Fraser of Australia” of the Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R
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The original documents are located in Box 29, folder “State Visits - Fraser of Australia” of the Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Ron Nessen donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Digitized from Box 29 of The Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential LibraryJuly 27, 1976 FRASER MEETING Q: Ron, can you give us any information on the Fraser meeting? What will they discuss? Has the President met Fraser before? A: The President and Australian Prime Minister Fraser are currently meeting in the oval office. Their talks will center on matters d mutual interests, including international security and economic matters. This is Prime Minister Fraser's first visit to the U.S. since he became Prime Minister in December. The President has been looking forward to this opportunity to get to know the Prime Minister and exchange views with him. They have not meet before. bq®round nolE---- ....... Australia deportment of s1ate * ju~ l976 OFFICIAL NAME: Commonwealth of Australia GEOGRAPHY east by the Pacific Ocean and on the mountain chains lie close to the coasts. west by the Indian Ocean. In the southeastern quarter of the Australia, the smallest continent Most of the continent is a low, continent are 500,000 square miles "of but one of the largest nations, is irregular plateau. The center generally fertile plain. Average elevation is located below the Southeast Asian is flat, barren, and arid, much of it slightly more than 900 feet a12ove sea archipelago and is bounded on the resembling the Sahara Desert. The level. The 12,000-mile coastline is sin gularly free from deep indentation, the most remarkable exceptions being the PROFILE ention and rave smaller white stars on the right half or the banner representing the Gulf of Carpentaria on the northern Geography Southern Cr011s constellation. coast and the Great Australian Bight on the southern coast. The Great AREA: 2.9 million sq. mi. (5.2% of Economy Barrier Reef, the longest coral reef in world's land area, about the size or conti The following figures are based on con the world, stretches for I ,200 miles nental US). CAPITAL: Canbena (pop. stant FY 196 7 prices. GDP: A$32 bllion off the coast of Queensland in the east. 170,000). OTHER CITlES: Sydney (FY 1975). ANNUAL GROwrH: 2.96%' The mountain masses lie roughly (2,874,380), Melbourne (2,583, 900). (FY 1972·75). GDPPERCAPlTA: A$2,362 parallel to the east coast, in the center People (FY 1975). GDP PER CAPITA GROWIJI: of the continent, and in Western Aus 1.54% (FY 1972·75). tralia. Chief of the eastern group are POPULATION: 13.3 million (1973, AGRICULTURE: Land 5% cultivated, 0.3% of wodd total). ANNUAL GROWfH: the Great Dividing Range, which runs 58% grazins- Labor 6.1%.Productr-cereals, from north to south almost the length 1.57% (0.39% immigration). DENSITY: 4.4 suprcane, fruits, wine grapes, sheep, cat4e, of the coast, and the Australia Alps, per sq. mi. EmNIC GROUPS: European, dairy. Aboriginal. RELIGIONS: Anglican 31%, INDUSTRY: Labor 26%. Products extending as a continuation for about Roman Catholic 12%, Methodist 8.6%, Pres motor vehides, iron and steel, textiles, 300 miles through New South Wales byterian 8.1%. LANGUAGE: English. LIT chemicals. and Victoria in the southeast. The ERACY: 98.5%. LIFE EXPECTANCY: NATURAL RESOURCES: Iron ore, highest point in Austmlia, 7,314 feet, Male 67 ym., female 74 y111. bauxite, zinc, lead, tin, coal, oil, uranium, is the summit of Mt. Kosciusko in the Government timber. southeast. TRADE (FY 1975): Exports-A$8.1 bl In general, the coastal region is well TYPE: DeiDOCiatic, self·goveming, fed lion ($1.048 billion to US): wheat 18%, iron watered by rivers, although many are eral Commonwealth member. INDEPEND ore 8%, woolS%, coalS%, beef and veal4%. short, swift, and unnavigable. The ENCE (federation): Jan. 1, 1901. DATE OF Jmports-A$8.1 billion ($2.127 billion from greatest of the rivers is the Murray CONSTlTUTlON: July 9, 1900. US): transport equipment 12%, petroleum BRANCHES: Executive-Governor Gen and its products 9%, electrical machinery ( 1 ,609 miles long), which forms the eral (repmsents the Sovereign and Otief of and appliances 9%, textiles 5%. Partners major part of the boundary between State, Queen Elizabeth II), Prime Minister US, UK, Japan, FRG. New South Wales and Victoria before (Head of Government). Legislative OFFICIAL EXCHANGE (floating): entering the sea in South Australia bicameral Parliament (64-member Senate, A$1=US$1.2269 (June 1, 1976). southeast of Adelaide. Its chief tribu 127-member House of Representatives). ECONOMIC AID EXTENDED: A$328 taries are the Darling, the Murrum Judicial-Hip Court of AustraliL million (FY 1975): Papua New Guinea 51%, bidgee, and the Lachlan. Many other POLITICAL PARDES: Australian bilateral 34%, multilaterallS%. rivers become mere trickles in the dry Labor, liberal, National Country. SUF· MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL season. Availability of water is the FRAGE:Compw~over18.POL1TlCAL ORGANIZATIONS: UN, Asian Develop SUBDIVISIONS: 6 States, 2 federated ment Bank (ADD), Economic and Social dominant factor in settlement; one Territories. Council for Asia and the Paclftc (ESCAP), third of the continent is desert and FLAG: Union> lack of the UK in top left Australia-New Zealand-United States Treaty another third consists of marginal corner on a blue background with a large (ANZUS), Fiv•Power Defense Anange grazing areas. white star direc4y beneath symbolizing fed- ments. Because of its size, Australia ex peri- 2 3 are extensive areas, especially in the Aboriginals are of mixed descent, Capital City Population southeast and southwest, that enjoy movement to the cities is increasing. (1973 est.) Australia's remarkable population adequate and gentle rains of about 40 Sydney, New South increase of 75 percent since World War inches a year. Wales 2,874,380 II is attributable to the high birth rate Melbourne, Victoria 2,583,900 of the postwar years and to an exten Brisbane, Queensland 911,000 PEOPLE sive planned immigration program. Be Adelaide, South Australia 868,000 tween 1947 and 1971, there vias a net Perth, Western Australia 739,200 .. The people of Australia are pre gain from immigration of about Canberra, Australian 12 dominantly of British origin. Their 2,676,000 settlers, accounting for Capital Territory 170,000 culture and customs are similar to nearly 60 percent of the population INDIAN Hobart, Tasmania 157,870 those of the United States. About 20 gain in that 25-year period. Settler Darwin, Northern percent of the population are foreign arrivals fell steeply from the very high Territory 40,855 oCEAN born (1971 census). Of these, 42 level of 185,000 in 1969-70 to percent came from the British Isles 107,000 in 1972-73. Increasing un (Much of the population of Darwin and 43 percent from other European employment in recent years has was evacuated to other cities following countries, the latter being referred to prompted the Australian Government a destructive typhoon in December as "new Australians." Principal nation to limit future immigration to spon 1974.) ality groups include British, Italian, sored relatives and selected workers Greek, Yugoslav, and Dutch. needed to meet community ,needs. At HISTORY The Aboriginal population is esti least 1.6 million immigrants, including mated at about 1 percent of the total. 200,000 refugees, have received finan Little. is known of Australia before Early Aboriginal tribes lived as semino cial assistance for passage and tempo its discovery by Dutch explorers in the madic hunters and foodgatherers and rary housing after their arrival under 17th century. In 1770 Capt. James did not cultivate crops or domesticate various Assisted Passage programs of Cook explored the east coast and animals. Today tribal Aboriginals lead the Australian Government. annexed it for Great Britain. On Jan a settled but traditional life in remote Australians are mainly an urban uary 26, 1788 (a date now celebrated areas of northern and central Austral people, with about 60 percent living in as Australia Day), the Colony of New ia. In the southern States, where most the capital cities: South Wales was founded by Capt. Arthur Phillip, and formal proclama tion on the site of Sydney followed on February 7. Many, but by no means all, of the first settlers were convicts, a TRAVEL NOTES American banks are freely negotiable. number of them condemned for of Australia usa a decimal system of cur fenses which today would be thought Qimate and Clothing-Moat of southern rency of dollars and cents. Personal trivial. About the middle of the 19th Australia has warm summers and mild property of tourisa is generally exempt century a policy of emancipation of International boundary winteo (seasons are revened). light from customs duty. Domestic pets are the convicts and assisted immigration stricdy prohibited entry. Internal administrative boundary weight clothing can be wom year of free men emerged. The discovery of round, except in the more temperate Health-Thee are no unusual health ® National capital gold led to increased population, regions during the winter, where warmer problems or serious endemic diseases in wealth, and trade.