Australia
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- federal parliamentary democracy
- CONSTITUTION
- July 9, 1900, in effect from January 1, 1901
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- based on English common law
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- bicameral, Senate and House of Representatives
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- High Court, judges appointed by the Governor-General High Court of Australia, each of the 6 states and 2 territories and Norfolk Island have a Supreme Court. The High Court is the final court of appeal for territorial courts.
RELIGIONS
26% Catholics; 21% Anglicans; 21% other Christians; 1% minorities (including Aboriginals)
From the country
- OCTOBER 16, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
AUSTRALIA. PERTH ARCHBISHOP CONDEMNS NEW TALK OF DEATH PENALTY
Archbishop Barry Hickey of Perth criticised moves to reintroduce the death penalty for serious offenders in Western Australia.
- OCTOBER 15, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
AUSTRALIA. PLEA TO PM ON THE NINE
Australian lawyers for the Bali Nine approached the Howard Government, seeking diplomatic intervention to have the death penalty removed as a possible sentence for the alleged heroin-smugglers.
- SEPTEMBER 29, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
AUSTRALIA. CANBERRA TO REFUSE TO HELP INDONESIANS CONVICT AUSSIES ON DEATH ROW
Australia will refuse to cooperate with Indonesian authorities prosecuting nine Australians on drugs charges because they had called for the death penalty, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said.
- SEPTEMBER 13, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
AUSTRALIA. BRITON TO BE SENT BACK TO SINGAPORE FOR MURDER TRIAL
Australia was to extradite British businessman Michael McCrea to Singapore to face trial for a double murder after Australia's highest court rejected his bid to avoid being handed over. McCrea, 46, was accused of murdering his driver and his driver's girl
- AUGUST 30, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
AUSTRALIA. BRITON WANTED FOR MURDER IN SINGAPORE CLOSER TO EXTRADITION
Michael McCrea, a British businessman accused of a double murder in Singapore, lost another round in a three-year fight to avoid extradition from Australia on the grounds that he could be executed.
- AUGUST 23, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. PRESIDENT COMMUTES AUSTRALIAN'S DEATH SENTENCE FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Vietnam's President Tran Duc Luong commuted to life imprisonment a death sentence handed to Tran Van Thanh for drug trafficking.
- JULY 29, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER APPEALS TO VIETNAM FOR CLEMENCY FOR AUSTRALIANS ON DEATH ROW
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he had appealed to Vietnam for clemency for two Australians facing the death penalty for drug smuggling.
- JULY 12, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. AUSTRALIAN DEATH-ROW CONVICT LOSES DEATH PENALTY APPEAL
a 45-year-old Australian of Vietnamese origin has lost his appeal against his death sentence for trafficking heroin in Vietnam, state media say.
- JULY 11, 2005ChinaDEATH PENALTY
AUSTRALIA. CHINA OPPOSES THE GIVING OF ASYLUM TO DIPLOMAT FOR FEAR OF EXECUTION
China voiced "resolute opposition" to Australia's decision to grant asylum to Chen Yonglin, a former Chinese diplomat, and dismissed his accusations that he faced execution if repatriated as "lies not worthy of response".
- JUNE 21, 2005ChinaDEATH PENALTY
AUSTRALIA. DEADLOCK OVER CHINA DEATH PENALTY
it was reported that a man suspected of murdering a Chinese student and leaving her body to rot for six months in a Canberra apartment could get away with the crime because Australian authorities were refusing to help the investigation, fearing he could b
- JUNE 10, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
AUSTRALIA. GOVERNMENT TO PLEAD FOR DRUG SMUGGLER FACING FIRING SQUAD IN VIETNAM
the Australian federal government said it would plead for the life of Mai Cong Thanh, an Australian sentenced to death in Vietnam for conspiring to smuggle heroin.
- JUNE 9, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. AUSTRALIAN-VIETNAMESE RECEIVES DEATH SENTENCE FOR DRUG SMUGGLING
a Vietnam court has sentenced a 46-year-old Australian of Vietnamese origin to death by firing squad for attempting to send heroin stuffed in loudspeakers to Australia, the state-run Voice of Vietnam radio said.