Globalization involves an increased unanimity of the global economic activities through eradication of the common barriers such as tariffs, and import duties. Globalization may also involve an improved way of sharing ideas, languages or culture among nations.
Any aspect or attribute that has managed to move and be shared among nations leads to globalization. The aspect of globalization has both negative and positive impacts to the nation. Globalization has changed various ways of doing things in Australia. For instance, through globalization most of people in Australia have improved their ways of travelling, their eating habits, and generally their living standards.
The major part that has been affected by globalization in Australia is the economic sector. Australia has been able to enjoy a free and open markets, whereby the importers and the exporters are subjected to a less tax.
Through globalization, Australia has realized a rapid growth of industrial competition hence increasing both the quality and the quantity of production, and the consumers are left to enjoy the lower prices for the goods they are consuming. Globalization has come with many changes in Australia and the whole world, changes such as even the impacts of terrorism.
The Australia was found through the globalization of the 19th century. The focus of this globalization was moving from Europe to other corners of the world as people used to describe it. The globalization of that period was very slow as things used to happen through the longest route, as there were no otherwise.
In terms of communication, there were very slow means of conveying the intended messages. It was an era whereby the letters were used in various places to pass the messages. There were no quick means and hence a delayed response. In terms of transport, the means were also ineffective and people could take ages to reach their destinations.
Economically, Australia suffered a great deal due to the presence of many barriers of trade. For them to import some commodities, this would cost the country much money due to the import duties imposed on the cash transactions. When the country would be preparing to export some of their commodities to other countries as a way of boosting their economy, these barriers prohibited. When exporting, the commodities would sell at a very lower price due to the export duties hence realizing a very little profit and sometimes even a loss due to several expenses incurred.
As far as globalization is concerned, Australia has also developed greatly in terms of culture. In the past, the country survived mostly on the cultural practices and beliefs. People could not interact freely as they are doing these days.
People relied on some specialists for important information, unlike these days when globalization is advancing day-by-day. In the past, people from a certain community would just live together without interacting with others. This was because of minimal migration of people from rural areas to urban areas.
There were specific places for particular group of people. Through this separation of various communities, there were no chances of people to learn from each other especially exchanging ideas of different cultural groups. The fear between different communities existed and that is why people could not interact with one another well.
The political aspect of Australia in the past was also of low quality before the globalization. There were traditional ways of campaigning that most politicians used to apply. The citizens could not have a good chance of choosing the right leader as people relied on the cultural ways of doing politics.
The citizens were not enlightened as they are these days of a globalized society. Australian citizens believed on leadership of some specific individuals due to lack of enough information that would aid in their processes of decision-making. In the past days, limitation of information sources made people to make uninformed decisions and hence there were some limitations for the development of the country as a whole.
For the country to develop in all sectors especially economically there is need for the citizens to have access to various sources of information to enlighten them. In terms of business, Australia was ranging behind due to lack of business knowledge and many limitations as one is conducting his or her businesses.
Several doors to business were locked waiting for globalization. For instance, people could not have access to raw materials outside the country as the international businesses were not available, and even citizens were not aware of how to conduct international businesses.
The few people who were conducting domestic businesses in Australia could not prosper very well as they were contained within the country hence minimal business knowledge. The business sector whether a private or public is relied much to earn some profits for the government through taxation, but in those days the government could not earn much from these investments due to the limitations that existed.
Among all the histories of globalization in Australia, technology was the worst hit. The things that people are doing and accomplishing within a blink of a second took people hours or days to accomplish. Almost in every sector of the country, there is need of applying some technology to make the work easier for the people who were involved
For instance, several industries like transport and communication, health industries, education industries, and many more all work effectively and deliver their services to the public by technology. In the past days in Australia, such industries could use more resources both financially and human labor to accomplish their missions as the technological knowhow of the nation was low and needed some advancement.
The citizens of Australia suffered a great deal in the processes of getting some problems solved especially in the education and health industries. For instance, a major change of technology in Australia came in 1975 through the emergence of Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. This Australian academy majorly focused on the policies of technology. Through this academy, the famous engineers and technologists were recognized due to their efforts..
Through welcoming globalization, Australia is now in a position to live in a borderless world. The main activators of globalization are the sharing of goods and services among nations, interaction and sharing of ideas and cultures among people from different nations.
Recently the level of globalization has developed to the point advancing the technological levels, and removing the trade barriers. Through these latest improvements of globalization citizens of Australia can now trade internationally faster than before. Although globalization comes with both advantages and disadvantages, the benefits are more as its effects are reflected in the economic development of Australia.
Globalization in Australia has resulted to bigger markets, hence increased profits, which improves the wealth status of a nation. Through this Australia has been able to invest in several development projects that would make it to reduce the level of poverty among its citizens. For Australia to benefit fully from the advantage of globalization especially the opening of international markets, the country has put some extra efforts to ensure it gets full benefits.
For instance, Australia has come up with strong domestic policies, reliable institutions and infrastructure to be able to take full advantages of the globalization changes. Australia has so far managed to come up with suitable policies and informed decisions to maximize the benefits of globalization and to minimize fully the challenges.
Since the time when Australia opened itself to globalization, several benefits have been realized in the country (ABS, 2005). Through engaging with the international economies, the economy of Australia has grown faster compared with some countries that remain closed to the forces of globalization.
According to some researches done, the economy of Australia has proved to grow with 2.5 % more than the closed economies to the effects of globalization. Through the advantage of faster economic growth, Australia has been able to improve the living standards of its citizens as well as reducing the poverty rate.
For instance, Australia has managed to cut its poverty rate in almost a half for the last two decades. Through the availability of cheaper imports, the citizens of Australia are in a position to have access to various types of products and hence they can compete effectively with other traders and increase their productivity.
The economic gains through the forces of globalization have also resulted to the availability of improved health services and availability of clean water in Australia. Citizens have a right to a good health services, as it is in the United Nations declaration of human rights.
By reliable health services the life expectancy in Australia has also improved, which is a good ground for the future developments of the nation. Even in the whole world the increased life expectancy has resulted to 85% of the population in the world to have an increased probability of attaining approximately sixty five years, which is regarded to be double compared to how life expectancy was a hundred years ago (Gough, 2003).
Through the increased global income because of removing, the investment barriers have some benefits like Australia having increased foreign direct investments, which has accelerated much growth in Australia. Globally the total of foreign direct investment was us$23 billion which shoot up to US$575 billion in 2003 which was a dynamic positive change realized due to globalization.
Globalization in Australia has also come with environmental changes whereby, there is improved environmental awareness that is encouraging the use of more reliable and less polluting materials. Australia is also in a position to import renewable matters to be used in place of the locally available natural resources, as they are still scarce.
Pollution is one cause of the air borne diseases that should be avoided. The United Nations declaration of human rights requires the nation to put measures on such sensitive issues to ensure citizens are living in safe environments. The availability of good materials that can be reused is advantageous to the nation as less pollution is realized and the citizens would be able to live in a conducive environment.
Through the increased interaction of Australia with global institutions like WTO and World Bank has benefited this nation a great deal especially in cases of solving the government-to-government conflicts.
In cases where the nation has some conflicts with another, the disputes are solved depending on the rules of the global institutions, rather than the traditional ways of favoring the more powerful among the victims. Through this, most of the countries have managed to maintain peace within and among other nations.
In the past, the trading partners were encountering some challenges that were hard for them to solve, and this led to the most powerful nation among the two winning the case. Nowadays the global institutions have the rules regarding every type of trade conflict to guide the member nations (AEPAC, 2003). Through this provision, members solve their conflicts well hence reducing their poverty level, which is believed to be the breeding area for terrorism.
The international interactions between Australia and other nations, has led to increased recognition of diversity respect for different cultural practices. Through this type of respect among various cultures, the level of democracy of the nation is improved and the application of human rights to the citizens is made possible.
The global companies have some working standards to be followed in production of commodities for international trade. This has the countries to adhere to the labor standards especially the countries that tend to ignore the rules of labor. There are set levels of wages that the workers are supposed to receive, which an advantage to the citizens as it protects them from any form of discrimination from the employer, as it is required by the United Nations declaration of human rights.
Australia serves as a good example of the countries that have derived much benefit from globalization. Australia has benefited in both exports and imports. It is well known in production of wool, wheat and minerals. Its level of living standards has gone high due to its ability of taking the advantage of open economy a status that made it more competitive in both domestic and international trade.
Australia is in a region whereby the neighboring nations are the developing ones, and most of its exports are destined to these developing nations or must pass through them. The country is famous because of its aid program whereby it offers technical support, reliable building initiatives, and various ways of passing the information globally to ensure there is active participation for all in global developments.
Australia is in the front line to offer technical advice to its neighboring developing nations to take part in trade movements that would open their trading standards through provision of more and advanced trade regulations. Australia is assuring these developing nations of the availability of ports that are efficient for their commodities, customs and quarantine schemes.
This country is also assisting the developing nations economically, on the best tactics to apply for them to acquire full benefits of free trade opportunities for instance by revising their domestic policies regarding the trade. As long as these developing nations have a right to work, as it is required by the United Nations declaration of human rights, Australia does not understand why these nations would prefer to be left behind.
References
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