dual gauge: 230 km dual gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 810,641 km
paved: 336,962 km
unpaved: 473,679 km (2004)

Waterways:
2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling
river systems) (2002)

Merchant marine:
total: 53 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,361,000 GRT/1,532,874 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 17, cargo 4, chemical tanker 3, container 1,
liquefied gas 4, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 6,
roll on/roll off 5
foreign-owned: 17 (Canada 1, France 3, Germany 3, Japan 1,
Netherlands 2, Norway 1, Philippines 1, UK 2, US 3)
registered in other countries: 34 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 2,
Bermuda 3, Fiji 1, Hong Kong 1, Liberia 2, Marshall Islands 2,
Netherlands 1, NZ 2, Panama 3, Portugal 1, Singapore 7, Tonga 1, UK
3, US 2, Vanuatu 2) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Brisbane, Dampier, Fremantle, Gladstone, Hay Point, Melbourne,
Newcastle, Port Hedland, Port Kembla, Port Walcott, Sydney

Military Australia

Military branches:
Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian
Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations Command (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary service; women allowed to serve in
Army combat units in non-combat support roles (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 4,943,676
females age 18-49: 4,821,264

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,092,717
females age 16-49: 3,983,447 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 142,158
females age 16-49: 135,675 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$17.84 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.7% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Australia

Disputes - international:
East Timor and Australia agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed
portion of the boundary for fifty years and to split hydrocarbon
revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered
by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; East Timor dispute hampers creation of
a revised maritime boundary with Indonesia (see also Ashmore and
Cartier Islands dispute); regional states express concern over
Australia's 2004 declaration of a 1,000-nautical mile-wide maritime
identification zone; Australia asserts land and maritime claims to
Antarctica (see Antarctica); in 2004 Australia submitted its clai