Life In Australia

Australia consists of six states and three self-governing territories. The six states are the states that joined together to form the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. They are:

• Western Australia
• South Australia
• Victoria
• Tasmania
• New South Wales
• Queensland

After the formation of the Commonwealth or nation of Australia, the rest of the land areas that did not belong to any of the states were known as territories. Unlike the states of Australia, they did not have their own state governments and were therefore governed by the national government of Australia. Laws have now been passed which mean that these territories now also have their own governments. The two territories of Australia are:

• Northern Territory
• Australian Capital Territory

There are also some offshore islands, including Norfolk Island, that belong to Australia and are known as external territories.

 The government of the Commonwealth of Australia, based in the capital city of Canberra, deals with national issues, while the state and territorial governments, based in each of the regional capital cities, are responsible for regional issues. There are also local councils which deal with local issues.   

A map showing the location of all of the states and territories in Australia can be found here (scroll down to the bottom of the page).