Australia in 2000

Domestic Affairs

In September 2000 Australia staged its second Olympic Games of the modern era (and its first since Melbourne played host in 1956) in Sydney. In the Olympic torch relay, which preceded the Games for several weeks, the Olympic flame was carried around Australia from Uluru to Sydney, even spending three minutes underwater along the Great Barrier Reef. The heroic images of runner Cathy Freeman holding aloft the Olympic flame and the overwhelming success of Australian athletes at the Games blotted out the initial public disappointment with the performance of the Australian members of the International Olympic Committee and the administrative skills of those responsible for organizing the Games.

Despite Prime Minister John Howard’s attempts to implement what he called “practical reconciliation” in the face of expected Aboriginal protests during the 2000 Olympics, Aboriginal issues often took centre stage throughout the year. In the lead-up to the Games, several events signaled the importance of Aboriginal questions in the minds of Australians. In May a “walk for reconciliation” across Sydney Harbour Bridge was overwhelmingly successful in demonstrating a groundswell of support for an apology to Aboriginals for past injustices. The scheduled events, however, emphasized the irreconcilable differences between Aboriginals and Howard, who refused to walk across the bridge or to issue the desired apology. On the eve of the Olympics, Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins, the commissioner for sport for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, promised that there would be large Aboriginal protests during the Games. Freeman, a gold medal winner and Australia’s most high-profile Aboriginal Olympic athlete, added fuel to the fire by complaining in the London press before the Games that the federal government had been insensitive in its treatment of “the stolen generation,” the name given to the numerous Aboriginal children taken from their parents and forcibly assimilated as recently as the 1960s. In the event, the Olympics were a huge success, serious protests failed to materialize, and the popular support for Freeman signaled a possible easing of racial tensions. Less than three weeks after the Olympics, Perkins died and was accorded a state funeral, including an official wake at the Sydney Opera House. (See Obituaries.)

The Games did have the effect of diverting criticism away from the government’s handling of illegal immigrants. A small group, mostly from Afghanistan and Iraq, proved a continual headache for Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock. In June about 500 illegal immigrants escaped from the Woomera detention centre in South Australia, made their way to the town centre, and chanted that the conditions in the detention centre and the delays in processing their applications for temporary asylum were unacceptable. Ruddock released videos to Australian embassies for distribution overseas. The videos showed shark attacks, snakes, and crocodiles. Ruddock defended the video, commenting, “If you come in a boat and land at Cape York and think you’re going to land in a place which is hospitable, you may well find that you could be taken by a crocodile!” In August about 80 illegal immigrants held at the Woomera Centre rioted. They destroyed buildings, and water cannons and tear gas were used to stop the turmoil.

The Economy

In 2000 the Australian economy continued to improve despite record high prices for fuel and a very weak currency. The Australian newspaper commented that the weakness of the Australian dollar in spite of a strong domestic economy was “baffling.” There was strong economic growth; inflation remained low; and unemployment became less of a problem for policy makers. The trend line in unemployment as measured by the Australian Bureau of Statistics midyear was 6.5%. A similar trend line for gross domestic product ran at 4.4%, while inflation in June stood at 3.2%.

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In May Treasurer Peter Costello introduced a national budget for the coming year that was based on a surplus of $A 2.8 billion ($A 1 = about U.S. $0.58 in midyear 2000). The surplus, which was derived from the expected sale of mobile phone airspace, allowed Costello to drop the $A 900 million Timor Tax even before it was implemented. The Timor Tax was due to be paid by Australians earning $A 50,000 or more to defray the $A 1 billion cost of Australia’s military commitment to East Timor. Funding to indigenous Australians was increased to a record $A 2.3 billion to be spent on health care, housing, education, and unemployment compensation. The government also prepared for possible legal liabilities over native title claims for damages. The government spent a modest $A 52.1 million to build detention centres for illegal immigrants and spent more for added immigration officers in the Middle East and Asia. It decided to tackle the problem of Afghan and Iraqi refugees by providing resettlement funds to allow people to remain in key transit countries en route to Australia.

The major change to the Australian economy was the introduction of a goods and services tax (GST) on July 1. Set at 10% and not applied to certain foods, the GST was offset by the abolition of a range of wholesale sales taxes. In the months leading up to the introduction of the new tax, public opinion turned against the government. Amendments to the legislation resulted in exemptions’ being given to particular groups and interests. Unperturbed, Howard declared that the new tax was good for Australia and fundamentally fair. Pre-GST activity saw what was called “a frenzy of spending,” particularly in the construction industry.

Farmers in the state of New South Wales bemoaned the wettest November on record, as their fields were inundated with muddy floodwaters from 13 rivers that had burst their banks. Also washed away in the floodwaters were livestock and the hopes of farmers who had battled five years of agricultural woes, including droughts, floods, crop disease, and low prices. The estimated damage to crops was $A 500 million. Associated rural businesses that depended on farmers for their livelihoods also suffered losses.

Foreign Affairs

Regional instability caused major problems for Australian foreign-policy makers. The financial cost of deployment in East Timor led to caution about possible involvement in expensive military operations when Fiji and the Solomon Islands suffered breakdowns of law and order. In a wide-ranging reassessment of Australia’s global strategic position, the government decided to spend more on defense. During July and August there were 28 public meetings, at which taxpayers were invited to present their views on plans to reequip the aging fleet of F-111 bombers and F/A-18 fighter aircraft and to outfit future warships to replace guided-missile frigates due to end their useful life in 2013.

Normalization of relations with India was extended following Howard’s visit to that country in July. During a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Howard noted that Australia and India both shared concern about the Fiji crisis and the arbitrary removal of Fijian Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry from office. Howard also agreed to resume defense cooperation with India and to exchange defense attachés, withdrawn in the aftermath of India’s 1998 nuclear tests.

Stressing his commitment to the monarchy and Australian loyalty to the British crown, Howard visited the U.K. in July on a trip to celebrate the centenary of the British government’s decision to grant the Australian colonies the right to amalgamate to form the federated Commonwealth of Australia. Accompanied by four former Australian prime ministers, Howard received considerable criticism from home for wasting taxpayers’ money on the journey just at the time when a new taxation system was being implemented. Matters were made worse when British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the House of Commons confused Australian soldiers with American servicemen during his speech of welcome to Howard.

Australia reacted defensively against criticism from the UN human rights committees. The government took a tough response to the UN, saying that unless it desisted from its unwarranted comments on Australia, Canberra would consider cutting ties with the whole UN treaty committee system. The government’s stand was supported by Denis Burke, the Northern Territory chief minister, who had been in the firing line because of the Northern Territory’s mandatory sentencing regime.

Quick Facts
Area: 7,692,030 sq km (2,969,910 sq mi)
Population (2000 est.): 19,165,000
Capital: Canberra
Head of government: Prime Minister John Howard
Australia in 2000
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