Country Information

	General		Investing and doing business in Australia
	Government		Accessing and entering Australia
	Economic indicators

Government

Form of government

Constitutional monarchy with a federal-state system

Head of State

H.M. Queen Elizabeth II, represented in Australia by the Governor-General, Major General Michael Jeffery

Head of government

Prime Minister the Hon. John Howard
Deputy Prime Minister the Hon. John Anderson

State leaders

Administrative divisions

6 states:
New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA), Tasmania (TAS), Victoria (VIC), Western Australia (WA)
and 2 territories:
Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Northern Territory (NT).
 

Administrative Divisions
Name	Flag	Capital	Area ('000 sq km)	Population (2002)
State
New South Wales		Sydney	801,428	6,782,100
Queensland		Brisbane	1,727,200	3,757,300
South Australia		Adelaide	984,377	1,532,500
Tasmania		Hobart	67,800	472,000
Victoria		Melbourne	227,600	4,934,300
Western Australia		Perth	2,525.500	1,962,100
Territory
Australian Capital Territory		Canberra	2,452	327,700
Northern Territory		Darwin	1,346,200	209,400