Australia



Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country established on the continent of the same name in Earth's southern hemisphere. Its territory is comprised of the mainland, the major island of Tasmania, and a number of other islands in the Southern, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Neighboring countries include Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and the French dependency of New Caledonia to the northeast, and New Zealand to the southeast. Australia is densely populated and is home to both tropical and desert environments. Its capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. Sydney currently serves as the capital of the Unified Earth Government, as well as the location of both the UEG's primary headquarters and HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6, the headquarters of the UNSC High Command and the Security Council.

Early history
The Australian mainland has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by Indigenous Australians. Following sporadic visits on the part of fishermen from the north as well as European explorers and merchants starting in the 17th century, the eastern half of Australia was eventually claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation as part of the colony of New South Wales on January 26th, 1788. As the population grew and new areas were explored, another five largely self-governing crown colonies were established during the 19th century. On January 1st, 1901, the six colonies became a federation, and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since that time, Australia maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and remained a Commonwealth Realm. Canberra was declared the capital city, located in the Australian Capital Territory. Following the second world war, Australia became a founding member of the United Nations.

Recent history
The Unified Earth Government became a full-fledged governing entity in 2170 and gained full autonomy and authority over Earth and her colonies in 2204. As a nation on Earth, Australia has been directly subordinate to the United Nations ever since. Australia has a long history as a stable economic powerhouse. Because of this, it has become home to many UNSC military installations and technological sites. The most prominent include HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6, where the members of the UNSC Security Council gather, and the Sydney Synthetic Intellect Institute in Sydney, as well as the ONI Beta-5 Division Ordnance Testing Facility at Swanbourne, Perth. The latter, also known as the B5D Ordinance Testing Facility, oversaw the development of SCOUT-class Mjolnir for the Mark V platform, and later the upgrading of it for Mark VI. At some point, Australia replaced the union flag canton on its flag for a new national flag, featuring a large, gold Commonwealth Star on a green field—the national colors of Australia—instead.

Covenant War
The Covenant War had been well underway for years by the time [[SCOUT-class Mjolnir was developed at the B5D Ordinance Testing Facility. During the war, the UNSC supplanted the UEG's civilian government provisionally as an emergency measure. After the fall of Reach, the UNSC Security Council convened at Bravo-6 to hear what transpired from Lieutenant Wagner and to plan for the defense of Earth, its discovery by the Covenant having been deemed not only inevitable but imminent as well. When the Covenant did finally arrive in October of 2552, Australia, and Sydney specifically, was one place that came under attack. It was apparent that the Covenant understood the city's importance to the UNSC's war effort. The entire country suffered bombardment throughout, but Sydney was especially devastated. The UEG headquarters and HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6 managed to survive the attack, however.

Post-war period
Following the cessation of war with the Covenant, governing power was transferred back to the Unified Earth Government in full, at least officially. Dr. Ruth Charet was inaugurated as the new president and the primary UEG headquarters in Sydney saw this transition come to pass. Bravo-6 continued to serve as the headquarters for the security council and UNSC High Command, where many important decisions were made in the next few years. It was there that Kilo-Five was formed, it was there that the security council decided to launch Operation: FAR STORM, and it was there that Captain Thomas Lasky and Commander Sarah Palmer appeared after the Requiem Campaign. On October 28, 2558, a Guardian arrived at Earth under the direction of Cortana and swiftly proceeded to knock out all communications and power across the planet with an enormous electromagnetic pulse. Australia was not spared and fell under her sway along with every other country on the planet, not to mention those on many other human colonies as well.

Locations

 * Canberra
 * Sydney
 * AMG Transport Dynamics facility
 * HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6
 * The Parthenon
 * Sydney Central Bank
 * Sydney Opera House
 * Sydney Synthetic Intellect Institute
 * Unified Earth Government Primary Headquarters
 * Wheatley University
 * Perth
 * Swanbourne
 * ONI Beta-5 Division Ordinance Testing Facility

List of appearances

 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo: Uprising
 * Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
 * Terminals
 * Halo: Glasslands
 * Halo: The Thursday War
 * Halo: Initiation
 * Halo: Escalation
 * Halo: Mortal Dictata
 * Halo: Hunters in the Dark
 * Halo: Last Light