Exports have grown rapidly in recent years. Fisheries products especially crustaceans are also exported mainly to East Asia and the US. The services industry, the largest segment of the economy is the fastest growing industry. It covers construction, trade, property, finance, communications, education, tourism, business services and it accounts for 70 percent of GDP. Tourism is the largest and fastest growing sector of the services industry. Science and Technology
Australian scientists and researchers have been responsible for many advances in the manufacturing, mining and agricultural industries. They have also made significant contributions to medical science and there are quite a number of inventions that earned Australian scientists the Nobel prize. Penicillin, for example was co-discovered by Lord (Howard) Florey, and it was first administered to civilians in Australia. Sir Macfarlane Burnet was awarded with a Nobel prize for his work in immunology and virology, while eminent scientist Sir John Eccles shared his prize for his work on the nervous system. British father and son Sir William Henry and Sir William Lawrence Bragg who worked in Australia, were inventors of the X-ray diffraction spectrometer and founders of the science of X-ray crystallography. John Cornforth shared his Nobel prize for chemistry for steroid synthesis. Private sector research and development has also achieved a high growth-rate in the last decade. The CSIRO or Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is Australia's main scientific body, whose work is directed towards industry, natural environment and minerals, energy and construction industries. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology provides important data for the World Weather Watch program, which has three meteorological centres - Melbourne, Moscow and Washington. Australia also conducts research in nuclear science and technology, geology, and space and it maintains four scientific research stations on Antarctica. One of the world's largest optical telescopes, the Anglo-Australian Telescope, a joint venture between the Australian and British governments, is operated at Siding Spring, and made some significant discoveries since 1974 when it began operating. The Australian Telescope near Parkes is a powerful radiotelescope consisting of eight dishes spread over a large area designed for investigating supernovas. Transport
Although Australia is a vast country it is easily explored by plane, rail and coach.