Australia is a stable, culturally diverse and democratic society accompanied by a skilled workforce and a strong, competitive economy. With a population of more than 21 million, Australia is the only nation to rule an entire continent and the country with the sixth largest land area in the world. Australia's multicultural society includes Indigenous people and immigrants from around 200 countries.

Australia is one of the oldest land masses in the world and has been inhabited by humans for around 60,000 years. Before the arrival of European settlers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples inhabited much of the continent.

Australia's contemporary history is relatively short, with the first European settlement founded by Great Britain on 26 January 1788.

Australia has 10 percent of the world's biodiversity and a large number of native plants, animals and birds found nowhere else in the world. Australia is committed to preserving its unique natural heritage and environment and has a number of protection procedures, including World Heritage listing and many national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

Australia is one of the most resilient, high-growing economies in the world. Australia has an efficient government sector, a flexible labor market and a highly competitive business sector.

With abundant natural resources, Australia has had a high standard of living since the 19th century. Australia has invested heavily in social infrastructure, including education, training, health and transport.
Australia's workforce of around 10 million is highly trained. Many senior managers and technical staff have international experience, while almost half of the Australian workforce have university, vocational or diploma qualifications.

In a global economy, language skills are an important capability for the workforce. Although Australia is an English-speaking country, more than 5 million of its residents speak a second language.

Australia offers an introduction to Western business culture with a workforce capable of operating in both Asian and Western business environments, as Australia has the largest number of Asian language skills in the region.

The language skills and other abilities that attract foreign companies are partly a result of Australia's culturally diverse society.

Migrants have a real impact on all aspects of Australian society. During more than 60 years of post-war planned migration, Australia has welcomed more than 6.5 million migrants from more than 200 countries, including more than 660,000 refugees. Australia's population has increased from around seven million to more than 21 million.