Australian Politics: The history, the institutions, and the issues

Major Australian Issues
Globalization

Though they still value the British in governmental and party setup, the Australians are now independent, and they possess unique political, economic, and social concerns evident today. The most pressing of these concerns include: To what extent, if any, should Australia globalize its economy? How much land, if any, should be returned to the Aborigines who lived on the land before the white population drove them out and what laws should regulate this land return? And finally, should Australia transition from a monarchy to a republic? All three issues are in some way unique to Australia, for AustraliaÕs own geography and culture guide the government to the solutions to these questions. Globalization is the major contemporary economic debate in Australia. One definition of globalization is as follows, "The rapid increase in cross-border economic, social, [and] technological exchange under conditions of capitalism" ("What is Globalisation?"). Globalization has increased due to events such as the first circumnavigation of the globe in 1519-1521; the generation of world time zones and world adaptation of the Gregorian calendar from 1875-1925; the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989; and the popularization of the internet during the late twentieth century ("When did Globalization Begin?"). In Australia, the issue of globalization is unique because Australia, a country of Western culture, lies very close to the Asian market, creating an opportunity for close trade relations that other Western nations cannot enjoy. The question of how much to globalize and to rely on other nations rallies both strong support and opposition. Supporters, including an unusual agreement between international organizations and the Australian Labor Party ("Who are the Players?"), argue that since further efforts to globalize in the early nineties, Australia has experienced significant reductions in trade tariffs as well as a large increase in Australian exports, especially in newly competitive industries, such as manufacturing ("What Does Globalisation Mean to Australia?"). These supporters are met by leaders from Asia who are willing to set up trade with Australia. The Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, BG Lee Hsien Loong, in his address to the National Press Club in Canberra, encouraged further relations between Singapore and Australia, pointing out that Australia is one of the most wired countries in the world ("Globalisation - Does Australia Have What it Takes?"). Others say that Australia should globalize, but not put so much emphasis on the near Four Tigers of Asia. Professor Leslie Holmes of the University of Melbourne says that "The Asian bubble has burst. This is particularly unfortunate for Australia, which hasÉtended to place an increasing number of its eggs in the Asian basket" (Holmes). The opposition to globalization in Australia includes environmentalists, Marxists, and companies that would experience competition from the cheap exports of poor countries ("Who are the Players?"). These groups argue that globalization is inequitable for the nations that are poorer than Australia; Australian corporations take advantage of the workers in poor countries in Asia ("What Does Globalisation Mean to Australia?"). Australia is taking advantage of the economic liberalization that is underway in Asia, and damaging the environment in the process. Pauline HansonÕs One Nation party advocates reducing the money spent on globalization and rerouting it to an "Australian National Disaster Fund," which would help Australians affected by natural disasters ("Foreign Aid"). Whether Australians will decide to support or oppose further globalization, the issue is unique to Australia because of its proximity to Asia. No other Western nation has the opportunity of such advanced globalization, making the geography of Australia a factor in its distinctive issue of globalization.