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[[Image:Mary-queen-of-scots full.jpg|thumb|200px|The Ridolfi plot was meant to put Mary Stewart on the throne of England.]]
The '''Commonwealth of Australia''' is the sixth-largest country in the world (geographically), the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in [[Australasia]]. Australia includes the island of [[Tasmania]], which is an [[Australian States and Territories|Australian State]]. [[New Zealand]] is to the southeast; and [[Indonesia]], [[Papua New Guinea]] and [[East Timor]] to its north. The name 'Australia' comes from the [[Latin language|Latin]] phrase ''terra australis incognita'' ("unknown southern land", see [[Terra Australis]]).
The '''Ridolfi plot''' was a [[Roman Catholic]] plot in [[1570]] to assassinate [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I of England]] and replace her with [[Mary I of Scotland]]. The plot was hatched and planned by [[Roberto di Ridolfi]], who, an international banker, was able to travel between [[Brussels]], [[Rome]] and [[Madrid]] to gather support without attracting too much suspicion.
== Background ==
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The Duke of Norfolk, a cousin to the Queen and wealthiest landowner in the country, had been proposed as a possible husband for Mary ever since her imprisonment in 1568. This suited Norfolk who had greater ambitions and felt Elizabeth persistently undervalued him.<ref>Williams, Neville, ''The Life and Times of Elizabeth I'', (Book Club Associates, 1972), pg 91.</ref> In pursuit of this, he agreed to support the [[Northern Rebellion]], though quickly lost his nerve and tried to call it off. However, the rebellion was not under his control and went ahead anyway, with the Northern earls trying to foment rebellion among their Catholic subjects to prepare for a Catholic Spanish invasion by the [[Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba|Duke of Alba]], governor of the [[Netherlands]].<ref>Starkey, David, ''Elizabeth I: Apprenticeship'', (Vintage, 2001), pg 322.</ref>
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largestcity =[[Sydney]]|
headofcountry =[[Governor-General of Australia]]|
currentheadofcountry =[[Michael Jeffery]]|
headofstate =[[Queen of Australia]]|
currentheadofstate =[[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom]]|
headofgovernment =[[Prime Minister of Australia]]|
currentheadofgovernment =[[John Howard]]|
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independenceevents=-[[Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act]]<br>- [[Statute of Westminster]]<br>- [[Australia Act]]|
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After the rebellion failed, the leaders were executed and a purge of Catholic sympathisers in the priesthood carried out. Norfolk was imprisoned in the [[Tower of London]] for nine months and only freed under house arrest when he confessed all and begged for mercy.<ref>Williams, ''Life and Times'', pg 101-2.</ref> Pope [[Pius V]] issued [[Regnans in Excelsis]], a [[papal bull]] excommunicating Elizabeth, shortly afterwards, which commanded all faithful Catholics to do all they could to depose her, though the majority of Engish Catholics ignored the bull.<ref>Dures, Alan, ''English Catholicism, 1558-1642'', (Longman, 1983), pg 17.</ref> In response, Elizabeth became much harsher to Catholics and their sympathisers.<ref>Starkey, ''Elizabeth I'', pg 322.</ref>
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{| style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right" width="300px"
|+ style="font-size:bigger"|'''Commonwealth of Australia'''
|-
| style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan=2 |
{| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
| align="center" width="140px" | [[image:Australia flag large.png|125px|Flag of Australia]]
| align="center" width="140px" | [[Image:Australia_coa.png|Coat of arms]]
|-
| align="center" width="140px" | ([[Flag of Australia|In Detail]])
| align="center" width="140px" | ([[Coat of Arms of Australia|Full size]])
|}
|-
| align="center" colspan=2 style="border-bottom:3px solid gray; font-size:smaller"|''National [[motto]]: None''
|-
| align=center colspan=2 | [[image:LocationAustralia.png]]
|-
| [[Official language]]
| [[English language|English]]
|-
| [[Capital]]
| [[Canberra]]
|-
| Largest [[City]]
| [[Sydney]]
|-
| [[Queen of Australia|Queen]]
| [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]]
|-
| [[Governor-General of Australia|Governor-General]]
| [[Michael Jeffery]]
|-
| [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]]
| [[John Howard]]
|-
| [[Area]]<br> - Total <br> - % water
| [[List of countries by area|Ranked 6th]] <br> [[1 E12 m²|7,686,850 km²]] <br> 1%
|-
| [[Population]]
- Total ([[As of 2003|2003]])
<br> - [[Density]]
| [[List of countries by population|Ranked 53rd]]
20,003,249
<br> 3/km²
|-
|[[Gross Domestic Product|GDP]]
- Total ([[As of 2002|2002]])
<br> - GDP/head
| [[List_of_economies_by_GDP|Ranked 16th]]
$525.5 billion
<br>$26,631.88
|-
| [[Independence]]<br>- [[Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act|Constitution Act]]<br>- [[Statute of Westminster]]<br>- [[Australia Act]]
|
From the [[United Kingdom|UK]]:<br>[[1 January]] [[1901]]<br>[[December 11]] [[1931]]<br>[[3 March]] [[1986]]
|-
| [[Currency]]
| [[Australian dollar]]
|-
| [[Time zone]]
| [[UTC]] +8 to +11
|-
| [[National anthem]]
| [[Advance Australia Fair]]
|-
| [[Top-level ___domain|Internet TLD]]
| .au
|-
| [[List of country calling codes|Calling Code]]
| 61
|}
== HistoryPlot ==
''Main article:'' [[History of Australia]]
[[Roberto Ridolfi]], a Florentine banker and ardent Catholic, had been involved in the planning of the Northern rebellion, had been plotting to overthrow Elizabeth as early as 1569.<ref>Elton G.R., ''England under the Tudors'', (University Paperback, 1978), pg 297.</ref> Observing the failure of the rebellion, he came to the conclusion that only foreign intervention could restore Catholicism and bring Mary to the throne, and began to contact potential conspirators. Mary's advisor, [[John Lesley]], the [[Bishop of Ross]], gave his assent to the plot as the only way to free Mary.<ref>Williams, ''Life and Times'', pg 102-3.</ref> The plan was to have the Duke of Alba invade from the Netherlands with 10,000 men, foment a rebellion of the northern English nobility, murder Elizabeth, and marry Mary to [[Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk]]. Ridolfi optimistically estimated half of all English peers were Catholic, and could muster in excess of 39,000 men.<ref>Williams, ''Life and Times'', pg 102.</ref> Norfolk gave verbal assurances to Ridolfi that he was Catholic, though as a pupil of [[John Foxe]], he remained a Protestant all his life.<ref>Dures, ''English Catholicism'', pg 17.</ref><ref>Lockyer, Roger, ''Tudor and Stuart Britain, 1417-1714'', (Longman, 1964), pg 186.</ref> Both Mary and Norfolk, desperate to remedy their respective situations, agreed to the plot.<ref>Jenkins, Elizabeth, ''Elizabeth the Great'', (Phoenix Press, 1958), pg 176.</ref> With their blessing, Ridolfi set off to the continent to gain Alba, Pius V and King Philip II's support.
Australia is thought to have been inhabited for at least 50,000 years, since the remote ancestors of the current [[Australian Aborigine]]s arrived from present-day [[Southeast Asia]].
However, the Duke of Alba feared that if the plot should be successful, it would lead to Mary, Queen of Scots, a former Queen of France whose mother was a member of the prominent [[Guise]] family, occupying the throne of England. The consequence of this would be an England wedded to Mary's beloved France, an outcome which the Spanish feared.
The land was not discovered by [[Europe]]ans until the [[17th century]], when it was sighted and visited by several expeditions: the [[Spain|Spanish]] [[Luis Vaez de Torres]] ([[1606]]) and the [[Dutch]] explorers [[Willem Jansz]] ([[1606]]), [[Jan Carstensz]] ([[1623]]), [[Dirck Hartog]] and [[Abel Tasman]]. The Dutch called the continent '''[[New Holland]]'''.
==Discovery==
The first English explorers were [[Willem Dampier]] in [[1688]] and [[James Cook]], who in [[1770]] claimed the eastern two-thirds of the continent for [[Britain]], despite orders from King [[George III]] to first conclude a treaty with the indigenous population. His report to London that Australia was uninhabited provided impetus for the establishment of a penal colony there following the loss of the American colonies. The colony of [[New South Wales]] was established in Sydney by captain and governor [[Arthur Phillip]] on [[January 26]], [[1788]] as a British [[Crown Colony]]. The date of arrival of the First Fleet later became the date of [[Australia Day]]. The Colony of [[Van Diemen's Land]] (i.e. the present day [[Tasmania]]) was founded in [[1803]]. The rest of the continent, that is [[Western Australia]], was formally claimed by the [[United Kingdom]] in [[1829]]. Following the spread of British settlement, separate Colonies were created from parts of New South Wales: [[South Australia]] in [[1836]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] in [[1851]] and [[Queensland]] in [[1859]]. The [[Northern Territory]] was founded, as part of the Colony of South Australia, in [[1863]].
In 1571, Elizabeth's intelligence network was sending her information about a plot against her life. She was also sent a private warning by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, who had learned of the plot against her. William Cecil Charles Baillie, Ridolfi's messenger, was arrested at [[Dover, England|Dover]] carrying compromising letters, and revealed the existence of the plot under [[torture]]. The Duke of Norfolk was arrested on [[September 7]], [[1571]] and sent to the tower.<ref>Weir, ''Mary, Queen of Scots'', pg 493.</ref> Guerau de Spes, the Spanish ambassador, was expelled from the country in [[January]], [[1571]].<ref>Jenkins, ''Elizabeth the Great'', pg 179.</ref> Ridolfi was still abroad at the time the plot was discovered, and never returned to England, becoming a Florentine senator in 1600.
During the period of [[1855]]-[[1890]], the six [[Crown Colony|Crown Colonies]] each successively became [[self-governing colony|self-governing colonies]], which managed most of their own affairs. The [[British government]] retained control of some matters, especially [[foreign affairs]], [[defence]], international [[shipping]]. Despite its heavily rural based economy Australia remained highly urbanised, centred particularly around the cities of [[Melbourne]] and [[Sydney]]. In the 1880s 'Marvellous Melbourne' was the second largest city in the [[British Empire]]. Australia also gained a reputation as a 'working man's paradise' and as a laboratory for social reform, with the world's first [[secret ballot]] and first national [[Labour Party]] government.
Mary, when questioned, admitted to having dealings with Ridolfi, but denied any involvement with the plot.<ref>Weir, ''Mary, Queen of Scots'', pg 493.</ref> She was clearly implicated by the evidence, but Elizabeth refused to have her executed and vetoed a bill by Parliament that condemned Mary and removed her from the succession.<ref>Smith, A. G. R., ''The Government of Elizabethan England'', (Edward Arnold, 1967), pg 28.</ref> She feared that by executing a [[Divine Right of Kings|divinely appointed]] monarch, she undermined her own position.<ref>Lockyer, ''Tudor and Stuart Britain'', pg 190.</ref> Instead, she had the Duke of Norfolk executed for treason in [[June]], [[1571]].<ref>T.A.Morris, ''Europe and England in the Sixteenth Century'', (Routledge 1998), p334</ref> However, Mary's status in England was transformed from honoured guest to treasonous pariah, and she was universally condemned by the governing elite:<ref>Morris, ''Europe and England'', p334</ref> her continued conspiring, especially in the [[Babington plot|Babington]] plot, eventually led to her execution on [[February 8]], [[1587]].<ref>Weir, Alison, ''Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley'', (Pimlico, 2004), pg 509.</ref>
On [[1 January]] [[1901]], [[federation]] of the Colonies occurred and the [[Commonwealth of Australia]] was born, as a [[dominion]] of the [[British Empire]]. The [[Australian Capital Territory]], centred on the new federal capital of [[Canberra]], was separated from New South Wales in [[1911]]. Although Australia had become independent, the [[British government]] retained some powers over Australia until the [[Statute of Westminster]] in 1931, and the authority of the [[UK]] Parliament was not completely severed until [[1986]]). Indigenous Australians were also generally denied both citizenship and the vote until the Constitution was altered by referendum in 1967.
A very fictionalised version of the Ridolfi plot was featured in the movie ''[[Elizabeth (film)|Elizabeth (1998)]]'' which depicted Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, as the chief conspirator. However the film omitted the involvement of Ridolfi himself.
Australia is a [[constitutional monarchy]], with [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]] reigning as 'Queen of Australia'. In [[1999]], a referendum was held on [[Australian Constitutional History|constitutional change]] to a [[republic]], with an appointed [[President of Australia|President]] replacing the Queen as [[head of state]], but this was rejected.
''See also:'' [[Australian Constitutional History]]
==Government==
The ''Commonwealth of Australia'' is a [[constitutional monarchy]]: the [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen]] of Australia is considered to be the [[head of state]], although that term is found nowhere in the Constitution or the law. The Queen is represented by the [[Governor-General of Australia|Governor-General]]. Under the [[Australian Constitution]] the role of the [[monarch]] is almost entirely ceremonial. Although the constitution gives significant [[executive branch|executive power]] to the Governor-General, these powers are rarely used and are usually delegated to the [[cabinet (government)|Cabinet]], whose members are chosen by the governing party or by the [[Australian Prime Ministers|Prime Minister]] alone, from amongst the current members of the parliament.
Government is undertaken by three inter-connected arms of government:
*Legislature - [[Parliament of Australia|Commonwealth Parliament]]
*Executive - Ministers and their Departments
*Judiciary - [[High Court of Australia]] and subsidiary Federal courts.
'''Separation of Powers''' is the principle whereby the three arms of government undertake their activities separate from the others:
*the Legislature makes the laws, and supervises the activites of the other two arms with a view to changing the laws when appropriate;
*the Executive enacts the laws;
*the Judiciary interprets the laws, using as a basis the laws as enacted and explanatory statements made in the Legislature during the enactment;
*the other arms cannot influence the Judiciary.
===Legal basis===
The legal basis for the nation changed with the passage of the [[Australia Act]] [[1986]], and associated legislation in the parliament of [[Great Britain]].
Until the passage of this act, Australian cases could be referred to the highest courts of Great Britain and even to the [[Privy Council]] for final appeal.
With this act of parliament, Australian law was made unequivocally the law in the nation, and the [[High Court of Australia]] was confirmed as the single highest court of appeal. The theoretical possibility of the British Parliament enacting laws to override the Australian Constitution was also removed.[http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/pasteact/1/973/pdf/AustraliaAct86.pdf (Act:pdf)]
== Politics ==
''Main article:'' [[Politics of Australia]]
Australia has a bicameral federal Parliament, comprising a [[Australian Senate|Senate]] (or upper house) with 76 Senators, and a [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] (or lower house) with 150 Members. Members of the lower house are elected on a population basis from single-member constituencies, known technically as 'divisions' but more commonly, as 'electorates' or 'seats'. The more populous the state, the more members it will have in the House of Representatives. In the Senate, each state regardless of population is represented by twelve Senators, and each mainland territory by two. Elections for both chambers are held every three years, usually with only one half of the Senate being eligible for reelection, as the Senators have overlapping terms of six years each. The government is formed in the lower house, and the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives is the Prime Minister. On only one short-lived occasion has a Senator become Prime Minister.
An exception to the [[constitutional convention]]s occurred on [[November 11]], [[1975]], when Governor-General Sir [[John Kerr]] [[Australian constitutional crisis of 1975|dismissed]] the Prime Minister, [[Gough Whitlam]]. This remains the single most controversial event in Australian political history.
''See also:'' [[Republicanism in Australia]]
== States and Territories==
''Main article:'' [[Australian States and Territories]]
[[Image:Austmap.png|framed|Map of Australia with main cities]]
Australia is divided into six states and several territories. The states are [[New South Wales]], [[Queensland]], [[South Australia]], [[Tasmania]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and [[Western Australia]]. The two major territories are the [[Northern Territory]] (NT) and the [[Australian Capital Territory]] (ACT). The ACT also incorporates a separate area within New South Wales known as [[Jervis Bay Territory]] which serves as a naval base and sea port for the national capital.
Australia also has several inhabitated external territories ([[Norfolk Island]], [[Christmas Island]], [[Cocos Islands|Cocos (Keeling) Islands]]) and several largely uninhabited external territories: [[Coral Sea Islands Territory]], [[Heard Island and McDonald Islands]] and the [[Australian Antarctic Territory]].
The [[Australian Capital Territory]] was created at the chosen site of the capital city [[Canberra]]. Canberra was founded as a compromise between the two largest cities, [[Melbourne]] and [[Sydney]]. The name 'Canberra' is derived from the indigenous [[Ngunnawal]] language, which is loosely translated into English as "meeting place".
== Geography ==
''Main article:'' [[Geography of Australia]]
By far the largest part of Australia is [[desert]] or [[semi-arid]] — 40% of the land mass is covered by [[sand dune]]s. Only the south-east and south-west corners have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil. The northern part of the country has a tropical climate: part is tropical [[rainforest]]s, part grasslands, and part desert. The [[Great Barrier Reef]], the world's largest [[coral]] [[reef]], lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 1,200 kilometres. [[Uluru]] (until 1986 known as [[Ayers Rock]]), is the largest [[monolith]] in the world and is located in central Australia.
''See also:'' [[Protected areas of Australia]], [[List of regions in Australia]], [[List of mountains in Australia]]
== Flora and fauna ==
''Main articles:'' [[Australian fauna]], [[Australian flora]]
Although most of the continent is [[desert]] or [[semi-arid]], Australia nevertheless includes a diverse range of habitats, from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests. Because of the great age of the continent, its very variable weather patterns, and its long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia's biota is unique.
''See also:'' [[Australian birds]]
== Economy ==
''Main article:'' [[Economy of Australia]]
Australia's [[economic development]] was slow at first and based on the export of [[wool]]. This all changed with the discovery of [[gold]] in [[1851]] and [[mining]] has, overall, been the most important sector of the Australian economy. By the late [[20th century]], Australia had a prosperous Western-style mixed economy, with a per capita [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] on par with the four dominant Western European economies. In recent years, the Australian economy has been resilient in the face of global economic downturn, with steady growth. Rising output in the domestic economy has been offsetting the global slump, and business and consumer confidence remains robust. Australia's emphasis on reforms is another key factor behind the economy's strength.
The Australian economy has not suffered a recession or "trough" in the [[business cycle]] in 13 years. Even the downturn of the early [[2000s]] did not affect its consistent [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] growth.
Many raw materials (including resources postulated to exist but yet to be discovered) remain mostly unexploited. Australia is often referred to by economists as the "world's farm", but despite this emphasis on the agriculture sector, in recent years the Australian government has been focusing on the [[tourism]], [[education]] and technology markets.
== Demographics ==
''Main article:'' [[Demographics of Australia]]
Most of the Australian population descends from 19th and 20th century immigrants, most from [[Britain]] and [[Ireland]] to begin with, but from other sources in later years. Although Australia was founded as a [[penal colony]], the transportation of British convicts to Australian colonies was gradually phased out between [[1840]] and [[1868]]. During the "[[gold rush]]" of the late [[19th century]], the convicts and their descendants were rapidly overshadowed by hundreds of thousands of free [[settler]]s from many different countries: for example, in the 1850s about two per cent of the combined populations of Britain and Ireland emigrated to New South Wales and Victoria.
By the late [[20th century]] many inhabitants were of [[Greece|Greek]], [[Italy|Italian]] or [[Asia]]n descent. The [[indigenous]] population, the [[Australian Aborigine]]s and [[Torres Strait|Torres Strait Islanders]], make up 2.2% of the population, according to the 2001 Census. In common with many other developed countries, Australia is currently experiencing a demographic shift towards an older population, with more people retiring and fewer people of working age.
Similarly, a large number of Australian citizens (850,000 as of 2004) live outside of their home country. This number (almost 5%) represents a higher per capita percentage of overseas residents than many other countries including the United States. This phenomena was, until recently, given little attention by the Australian government and media, but the term [[Australian Diaspora]] has now joined the Australian vocabulary.
Because of the ageing population, Australia maintains one of the most active immigration programs in the world, absorbing tens of thousands of immigrants from all over the world every year. Most permanent resident visas are granted on the basis of professional skills or family associations.
[[New Zealand]]ers are granted ''Special Category Visas'' on arrival in Australia, which allow them to remain in Australia to live or work indefinitely. However, New Zealand citizens are excluded from government subsidised tertiary education or other advantages granted to Australian citizens and permanent residents. Until [[2001]], New Zealanders were entitled to [[unemployment benefit]]s in Australia on arrival in the country, but now they may only claim these after two years, as is the norm for permanent residents of other nationalities.
[[English language|English]] is the main official and spoken language in Australia, although some of the surviving Aboriginal communities maintain their native languages, and a considerable number of first and sometimes second-generation migrants are bilingual.
Although the nation is broadly secular and few are church-goers, three-quarters of Australians are nominally Christian, mostly [[Catholic Church in Australia|Catholic]] or [[Anglican Church|Anglican]]. A diverse range of other religions are practised.
:''See also:'' [[List of cities in Australia]]
== Culture ==
''Main article:'' [[Culture of Australia]]
== See also ==
* [[Throckmorton plot]]
*[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] - Federal Government funded national TV and radio
* [[Art ofBabington Australiaplot]]
* [[Cinema ofFrancis AustraliaWalsingham]]
*[[Music of Australia]]
*[[Australian public holidays]]
== References ==
==Miscellaneous topics==
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
*[[List of Australians]]
<references/></div>
*[[Communications in Australia]]
*[[Transportation in Australia]]
*[[Foreign relations of Australia]]
*[[Military of Australia]]
*[[Stamps and postal history of Australia]]
*[[List of Australian Awards]]
*[[Australian of the Year|Australian of the Year Award]]
*[[RACA]] - motoring organisation
*[[Australian English]]
*[[Australia's Big Things]]
== External links ==
* [http://www.marie-stuart.co.uk/England.htm Marie Stuart Society's account of the Ridolfi plot].
* [http://www.australia.com Australian Tourist Commission]
* [http://www.gunpowder-plot.org/ridolfi.asp The Gunpowder Plot Society's account of the Ridolfi plot].
* [http://www.fed.gov.au/ Australian government information]
* [http://www.austembelizabethi.org/historyuk/chronology/two.htmhtml AustralianTimeline History]of —Elizabeth's reign from the1570 Washingtonto Embassy1603].
* [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Oceania/Australia/ Open Directory Project: Australia]
* Interactive real story of Nineteenth century [http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/nof/emigrants/ emigration from Britain to Australia]
* [http://www.synaptic.bc.ca/gallery/lcatntoc.htm#Australi Gallery of Australia Photographs] Attractions primarily in [[Queensland]] and the [[Northern Territory]]
* [http://www.csu.edu.au/australia Guide to Australia] Provides essential information about Australia
* [http://www.ausmag.net Backpacking in Australia] Insider information about backpacking in Australia
* [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/as.html CIA - The World Factbook — Australia] - [[CIA]]'s Factbook on Australia
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[[Category:Oceanic countries1570]]
[[Category:AustraliaTudor rebellions]]
[[Category:Monarchies]]
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