Afghanistan was Australia's longest war, and the past few months have been a painful reminder of the sacrifices made by the men and women of the Australian Defence ForceThe Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and several "tri-service" units.https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Australian_Defence_Force
Australia's history is different from that of many other nations in that since the first coming of the Europeans and their dispossession of the Aboriginals, Australia has not experienced a subsequent invasion; no war has since been fought on Australian soil.
On 2 March 1942, Australia declared war on Thailand.
Introduction. Since World War Two Australians have taken part in many other wars and conflicts, including Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Afghanistan and the ongoing "War on Terror".
The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry report, released in 2020 (the Brereton Report) found credible information that members of the Australian Special Forces had committed war crimes during their operations in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016.
Australia currently has provisions for conscription, only during times of war if it is authorised by the governor-general and approved within 90 days by both houses of Parliament, as outlined in Part IV of the Defence Act 1903.
Australia, once known as New South Wales, was originally planned as a penal colony. In October 1786, the British government appointed Arthur Phillip captain of the HMS Sirius, and commissioned him to establish an agricultural work camp there for British convicts.
Since that time, United States has been the most important security ally. The close security relationship with the United States was formalized in 1951 by the Australia, New Zealand, United States Security (ANZUS) Treaty which remains the cornerstone of Australian security arrangements.
An enduring alliance with the United States (US) remains Australia's most important defence relationship and continues to act as a crucial force multiplier for Australian Defence Force (ADF) capability.
The Government has deployed Australian Defence Force personnel to operations overseas and within Australia to protect Australia and its national interests. ADF members are actively protecting Australia's borders and offshore maritime interests.
For 2022, Australia is ranked 17 of 142 out of the countries considered for the annual GFP review. It holds a PwrIndx* score of 0.2377 (a score of 0.0000 is considered 'perfect').
One million Australians, both men and women, served in the Second World War – 500,000 overseas. They fought in campaigns against Germany and Italy in Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa, as well as against Japan in south-east Asia and the Pacific.
Australia is a very safe country to visit. The country has a stable political system and a low crime rate, and Australians generally experience a safe lifestyle.
Australia is 117 years old
Other parts of what was known by the Europeans as New Holland were colonised separately or variously annexed to and separated from NSW.
In 2014, Australia was granted NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner status as a 'valuable, capable and reliable partner', alongside Finland, Georgia, Jordan, Sweden and Ukraine. Australia's relationship with NATO continues to evolve in response to today's complex security environment.
Shared membership of important global and regional multilateral forums including the G20, APEC and the EAS. Australia has a mature relationship with Russia that allows us to confront our differences directly when necessary but work constructively where our interests intersect.
Australia does not possess any nuclear weapons and is not seeking to become a nuclear weapon state. Australia's core obligations as a non-nuclear-weapon state are set out in the NPT.
Switzerland and the UK, too, are quite similar to us. But some of the other countries that end up looking quite similar to Australia might surprise you – Estonia, Latvia, and Chile, for example. Ultimately, there's no one right answer to the question of which countries are most similar to Australia.
Bilateral relations
The Australia-China bilateral relationship is based on strong economic and trade complementarities and longstanding community and cultural links. In 2014, the Australian Prime Minister and Chinese President agreed to describe the relationship as a "comprehensive strategic partnership".
Pakistan and China have long praised the close ties the two countries have with each other. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf referred to China as Pakistan's "time-tested and all-weather friend", while in return Chinese leader Hu Jintao has referred to Pakistan as "a good friend and partner".
The Australian National Dictionary explains that the Australian usages of mate derive from the British word 'mate' meaning 'a habitual companion, an associate, fellow, comrade; a fellow-worker or partner', and that in British English it is now only in working-class use.
Australian English can be described as a new dialect that developed as a result of contact between people who spoke different, mutually intelligible, varieties of English. The very early form of Australian English would have been first spoken by the children of the colonists born into the early colony in Sydney.
In legal terms, it is referred to as a defence of infancy. All states and self-governing territories of Australia have adopted 10 years of age as a uniform age of criminal responsibility, although As of October 2022 some jurisdictions have made moves towards raising the age to 12 or 14.
(1) A person is not criminally responsible for an offence if he or she carries out the conduct constituting the offence in self- defence. (e) to remove from any land or premises a person who is committing criminal trespass; and the conduct is a reasonable response in the circumstances as he or she perceives them.
The Minister for Home Affairs may permit recruitment of a person or class of persons to serve with an armed force of a foreign country if it is in the interests of the defence or international relations of Australia. It is not an offence under Part 5.5 for an Australian to join the armed forces of a foreign country.