Magic in Australia

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Magic in Australia

Government Structure and Laws:

The Minister of Magic is a elected official in charge of the Magical Portfolio under the alias of 'The Minister for Fretwork', Magical Elections are held every 4 Years and only those of Pure, Halfblood, and Muggleborn may vote.

SPEW is currently campaigning to give Creatures the vote and Muggles United is famous for it's campaign to give Magically Aware Muggles the vote. While any wizard of either gender and Pure, Mixed or Muggle blood may run for office the power and factions clearly bias towards the traditional 'Older Male Pureblood' for Many Portfolios.

All Wizards are allowed to register to vote in Muggle Elections and expected to abide by Muggle Laws within Non-Magical Areas. However most Purests and many other wizards are either indifferent or hostile to the idea of voting for Muggles as they still see their world as superior. Thanks to this voting power some high magical population areas now have councils including Magic-aware mayors and councilors and the 'magic friendly' town on Ninbin NSW .

Relationship with Muggle World:
Unlike in the UK where the magical world is almost entirely separate the Australian Magical Community has grown up fully a part of the Muggle World. This means that Wizards and Witches are able to go from Muggle to Magical schools and jobs without limitations and most magical buildings are hidden in plain sight by 'subjective' signature. For example Gippsland Grammar School for Young Witches would also be known in the Muggle World as Gippsland Grammar School for Girls with Muggles being none the wiser.

That said there are parts of the magical population that reject the Muggle World all together and there is a small number of 'magic only' streets such as Penny Lane in Melbourne and a small number of communities hidden from the Muggle World entirely.

History and Population:
Pre-Colonization Australia had a vibrant magic culture that has all the hallmarks of traditional magic including runes, transfiguration, musicary and others. With a oral culture much of their magic was passed down though family lines as lore, ritual and 'secrets' with areas of remarkably high magical concentration being often marked as 'sacred'. Australian Aboriginals where also known to use both white and black schools of magic and recent studies suggest a wide variety of unique magical flora and fauna that flourished during this time along with the discovery of Wild Elves in Queensland dating back to the 1600s.

Pre-1970s Australia was very low on the magical radar with only a handful of Magical Ministers and Aurors. That's not to say there was few wizards or witches as despite laws banning witchery many immigrants and convicts to Australia brought their magical practices with them. Amongst the first immigrants where Herbalists looking for rare potion ingredients, The Goldrush brought Alchemists with the promise of fortune. The British Ministry of Magic was also prone to 'dump' unwanted wizards in Australia as punishment which brought the first vampires and Were's to the land.

Between 1970 to today the Australian Magical Population has boomed! Thanks to immigration spurned by a friendly Ministry, avoidance of the rise of the Dark Lord in the UK and political unrest in other countries, good weather, advertising and strong magical fields Australia became a first rate choice for many Wizards and Witches looking to make a life for themselves and their family. Today Australia has one of the largest Magically Aware to Muggle Ratios in the world and is a world leader in herb experts, a active participant in the Quidditch World Cup and Force to be Reckoned with at the Wizard World Games.