gmason,
No, the Australian Magpies are quite different. I was suprised in North America as the birds they call "magpies" here are completely different to the Australian version.
Check out
http://home.mira.net/~areadman/magpie.htm
Australian magpies get quite aggressive in the nesting season and will attack anything that gets too close to the nest. One trick is to wear sunglasses on the back of your head so the bird still thinks you're "looking" at it!