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elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (150 seats - this is up from 148 seats in 2001 election; members elected by popular vote on the basis of preferential representation to serve three-year terms; no state can have fewer than five representatives) elections: Senate - last held 10 November 2001 (next to be held by November 2004); House of Representatives - last held 10 November 2001 (next to be held by November 2004) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 35, Australian Labor Party 28, Australian Democrats 8, Green Party 2, One Nation Party 1, Country Labor Party 1, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 82, Australian Labor Party 65, independent and other 3

      Judicial branch: High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general)

      Political parties and leaders: Australian Democrats [Natasha

       STOTT-DESPOJA]; Australian Labor Party [Simon CREAN]; Country Labor Party

       [leader NA]; Green Party [Bob BROWN]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD];

       National Party [John ANDERSON]; One Nation Party [leader NA]

      Political pressure groups and leaders: Australian Democratic Labor Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Australian Monarchist League [leader NA]; Australian Republican Movement [leader NA]

      International organization participation: ANZUS, APEC, ARF (dialogue

       partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC,

       CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,

       IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest),

       NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,

       UNMEE, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

      Diplomatic representation in the US: Ambassador Michael J. THAWLEY consulate(s) general: FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168 telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000 chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

      Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador

       J. Thomas SCHIEFFER embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra,

       Australian Capital Territory 2600 mailing address: consulate(s) general:

       Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

      Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant; the remaining half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars

      Economy Australia

      Economy - overview: Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European economies. The Australian economy has been resilient in the face of the global economic downturn in 2001 chalking up 2.3% GDP growth, as the domestic economy is offsetting the external slump and business and consumer confidence remains robust. Canberra's emphasis on reforms is a key factor behind the economy's strength, and Australia is expected to outperform its trading partners in 2002, with GDP growth projected to be 3% or better. Australia probably will experience some weakness in mid-2002 as its business cycle tends to lag the US by about six months, and larger problems could emerge if Australia's trade position worsens.

      GDP: purchasing power parity - $465.9 billion (2001 est.)

      GDP - real growth rate: 2.3% (2001 est.)

      GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $24,000 (2001 est.)

      GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 25% services: 72% (2000 est.)

      Population below poverty line: NA%

      Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 25.4% (1994)

      Distribution of family income - Gini index: 35.2 (1994)

      Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (2001 est.)

      Labor force: 9.2 million (December 2001)

      Labor force - by occupation: services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture 5% (1997 est.)

      Unemployment rate: 6.7% (2001)

      Budget: revenues: $86.8 billion expenditures: $84.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.)

      Industries: mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel

      Industrial production growth rate: 0.4% (2001 est.)

      Electricity - production: 202.676 billion kWh (2000)

      Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 89.79% hydro: 8.47% other: 1.74% (2000) nuclear: 0%

      Electricity - consumption: 188.489 billion kWh (2000)

      Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

      Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

      Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry

      Exports: $68.8 billion (2001 est.)

      Exports - commodities: coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment

      Exports - partners: Japan 19%, US 9%, South Korea 7%, China 6%, New

       Zealand 5.8%, Singapore 4% (2001 est.)

      Imports: $70.2 billion (2001 est.)

      Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products

      Imports - partners: US 20%, Japan 13%, China 7.7%, UK 6%, Germany 5%,

       South Korea 4%, NZ 4%, Malaysia 3.6% (2001 est.)

      Debt - external: $168.7 billion (2001 est.)

      Economic aid - donor: ODA, $894 million (FY99/00)

      Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)

      Currency code: AUD

      Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.9354 (January 2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997)

      Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

      Communications Australia

      Telephones - main lines in use: 10.05 million (2000)

      Telephones - mobile cellular: 8.6 million (2000)

      Telephone system: general assessment: excellent domestic and international service domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular telephones international: submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat (Indian and Pacific Ocean regions) (1998)

      Radio broadcast stations: AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998)

      Radios: 25.5 million (1997)

      Television broadcast stations: 104 (1997)

      Televisions: 10.15 million (1997)

      Internet country code: .au

      Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 603 (2001)

      Internet users: 10.06 million (2001)

      Transportation Australia

      Railways: total: 33,819 km (2,540 km electrified) broad gauge: 3,719 km 1.600-m gauge narrow gauge: 14,506 km 1.067-m gauge standard gauge: 15,422 km 1.435-m gauge dual gauge: 172 km NA gauges (1999 est.)

      Highways: total: 913,000 km paved: 353,331 km (including 1,363 km of expressways) unpaved: 559,669 km (1996)

      Waterways: 8,368 km (mainly used by

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