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12 Business View Australia - April 2015
Iron ore exports are expected to be at $60 billion in
the current year and rise to $80 billion by 2019-20.
Export of coal also enjoys good prospects in the me-
dium term. While China has 90 GW of coal pants
under construction or approved, the corresponding
figure for India is 118GW. Another four South East
Asian countries are building an additional capacity
of 40 GW. All this investment in the region augurs
well for the coal industry in the country.
Quality of life
The Organisation for Cooperation and Develop-
ment’s Better Life Index ranks Australia at the
top among its member countries. The highlights
of the survey which resulted in the country
achieving the prime position on various quality
of life criteria include:
• Average household income in Australia is 30%
above the OECD figure.
• 72% of people aged 15-64 in the country have
paid jobs while the comparable figure for the
OECD countries is 65%
• 14% of Australians work very long hours while
only 9% of the population of OECD countries do
the same.
• 74% of Australians have a high school degree
or greater. The figure for the OECD countries
is slightly higher at 75%. However, a com-
parison of the results of the Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA)