Unemployment rate:
5.1% (December 2004 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):
2.3% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
25.3% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $222.7 billion
expenditures: $221.7 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)
Public debt:
17.4% of GDP (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry
Industries:
mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing,
chemicals, steel
Industrial production growth rate:
1.9% (2004 est.)
Electricity - production:
210.3 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 90.8% hydro: 8.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0.9% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
195.6 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)
Oil - production:
537,500 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:
796,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
523,400 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:
530,800 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
3.664 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
33.08 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
23.33 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
9.744 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.407 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$-38.3 billion (2004 est.)
Exports:
$86.89 billion (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and
transport equipment
Exports - partners:
Japan 18.6%, China 9.2%, US 8.1%, South Korea 7.7%, New Zealand
7.4%, India 4.6%, UK 4.2% (2004)
Imports:
$98.1 billion (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines,
telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum
products
Imports - partners:
US 14.8%, China 12.7%, Japan 11.8%, Germany 5.8%, Singapore 4.4%,
UK 4.1% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$35.14 billion (2004 est.)
Debt - external:
$308.7 billion (3rd quarter, 2004 est.)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $894 million (FY99/00)
Currency (code):
Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code:
AUD
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003),
1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Communications Australia
Telephones - main lines in use:
10.815 million (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
14.347 million (2003)
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: country code - 61; submarine cables to New Zealand,
Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 10
Intelsat (4 Indian
