Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand (1983: Doomsday)

The Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand, also called ANZC, ANZ or CANZ for short is a large country consisting of most of the Australia-Oceania continent. It was formed as a national unification between several independent countries in Oceania, with Australia and New Zealand forming the backbone of the union.

History
As the capital Canberra remained untouched from nuclear attacks, the Australian government survived and maintained a basic degree of order and prevented the chaos and anarchy as happened in many other countries. As Sydney, Melbourne and Perth have been destroyed and many people died, the institutional powers were partly concentrated in the hand of the central government.

In the face of the catastrophic situation the long-lasting friendship and intense cooperation between the anglophonic neighbours Australia and New Zealand proved enormously precious. Very quickly the two Commonwealth members intensified their relationship aligning and combining key branches of government, especially military and other security forces, civil protection, agriculture/industry and transportation capacities up to a degree of practically unified government.

Under the impression of growing international cooperation and the beginning formation of new blocks and alliances Australia and New Zealand have declared their formal unification in 1995 as the "Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand".

The main task of the Commonwealth is defined to secure the survival of as many citizens of the two countries - and to a certain degree- all survivors in the rest of the world. Some Areas in former Indonesia, Papua-New Guinea and East-Timor which since the late 1990's have increasingly been used economically by the CANZ are de facto protecorates/possessions though this word is not officially been used by any government. Based on the intense and solid cooperation of two nations which have both weathered Doomsday comparably well, the ANZ is one of the key players in the post - doomsday world.

Especially the military is by far the most efficient and well-equipped compared to other surviving nations/territories. The CANZ navy, army and air force mostly rely on the remains of American military technology and capacities as e.g. the American aircraft carrier USS "Nimitz" (CVN-68)was found in 1997 floating off of  the coast of Papua New Guniea by the Australian Navy. In a mission involving nearly the entire Australian and New Zealand naval capacities the Nimitz is towed to the new principal Australian Navy Base located in Cairns and formally integrated into the ANZ-Commonwealth Navy with Cairns becoming the new homebase. The Nimitz is now rechristened as the ANZS "Commonwealth" (ANZ-01) and the new Flagship of the combined ANZ Navy, along with the American submarines already operating under Australian command.

This step caused intense political debates among the population of Australia and New Zealand concerning the re usage of nuclear fission in any way, especially for military purposes. Although a majority agreed to the government plans in a popular vote in both countries, and the anti-nuclear movement centered on the green party grew more and more influential in the CANZ parliament, initiating a similar tendency in all surviving countries.

Nonetheless this allows the CANZ to operate worldwide and provide support, mainly humanitary aid.

The CANZ is a founding member and the initiator of the League of Nations and hosted the foundation ceremony on September 26, 2008 in Canberrra.

Territory
The Commonwealth spans a large part of the Pacific Ocean.

Integral territory
These regions are part of the Commonwealth proper. They have local self-government and send members to Parliament.
 * Australia
 * New Zealand
 * Samoa
 * Micronesia

External territories
These islands have limited or nonexistent local self-government. Some have very small populations or are used as military outposts. The Commonwealth has little to no actual control over many of the uninhabited islands and has been unable to enforce its claim over the Cocos.
 * Chatham Islands
 * Kermadec Islands
 * Tokelau
 * Marcus Island
 * Ashmore and Cartier Islands (uninhabited)
 * Christmas Island (Indian Ocean)
 * Coral Sea Islands (uninhabited)
 *  (claimed, disputed)
 * Heard and McDonald Islands (claimed, uninhabited)
 * Okinawa (claimed, uninhabited)
 * Miscellanious Islands (claimed, uninhabited)

Associated states
These islands govern themselves under the protection of the ANZC, whether by pre-Doomsday agreements with Australia or New Zealand, or through more recent arrangements. The Commonwealth largely conducts their foreign affairs, but several of these states have seats in the League of Nations.
 * Alaska
 * (includes Pitcairn Island)
 * (de facto)
 * Hawaii
 * Papua New Guinea
 * Papua New Guinea
 * Papua New Guinea
 * Papua New Guinea
 * Papua New Guinea
 * Papua New Guinea

In addition, the ANZC jointly occupies the Cape of Good Hope along with South American forces, and with them manages the provisionsal regime.

Government and politics
At the federal level, the country is dominated by three parties: Conservative, Labour, and Green. These are in fact coalitions of local parties which go by different names in the different states of the Commonwealth.

Military

 * See main article: ''

The CAF was first established by order of ANZUS in 1989 to serve Australia, New Zealand, and the territories under the. The CAF have increased in size since Australia and New Zealand unified, in order to meet the CANZ's global commitments as the heir to the USA.

Symbols
ANZF's markings were changed in 1996 to conform to the new flag of the Commonwealth. The roundels ended up looking almost exactly like the old Jamaican roundels (albeit with a much more bluish green). But Jamaica no longer has its own national government, much less an air force, so there is no real possibility of confusion.

Only six ANZ-associated states have an Air Militia. For their insignia they follow the old British Commonwealth pattern of replacing the central dot with a local emblem. These are as follows:
 * Alaska: polar bear
 * Hawai'i: humpback whale
 * Kiribati: frigatebird
 * Vanuatu: boar's tusk
 * Papua: bird of paradise
 * East Timor: cockatoo

Sports
With the destruction of Melbourne, Australian Rules Football suffered a devastating blow. Supporters throughout Australia fought to keep the sport alive, and it has now resurfaced as a popular sport in the ANZC. The Australian Football League is the de facto sanctioning body of the sport, and is headquartered in Canberra. Its franchises are located in: Second-tier leagues exist in each of the Australian states, as well as in New Zealand and Hawaii.
 * Adelaide (Adelaide Crows, Port Adelaide Power)
 * Auckland (Auckland Hawks)
 * Brisbane (Brisbane Bears)
 * Bunbury (West Coast Eagles)
 * Canberra (Canberra Swans)
 * Darwin (Darwin Buffaloes)
 * Geelong (Geelong Cats)
 * Gold Coast (Gold Coast FC)
 * Hobart (Tasmanian Devils)
 * Jervis Bay (Jervis Bay Bulldogs, St. Kilda Saints)

Rugby union has a storied history in both Australia and New Zealand. While rugby league is set up on the AFL/American football franchise model, rugby union's top domestic competitions are set up by state and associated territories, as seen in the annual Super 12 competition, comprised of provincial sides from Australia, New Zealand and Samoa, plus the nations of Tonga and Fiji. The ANZC sends three sides, Australia, New Zealand and Samoa/Hawaii to compete in the Six Nations Series against Chile, the United American Republic and Oceania (Fiji, Tonga and other islands). There has been discussion about expanding the series by inviting sides from the RZA, Singapore and/or New Britain. Club competitions are lower profile than their counterparts in league and the AFL, but exist in every state, governed by their repective state's sanctioning body for union. In 2004, the CRB (Commonwealth Rugby Board) professionalized the sport as to allow for better competition with rugby league for players.

Rugby league, with roots as the preferred rugby code in New South Wales and Queensland, has taken off in the last decade due to the more-open, free-flowing style of play and the fact that the Australian Rugby League was willing to pay its players and, subsequently, was prevailing in competition with union for players through the early 2000s. The de facto sanctioning body for the sport, in the ANZC and worldwide, is the Australian Rugby League. The ARL was established in 1995 and is headquartered in Auckland. It is comprised of franchises, based on the American football model. Its franchises are: There is talk of expansion to Singapore, Fiji and/or Samoa in the next couple of years.
 * Auckland (Auckland Warriors)
 * Brisbane (Brisbane Broncos)
 * Canberra (Canberra Raiders)
 * Gold Coast (Gold Coast Titans)
 * Hobart (Tasmania Tigers)
 * Jervis Bay (Jervis Bay Rabbitohs)
 * Newcastle (Newcastle Knights)
 * Papua New Guinea (PNG Rangers)
 * Townsville (North Queensland Cowboys)
 * Wellington (Southern Orcas)

Association football (soccer) is rapidly growing in popularity, especially among youth. The Football Federation of the ANZC (FFA) was formed in 2004 after a reorganization of the previous overseeing domestic body, Soccer ANZC. The FFA formed a domestic league, the A-League, in 2005. It operates the league which, unlike leagues in other countries built on a pyramid model (several levels of leagues with promotion and demotion), is franchise-based (this is under review, as the Asian Football Federation has requested that FFA change to a pyramid model). The current franchises are:
 * Adelaide (Adelaide United)
 * Brisbane (Brisbane Roar)
 * Bunbury (Western Glory)
 * Geelong (Geelong Victory)
 * Gold Coast (Gold Coast United)
 * Newcastle (Newcastle Jets)
 * Townsville (North Queensland Fury)
 * Wellington (Wellington Phoenix)

Association football's popularity has been boosted by the national side's success in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in the Celtic Alliance. Some observers believe in the far future, association football will become the dominant code in the country.

Cricket is the favored summer sport in the ANZC. The national cricket teams of Australia and New Zealand play a Test Match series with matches in Brisbane, Geelong (Boxing Day), Canberra (New Year's), Wellington and Christchurch. The ANZC cricket board is in discussions with its counterparts in New Britain, the Celtic Alliance and the East Caribbean Federation about restarting Test Matches and one-day international matches. Because of the logistical issues involved, such matches will not take place until 2013 at the earliest.

Regional cricket leagues exist in every state in Australia and in New Zealand, and there is discussion of expansion into Samoa and Hawaii.

Basketball, at the men's and women's adult levels, has had some success in recent years. ANZC athletes are approaching world-class status in several Olympic sports, such as swimming and track and field.

The most popular women's sports include association football, basketball and netball.

American football has gained longevity and popularity as a niche sport within the ANZC, its growth fueled by expats and refugees from the United States. The Oceanic Football League was founded in Samoa in 1991 as the American Football League, to tie it to the sport of American football and to distinguish the league from the Australian rules and rugby codes. Teams from across the Commonwealth and its associated states participate, located in: American football has certainly not surpassed the traditional sports of Australia and New Zealand, but it has become an important niche sport. After much discussion amongst owners, the AFL approved a name change to the Oceanic Football League in a hastily arranged owners meeting in mid-December. The OFL owners are expected to vote in January 2010 on whether to retain its headquarters in Pago Pago or move to other proposed locations, including Auckland.
 * Adelaide Rams
 * Auckland Raiders
 * Brisbane Cowboys
 * Canberra Colts
 * Geelong Bears
 * Newcastle Giants
 * Pago Pago Dolphins
 * Tasmania Browns

During the 1980s and early 1990s it looked as if baseball would join American football as a popular niche sport in Australia. The Australian League was formed in 1986 with six teams, and lasted until 1995. The Claxton Shield, the AL's successor, lasted from 1997 to 2002. Today, baseball is played at an amateur and youth level by Australian enthusiasts and the children of expatriate Americans; the ANZC Baseball Federation governs the sport, most particularly the ANZC's participation in international competition. Supporters are not optimistic about the sport reaching the level of popularity and participation as American football, much less the other football codes.

The highest-drawing sports in 2008 were the Australian Football League (36,000 per match), the Super 12 (21,000), the ARL (16,000), the A-League (15,000) and the American Football League (12,000).

In accordance with the Remembrance Act of 1995, no sporting events of any kind are played in the Commonwealth on 26 September.

Culture and Music
Keith Urban, from Brisbane, is the leading adult contemporary/pop star in the country. Darren Hayes, formerly of the pop duo Savage Garden, is another leading pop star.

Radio/television
Radio and television broadcasting in the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand is governed by the ANZC Broadcasting Authority. The official state network is the ANZC Broadcasting Corporation (ANZBC), which was created from the merger of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation. It is state-funded but enjoys editorial and programming autonomy, and competes with a host of privately-owned broadcasters, including Capital Radio Network; SBS; and Star FM. ANZBC also operates affiliates in all associated territories.

The ANZBC (formed by a merger of the Australian and New Zealand Broadcasting Corporations when their two countries merged) competes with the Seven and Nine Networks and SBS (also publicly owned) for viewers. ANZBC has affiliates in all of its associated states, and includes SBS programming in those areas; Seven and Nine provide network and syndicated programming for stations known as "Channel Two" in all of the ANZC states. All Australian networks also syndicate programming throughout Asia, Europe and North America and in select parts of Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, Siberia and South America.

Print
Australia greatly depended on the newspapers in Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide and Darwin to spread news and information after Doomsday, and since then they have become important sources of news and opinion in the region. Auckland and Jervis Bay's papers have joined that group.