commitment to best-practicemacroeconomic policy settings including the delegation of the conductof monetary policy to the independent Reserve Bank of Australia, and abroad acceptance of prudent fiscal policy where the government aims forfiscal balance over the economic cycle. The Australian Government haszero net debt and, through the "Future Fund," is building a net assetposition to deal with future liabilities resulting from an agingpopulation. The Australian economy is expected to grow at around 3.5%in 2007.

Two issues, national infrastructure andclimate change, currently dominate thinking about economic policy inAustralia. The Australian economy is booming and is operating at closeto capacity with unemployment near a 32-year low of 4.3%. Both thefederal and state governments have recognized the need to investheavily in water, transport, ports, telecommunications, and educationinfrastructure to expand Australia's supply capacity. Australia may becoming out of the severe drought conditions it has experienced over thelast 5 years, and received above-average rainfall in many areas duringthe last half 2007. This should somewhat reduce the intense economicand political pressure on governments to build dams, water-recyclingfacilities, and desalination plants in drought-affected cities such asBrisbane, Canberra, and Perth.

The second significant issue is climatechange. A report commissioned by then-Prime Minister John Howardrecommended a domestic carbon emissions trading scheme. It alsorecommended that Australia take an active role in developing a futureglobal carbon emissions trading system. Under new Prime Minister KevinRudd, Australia is committed to adopting a domestic carbon tradingsystem by 2010.

The Australia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement(AUSFTA) entered into force on January 1, 2005. The AUSFTA marks thefirst FTA the U.S. has concluded with a developed economy since theU.S.-Canada FTA in 1988. Australia has also completed FTAs withSingapore and Thailand and is pursuing other FTAs, including with Chinaand Japan. A burgeoning trade relationship marked by ongoing,multi-billion dollar resource export contracts and rising manufacturedimports has driven FTA negotiations with China. Parallel efforts areunderway with Malaysia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN). The new Rudd government has restated its commitment toachieving high-quality FTAs with economies in the Asia-Pacific.

FOREIGN RELATIONS
Australiahas been active participant in international affairs since World War Iand since then has fought beside the United States and other Allies inevery significant conflict to the present day. In 1944, it concluded anagreement with New Zealand dealing with the security, welfare, andadvancement of the people of the independent territories of the Pacific(the ANZAC pact). After the war, Australia played a role in the FarEastern Commission in Japan and supported Indonesian independenceduring that country's revolt against the Dutch (1945-49). Australia wasone of the founders of both the United Nations and the South PacificCommission (1947), and in 1950, it proposed the Colombo Plan to assistdeveloping countries in Asia. In addition to contributing to UN forcesin Korea--it was the first country to announce it would do so after theUnited States--Australia sent troops to assist in putting down thecommunist revolt in Malaya in 1948-60 and later to combat theIndonesian-supported invasion of Sarawak in 1963-65. The U.S.,Australia and New Zealand signed the ANZUS Treaty in 1951, whichremains Australia's only formal security treaty alliance. Australiaalso sent troops to assist South Vietnamese and U.S. forces in Vietnamand joined coalition forces in the Persian Gulf conflict in 1991, inAfghanistan in 2002, and in Iraq in 2003.

Australia has been active in theAustralia-New Zealand-U.K. agreement and the Five-Power DefenseArrangements--successive arrangements with Britain and New Zealand toensure the security of Singapore and Malaysia.

One of the drafters of the UN Charter,Australia has given firm support to the United Nations and itsspecialized agencies. It was a member of the Security Council in1986-87, a member of the Economic and Social Council for 1986-89, and amember of the UN Human Rights Commission for 1994-96 and 2003-2005.Australia takes a prominent part in many other UN activities, includingpeacekeeping, nonproliferation and disarmament negotiations, andnarcotics control. Australia also is active in meetings of theCommonwealth Regional Heads of Government and the Pacific IslandsForum, and has been a leader in the Cairns Group--countries pressingfor agricultural trade reform in World Trade Organization (WTO)negotiations--and in founding the APEC forum. In 2002, Australia joinedthe International Criminal Court.

Australia has devoted particularattention to relations between developed and developing nations, withemphasis on the ten countries of the Association of Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN) and the island states of the South Pacific. Australiais an active participant in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), whichpromotes regional cooperation on security issues, and has been a memberof the East Asia Summit since its inauguration in 2005. In September1999, acting under a UN Security Council mandate, Australia led aninternational coalition to restore order in East Timor upon Indonesia'swithdrawal from that territory. In 2006, Australia participated in aninternational peacekeeping operation in Timor-Leste (formerly EastTimor). Australia led a regional mission to restore law and order inSolomon Islands in 2003 and again in 2006.

In 2006, the government committed todoubling Australia's official development assistance to $4 billion ayear by 2010. Australia budgeted $2.48 billion ($A2.95 billion) asofficial development assistance in FY 2006-2007, and has budgeted $2.66billion ($A3.16 billion) in 2007-2008. The Australian aid program iscurrently concentrated in Southeast Asia (Papua New Guinea--PNG--is thelargest-single recipient) and the Pacific Islands. In 2004, Australiacommenced a 5-year $0.8 billion ($A1.1 billion) Enhanced CooperationProgram (ECP), which involved government officials working alongsidetheir PNG counterparts. The future of the program was called intoquestion in 2005, however, when ECP immunity provisions for Australianofficials were successfully challenged in the PNG high court. Selectedaid flows are allocated to Africa, South Asia, and reconstruction inAfghanistan and Iraq. Contributions to multilateral organizations andother expenses account for about one-third of the foreign assistancebudget.

ANZUS AND DEFENSE
TheAustralia, New Zealand, United States (ANZUS) security treaty wasconcluded at San Francisco on September 1, 1951, and entered into forceon April 29, 1952. The treaty bound the signatories to recognize thatan armed attack in the Pacific area on any of them would endanger thepeace and safety of the others. It committed them to consult in theevent of a threat and, in the event of attack, to meet the commondanger in accordance with their respective constitutional processes.The three nations also pledged to maintain and develop individual andcollective capabilities to resist attack.

In 1984, the nature of the ANZUSalliance changed after the Government of New Zealand refused access toits ports by nuclear-weapons-capable and nuclear-powered ships of theU.S. Navy. The United States suspended defense obligations to NewZealand, and annual bilateral meetings between the U.S. Secretary ofState and the Australian Foreign Minister replaced annual meetings ofthe ANZUS Council of Foreign Ministers. The first bilateral meeting washeld in Canberra in 1985. At the second, in San Francisco in 1986, theUnited States and Australia announced that the United States wassuspending its treaty security obligations to New Zealand pending therestoration of port access. Subsequent bilateral Australia-U.S.Ministerial (AUSMIN) meetings, which included the U.S. Secretary ofDefense and the Australian Defense Minister, have alternated betweenAustralia and the United States. Since 1985, U.S. and Australianforeign and defense ministers have met 18 times in the AUSMIN format.The next AUSMIN is scheduled to take place in Canberra, Australia onFebruary 23, 2008.

The U.S.-Australia alliance under theANZUS Treaty remains in full force. Defense ministers of one or bothnations have joined the annual ministerial meetings, which aresupplemented by consultations between the U.S. Combatant Commander,Pacific and the Australian Chief of Defense Force. There also areregular civilian and military consultations between the two governmentsat lower levels.

ANZUS has no integrated defensestructure or dedicated forces. However, in fulfillment of ANZUSobligations, Australia and the United States conduct a variety of jointactivities. These include military exercises ranging from naval andlanding exercises at the task-group level to battalion-level specialforces training to numerous smaller-scale exercises, assigning officersto each other's armed services, and standardizing, where possible,equipment and operational doctrine. The two countries also operatejoint defense facilities in Australia.

Following the terrorist attacks on theUnited States on September 11, 2001, Australian Prime Minister Howardand U.S. President George Bush jointly invoked the ANZUS Treaty for thefirst time on September 14, 2001. Australia was one of the earliestparticipants in Operation Enduring Freedom. Australian Defense Forcesparticipated in coalition military action against Iraq in OperationIraqi Freedom. Australian military and civilian specialists areparticipating in the training of Iraqi security forces and thereconstruction of Iraq. Australian Special Forces redeployed toAfghanistan to help provide security for the country's September 18,2005 elections. Based on growing defense commitments, Australia decidedto increase the Australian Army from 26,000 to 30,000 over the nextseveral years. This will enable the reestablishment of two infantrybattalions, as well as enabling troops, such as a new unmanned aerialvehicle (UAV) unit.

The Australian Government has stated itsintention to maintain its investment in future capability of theAustralian Defense Force (ADF). To do so, the government has committedto a 3% growth in defense funding through 2016 to ensure the ADF cancontinue to meet capability and interoperability goals. The AustralianDefense Force numbers about 51,000 active duty personnel, with plannedincreases to 57,000 within the next decade. The Royal Australian Navy's(RAN) front-line fleet currently includes 12 frigates, including 4 ofthe Adelaide class and 8 Australian-built ANZAC class. In August 2004,Australia selected the Aegis Combat Control System for its three airwarfare destroyers (AWD), which will start coming into service in 2014.A decision on a fourth AWD is expected in 2008. The F/A-18 fighter,built in Australia under license from the U.S. manufacturer, is theprincipal combat aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force, backed bythe U.S.-built F-111 strike aircraft. In October 2002, Australia becamea Level III partner in the U.S.-led Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program.Additionally, the Australian Government signed the JSF Production,Sustainment and Follow-on Development MOU in 2006. Australia isprojected to buy 100 JSF aircraft with deliveries starting in 2013 andrunning through 2020, with its decision on the JSF expected in November2008. The F-111 strike aircraft are scheduled to exit service by 2010and will be replaced by 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet fighters as aninterim strike capability with deliveries commencing in 2010. The RoyalAustralian Air Force (RAAF) took its first delivery of a planned buy of4 Lockheed C-17 strategic airlift aircraft in December 2006. Inaddition, Boeing will provide the Commonwealth of Australia's RAAF withan Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system based on theNext-Generation 737-700 aircraft as the airborne platform. Recent U.S.sales to the Australian Army include the M1A1 AIM tank, as well asHellfire and JAVELIN munitions. Future opportunities include the CH-47helicopter replacements and light cargo aircraft replacements.

U.S.-AUSTRALIAN RELATIONS
TheWorld War II experience, similarities in culture and historicalbackground, and shared democratic values have made U.S. relations withAustralia exceptionally strong and close. Ties linking the two nationscover the entire spectrum of international relations--from commercial,cultural, and environmental contacts to political and defensecooperation. Two-way trade reached almost $26 billion in 2006. Morethan 456,000 Americans visited Australia in 2006.

Traditional friendship is reinforced bythe wide range of common interests and similar views on most majorinternational questions. For example, both countries sent militaryforces to the Persian Gulf in support of UN Security Councilresolutions relating to Iraq's occupation of Kuwait; both attach highpriority to controlling and eventually eliminating chemical weapons,other weapons of mass destruction, and anti-personnel landmines; andboth work closely on global environmental issues such as slowingclimate change and preserving coral reefs. The Australian Governmentand opposition share the view that Australia's security depends on firmties with the United States, and the ANZUS Treaty enjoys broadbipartisan support. Recent Presidential visits to Australia (in 1991,1996, 2003 and September 2007), a Vice Presidential visit in February2007, and Australian Prime Ministerial visits to the United States (in1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006) haveunderscored the strength and closeness of the alliance.

The bilateral Australia-U.S. Free TradeAgreement (AUSFTA) entered into force on January 1, 2005. Thiscomprehensive agreement, only the second FTA the U.S. had negotiatedwith a developed nation, substantially liberalizes an already vibranttrade and investment relationship. The AUSFTA also creates a range ofongoing working groups and committees designed to explore further tradereform in the bilateral context.

Both countries share a commitment toliberalizing global trade. They work together very closely in the WorldTrade Organization (WTO), and both are active members of theAsia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

A number of U.S. institutions conductscientific activities in Australia because of its geographicalposition, large land mass, advanced technology, and, above all, theready cooperation of its government and scientists. In 2005, abilateral science and technology agreement was renewed. Under anotheragreement dating back to 1960 and since renewed, the U.S. NationalAeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) maintains in Australia oneof its largest and most important program outside the United States,including a number of tracking facilities vital to the U.S. spaceprogram. Indicative of the broad-ranging U.S.-Australian cooperation onother global issues, a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) wasconcluded in 1997, enhancing already close bilateral cooperation onlegal and counter-narcotics issues. In 2001, the U.S. and Australiasigned a new tax treaty and a bilateral social security agreement. TheU.S. Studies Centre was launched in 2006 at the University of Sydneywith Commonwealth funding of Au$25 million. In April 2007, Australiaand the U.S. agreed to each resettle up to 200 refugees processed inthe other country each year as a means of deterring unauthorizedarrivals and people smugglers.

Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Robert D. McCallum, Jr.
Deputy Chief of Mission--Daniel A. Clune
Consular Affairs Coordinator--Suzanne Lawrence (resident in Sydney)
Economic Counselor--Edgard Kagan
Political Counselor--James F. Cole
Management Counselor--Grace Stettenbauer
Public Affairs Counselor--Scott Weinhold
Defense and Air Attaché--Col Andrew Britschgi, USAF
Agricultural Counselor--Kathleen Wainio
Senior Commercial Officer--David Murphy (resident in Sydney)

The U.S. Embassyin Australia is located at Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra,Australian Capital Territory 2600 (tel. 2-6214-5600; fax 6214-5970).Consulates General are in Sydney, (address: MLC Centre, Level 59, 19-29 Martin Place, Sydney, NSW 2000; tel. 2-9373-9200; fax 2-9373-9125); Melbourne (address: 553 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004; tel. 3-9526-5900; fax 3-9510-4646); and Perth (address: 4^th Floor, 16 St. George's Terrace, Perth, WA 6000; tel. 9-202-1224; fax. 9-231-9444).