Canberra

Canberra is the capital of the Commonwealth of Australia and, with a population of just over 323,000, is also Australia's largest inland city. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, 300 km southwest of Sydney, and 650 km northeast of Melbourne. Unique in Australia as an entirely purpose-built, planned city, Canberra was selected as the location of the National Capital in 1908. Following an international contest for the city's design, a design by Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913. The city's design was heavily influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation that have earned Canberra the title "bush capital". Although the growth and development of Canberra was hindered by the World Wars and the Great Depression, it emerged as a thriving city post-World War II.

Economy

As of July 2005, there are 182,000 employed people in Canberra, and although labour shortages have been reported in some sectors, the unemployment rate is only 3.3%, well below the national unemployment rate of 5.0%.{{mn|ACTTreasuryLabour|2}} As a result of low unemployment and substantial levels of public sector and commercial employment, Canberra has the highest mean weekly disposable income of any Australian capital city.{{mn|ABSIncome|3}} The gross average weekly wage of a Canberra resident is $1,173.10, compared with the Australia wide average of $1,008.10.{{mn|ACTTreasuryAWE|4}}

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The city's main industry is government administration and defence, which accounted for 26.1% of Gross Territory Product in 2003-04 and employed over 40% of Canberra's workforce{{mn|ACTTreasuryGSP|5}}{{mn|ACTTreasuryAWE|4}} The major public-sector employers in Canberra include the parliament, government departments such as Department of Defence, Finance, Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Treasury. A number of Australian Defence Force establishments are located in or near Canberra, most notably RAAF Fairbairn, which now services VIP flights almost exclusively. HMAS Harman is a naval communications centre located within Canberra that is being converted into a tri-service multi-user depot.

Related Topics:
Australian Defence Force - RAAF Fairbairn

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Property and business services, construction, health and community services, and education are other significant contributors to the economy of Canberra. A large amount of Australian and international visitors make tourism a significant contributor to the economy. The most popular seasons are spring and autumn; the annual Floriade spring flower display in September is a major attraction.

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