Most overseas visitors are amazed
at how clean and tidy public places are in
Many of
The Australian
legal system is based on British Common Law as in
Law is enforced by the federal and state police forces. There is a ratio of about 1:550 people. They have specialised fields such as traffic, homicide, drugs, armed hold up, fraud, etc.
There are 3 levels of government
ruled by the national and state constitutions.
1. Federal - responsible for national interests eg. defence, trade, services, foreign affairs, tourism, etc.
2. State -responsible for education, housing, health, etc.
3. Local -responsible for town planning such as roads, sewerage water, public services, etc.
Australia is
a democracy with 4 major political parties Liberal Party, National Party,
Australian Labour Party and Australian Democrats. All of these support parliamentary
democracy and liberty of the individual. In
Fifty years ago the Australian economy relied mainly on primary production. Now nearly three quarters of production is in the service sector. After World War II a rapid expansion of industry, mining and energy projects began.
About three quarters of the public sector revenue is raised by the federal government through taxes and duties. There are about 35 banks or banking groups operating under the supervision of the reserve bank.
Standard of hygiene are high in the preparation of food to the public and tap water is safe to drink in any Australian town. Fresh food is plentiful at shops and markets. Seafood's and all meats, fresh fruit, salad and vegetables are of high quality and quite safe to eat.
Due to the cosmopolitan population there are a variety of restaurants to suit all tastes from many different countries. They range from top class international cuisine to small coffee shops serving snacks.
Some service charges are added to bills on weekends or public holidays. Tipping is not encouraged or routine, however, good service can be rewarded in which 10% of the bill is adequate.
Australian have three meals a day of which dinner is the biggest. Breakfast is usually self serve and consists of toast, cereal, fruit and fruit juices, milk and tea or coffee. Time is limited in the morning but sometimes there may be a hot breakfast with ham, eggs, sausages, steak and eggs. Lunch is usually a sandwich or a light meal. Dinner varies greatly depending on the family, but usually includes vegetables and meat. Traditional Aussi meals are such dishes as sausages and mash potato, or rissoles and chips. Rice although popular, may not always be present at the meal table.