Name: ______

Australia

History

The earliest inhabitants of Australia were the______. They were the ______people group to live in Australia.

  1. The word aborigine means “the people who were here from the beginning.”
  2. The Aborigines lived in harmony with each other and nature.
  3. Their culture is expressed through art, music, language, dance and ______history.
  4. They tell of their beginnings and ancient history through stories of the ______.
  5. The Aborigines adapted and survived the harsh environment, built containers for storing water, dug wells, hunted and gathered food,
  6. These Aborigines moved from place to place. This made them ______.

Archaeologists have found…

  1. Aboriginal rock art
  2. Inventions such as boomerangs, ground axes, and grindstones
  3. No written history (History has been passed down by telling the stories from generation to generation.)
  4. One of the sacred places of the Aborigines is ______or Ayer’s Rock.
  5. A big change was on the way for the Aborigines with the arrival of the first Europeans.

Colonization

  1. Captain ______first claimed Australia for______.
  2. The British officially started a colony in 1788.
  3. Among the first settlers were ______from the prisons of Great Britain.
  4. From 1788 to 1823 the colony of New South Wales in Australia was a ______(prison) colony.
  5. Another reason the British wanted to settle Australia was for a naval base in the Pacific.
  6. There were also increased opportunities for ______.
  7. The way of life for the Aborigines was interrupted when explorers and settlers began coming from Europe.As settlers built ranches, farms and towns they took over Aboriginal land.
  8. Sometimes the Aborigines would raid or attack an English settlement. The English would retaliate resulting in skirmishes.The Aborigines were at a huge disadvantage because the English had modern weapons.
  9. Many Aborigines died of ______brought unintentionally to Australia by the Europeans. The Aboriginal way of life began a struggle to survive.

Australia gains Independence

  1. Great Britain controlled Australia from 1788 until 1901.
  2. Australia gained independence from Britain, but still remains a part of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Even today the British Monarch is also Australia's Monarch.
  3. Queen Elizabeth is the head of state for Australia. She lives in England, not Australia.
  4. The Queen does not run the country.She has duties such as signing laws and approving elections. These duties are carried out by an appointed governor-general.
  5. She is considered the______.

Australia’s Government

  1. Australia has a ______form government. This means power is divided between a strong central government and strong regional governments.)
  2. Australia has a Parliamentary Democracy
  3. ______is a legislative body or group of elected officials.
  4. ______is government by the people. In a democracy the power lies in the people who elect people to represent them.
  5. The Parliament is divided into 2 houses.
  • The House of ______
  • The ______
  1. In Australia the citizens vote for members of Parliament to represent them.
  2. The leader of the political party that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives becomes the______.The Prime Minister is the head of the government. The Prime Minister is most powerful political figure in Australia.

The Role of the Citizen

  1. Australians have an important role in their government. Since they have a democratic form of the government, the voters choose the lawmakers. All citizens over ______years of age must vote. Voting is compulsory or required. If Australians do not vote they could be ______or they may have to go to court.
  2. Australians vote for members of Parliament.Voters do not vote for the head of state. The Queen holds that position.
  3. Australians have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to choose their own job, and freedom to travel. They also have the opportunity to vote for leaders who make the laws.
  4. The convicts, guards and their families brought the English language to Australia.
  5. ______was also interested in settling Australia. The British made settlements in the western part of Australia to keep the French out and spread the English influence.
  6. ______immigrants arrived in Australia but Chinese did not become an important language because the English-speakers were too plentiful.
  7. Because of Australia’s history ______is the official language, and English is the most common language for business.

British Influence on the Religion

  1. Europeans introduced ______to Australia in 1788. Irish convicts were mostly Roman Catholic.
  2. Many of the guards and their families were Protestants. They were from the ______Church (formerly known as Church of England) and Methodist Church.
  3. Today most Australians are of the Christian faith.The Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church claim the most members.
  4. Muslims, Buddhists, Jews and Hindus combined make up less than 5% of the population.

Economics

  1. Australia has a mixed market economy. Since the 1960s, mining has been one of Australia’s main industries.
  2. Australia’s main trading partners are ______and ______. At first, they became trading partners because China wanted Australia’s wool for its warmth and durability.
  3. China and Japan buy Australia’s minerals for energy, construction, and technology.
  4. Australia specializes in exporting coal, iron ore, and wool.
  5. ______- a tax on imported goods
  6. ______-a limit on the amount of products that can be imported into a country.
  7. ______- prohibit trade with another country
  8. Australia has a trade embargo on exporting live cattle to ______because of their cruel slaughter methods.