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The Commonwealth of Australia is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the world's smallest continent and a number of islands in the Southern, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Australia's neighbouring countries are Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east.

The continent of Australia has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. After sporadic visits by European explorers and merchants from the 17th century onwards, the eastern half of the continent was claimed by the British in 1770, and officially settled as the penal colony of New South Wales on 26 January 1788. As the population grew and new areas were explored, another five largely self-governing Crown Colonies were successively established over the course of the 19th century.

On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and remains a Commonwealth Realm. The current population of around 21 million is concentrated mainly in the coastal cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

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The general election for the 51st Parliament of South Australia was held in the state of South Australia on 18 March 2006, and was conducted by the independent State Electoral Office. The centre-left Australian Labor Party, in government since 2002 under Premier Mike Rann (pictured), gained six Liberal-held seats and a 7.7 percent statewide two-party preferred swing, resulting in the first Labor majority government since the 1985 election with 28 of the 47 House of Assembly (lower house) seats, a net gain of five seats. The centre-right Liberal Party of Australia, led by Rob Kerin, regained a former independent seat while losing seats - the net result of 15 seats was the lowest Liberal result in any South Australian election. Independent members Bob Such and Rory McEwen retained their seats, with Kris Hanna successfully changing from Labor to an independent member. The sitting Nationals SA member Karlene Maywald retained her seat.

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The Eastern Banjo Frog, Limnodynastes dumerilli, is a frog species from the family Myobatrachidae. It is native to eastern Australia and has been introduced to New Zealand. The frog is also commonly called the "pobblebonk" after its distinctive "bonk" call, which is likened to a banjo string being plucked.

Photo credit: Fir0002

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On this day...

October 31:

• 1823 - John Oxley explores the Tweed River.
• 1851 - The New South Wales Legislative Council votes unanimously against transportation "in any form whatsoever, to any part of Her Majesty's Australian possessions".
• 1895 - Middleweight boxer Les Darcy is born.
• 1923 - The start of 160 consecutive days of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit at Marble Bar, Western Australia.
• 1923 - The Victorian Police strike commenced; half the police force in Melbourne went on strike and rioting and looting ensued.
• 1929 - Eddie Charlton, top-class snooker and billiards player, is born in Merewether, New South Wales.
• 1961 - Parkes radiotelescope officially opened by the Governor General.
• 2003 - Ted Egan, folk musician and public servant, becomes Administrator of the Northern Territory.

Did you know...

• ... that Jordan Rankin, at 16 years and 238 days, is the youngest player to make his first-grade debut in Australian rugby league in over 70 years?
• ... that Reg Lindsay was an Australian Country and Western singer who won three Golden Guitars Awards and wrote more than five hundred songs in his fifty year music career?
• ... that the murder of Celia Douty was the first murder in Australia to be solved using DNA profiling, after remaining unsolved for 18 years?

  

• ...that the town of Bismarck in Tasmania was renamed Collinsvale due to anti-German sentiment during World War I?
• ...that Indigenous Australian activist Michael Mansell convinced Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi to officially recognise a separate Aboriginal Australian passport in order to draw international attention to the issue of native land rights?
• ...that Wally Koochew was the first VFL player of Chinese background?
• ...that Wing Commander Stanley Goble and Flying Officer Ivor McIntyre, piloting a single-engined seaplane (pictured), became the first men to circumnavigate Australia by air in 1924?
• ...that a series of storms in south-east Queensland spawned two of the most powerful supercells and tornadoes in recorded Australian history?
• ...that the lamington cake is believed to have been named after Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, the Governor of Queensland at the time of its invention?
• ...that during the first seven years of the Australian edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? nobody won the top prize of one million dollars?
• ...that in New South Wales, a Sentencing Council which is the first of its type in Australia, conducts research to improve the consistency of sentencing of criminals?
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