Capital: Canberra
Area: 7,686,850 km²
Population: 18.7 million (December 2000 est.)
Ethnic groups: European origin 92%, Asians 6%, Aboriginals 1.5%
Official language(s): English
Religion(s): Protestants and Anglicans 52%, Roman Catholic 25%, Greek Orthodox 3%
Currency: 1 Australian dollar = 100 cents
SOS Children's Villages' activities in the country
In 1991 SOS Children's Villages decided to become active in Australia. Over the next few years, all the necessary preparations were carried out so that the National SOS Children's Village Association, "SOS Children's Villages Australia, Inc" could be founded and, at the same time, a government agreement on the construction of an SOS Children's Village could be signed.
By 1995 a suitable plot had been found for the construction of Australia's first SOS Children's Village in Seaford Rise, a southern suburb of Adelaide, and building work was begun. In 1997 the first SOS families were able to move into their village.
On the grounds of a lack of national funding and difficulties in reconciling the principles of the organisation's childcare model and policies, the SOS Children's Village Seaford Rise had to be closed in February 2004.