2. In Australia they mostly speak English. Australian English has its own distinctive accent and vocabulary. The next most common languages spoken at home are Chinese, Italian, and Greek.

3. It is believed that there were between 200 and 300 Australian Aboriginal languages at the time of first European contact, but only about 70 of these languages have survived and all but 20 of these are now endangered.

4. In the second half of the twentieth century, Australian trade shifted decisively away from Europe and North America to Japan and other East Asian markets

5. The Australian economy has been performing nominally better than other economies of the OECD

6. in the months of November to March evaporation exceeds rainfall, and it is generally very dry.

7. Plants must be adapted to this as well as the extreme poverty of all soils. A major reduction in rainfall has been observed, with great rainfall events in the summer months