Humans have been living on the continent of Australia (name derived from "Terra Australis"; Latin for "the southern land") for approximately 65,000 years, however population growth was relatively slow until the nineteenth century. Europeans had made some contact with Australia as early as 1606, however there was no significant attempt at settlement until the late eighteenth century. By 1800, the population of Australia was approximately 350,000 people, and the majority of these were Indigenous Australians. As colonization progressed the number of ethnic Europeans increased while the Australian Aboriginal population was decimated through conflict, smallpox and other diseases, with some communities being exterminated completely, such as Aboriginal Tasmanians. Mass migration from Britain and China After the loss of its American colonies in the 1780s, the British Empire looked to other parts of the globe to expand its sphere of influence. In Australia, the first colonies were established in Sydney, Tasmania and Western Australia. Many of these were penal colonies which became home to approximately 164,000 British and Irish convicts who were transported to Australia between 1788 and 1868. As the decades progressed, expansion into the interior intensified, and the entire country was claimed by Britain in 1826. Inland colonization led to further conflict between European settlers and indigenous Australians, which cost the lives of thousands of natives. Inward expansion also saw the discovery of many natural resources, and most notably led to the gold rushes of the 1850s, which attracted substantial numbers of Chinese migrants to Australia. This mass migration from non-European countries eventually led to some restrictive policies being introduced, culminating with the White Australia Policy of 1901, which cemented ethnic-European dominance in Australian politics and society. These policies were not retracted until the second half of the 1900s. Independent Australia Australia changed its status to a British dominion in 1901, and eventually became independent in 1931. Despite this, Australia has remained a part of the British Commonwealth, and Australian forces (ANZAC) fought with the British and their Allies in both World Wars, and were instrumental in campaigns such as Gallipoli in WWI, and the South West Pacific Theater in WWII. The aftermath of both wars had a significant impact on the Australian population, with approximately 90 thousand deaths in both world wars combined, as well as 15 thousand deaths as a result of the Spanish flu pandemic following WWI, although Australia experienced a significant baby boom following the Second World War. In the past fifty years, Australia has promoted immigration from all over the world, and now has one of the strongest economies and highest living standards in the world, with a population that has grown to over 25 million people in 2020.

In June 2025, Tasmania had the highest unemployment rate among all states and territories in Australia with approximately 7.5 percent of those eligible to work jobs not in employment. Victoria had the second highest unemployment rate of 6.4 percent. Unemployment FiguresAustralian unemployment figures had remained relatively stable, hovering between four to six percent for some time before recently dropping to 4.03 percent in June 2024. Unemployment levels and the economy have regularly been a priority of the Australian government and unemployment remains a key political platform for the major parties during elections. However, long-term unemployment remains a concern, with the rate almost doubling between 2009 and 2019. Unemployment among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples  The employment outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders in Australia remain a key indicator for the ongoing inequality experienced by this population group. The figures remain high, especially among Aboriginal youths aged 15 to 24 years old, with almost one-fifth who are out of regular employment as of 2015. This meant that more than 25 thousand Aboriginal youths were out of work and struggling to find employment in that year.

As of May 2025, New South Wales was home to the highest number of Subway restaurants in Australia, with a total of *** stores. In comparison, there were only ** Subway locations in Tasmania that same year. In total, there were ***** Subway stores in operation across Australia in 2025. Australia’s quick service restaurant landscape American sandwich franchise Subway leads in terms of the number of locations of popular quick service restaurant (QSR) brands across Australia, followed by McDonald’s, KFC, and Domino's. The sandwich chain also had the highest presence across the country’s online meal delivery platforms, such as Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Menulog. While international brands have a strong foothold in the Australian fast food landscape, several domestic chains, including Red Rooster, Pie Face, Guzman y Gomez, and Grill'd, are also popular among customers despite holding smaller market shares. Is Australian consumer appetite for fast food changing? While fast food remains popular among the Australian population, demand for healthier options at quick service restaurants has been rising as the country’s consumers become more health-focused in their attitudes towards food. Nevertheless, taste, freshness, and value for money remain the key drivers of Australian consumer satisfaction with fast food. Alongside this trend toward choosing healthier menu options, consumers across Australia have higher expectations of quick service restaurant sustainability practices, such as sustainable food sourcing and packaging.