Australia has changed the world through significant inventions like the Wi-Fi technology, Cochlear implant, and black box flight recorder, alongside pioneering social reforms like early women's suffrage, and shaping global culture and trade through its unique environment, sports, and multiculturalism, influencing everything from medical devices to food (Vegemite).
For thousands of years, Australians have used the materials around them to develop unique and practical tools to help them live and prosper. Among the huge variety of Australian inventions are the boomerang, cochlear implants, polymer banknotes, and Wi-Fi technology.
Australia's population has doubled over the last 50 years. Our population is older, with fewer children, and a new peak age group has emerged.
Australia has plentiful supplies of natural resources, including the second largest accessible reserves of iron ore in the world, the fifth largest reserves of coal and significant gas resources. For a long time, commodities have made up a sizeable share of our exports.
Five Australian inventions we take for granted
Australia is known for many things, including swathes of tropical beaches, marine reserves, Aboriginal culture, cute koalas, rolling wine country, and lush rainforests.
In 2005, Dr Fiona Wood was pronounced Australian of the Year for her groundbreaking work in burns treatment. She invented spray-on skin (aerosol-delivered cell-clusters), which revolutionised outcomes for burns patients and was instrumental to her success in treating the victims of the 2002 Bali bombings.
No, Australia is not 90% white; while a large majority identify with European ancestry (around 76-80% in recent years), a significant and growing portion identifies as Asian, African, Middle Eastern, or Indigenous, making it a highly multicultural nation with diverse ethnic backgrounds, not overwhelmingly white. Recent census data shows European ancestry (English, Irish, etc.) makes up a large chunk, but Asian ancestries are also substantial, with over 17% Asian population and around 3.8% identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, per the 2021 census data from Wikipedia.
"Ozzy Ozzy Ozzy, Oi Oi Oi" (often written as "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi") is a patriotic Australian sports chant, a rallying cry of national pride, originating from older British cheers like "Oggy Oggy Oggy," with "Aussie" being slang for Australian, and "Oi" functioning as an emphatic interjection, similar to "Hey!" or "Go!". It's used at sporting events, sometimes considered a bit cheesy or "cringey" by some Australians, but generally seen as an inclusive way to support national teams.
Compare 30 Years Of Change In Australia (1984 and 2014)
Australia's population has increased by over half since 1984, and the people here are living longer and earning more. In addition to seeing the highest number of births per year, Australia now draws an unprecedented number of international immigrants.
7 December – Heavy rain causes flash flooding on Queensland's Gold Coast overnight. 200mm of rain fell in the afternoon and early evening. 26 December – 26 Australians are among the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, including the Australian football player Troy Broadbridge.
Population Growth Rates
Australia is continuing to grow, with the annual growth rate being 423,400 people or 1.6% in March of 2025. The quarterly growth rate in 2025 was 0.5% or 144,238 people. As of March 31, 2025, all Australian states and territories reported positive population growth.
Australia responds to emergencies such as cyclones, floods, tsunamis and earthquakes, often being among the first countries to react. Where do we work? Through AusAID, the Australian Government provides development assistance to 75 countries.
Switzerland tops the list of countries with the highest monthly salaries in 2025, offering an impressive average of USD 8,247. Luxembourg follows in second place with USD 6,764, driven by its strong financial sector and high standard of living.
Australia has a high standard of living supported by an educated workforce and a high level of innovation. The quality of education, healthcare, transport, infrastructure and government services in Australia are all above international averages.
Finland is the world's happiest country, according to the World Happiness Report, offering retirees (and others) peace, safety, and balance. You can collect U.S. Social Security benefits while living in Finland.
Once you've been in Australia for, well, an hour, you'll notice that nearly every word has an 'o' on the end of it. This is because for some weird reason Australians like to shorten every word and then add a vowel to the end of it… e.g. “bottle-o” (Bottle shop / off license) “servo” (garage / service station).
Ladies in Black is a 2018 Australian comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford.
More than 80% of our plants, mammals, reptiles and frogs are unique to Australia and are found nowhere else in the world. Some of our Australian animals are very well known like kangaroos, dingos, wallabies and wombats and of course the koala, platypus and echidna.
In Australia, sun exposure propels visible, premature aging signs in the skin more than any other stressor. It's also one cause of dry skin all over the body – so proper sun protection is essential every day of the year. Sunscreen, clothing, hats and shade can help to keep moisture in skin.
Penicillin
The world can thank Adelaide scientist, Howard Florey, for developing penicillin as a medical treatment in the early 1940s - a time when it was common for people to die from a simple bacterial infection.
Professor Wood's greatest contribution and enduring legacy is her work pioneering the innovative 'spray-on skin' technique (Recell), which greatly reduces permanent scarring in burns victims. Professor Wood patented her method in 1993 and today the technique is used worldwide.