Australia

The continent of Australia is defined as mainland Australia and its surrounding islands. It is Earth's smallest continent.

Before becoming a member of United Earth, the continent was governed by a single nation state also known as "Australia". It's capital city was Canberra.

History

In the 1990s, Australia fought alongside its allies in the Eugenics Wars, in Asia and the Middle East. The wars stretched Australia in many ways. Its citizens protested (sometimes violently) against Australia's involvement the wars. Many young Australians died fighting in the wars. The sacrifices made by the younger generation of that time are still enshrined at memorials in many different parts of the land, metropolitan, regional and rural alike.

Thirty years later, World War III, like the two World Wars before it, had yet again defined the young nation as resilient - even when the "lucky country" wasn’t as lucky the third time, it had been hit hard like the rest of the old countries on Earth had been. After first contact in 2063, there was a new hope for human civilization globally. Swept up in that wave, over the next 50 years Australian culture and identity went through both a cultural renaissance and a redefinition, the latter thanks in part to the elimination globally of disease, poverty and hunger.

A common misconception which persisted even in the 24th century was that Australia was the last country to join United Earth. While inaccurate, it was one of the last to join in the 22nd century. Joining required constitutional change, which was historically notoriously difficult; a referendum was required, and a "double majority" (approval by a majority of voters nationwide, as well as a majority of voters in a majority of states) was needed for a change to the constitution. Multiple referendum attempts to change the constitution and join the United Earth government failed. It became a political issue in every federal election. Each election and referendum campaign during the first parts of the 22nd century brought out the worst in some Australians, who campaigned negatively on platforms of fear, nationalism and xenophobia. Eventually, the electorate in a referendum voted in favour of joining United Earth’s government. The establishment of a Vulcan Consulate in Canberra was considered a milestone by many..

Culture

Its people have an irreverent dry sense of humour. Its culture is characterised by a belief in fairness, a sense of informality, a quiet sense of pride and achievement, the need to be recognised on the large stage, yeast extract spreads and meat pies, and exaggeration to outsiders of the dangers of its deadliest native creatures.

Low numbers of born and bred Australians (regardless of heritage or species) have historically joined Starfleet. Recruiters at Starfleet HQ are unsure why, considering how so many Australian love to travel to explore the galaxy. This includes the large amount of people from Earth's "Oceania" region that had migrated to The Shoals. A small number of rural Australians established the colony settlement of Bupirninyirring

Multiculturalism

From the 1970s, Australia pursued multiculturalism and became a diverse population of different cultures. This continued into the 24th century, exemplified by the large Andorian population that had migrated to the subtropical Gold Coast – almost outnumbering the number of people who had migrated from Melbourne also trying to escape similarly cold living conditions.

Landmarks and Places of Interest

Sydney

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is adorned by two flags, a United Federation of Planets flag and an Aboriginal flag.

The Dr. Andrew Thomas Senior School is located in Sydney. It is dedicated for students who aim to have a professional space-based career.

Rural Australia

Small towns in rural areas of Australia haven't changed much in centuries. Many of them have a main street containing a pub, surrounded by farmland of some sort. Those towns still look like "something out of a 1960’s holo-drama", the only difference being that old post offices now have a transporter pad or two.

Flora and Fauna

Strict environmental protection and conservation laws are in place for the continent, along with technological measures to trace and detect native animal species. Taking any native species from the Australian continent is legally forbidden and culturally frowned upon. Theft of animals from the continent are rare but have happened on occasion.

According to then Captain Roshanara Rahman, "Australia has by far the most ridiculous looking animals in the galaxy. ...and I've been to Alfa 177."

References

• Australia on Memory Alpha