Andrea Coyoy
Per: 3
6/5/13
Australia Seeks for Independence
Australia is geologically the oldest continent and it is the only nation governed by a single parliament. Australia traces back to British colonization when James Cook declared it land under British rule. Australia’s parliament has adopted several American and British ideas into its laws, but is now independent. It has experienced great difficulties such as the “Great Depression” of 1929 and fought in both WW1 and WW2. Australia has been politically involved with great countries such as the United States and part of Europe throughout its history and it is currently facing some conflicts within its territory.
Australia has been facing conflicts with extreme droughts since the 1970’s due to its very dry location and lack of rain due to constant climate changes. This lead to a drop in their economy for the last few years. Not only that but recently an Indigenous group named Aboriginal made another effort to obtain sovereignty from Australia’s government. Australia’s Aboriginal-sovereignty movement began in 1972. On January 26 of that year a group of black militants planted a tent on the lawns of the Old Parliament House in Canberra. The Aboriginal Tent Embassy encouraged support for indigenous land rights and pushed its ambassador Michael Anderson into the international spotlight who as tribal leader of the Euahlayi nation and threw a spear wrapped in the Australian flag over the gates of Buckingham Palace in a symbolic rejection of colonial oppression. The government doesn’t want to recognize this indigenous group’s sovereignty because they are obligated by the crown. This conflict traces back to British colonization, the Aboriginal believes that British didn’t obtain the land legally and that the government doesn’t want to discuss it because it will become a non- stoppable dispute that will eventually end with their power.
Evidences of military volunteers show that Australia fought alongside Britain in World War I, notably with the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps in the Dardanelles campaign (1915). After that war Australia was devastated, thousands of war volunteers were dead and a lot of resources were lost. Following WW1 in 1929 the developed world suffered what was called the “Great Depression”. The problems that had been developing in the world’s economy since the mid-1920s declined the United States market Soon the effects of the crash spread rapidly around the world. Australia was among the nations that were hardest hit by the Depression. This was because Australia depended heavily on overseas trade and investment. For Australia the Great Depression began in 1929 and ended in 1932. Then in 1942 Australia became involved in WW2 due to an attack from the Japanese in the east.
Since the arrival on Indonesians to Australia after British colonization Australia became