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New South Wales (abbreviated as NSW) is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria and south of Queensland. It was founded in 1788 and originally comprised much of the Australian mainland, as well as New Zealand, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. During the 19th century large areas were successively separated to form the British colonies of Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and New Zealand.

An inhabitant of New South Wales is referred to as a New South Welshman. New South Wales' largest city and capital is Sydney.

It is not clear whether New South Wales refers to the area being named after South Wales, or a New Wales in the Southern Hemisphere.

In the journal covering his survey of the eastern coast of the Australian continent, the then Lt. James Cook (later Captain James Cook) first named the east coast of Australia "New Wales", which he later corrected in his journal to "New South Wales".

History

Main article: History of New South Wales
The original inhabitants of the area were Aboriginal tribes who arrived in Australia approximately forty to sixty thousand years ago.[citation needed]However, the first European discovery of the area was made by Captain James Cook during his voyage along the East coast of Australia in 1770.

Settlement

The first British settlement was made by what is known in Australian history as the First Fleet led by Captain Arthur Phillip who assumed the role of Governor of the settlement on arrival in 1788 until 1792. During this time New South Wales was an entirely penal colony.

After years of chaos, anarchy and the overthrow of Governor William Bligh, a new Governor, Lieutenant-colonel (later Major-General) Lachlan Macquarie was sent from Britain to reform the settlement in 1809. During his time as Governor, Macquarie commissioned the construction of roads, wharves, churches and public buildings, sent explorers across the continent and employed a planner to design the street layout of Sydney.[citation needed] Macquarie's legacy can still be felt today.[citation needed]

1800s

630 lb (235 kg) gold unearthed in 1872 from Hill End during the Gold RushLater in the mid 19th century saw the gold rush and a huge influx in the New South Wales population. It is estimated that the population rose 33.5 percent or 100 000 people in less than ten years.[citation needed]

Soon after the gold rush, settlers demanded a responsible government that could govern itself. The result was the New South Wales Constitution Act of 1855, steered through the British Parliament by the veteran radical Lord John Russell, who wanted a constitution which balanced democratic elements against the interests of property, as did the Parliamentary system in Britain at this time. The Act created a bicameral Parliament of New South Wales, with a lower house, the Legislative Assembly, consisting of 54 members. As the population continued to rise, separate colonies were split off from greater NSW. Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland were formed as self-governing colonies reducing NSW to its present area.

Federation

As the 1800s drew to a close the movement toward federation between the Australian colonies gathered momentum. Conventions and forums involving colony leaders were held on a regular basis. NSW as a free trade state were in dispute with the other leading colony Victoria who had a protectionist economy. At this time customs posts were common on borders, even on the Murray River. Supporters of federation included the NSW premier Sir Henry Parkes whose 1889 speech in Tenterfield was pivotal in gathering support for NSW involvement. Edmund Barton later to become Australia's first Prime Minister was another strong advocate for federation and a meeting held in Corowa in 1893 drafted an initial constitution.

In 1898 popular referendums on the proposed federation were held in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. All votes resulted in a majority in favour, but the NSW government under Premier George Reid (popularly known as "yes-no Reid" due to his constant changes of opinion on the issue) had set a requirement for a higher "yes" vote than just a simple majority which was not met.

In 1899 further referendums were held in the same states as well as Queensland (but not Western Australia). All resulted in yes votes with majorities increased from the previous year. NSW met the conditions its government had set for a yes vote. As a compromise to the question on where the capital was to be located, an agreement was made that the site was to be with-in NSW but not closer than 100 miles (161 km) from Sydney. Eventually the area that now forms the Australian Capital Territory was ceded by NSW when Canberra was selected.

Early 1900s

New South Wales in 1916In the years after World War I, it was the farmers rather than the workers who were the most discontented and militant class in New South Wales.[citation needed] The high prices enjoyed during the war fell with the resumption of international trade, and farmers became increasingly discontented with the fixed prices paid by the compulsory marketing authorities set up as a wartime measure by the Hughes government. In 1919 the farmers formed the Country Party, led at national level by Earle Page, a doctor from Grafton, and at state level by Michael Bruxner, a small farmer from Tenterfield. The Country Party used its reliable voting base to make demands on successive non-Labor governments, mainly to extract subsidies and other benefits for farmers, as well as public works in rural areas.[citation needed]

The Great Depression which began in 1929 ushered a period of unprecedented political and class conflict in New South Wales.[citation needed] The mass unemployment and collapse of commodity prices brought ruin to both city workers and to farmers. The beneficiary of the resultant discontent was not the Communist Party, which remained small and weak, but Jack Lang's Labor populism. Lang's second government was elected in November 1930 on a policy of repudiating New South Wales' debt to British bondholders and using the money instead to help the unemployed through public works. This was denounced as illegal by conservatives, and also by James Scullin's federal Labor government.[citation needed] The result was that Lang's supporters in the federal Caucus brought down Scullin's government, causing a second bitter split in the Labor Party. In May 1932 the Governor, Sir Philip Game dismissed his government. The subsequent election was won by the conservative opposition.

Japanese POW camp in Cowra, 1944, several weeks before the Cowra breakoutBy the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the differences between New South Wales and the other states that had emerged in the 19th century had faded as a result of federation and economic development behind a wall of protective tariffs.[citation needed] New South Wales continued to outstrip Victoria as the centre of industry, and increasingly of finance and trade as well.[citation needed] Labor returned to office under the moderate leadership of William McKell in 1941 and stayed in power for 24 years. World War II saw another surge in industrial development to meet the needs of a war economy, and also the elimination of unemployment.

Postwar New South Wales

Labor stayed in power until 1965. Towards the end of its term in power it announced a plan for the construction of an opera/arts facility on Bennelong Point. The design competition was won by Jørn Utzon. Controversy over the cost of what would eventually become the Sydney Opera House became a political issue and was a factor in the eventual defeat of Labor in 1965 by the conservative Liberal Party led by Sir Robert Askin. Sir Robert remains a controversial figure with supporters claiming him to be reformist especially in terms of reshaping the NSW economy. Others though regard the Askin era has synonymous with corruption with Askin the head of a network involving NSW police and SP bookmaking (Goot).

In the late 1960s, a secessionist movement in the New England region of the state led to a referendum on the issue. The new state would have consisted of much of northern NSW including Newcastle. The referendum was narrowly defeated and there are no active or organised campaigns for new states in NSW beyond individuals.

Askin's resignation in 1975 was followed by a number of short lived premierships by Liberal Party leaders. When a general election came in 1976 the ALP under Neville Wran were returned to power. Wran was able to transform this narrow one seat victory into landslide wins (known as Wranslide) in 1978 and 1981. [citation needed]

New South Wales showing highwaysAfter winning a comfortable though reduced majority in 1984, Wran resigned as premier and left parliament. His replacement Barry Unsworth struggled to emerge from Wran's shadow and lost a 1988 election against a resurgent Liberal Party led by Nick Greiner. Unsworth was replaced as ALP leader by Bob Carr. Initially Greiner was a popular leader instigating reform such as the creation of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). Greiner called a snap election in 1991 which the Liberals were expected to win. However the ALP polled extremely well and the Liberals lost their majority and needed the support of independents to retain power.

Greiner was accused (by ICAC) of corrupt actions involving an allegation that a government position was offered to tempt an independent (who had defected from the Liberals) to resign his seat so that the Liberal party could regain it and shore up its numbers. Greiner resigned but was later cleared of corruption. His replacement as Liberal leader and Premier was John Fahey. Although personally popular, Fahey's government suffered from a series of scandals including tax evasion, illegal recording of customer conversations, sexual harassment, and death threats. [citation needed] In the 1995 election, Fahey's government lost narrowly and the ALP under Bob Carr returned to power.

Like Wran before him Carr was able to turn a narrow majority into landslide wins at the next two elections (1999 and 2003). During this era, NSW hosted the 2000 Sydney Olympics which were internationally regarded as very successful and helped boost Carr's popularity. Carr surprised most people by resigning from office in 2005. He was replaced by Morris Iemma who remains Premier and was re-elected in March 2007.

Government

New South Wales Parliament HouseMain article: Government of New South Wales

Constitution

The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then. Since 1901 New South Wales has been a state of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Australian Constitution regulates its relationship with the Commonwealth.

Under the Australian Constitution, New South Wales ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained independence in all other areas. The New South Wales Constitution says: "The Legislature shall, subject to the provisions of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, have power to make laws for the peace, welfare, and good government of New South Wales in all cases whatsoever." In practice, however, the independence of the Australian states has been greatly eroded by the increasing financial domination of the Commonwealth. [citation needed]

Parliament

Political
Party Legislative
Assembly Legislative
Council
ALP 52 (56%) 19 (45%)
Liberal 22 (24%) 10 (24%)
National 13 (14%) 5 (12%)
Independent/Other 6 (6%) 8 (20%)
Source: Parliament of New South Wales.
The State Parliament is composed of the Sovereign and two houses: the Legislative Assembly (lower house), and the Legislative Council (upper house). Elections are held every four years on the fourth Saturday of March, the most recent being on 24 March 2007. At each election one member is elected to the Legislative Assembly from each of 93 electoral districts and half of the 42 members of the Legislative Council are elected by a statewide electorate.

Policing

New South Wales is policed by the New South Wales Police Force, a statutory authority. Established in 1862, the NSW Police Force investigates Summary and Indictable offences throughout the State of New South Wales.

Head of State

New South Wales is a Constitutional Monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II is the Sovereign, represented by the Governor of New South Wales. The Governor is Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir (Lady Shehadie). The Governor commissions as Premier the leader of the parliamentary political party that can command a simple majority of votes in the Legislative Assembly. The Premier then recommends the appointment of other Members of the two Houses to the Ministry, under the principle of responsible or Westminster government. It should be noted, however, that there is no legal requirement in NSW for the Government to be formed from the Parliament - merely convention. The Premier is Morris Iemma of the Australian Labor Party.

People

Population

The estimated population of New South Wales at the end of 2006 was 6.83 million people. This indicates an annual growth rate of 0.9%, lower than the 1.0% average growth rate of the last 10 years and the national rate of 1.1%.

62.9% of NSW's population is based in Sydney.

Education

Sutton school was opened in 1871
The Sydney Grammar School, established in 1854, is the oldest secondary school still in use in Sydney city
Charles Sturt University has campuses in several country towns in New South Wales

Primary and Secondary

The NSW school system comprises a kindergarten to year twelve system with primary schooling up to year 6 and secondary schooling between year 7 and 12. Within these to sets of schooling are various stages. Stage 1 includes years 1 and 2 (Kindergarten is Early Stage 1, and is considered separate in terms of curriculum planning). Stage 2 incorporates years 3 and 4. This cycle continues until it reaches stage 6 and ends with the Higher School Certificate

School Certificate
Schooling is compulsory until completion of the School Certificate at the end of year 10. This test has no pass or fail but is designed to grade a student on his or her ability. The results of this test are categorised into bands 1 through to 6 with band 1 as the lowest and band 6 as the highest.[citation needed]

As of 2006, there are five subjects that are compulsory for this examination. They are English, Mathematics, Science, Australian History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship and Computing Skills. Along with this, there are two 'elective' subjects that are assessed throughout the year.[citation needed]

Higher School Certificate

Main article: Higher School Certificate

The Higher School Certificate (HSC) is the usual Year 12 leaving certificate in NSW. Most students complete the HSC prior to entering the workforce or going on to study at either college, university or TAFE (although the HSC itself can be completed at TAFE).

Tertiary

Eleven universities primarily operate in New South Wales. Sydney is home to Australia's first university, the University of Sydney, founded in 1850, as well as the University of New South Wales, Macquarie University, the University of Technology, Sydney and the University of Western Sydney. The Australian Catholic University has two of its six campuses in Sydney, and the private University of Notre Dame Australia also operates a secondary campus in the city.

Outside Sydney, the leading universities are the University of Newcastle and the University of Wollongong. Armidale is home to the University of New England, and Charles Sturt University and Southern Cross University have campuses spread across cities in the state's south-west and north coast respectively.

The public universities are state government agencies, however they are largely regulated by the federal government, which also administers their public funding. Admission to NSW universities is arranged together with universities in the Australian Capital Territory by another government agency, the Universities Admission Centre.

Primarily vocational training is provided up the level of advanced diplomas is provided by the state government's ten Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes. These institutes run courses in over 130 campuses throughout the state.

Geography

The Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains
The coast of Coffs HarbourMain article: Geography of New South Wales
New South Wales can be divided geographically into four sections:

A coastal strip, with climates warming from cool temperate on the far south coast to subtropical near the Queensland border, including the regions south of Sydney such as the Illawarra , the Shoalhaven near Nowra, Newcastle, the Central Coast and the North Coast.
The mountainous areas of the Great Dividing Range and the high country surrounding them. Whilst not particularly steep, many peaks rise above 1,000 metres (3,280 ft), with the highest Mount Kosciuszko at 2,229 metres (7,308 ft). This includes the Southern Highlands, Central Tablelands and the New England regions.
The agricultural plains that fill a significant portion of the state's area, with a much sparser population than the coast, includes the Riverina area around Wagga Wagga.
The arid plains in the far north-west of the state, which feature few small settlements.
The state is bordered on the north by Queensland, on the west by South Australia, and on the south by Victoria. Its coast faces the Tasman Sea. New South Wales contains two Federal enclaves: the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and the Jervis Bay Territory.

New South Wales's three major cities are Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong which all lie along the coast. Other notable settlements include Albury, a large town which borders with Victoria; Broken Hill, the most Westerly large town; Dubbo; Orange, Bowral, Bathurst, home of the Bathurst 1000; Port Macquarie, Tamworth, home to the country music festival; Armidale, Inverell, Lismore, Nowra, Gosford, Griffith, Queanbeyan, Leeton, Wagga Wagga, Goulburn, where a large proportion of the Australia's fruit is grown and Coffs Harbour, a popular tourist destination.

Highest maximum temperature: 50.0 °C (122.0 °F), Wilcannia, 11 January 1939

Lowest minimum temperature: -23.0 °C (-9.4 °F), Charlotte Pass, 29 June 1994 (lowest temperature recorded in whole of Australia).

October 9th, 2007, NSW announced plans to built a 1,000 MW (megawatt) bank of wind powered turbines. The output of these are anticipated to be able to power up to 400,000 holmes. The cost of this project will be $1.8 billion for 500 turbines.

New South Wales Australia

The Hunter Valley is known for its wineries.
Sheep in the Riverina which has a large wool industryMain article: The New South Wales Economy
Since the 1970s, New South Wales has undergone an increasingly rapid economic and social transformation. [citation needed] Old industries such as steel and shipbuilding have largely disappeared, and although agriculture remains important its share of the state's income is smaller than ever before.[citation needed] New industries such as information technology, and financial services are largely centred in Sydney, have risen to take their place with many companies having their Australian headquarters in Sydney CBD.[citation needed] In addition, the Macquarie Park area of Sydney has attracted the Australian headquarters of many information technology firms.

Coal and related products are the state's biggest export. Its value to the state's economy is over A$5 billion accounting for about 19% of all exports from NSW.

Tourism has also become important, with Sydney as its centre but also stimulating growth on the North Coast, around Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay.[citation needed] Tourism is worth over $23 billion to the New South Wales economy and employs over 8% of the workforce.

New South Wales had a Gross State Product in 2006 (equivalent to Gross Domestic Product) of A$310 billion which equalled A$45,584 per capita.

Sport

EnergyAustralia Stadium in Newcastle is the homeground of the Newcastle Knights
The Bathurst 1000, held at Mount Panorama Circuit in BathurstMain article: Sport in New South Wales
Throughout Australian history, NSW sporting teams have been very successful in both winning domestic competitions and providing players to the Australian national team. The NSW Blues play in the Ford Ranger Cup and Pura Cup cricket competitions, the NSW Waratahs in the Super 14 rugby union competition and The 'Blues' represent NSW in the annual Rugby League State of Origin series.

As well as the state of origin, the headquarters of the Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League (NRL) are in Sydney, which is home to 8 of the 16 National Rugby League (NRL) teams. (Sydney Roosters, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Parramatta Eels, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Wests Tigers, Penrith Panthers, Canterbury Bulldogs and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles), as well as being the northern home of the St George Illawarra Dragons, which is half-based in Wollongong. A tenth team, the Newcastle Knights is located in Newcastle. Rugby league football is the most popular sport by far in terms of spectators and television viewers.[citation needed] The main summer sport is cricket, and the state boasts arguably the most competitive cricket outside first class level in the Sydney Grade Cricket competition. [neutrality disputed]

The state is represented by three teams in the football (soccer) A-League: Sydney FC (the inaugural champions in 2005-06), the Central Coast Mariners, based at Gosford and the Newcastle United Jets. Football (soccer) has the highest number of registered players in New South Wales of any football code.[14] Australian rules football has historically not been strong in New South Wales outside the Riverina region. However, the Sydney Swans relocated from South Melbourne in 1982 and their presence and success since the late 1990s has raised the profile of Australian rules football, especially after their AFL premiership in 2005. Other teams in national competitions include basketball's Sydney Kings, West Sydney Razorbacks and Sydney Uni Flames, and netball's Sydney Swifts.

Sydney was the host of the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 1938 British Empire Games. The Olympic Stadium, now known as Telstra Stadium is the scene of the annual NRL Grand Final. It also regularly hosts rugby league State of Origin games and rugby union internationals, and has recently hosted the final of the 2003 Rugby World Cup and the football (soccer) World Cup qualifier between Australia and Uruguay.

The Sydney Cricket Ground traditionally hosts the 'New Year' cricket test match from 2-6 January each year, and is also one of the site for the finals of the one day international series. The annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race begins in Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day. The climax of Australia's touring car racing series is the Bathurst 1000, held near the city of Bathurst.

The Arts

The Pro Hart gallery in Broken HillNew South Wales is home to several artistic bodies including: the Sydney Symphony (Australia's busiest and largest orchestra) and Opera Australia (head office in Sydney) both of which perform a subscription series at the Sydney Opera House. The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), houses a significant collection of Australian art; other major spaces include the Sydney Jewish Museum, the Museum of Sydney and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Besides this Sydney is host to the Australian Ballet for its Sydney season (the ballet is headquartered in Melbourne). Sydney is home to five Arts teaching organisations which have all produced world famous students: The National Art School, The College of Fine Arts, the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), the Australian School of Film, Radio and Television and the Conservatorium of Music (now part of the University of Sydney). The world famous Australian Chamber Orchestra has its headquarters in Sydney, however, spends most of its time touring both the world and Australia.