Plant Life Although only a dozen plant families are unique to Australia, there are 530 unique genera and many unique species within these genera. As the Australian fragment of prehistoric Gondwanaland drifted north, its ancient flora became the basis for the present plant systems. Increasing aridity modified this vegetation, giving much of it hardened, pointed leaves of reduced size--a condition called scleromorphy. Australia's native vegetation is divisible into seven types. The first type of vegetation consists …
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showed last 75 words of 4665 total
…Cabinet. Selected by prime minister from House of Representatives. Parliament. Senate and House of Representatives; annual sessions. Senate--76 members, elected by universal suffrage; term, 6 years. House of Representatives--148 elected members; term, 3 years. Judiciary. High Court of Australia--chief justice and 6 other justices; term, life, with retirement at age 70. Federal Court, Family Court, state courts, industrial tribunals. Political Divisions. 6 states--New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia; 2 territories--Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory. Voting Qualification. Age 18.