Australia

Australia is an Oceanian country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighboring countries include Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the northeast; and New Zealand to the southeast.

Economy
Australian tax authorities took the unprecedented step on December 17, 2015 of publishing the records of hundreds of companies, including Google and Apple, which showed they paid little or no tax on their in-country earnings. The move caught ministers off-guard, especially after Australia led efforts at the G20 to close tax loopholes. It also came in the same week as the government flagging spending cuts to rein in a budget blowout. The disclosure embarrassed the companies and built public support for an overhaul to the company tax system after a high-profile government inquiry into corporate tax avoidance earlier in 2015 saw tense clashes between executives and lawmakers.