Australia's closest allies are multifaceted, with strong, deep ties to the United States (US) through security pacts like AUKUS and intelligence sharing (Five Eyes), and to New Zealand (NZ) as a foundational partner, often seen as Australia's "best friend". The UK also remains a significant ally, while strong security and economic links with countries like Japan and members of ASEAN are increasingly vital.
While the United States (US) is Australia's key strategic ally and often seen as a very close partner by leaders, public opinion polls consistently show New Zealand as Australia's "best friend" in the world, followed by the US and then the United Kingdom, reflecting deep cultural and historical ties with both neighbors.
Australia is a major non-NATO ally of the United States, and the two nations have held an annual meeting, the Australia–United States Ministerial Consultation, with one another most years since 1985.
Australia's 10 most popular travel destinations from 2021-25
Australia's biggest rival depends on the sport, but internationally, England (The Ashes in cricket) and New Zealand (Bledisloe Cup in rugby) are historic rivals, while India has emerged as a fierce modern cricket rival, and domestically, Queensland vs. New South Wales (State of Origin) is arguably the most intense rivalry. The rivalry with England in cricket is deeply cultural and historic, fueled by colonial roots, while the India rivalry is known for sheer intensity in cricket.
Australia only engages bilaterally with Russia when it is critical to delivering on our national interests, such as ensuring the safety of Australian citizens, as well as the security and ongoing operations of our diplomatic presence in Russia.
In 1932, Australia went to war against 20,000 emus. And lost. Learn more about how this surreal military campaign started, and how the emus won just by being emus at the link in bio.
We have a defence and security alliance with the Unites States, long term links with New Zealand and robust defence and security ties with India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
"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.
And we are deepening cooperation - bilaterally, with regional partners like India, Japan and the Philippines, and with institutions - to deliver tangible benefits to the people of both nations and across the Indo-Pacific. The United States is also Australia's most significant economic partner.
Australia is a vital ally, partner, and friend of the United States. The United States and Australia maintain a robust relationship underpinned by shared democratic values, common interests, and cultural affinities. Economic, academic, and people-to-people ties are vibrant and strong.
Canada is generally considered the most American-friendly due to cultural similarities. The UK, Australia, and the Netherlands are also known for being welcoming to Americans.
Australians are happier than Kiwis, Americans, and Brits, according to a new report. But there's also a generational divide that highlights a "worrying trend".
Bilateral relations
The Australia-China bilateral relationship is based on strong economic and trade complementarities and longstanding community and cultural links.
However, the "First World" is generally thought of as the capitalist, industrial, wealthy, and developed countries. This definition includes the countries of North America and Western Europe, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
Another classic case of Australians shortening everything. Meaning 'thank you', ta is usually used for the times when you are in a rush or want to send a quick text to show your appreciation for something.
The most Australian thing to say often involves casual abbreviations, laid-back optimism like "She'll be right" or "No worries," and unique slang for everyday items, such as "Arvo" (afternoon) or "Barbie" (barbecue), often delivered with "mate," making phrases like "G'day, mate, chuck us a coldie at the barbie this arvo?" quintessentially Aussie.
The country has been referred to colloquially as Oz by people outside the country since the middle of the 20th century; and by Australians in more recent times. The Australian National University reports that the "word Oz reproduces in writing the pronunciation of an abbreviation for Aussie, Australia, or Australian.
The top five destination countries for Australians are Indonesia, New Zealand, Japan, the USA, and China. This year, China has moved up two places to become our fifth most popular travel destination.
Pronunciation. Australian accents are Non-Rhotic, meaning that the phoneme /r/ is not pronounced when it follows a vowel in the same syllable. It's got a bit of an Upstairs Downstairs vibe, because there's the like deckhand crew, and then there's …
Global security relationships – Australia's relationship with NATO. Though Australia is not a NATO member, its ties to the organisation have grown as a result of ADF deployments to Afghanistan under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.
Australia's current National Terrorism Threat Level is PROBABLE.
Notable Entities That Have Won the Most Wars:
France: Historians estimate that France has participated in more than 250 major wars and military engagements since 387 BC, and is often cited as the country with the most military victories (over 110 major wins according to some sources).
The Battle of Fromelles proved to be a disaster. The attack by the largely untried 5th Australian Division was repulsed by determined Bavarian troops who were well dug in with large numbers of machine guns. By the morning of 20 July, Australia had suffered the loss of 5,533 killed, wounded, missing or taken prisoner.