2006 in Australia
Encyclopedia
Incumbents
- MonarchMonarchy in AustraliaThe Monarchy of Australia is a form of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of Australia. The monarchy is a constitutional one modelled on the Westminster style of parliamentary government, incorporating features unique to the Constitution of Australia.The present monarch is...
– Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II of the United KingdomElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,... - Governor-GeneralGovernor-General of AustraliaThe Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
– Michael JefferyMichael JefferyMajor General Philip Michael Jeffery AC, CVO, MC was the 24th Governor-General of Australia , the first Australian career soldier to be appointed governor-general... - Prime MinisterPrime Minister of AustraliaThe Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
– John HowardJohn HowardJohn Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
Premiers and Chief Ministers
- Premier of New South Wales – Morris IemmaMorris IemmaMorris Iemma , is a former Australian politician and 40th Premier of New South Wales, succeeding Bob Carr after he resigned on 3 August 2005. Iemma led the Australian Labor Party to victory in the 2007 election before resigning as Premier on 5 September 2008, and as a Member of Parliament on 19...
- Premier of South Australia – Mike RannMike RannMichael David Rann MHA, CNZM , Australian politician, served as the 44th Premier of South Australia. He led the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party to minority government at the 2002 election, before attaining a landslide win at the 2006 election...
- Premier of Queensland – Peter BeattiePeter BeattiePeter Douglas Beattie , Australian politician, was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland for nine years and leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state for eleven and a half years...
- Premier of Tasmania – Paul LennonPaul LennonPaul Anthony Lennon is an Australian Labor Party politician. He was Premier of Tasmania from 21 March 2004 until his resignation on 26 May 2008. He was member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for the seat of Franklin from 1990 until officially resigning on 27 May 2008...
- Premier of Western AustraliaPremier of Western AustraliaThe Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
– Geoff GallopGeoff GallopGeoffrey Ian Gallop, AC is an Australian academic and former politician. He was the Premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006. He currently resides in Sydney.-Early life and education:...
(until 16 January), then Alan CarpenterAlan CarpenterAlan John Carpenter is a former Australian politician. He was the 28th Premier of Western Australia, serving from 2006 to 2008. He took office following the resignation of Dr Geoff Gallop... - Premier of Victoria – Steve BracksSteve BracksStephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
- Chief Minister of the Australian Capital TerritoryChief Minister of the Australian Capital TerritoryThe Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory is the head of government of the Australian Capital Territory. The leader of party with the largest representation of seats in the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly usually takes on the role...
– Jon StanhopeJon StanhopeJonathan Ronald Stanhope is a former Australian politician who was Labor Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2001 to 2011. Stanhope represented the Ginninderra electorate in the ACT Legislative Assembly from 1998 until 2011. He resigned as Chief Minister on 12 May 2011 and as... - Chief Minister of the Northern TerritoryChief Minister of the Northern TerritoryThe Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is appointed by the Administrator, who in normal circumstances will appoint the head of whatever party holds the majority of seats in the legislature of the territory...
– Clare MartinClare MartinClare Majella Martin is a former Australian politician. She is the current CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service . A former journalist, she was elected to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in a shock by-election win in 1995... - Chief Minister of Norfolk Island – Geoffrey Robert GardnerGeoffrey Robert GardnerGeoffrey Robert Gardner is a political figure from the Australian territory of Norfolk Island.-Chief Minister of Norfolk Island:Gardner was the chief minister of Norfolk Island from 5 December 2001 to 2 June 2006...
(until 1 June), then David Ernest Buffett
Governors and Administrators
- Governor of New South Wales – Marie Bashir, Lady ShehadieMarie BashirMarie Roslyn Bashir AC, CVO is the present Governor of New South Wales since 2001 and also the Chancellor of the University of Sydney since 2007. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positions, with a particular...
- Governor of South Australia – Marjorie Jackson-NelsonMarjorie JacksonMarjorie Jackson-Nelson, AC, CVO, MBE is a former Governor of South Australia and a former Australian athlete...
- Governor of Queensland – Quentin BryceQuentin BryceQuentin Bryce, AC, CVO is the 25th and current Governor-General of Australia and former Governor of Queensland....
- Governor of Tasmania – William CoxWilliam Cox (governor)William John Ellis Cox, AC, RFD, ED, QC was Governor of Tasmania from 15 December 2004 to 2 April 2008, prior to which he was the state's Chief Justice and Lieutenant Governor....
- Governor of Western AustraliaGovernor of Western AustraliaThe Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
– Ken MichaelKen MichaelKenneth Comninos Michael, AC was the 32nd Governor of Western Australia, succeeding Lieutenant-General John Sanderson.His vice-regal appointment was announced on 6 June 2005 by the then Premier Geoff Gallop and he was sworn in at Government House, Perth on 18 January 2006 by the Chief Justice of... - Governor of Victoria – John LandyJohn LandyJohn Michael Landy, AC, CVO, MBE is an Australian former Olympic track athlete. He was the second man to break the four-minute mile barrier in the mile run, and he held the world records for the 1500 metre run and the mile race...
(until 7 April), then David de KretserDavid de KretserDavid Morritz de Kretser, AC is an Australian medical researcher and a former Governor of Victoria from 2006 to 2011.-Biography:... - Administrator of the Northern TerritoryAdministrator of the Northern TerritoryThe Administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the Governor-General of Australia to exercise powers analogous to that of a state governor...
– Ted EganTed EganEdward Joseph Egan AO is an Australian folk musician, and was a public servant who served as Administrator of the Northern Territory from 2003 to 2007.-Early life:... - Administrator of Norfolk Island – Grant TamblingGrant TamblingGrant Ernest John Tambling, AM is an Australian politician and former Administrator of Norfolk Island.Tambling was born and raised in Darwin in the Northern Territory, and studied both there and in Adelaide...
January
- 1 January – Bushfires grip parts of the Central CoastCentral Coast, New South WalesThe Central Coast is an urban region in the Australian state of New South Wales, located on the coast north of Sydney and south of Lake Macquarie....
and the RiverinaRiverinaThe Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
in New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and the WimmeraWimmeraThe Wimmera is a region in the west of the Australian state of Victoria.It covers the dryland farming area south of the range of Mallee scrub, east of the South Australia border and north of the Great Dividing Range...
in VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
after one of the hottest New Years Days on record, with the SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
CBDCentral business districtA central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
reaching 45°C (113°F). - 2 January – A skydiving plane crash near WillowbankWillowbank, Queensland-External links:*...
in Queensland claims five lives. - 9 January – Communities in the Pilbara region of Western AustraliaPilbara region of Western AustraliaThe Pilbara is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia known for its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore...
are evacuated due to Tropical Cyclone Clare. - 10 January – Six Australians die when a bus flips over in EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. - 16 January – PremierPremiers of the Australian statesThe Premiers of the Australian states are the de facto heads of the executive governments in the six states of the Commonwealth of Australia. They perform the same function at the state level as the Prime Minister of Australia performs at the national level. The territory equivalents to the...
of Western Australia Geoff Gallop resigns, sighting clinical depression as the reason. - 22–29 January – Bushfires affect several towns in Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. Three volunteer firefighterFirefighterFirefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s are killed. - 24 January – Alan CarpenterAlan CarpenterAlan John Carpenter is a former Australian politician. He was the 28th Premier of Western Australia, serving from 2006 to 2008. He took office following the resignation of Dr Geoff Gallop...
replaces Gallop as Premier of Western AustraliaPremier of Western AustraliaThe Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
February
- 18 February – Six teenagers are killed and another is injured in a hit and runHit and runHit and run typically refers to:* Hit and run , the crime of failing to stop and identify oneself after a vehicular collision* Hit and run , a baseball play in which runners are in motion before the ball is hit...
accident in Cardross, VictoriaCardross, VictoriaCardross is a small town approximately 15 km south east of Mildura, in north western Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Cardross and the surrounding area had a population of 739...
, near Mildura.
March
- 18 March – South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
vote in parliamentary state elections. Both ALPAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
governments are re-elected. - 20 March – Tropical Cyclone Larry strikes InnisfailInnisfail, QueenslandInnisfail is a town located in the far north of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the major township of the Cassowary Coast and is well renowned for its sugar and banana industries, as well as for being one of Australia's wettest towns...
and CairnsCairns, QueenslandCairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
in Far North QueenslandFar North QueenslandFar North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait...
. Despite hundreds of millions of dollarsAustralian dollarThe Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
in damage, no-one is killed. - 23 March – MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
releases the Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
games console in Australia. - 27 March – The controversial WorkChoicesWorkChoicesThe Workplace Relations Act 1996, as amended by the Workplace Relations Amendment Act 2005, popularly known as Work Choices, was a Legislative Act of the Australian Parliament that came into effect in March 2006 which involved many controversial amendments to the Workplace Relations Act 1996, the...
industrial relations reforms come into effect.
April
- 7 April – John LandyJohn LandyJohn Michael Landy, AC, CVO, MBE is an Australian former Olympic track athlete. He was the second man to break the four-minute mile barrier in the mile run, and he held the world records for the 1500 metre run and the mile race...
retires as Governor of VictoriaGovernors of VictoriaThe Governor of Victoria is the representative in the Australian state of Victoria of its monarch, Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level...
, and is succeeded by David de KretserDavid de KretserDavid Morritz de Kretser, AC is an Australian medical researcher and a former Governor of Victoria from 2006 to 2011.-Biography:...
. - 18 April – More than 19 AFPAustralian Federal PoliceThe Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
officers are injured as the capital of the Solomon IslandsSolomon IslandsSolomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, HoniaraHoniaraHoniara, population 49,107 , 78,190 , is the capital of the Solomon Islands and of Guadalcanal Province, although it is a separately administered town...
, erupts into rioting. In response to this, the Prime Minister of AustraliaPrime Minister of AustraliaThe Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
orders an ArmyAustralian ArmyThe Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
deployment of 220 troops. - 21 April – Private Jacob KovcoJacob KovcoJacob Bruce Kovco was a Private in the Australian Army who died while deployed in Iraq, fatally wounded by a single shot to the head from his own Browning 9mm sidearm. PTE Kovco was the first Australian soldier to die while deployed to the Middle Eastern Area of Operations...
becomes the first casualty of Australia's involvement in the Iraq campaign. The reason given initially was that his gun had accidentally dischargedAccidental dischargeAccidental discharge is the event of a firearm discharging at a time not intended by the user. Perhaps most commonly, accidental discharges occur when the trigger of the firearm is deliberately pulled for a purpose other than shooting—dry-fire practice, demonstration,...
while cleaning his gun, although this was later retracted. It was later stated that he had accidentally shot himself while skylarking with his pistol. - 25 April – A small earthquakeEarthquakeAn earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
causes a rock fallBeaconsfield mine collapseThe Beaconsfield Mine collapse occurred on 25 April 2006 in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia. Of the 17 people who were in the mine at the time, 14 escaped immediately following the collapse, one was killed and the remaining two were found alive using a remote-controlled device...
in a goldGoldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
mineMiningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in Beaconsfield, TasmaniaBeaconsfield, TasmaniaBeaconsfield is a town near the Tamar River, in the north-east of Tasmania, Australia. It lies 40 kilometres north of Launceston on the West Tamar Highway. It is part of the Municipality of West Tamar...
. Eleven miners come out, but three are left inside. One of them is found dead on 28 April. The other two are freed on 9 May. - 26 April – The body of BosnianBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
civilian contractor Juso Sinanovic is taken to Australia instead of the body of Private Kovco. Private Kovco's body later arrived in Australia on 29 April.
May
- 16 May – Bill StefaniakBill StefaniakWilliam George "Bill" Stefaniak is an Australian Liberal Party politician. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian Capital Territory after succeeding in a leadership challenge against former leader Brendan Smyth on 16 May 2006. He is a former Major in the Australian Army Reserve and...
topples Brendan SmythBrendan Smyth (politician)Brendan Michael Smyth is a Liberal Party of Australia politician. From 2002 to 2006 he was the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian Capital Territory. He retains his shadow previous portfolios of Health, Ageing, Business and Tourism at present. He represents the electorate of...
as leader of the ACT Liberal Party. - 25 May – Australian troops are redeployed to East TimorEast TimorThe Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
after fresh outbreaks of violence.
June
- 2 June – The A$1.4 billion sale of the MyerMyerMyer is Australia's largest department store chain, retailing a broad range of merchandise including women's, men's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; cosmetics and fragrance; homewares; electrical; furniture and bedding; toys; books and stationery; food and confectionery; and...
department storeDepartment storeA department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
chain to Newbridge Capital and the Myer familySidney MyerSidney Baevski Myer was a Russian Australian businessman and philanthropist, best known for creating Myer, Australia's largest chain of department stores.-Early life:...
is completed.
July
- 9 July – Revelations are published in News LimitedNews LimitedNews Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The publicly listed company's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, Pay TV, National Rugby League, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television production trading assets.News Limited...
newspapers that, in 1994, John Howard made a secret deal with Peter CostelloPeter CostelloPeter Howard Costello AC is an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the Treasurer in the Australian government from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving Treasurer in Australian history. Costello was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1990 to 2009, representing...
to hand over the leadership of the Liberal PartyLiberal Party of AustraliaThe Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
to him after having served two terms in office as Prime MinisterPrime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
. - 29 July – In the face of a worsening water supply crisis, a referendum is held in Toowoomba, QueenslandToowoomba, QueenslandToowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...
, Australia's second largest inland city, on the issue of using water recycled from the city's sewerage as a source of drinking water. The acrimonious campaign and emotional debate were watched closely nationwide as most other Australian cities raise water restrictions in the face of record low dam and river levels.
August
- 8 August – 2006 censusCensus in AustraliaThe Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
night. - 18 August – US private equityPrivate equityPrivate equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.KKR & Co. L.P. is an American-based global private equity firm, specializing in leveraged buyouts, based in New York. The firm sponsors and manages private equity investment funds. Since its inception, the firm has completed over $400 billion of private equity transactions and was a pioneer in...
launches a $Australian dollarThe Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
16 billion takeover bid for Coles Group. KKR later withdraw their offer.
September
- 4 September – Steve IrwinSteve IrwinStephen Robert "Steve" Irwin , nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian television personality, wildlife expert, and conservationist. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series which he co-hosted...
dies in a marine accident off Queensland's coast.*8 September – Peter BrockPeter BrockPeter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...
is killed in a smash when his rally car skids off a bend and hits a tree. - 9 September – Peter BeattiePeter BeattiePeter Douglas Beattie , Australian politician, was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland for nine years and leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state for eleven and a half years...
is re-elected Queensland premier at an early state election. - 26 September – Seven people are killed in a horror road smash outside the VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
town of DonaldDonald, VictoriaDonald is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Richardson River, at the junction of Sunraysia Highway and Borung Highway, in the Shire of Buloke. The town is named after William Donald, a Scottish pastoralist who was the first settler in the area in 1844...
.
October
- After some of the hottest October days on record, bushfires ravage parts of New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. - 18 October – Linda LavarchLinda LavarchLinda Denise Lavarch is an Australian politician and solicitor. She was a Labor Party member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1997 to 2009, representing the district of Kurwongbah....
resigns as Queensland's Attorney-General to seek treatment for depression, after it is revealed she refused a deal to return Jayant PatelJayant PatelJayant Mukundray Patel , referred to as Doctor Death is a surgeon who is at the centre of a 2005 scandal in which he was accused of gross incompetence while working at Bundaberg Base Hospital in Queensland, Australia...
(dubbed "Dr Death" by the media) to Australia to face criminal charges. - 20 October – Rupert MurdochRupert MurdochKeith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
's News CorporationNews CorporationNews Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
company buys a 7.5 per cent stake in its main competitor, John Fairfax Holdings (publisher of The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
, The AgeThe AgeThe Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
and the Australian Financial Review). - 25 October – New South Wales PoliceNew South Wales PoliceThe New South Wales Police Force is the primary law enforcement agency in the State of New South Wales, Australia. It is an agency of the Government of New South Wales within the New South Wales Ministry for Police...
minister Carl ScullyCarl ScullyPatrick Carl Scully , was an Australian politician and minister in the New South Wales state government before his forced resignation on 25 October 2006....
is sacked after it is shown that he had misled parliamentParliament of New South WalesThe Parliament of New South Wales, located in Parliament House on Macquarie Street, Sydney, is the main legislative body in the Australian state of New South Wales . It is a bicameral parliament elected by the people of the state in general elections. The parliament shares law making powers with...
on two occasions about the 2005 Cronulla riots2005 Cronulla riotsThe 2005 Cronulla riots were a series of sectarian clashes and mob violence originating in Cronulla, New South Wales and spreading, over the next few nights, to additional Sydney suburbs....
. - 25 October – Comments that SheikhSheikhNot to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
Taj El-Din HilalyTaj El-Din HilalySheikh Taj El-Din Hamid Hilaly , is an Imam of the Lakemba Mosque in Sydney and an Australian Sunni Muslim leader. The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils appointed him Mufti of Australia in 1988. His name is alternatively spelt Tajeddin Hilaly, Hilali, Al-Hilaly, Taj el-Din al-Hilali, Aldin...
made about women who dressed immodestly being responsible for rape are made public in The AustralianThe AustralianThe Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
. The Sheik is forced to retract such comments on 26 October.
November
- 11 November – Belinda EmmettBelinda EmmettBelinda 'Belle' Jane Emmett was an Australian actress and singer. She was married to television personality Rove McManus and was known for her roles in the TV drama series Home and Away and All Saints.-Early life:...
, a TV personality and wife of Rove McManusRove McManusJohn Henry Michael "Rove" McManus is an Australian comedian, television presenter, producer and media personality. He was the host of the self-titled variety show Rove, and is the owner of the production company Roving Enterprises...
, dies, after a battle with breast cancer - 22 November – Sydney is covered in smoke after raging fires in the Blue Mountains.
- 25 November – Steve BracksSteve BracksStephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
is re-elected Victorian premier at the state election. - 29 November – One SAS soldier and the helicopter captain are dead and eight more rescued when a Blackhawk helicopter hits the deck of HMAS Kanimbla and crashes into waters off the coast of FijiFijiFiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
. - 30 November – Greg Page the founding member of Australia's famous children's band The WigglesThe WigglesThe Wiggles are a children's group formed in Sydney, Australia in 1991. Their original members were Anthony Field, Phillip Wilcher, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt. Wilcher left the group after their first album...
announced his retirement due to orthostatic intoleranceOrthostatic intoleranceOrthostatic intolerance is a subcategory of dysautonomia, a disorder of the autonomic nervous system occurring when an individual stands up....
. He handed his yellow skivvy to Sam MoranSam MoranSam Moran is an Australian entertainer best known for being a member of the children's band The Wiggles. He was born in Sydney and raised in Wagga Wagga.-Career:...
December
- 4 December – Kevin RuddKevin RuddKevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
and Julia GillardJulia GillardJulia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
successfully challenge Kim BeazleyKim BeazleyIn the October 1998 election, Labor polled a majority of the two-party vote and received the largest swing to a first-term opposition since 1934. However, due to the uneven nature of the swing, Labor came up eight seats short of making Beazley Prime Minister....
and Jenny MacklinJenny MacklinJennifer Louise Macklin , is an Australian politician. She is Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs in the Gillard Ministry...
in a caucus ballot for leadership and deputy leadership of the Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
. - The GippslandGippslandGippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
region of VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and Eastern TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
come under threat as a result of bushfires.
Non-specific dates
- Investigation into AWB LimitedAWB LimitedAWB Limited is a major grain marketing organisation based in Australia. It was a government body known as the Australian Wheat Board until 1 July 1999, when the AWB was transformed into a private company, owned by wheat growers...
's role in the Oil-for-Food ProgrammeOil-for-Food ProgrammeThe Oil-for-Food Programme , established by the United Nations in 1995 was established with the stated intent to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine, and other humanitarian needs for ordinary Iraqi citizens without allowing Iraq to boost its military...
, sometimes referred to as Wheatgate or Oil for wheat. The official inquiry states that AWB directors did know about the kickback payments as early as 2001 and that government ministers did not know about the kickbacks, although this was not in their brief.
Arts and literature
- 22 June – Roger McDonaldRoger McDonaldRoger McDonald is the author of seven novels, two works of non-fiction, and a number of other works....
wins the Miles Franklin AwardMiles Franklin AwardThe Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize for the best Australian ‘published novel or play portraying Australian life in any of its phases’. The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin , who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career ...
for The Ballad of Desmond KaleThe Ballad of Desmond KaleThe Ballad of Desmond Kale is a Miles Franklin Award winning novel by Australian author Roger McDonald.-Dedication:For Lorna McDonaldwith love and thanksfor gifts of conversation, friendship, and exampleover a lifetime-External links:Reviews**...
.
- Gregory DayGregory Day-Life:Gregory Day is a writer, poet and musician based in Victoria, Australia. He is a founding director of the art, music & publishing collective, Merrijig Word & Sound Co. http://www.merrijigwordandsound.com/-Awards and nominations:...
is awarded the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal for The Patron Saint of Eels. - Kate GrenvilleKate GrenvilleKate Grenville is one of Australia's best-known authors. She's published nine novels, a collection of short stories, and four books about the writing process....
's novel The Secret RiverThe Secret RiverThe Secret River, written by Kate Grenville in 2005, is a historical fiction about an early 19th century Englishman transported to Australia for theft. The story explores what may have happened when Europeans colonised land already inhabited by Aboriginal people. The book is also one of careful...
wins the Christina Stead Prize for fictionNew South Wales Premier's Literary AwardsThe New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards were established in 1979 by the New South Wales Premier Neville Wran. Commenting on its purpose, Wran said: "We want the arts to take, and be seen to take, their proper place in our social priorities...
. - Peter Carey's novel Theft: A Love StoryTheft: A Love StoryTheft: A Love Story is a novel by Australian writer Peter Carey. It won the 2006 Vance Palmer Prize, the Victorian Premier's Literary Award prize for fiction.-Awards and nominations:...
wins the Vance Palmer Prize for FictionVance Palmer Prize for FictionThe Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction is a component of the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award and is valued at A$30,000. Most Australian state premiers present annual Australian literary awards to promote Australian writing in all its forms. The award is named after Vance Palmer...
.
Film
- Ten CanoesTen CanoesTen Canoes is a 2006 film. It was directed by Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr and starred Crusoe Kurddal. The title of the film arose from discussions between de Heer and David Gulpilil about a photograph of ten canoeists poling across the Arafura Swamp, taken by anthropologist Donald Thomson in...
, the first full-length feature film made entirely in an Australian Aboriginal language, wins a special jury prize at the 2006 Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film FestivalThe Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. - Happy FeetHappy FeetHappy Feet is a 2006 American-Australian computer-animated family film with music, directed and co-written by George Miller. It was produced at Sydney-based visual effects and animation studio Animal Logic for Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures and Kingdom Feature Productions and was released...
becomes the country's biggest earning film
Television
- 1 January – Mildura Digital TelevisionMildura Digital TelevisionTen Mildura is a joint venture television station between Prime Media Group and Win Television. Based in Mildura, Victoria, Australia, it is a digital-only Network Ten affiliate, and began broadcasting on 1 January 2006....
, a joint venture between WIN TelevisionWIN TelevisionWIN Television is an Australian television network owned by the WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single Wollongong-only station, and has since expanded to 24 owned-and-operated stations with transmissions covering a...
Mildura & Prime TelevisionPrime TelevisionPRIME7 is an Australian television network owned by Prime Media Group Limited. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as CBN/CWN in Orange and Dubbo, New South Wales, and has since expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as a Seven Network...
, goes on air in the MilduraMildura, VictoriaMildura is a regional city in northwestern Victoria, Australia and seat of the Rural City of Mildura local government area. It is located in the Sunraysia region, and is on the banks of the Murray River. The current population is estimated at just over 30,000.Mildura is a major agricultural centre...
area of VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
as a Network TenNetwork TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
digitalDigital televisionDigital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
-only affiliate. - 2 January – The SevenSeven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
and Ten NetworksNetwork TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
outbid Channel NineNine NetworkThe Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
and win the rights to broadcast the AFL from 2007–2011 for a record $780 million. - 30 January – Channel Nine launches a new logoLogoA logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
, dropping the famous dots and replacing it with a stand-alone nine in a blue box. - February 2006 – Wheel of FortuneWheel of Fortune (Australian game show)Wheel of Fortune was an Australian television game show produced by Grundy Television. The programme aired on the Seven Network from 1981 to 2004 and November 2005 to July 2006, and is mostly based on the same general format as the original US version of the programme...
returns and starts in 2006. Larry EmdurLarry EmdurLarry Emdur is an Australian television personality. He is currently co-hosting Saturday's Weekend Sunrise alongside Samantha Armytage....
& Laura CsortanLaura CsortanLaura Csortan is an Australian model and television presenter. Her national pageant titles include Miss Universe Australia 1997 and Miss World Australia 1998....
will definitely host WOF in a partnership instead of one. On the very first episode in 2006, the car was won! The final edition of the version was screened on 28 July. - 9 February – It is announced that Eddie McGuireEddie McGuireEdward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....
will become Channel Nine's new CEOChief executive officerA chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
. - 13 February – Network TenNetwork TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
's motto, Seriously... becomes Seriously Ten (this was Network Ten's 2001 motto), and has its new look Ten Watermark on the bottom right of the TV screens - 17 February – ABCAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
premiered The Chaser's War On EverythingThe Chaser's War on EverythingThe Chaser's War on Everything is an Australian television satirical comedy series broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation television station ABC1. It has won an AFI Award. The cast perform sketches mocking social and political issues, and often feature comedic publicity stunts... - 20 February – Television SydneyTelevision SydneyTVS, or Television Sydney , is a free-to-air community television station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia.-History:Transmissions officially commenced on analogue UHF channel 31 in February 2006 after three months of technical trials...
formally launches after three months of testing, giving Sydney community television for the first time in almost two years. - 21 May – Brant Webb & Todd RussellTodd RussellTodd Norman Russell is a Canadian politician and was the Liberal member of Parliament for the riding of Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador from 2005 to 2011.-Early life:...
speak to A Current Affairs new host Tracy GrimshawTracy GrimshawTracy Grimshaw is an Australian journalist and television presenter. She is currently the host of A Current Affair, and was a co-host of Today for nine years.-Career:...
about their time underground in BeaconsfieldBeaconsfieldBeaconsfield is a market town and civil parish operating as a town council within the South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It lies northwest of Charing Cross in Central London, and south-east of the county town of Aylesbury...
in a 2 hour special called The Great Escape. They are paid a reported $Australian dollarThe Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
2.6 million by Channel Nine for the right to talk to them. - 4 June – After 12 years & a record-breaking 510 episodes, the last episode of the Seven NetworkSeven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
show Blue HeelersBlue HeelersBlue Heelers is an Australian police drama series which depicted the lives of police officers stationed at the fictional Mount Thomas police station in a small town in Victoria.- Overview :...
goes to air. - 14 September – Today TonightToday TonightToday Tonight is a controversial Australian News and Current Affairs program, produced by the Seven Network and shown weeknightly at in direct competition with rival Nine Network program A Current Affair....
host Naomi RobsonNaomi RobsonNaomi Robson is an Australian television presenter who is best known as the former presenter of the east coast edition of Today Tonight, an Australian current affairs program which is broadcast on weeknights on the Seven Network, from 1997 to 2006...
is deported from IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
after doing a story on a West Papuan boy called Wa Wa who, supposedly, was going to be eaten by cannibalsCannibalismCannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
. This sparks a war of words between Seven & Nine, who ran the original story on Wa Wa in May on 60 Minutes. Naomi presents her final edition of Today Tonight on 1 December. - 16 September – Television in Australia turns 50. The next day, this is commemorated with a live TV special from Star CityStar City CasinoThe Star Sydney Casino & Hotel in Pyrmont, Sydney, is the second largest casino in Australia after rival Melbourne's Crown Casino. Overlooking Darling Harbour, The Star Sydney Casino features two gaming floors, eight bars, seven restaurants, 351 hotel rooms and 130 serviced and privately owned...
, Sydney on the Seven Network. - 29 September – Backyard BlitzBackyard BlitzBackyard Blitz was an Logie Award winning Australian lifestyle and DIY television program that aired on the Nine Network between 2000 through to 2007 before its cancellation...
finishes its 6 year run on the Nine NetworkNine NetworkThe Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
. Jamie DurieJamie DurieJamie Durie is an Australian landscaper and television personality. Formerly a prominent personality for the Nine Network, Durie has hosted a variety of programs for them, mostly "lifestyle" shows, such as Backyard Blitz, Renovation Rescue and The Block.Jamie previously was the host of the Seven...
leaves Nine and signs up with the Seven Network, the next year, he dances his way on Dancing with the StarsDancing with the Stars (Australian TV series)Dancing with the Stars is a Logie Award-winning, Australian light entertainment reality show airing on the Seven Network and filmed live from the HSV-7 studios in Melbourne...
. - 30 September – The Fox Footy ChannelFox Footy ChannelThe Fox Footy Channel was a channel exclusively dedicated to Australian rules football. It was owned by Foxtel, and operated out of their Melbourne based studios. It was available on Foxtel, Austar, Optus Television, TransTV and Neighbourhood Cable up until transmission was ceased on 1 October 2006...
ceases broadcasting. It is replaced by Fox Sports 3 & Fox Sports NewsFox Sports NewsFox Sports News is an Australian cable and satellite sports news channel. Owned by Premier Media Group and is the sister channel of Fox Sports.Fox Sports News launched on October 1, 2006. The channel runs live for 19 hours a day, broadcasting sports news...
on 1 October. - 18 October – PBLPublishing and Broadcasting LimitedPublishing and Broadcasting Limited was one of Australia's largest companies, with interests primarily in media and gaming. The company demerged in late 2007, spinning out its gaming interests into Crown Limited...
announces the sale of 50% of the Nine NetworkNine NetworkThe Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, including its 50% stake in ninemsnNineMSNninemsn is an Australian 50/50 joint venture between Microsoft and Nine Entertainment Co.. It effectively acts as the website for both the Nine Network and MSN, and is one of Australia's most popular websites...
& ACPAustralian Consolidated PressACP Magazines , a subsidiary of the Nine Entertainment Co., is an Australian media company. It publishes the Australian Women's Weekly and the Australian edition of Woman's Day....
to CVC Asia Pacific for $DollarThe dollar is the name of the official currency of many countries, including Australia, Belize, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States.-Etymology:...
4.5 billion. - 26 November – Irishman Damien LeithDamien LeithDamien Leo Leith is an Irish Australian singer–songwriter. He was the winner of the Network Ten music contest Australian Idol 2006Damien has also guest co-hosted 'The Morning Show' on Network Ten on 18 July 2011.He was born in Ireland and now lives in Australia with his Australian wife, Eileen...
defeats 17 year old Jessica MauboyJessica MauboyJessica Hilda Mauboy , is an Indigenous Australian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. In 2006, Mauboy was the runner-up on the fourth season of Australian Idol, she had auditioned for the talent show in Alice Springs to pursue a recording career...
to be based only on Sony BMG after being crowned the title of Australian Idol 2006 at the Sydney Opera HouseSydney Opera HouseThe Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. - 27 November – The last ever episode of The Glass HouseThe Glass House (TV series)The Glass House was a half-hour Australian comedy talk show which screened on the ABC from 2001 to 2006.It was hosted by stand-up comedian Wil Anderson, and co-hosted by fellow television and radio comedians Corinne Grant and Dave Hughes...
goes to air on ABC TVABC TelevisionABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
.
Sport
- 1 January – The Football Federation of Australia officially becomes a member of the Asian Football ConfederationAsian Football ConfederationThe Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
. - 2 February – First day of the Australian Track & Field Championships for the 2005–2006 season, which are held at the Sydney Olympic ParkSydney Olympic ParkSydney Olympic Park is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sydney Olympic Park is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Auburn Council....
in HomebushHomebush, New South WalesHomebush is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Homebush is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield. Homebush West and Homebush Bay are separate suburbs...
. The relays were conducted at the Melbourne Cricket GroundMelbourne Cricket GroundThe Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
on 19 February 2006. - 16 February – Dale Begg-SmithDale Begg-SmithDale Begg-Smith is an Australian-Canadian freestyle skier. Begg-Smith won the gold medal for Australia, his adopted country, in the men's moguls event at the 2006 Winter Olympics and silver at the 2010 Winter Olympics...
wins Winter OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold in the men's moguls at the 2006 Winter Olympics2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Turin. - 23 February – Alisa CamplinAlisa CamplinAlisa Camplin OAM is an Australian aerial skier who won gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics, the second ever winter olympic gold medal for Australia. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Camplin finished third, a bronze medal...
adds to her gold in2002 Winter OlympicsThe 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
Salt Lake City with a bronze in the women's aerials. - 28 February – Melbourne TigersMelbourne TigersThe Melbourne Tigers are Australia's oldest and most respected basketball team, established circa 1931 in a local church hall League. Entering the National Basketball League in 1984, they are now the only Melbourne team, after the South Dragons withdrew from the league.The Melbourne Tigers are the...
defeat Sydney KingsSydney KingsThe Sydney Kings are a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. They are the only team to date to win three consecutive championships in the NBL and currently sit third behind the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne Tigers two away from the record five wins...
88–83 in Game 3 of a series sweep in the NBLNational Basketball League (Australia)The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
Grand Final series. - 5 March – Sydney FCSydney FCSydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
defeats the Central Coast MarinersCentral Coast Mariners FCCentral Coast Mariners Football Club is a professional football club based on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. They participate in the A-League and are one of three teams from the state of New South Wales playing in the competition...
1–0 to win the inaugural A-LeagueA-LeagueThe A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
championship. - 5 March – Australians Troy CorserTroy CorserTroy Gordon Corser is a professional motorcycle road racer, the and Superbike World champion....
and eventual World Champion Troy BaylissTroy BaylissTroy Bayliss is a retired Australian motorcycle racer. During his career Bayliss won the Superbike World Championship three times, as well as the British Superbike Championship and a MotoGP race, all with Ducati. He finished his career after winning the 2008 World Superbike title...
win the two races making up the Australian Superbike Grand Prix at Phillip IslandPhillip Island Grand Prix CircuitThe Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing racing circuit on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. The circuit was opened in 1956.-Road circuit:...
. - 15 March-26 March – The 2006 Commonwealth Games2006 Commonwealth GamesThe 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
take place in MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. AustraliaAustralia at the 2006 Commonwealth GamesAustralia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games was represented by Australian Commonwealth Games Association the , and abbreviated AUS. Athletes from Australia were given automatic qualification in all sports due to the host status....
finishes on top of the medal tally for the fifth consecutive timeAustralia at the Commonwealth GamesAustralia became independent of the United Kingdom in 1901 and officially became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations in 1931 under the Statute of Westminster....
& wins a record 221 medals-84 gold, 69 silver & 68 bronze. - 28 March – QueenslandQueensland BullsThe Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
defeats VictoriaVictorian BushrangersThe Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
to win the Pura CupPura CupThe Sheffield Shield is the domestic cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during...
. - 2 April – Eventual 2006 World Champion, Fernando AlonsoFernando AlonsoFernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....
takes victory for Renault F1Renault F1Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...
in the Australian Grand Prix2006 Australian Grand PrixThe 2006 Australian Grand Prix was the third race of the 2006 Formula One World Championship. It was held on the weekend of 31 March–2 April 2006 at Albert Park, Melbourne...
at Albert ParkMelbourne Grand Prix CircuitThe Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit is a street circuit around Albert Park Lake, only a few kilometres south of central Melbourne. It is used annually as a racetrack for the Australian Grand Prix and associated support races.-Design:...
, MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. - 30 April – St Kilda players & umpires fail to hear the final sirenAFL siren controversy, 2006The AFL siren controversy of 2006 surrounded the conclusion and result of an Australian rules football match played on 30 April 2006 during Round 5 of the Australian Football League's 2006 season...
. St KildaSt Kilda, VictoriaSt Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
scores behind after siren has gone, resulting in the match being a draw. This is later overturned on an appeal to the AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
commission & FremantleFremantle Football ClubThe Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
is awarded the four points. - 17 May – At Aussie StadiumAussie StadiumSydney Football Stadium is located in Moore Park, in Sydney, New South Wales. It was built in 1988, to be the city's premier "rectangular field" for rugby league, rugby union and football for major matches and domestic competition...
, Anthony MundineAnthony MundineAnthony Mundine is an Australian professional boxer and former rugby league footballer.He is the current interim WBA Light Middleweight Champion boxer, former two-time WBA Super Middleweight Champion, former IBO Middleweight Champion and New South Wales State of Origin representative footballer....
defeats Danny GreenDanny GreenDaniel "Danny" Green is an Australian professional boxer and the former IBO cruiserweight champion.- Amateur boxing career and the Olympics :...
in their long awaited bout. - 9 June-9 July – The SocceroosAustralia national football (soccer) teamThe Australia national association football team represents Australia in international association football competitions. Its official nickname is the "Socceroos"...
participate in the 2006 FIFA World Cup2006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
in Germany for the first time since 1974. They are drawn in Group F2006 FIFA World Cup - Group FPlay in Group F of the 2006 FIFA World Cup completed on 22 June 2006. Brazil won the group, and advanced to the second round, along with Australia receiving runner-up in the group...
along with BrazilBrazil national football teamThe Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, CroatiaCroatia national football teamThe Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
& JapanJapan national football teamThe Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
. They come second in their group & face off against ItalyItaly national football teamThe Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
. They lose to them 1–0 as a result of a controversial penalty awarded in the dying seconds of the match. - 2 July – Lee TroopLee TroopLee Joseph Troop is an Olympic marathon runner from Geelong, Victoria, Australia. He started out as a long distance track runner and he represented Australia in the 5000 m at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and attended his first World Championships in Athletics the following year...
wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:14:13 in BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, while Jennifer Gillard claims the women's title in 2:41:06. - 5 July - The 2006 State of Origin series is won by QueenslandQueensland rugby league teamThe Queensland rugby league team have represented the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1908...
who defeated New South WalesNew South Wales rugby league teamThe New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
16–14 in the third and deciding game at Melbourne's Telstra DomeTelstra DomeDocklands Stadium is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
before a crowd of 54,833. The Wally Lewis Medal for player of the series was awarded to Queensland's Darren LockyerDarren LockyerDarren Lockyer is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He was the captain of the Australian national team, the Queensland State of Origin team and his National Rugby League club, the Brisbane Broncos. His professional career spanned between 1995 and 2011...
. - 5 September - The 2006 Dally M Awards are held at Sydney Town HallSydney Town HallThe Sydney Town Hall is a landmark sandstone building located in the heart of Sydney. It stands opposite the Queen Victoria Building and alongside St Andrew's Cathedral...
and the Dally M Medal for player of the year is presented by prime minister John HowardJohn HowardJohn Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
to Cameron SmithCameron SmithCameron Smith is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently captains the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League...
of the Melbourne StormMelbourne StormThe Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
. - 8 September – Peter BrockPeter BrockPeter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...
dies in a smash while driving in the Targa WestTarga WestTarga West is a rally event held in and around Perth, Western Australia. The event takes its name from the Targa Florio, a former motoring event held on the island of Sicily, as well as more recent Australian events including Targa Tasmania, now defunct East Coast Targa, Targa New Zealand and...
rally - 17 September – Marco MelandriMarco MelandriMarco Melandri is a motorcycle road racer currently racing for the Yamaha World Superbike Team. Melandri is also a former 250cc World Champion in 2002...
wins the 2006 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix2006 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix__FORCETOC__The 2006 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix was the fourteenth race of the 2006 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 15–17 September 2006 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.-Moto GP Classification:...
held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix CircuitPhillip Island Grand Prix CircuitThe Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing racing circuit on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. The circuit was opened in 1956.-Road circuit:...
. Australian Chris VermeulenChris VermeulenChris Vermeulen is a motorcycle racer, currently competing in the World Superbike Championship for the works Kawasaki team. He originally raced in this class in 2004 and 2005 for the Ten Kate Honda team, finishing as series runner-up in 2005...
was second. - 30 September – In a rematch of the previous year's AFL Grand FinalAFL Grand FinalThe AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
, the West Coast EaglesWest Coast EaglesThe West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
(12.13.85) defeat the Sydney SwansSydney SwansThe Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
(12.12.84) to take out the 110th VFL/AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
premiership. It is the first time since 1966 that the Grand Final has been decided by a margin of one point. - 1 October – The 2006 NRL grand final is won by the Brisbane BroncosBrisbane BroncosThe Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
who defeated the Melbourne StormMelbourne StormThe Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
15–8 before a crowd of 79,609 at Sydney's Telstra Stadium. The Clive Churchill MedalClive Churchill MedalThe Clive Churchill Medal has been presented to the man-of-the-match of the National Rugby League's annual Grand Final match ever since the 1986 season. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill, one of the greatest rugby league players in Australian history, following his death in 1985...
was awarded to Brisbane's Shaun BerriganShaun BerriganShaun Berrigan is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Canberra Raiders of the NRL. Brother of fellow professional, Barry, Shaun has also played for the Brisbane Broncos, Hull and the New Zealand Warriors...
. - 8 October – Craig LowndesCraig LowndesCraig Lowndes is a multi-championship winning Australian racing driver. He is a three-time V8 Supercar champion and five-time winner of Australia's most famous motor race, the Bathurst 1000...
and Jamie WhincupJamie WhincupJamie Whincup is Australian auto racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar, driving for TeamVodafone. He is a two-time V8 Supercars champion and three-time Bathurst 1000 winner.-Early career:...
win the V8 Supercars Bathurst 1000Bathurst 1000The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
race for Team Betta ElectricalTeam Betta ElectricalTriple Eight Race Engineering is an Australian motor racing team, one of the leading motorsport teams competing in the International V8 Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane-based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originally operating out of the former Briggs Motor Sport...
, Ford's first win since 1998. They are the inaugural winners of the Peter BrockPeter BrockPeter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...
Trophy. - 28 October – Fields Of OmaghFields Of OmaghFields Of Omagh was a champion middle distance Australian Thoroughbred racehorse of the early-mid 2000s. He was a half-brother to the stakeswinners, King Brian , Malcolm and Timeless Grace .Fields Of Omagh was trained at Lindsay Park, South Australia by Peter...
wins the Cox PlateCox PlateThe W.S. Cox Plate is an Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne every October by the Moonee Valley Racing Club to honour W.S. Cox, the club's founder. For three-year-olds and over, the race is considered to be the Weight for Age championship of Australasia...
for the second time. - 29 October – Mikko HirvonenMikko HirvonenMikko Hirvonen is a Finnish rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship. He placed third in the drivers' championship and helped Ford to the manufacturers' title in both 2006 and 2007. In 2008, 2009 and 2011, he finished runner-up to...
, and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen, driving a Ford Focus win the last Rally AustraliaRally AustraliaRally Australia is an automobile rally event which was held in and around Perth, Western Australia from 1988 until 2006, when that state's tourism commission severed its collaboration with the event. The rally was part of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in 1988 and the World Rally Championship...
to be held in Western Australia after 19 years of the rally. - 7 November – Delta BluesDelta Blues (horse)Delta Blues is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2006 Melbourne Cup. He was the first Japanese horse to win the Cup. In doing so he defeated Pop Rock, another Japanese horse, also trained by Katsuhiko Sumii....
wins the 2006 Melbourne CupMelbourne CupThe Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
. - 21 November – Ian ThorpeIan ThorpeIan James Thorpe OAM , nicknamed the Thorpedo and Thorpey, is an Australian swimmer who specialises in freestyle, but also competes in backstroke and the individual medley. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian, and with three gold and two silver medals, was the most...
announces his retirement from competitive swimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
. - 25 November - The 2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations2006 Rugby League Tri-NationsThe 2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations was hosted for the second time by Australia and New Zealand. Sponsored by Gillette the tournament followed the same format as in 2004 and 2005, with each team meeting the other two teams twice, and the top two teams at the end of the group stages proceeding to the...
tournament is won by Australia, who defeated New ZealandNew Zealand national rugby league teamThe New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
16–12 in the final at Sydney's Aussie Stadium before a crowd of 27,325. - 18 December – AustraliaAustralian cricket teamThe Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
wins the Third Ashes Test2006-07 Ashes seriesThe 2006–07 cricket series between Australia and England for the Ashes was played in Australia from 23 November 2006 to 5 January 2007. Australia won the series and regained the Ashes that had been lost to England in the 2005 Ashes series...
by 206 runs at the WACA GroundWACA GroundThe WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
in Perth, Western AustraliaPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, claiming The AshesThe AshesThe Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
. - 21 December – Shane WarneShane WarneShane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
announces that he will retire from cricket after the Fifth Ashes Test2006-07 Ashes seriesThe 2006–07 cricket series between Australia and England for the Ashes was played in Australia from 23 November 2006 to 5 January 2007. Australia won the series and regained the Ashes that had been lost to England in the 2005 Ashes series...
. Glenn McGrathGlenn McGrathGlenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
announces he will do likewise after the 2007 Cricket World Cup2007 Cricket World CupThe 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
on 23 December.
Deaths
- 1 January – Dawn LakeDawn LakeDawn Lake was an Australian television comedian, singer, entertainer and actor, whose career spanned more than four decades. Bert Newton described her as "our greatest comedienne - Australia's Lucille Ball"...
, 78, entertainer and widow of Bobby LimbBobby LimbBobby Limb AO OBE was an Australian pioneering radio and television entertainer of the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:... - 3 January – Steve Rogers, 51, CronullaCronulla SharksThe Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
rugby leagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
great - 5 January – Sophie HeathcoteSophie HeathcoteSophie Heathcote was an Australian actress.Heathcote was born in Melbourne. She began her acting career with a role in medical drama series A Country Practice as Stephanie "Steve" Brennan from 1990 to 1991...
, 33, actress - 9 January – Andy CaldecottAndy CaldecottAndy Caldecott was an off road motorcycle racer born in Keith, South Australia. He won the Australian Safari Rally four times consecutively and was a competitor in the Dakar Rally in 2004 , 2005 , and 2006....
, 41, motorcyclist - 31 January – Owen AbrahamsOwen AbrahamsOwen Abrahams was a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL.Abrahams' football career did not start well after he was rejected by Fitzroy's thirds team, but he moved to the amateurs where he played with the Commonwealth Bank team, from which he was selected with the Fitzroy senior team.He...
, 72, Australian rules footballer - 9 March – Harry SeidlerHarry SeidlerHarry Seidler, AC OBE was an Austrian-born Australian architect who is considered to be one of the leading exponents of Modernism's methodology in Australia and the first architect to fully express the principles of the Bauhaus in Australia.Harry Seidler designed more than 180 buildings and he...
, 82, architect - 28 March – Pro HartPro HartKevin Charles "Pro" Hart, MBE , born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, was considered the father of the Australian Outback painting movement and his works are widely admired for capturing the true spirit of the outback...
, 77, artist (born 19281928 in AustraliaSee also:1927 in Australia,other events of 1928,1929 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven*Prime Minister – Stanley Bruce-State premiers:...
) - 24 April – Jimmy SharmanJimmy SharmanJames Sharman senior and junior were father and son Australian boxing troupe impresarios....
jnr, 94, boxing troupe impresario - 6 May – Grant McLennanGrant McLennanGrant William McLennan was an Australian singer-songwriter with the alternative rock band The Go-Betweens, which he co-founded with Robert Forster in Brisbane, Australia in 1977...
, 48, musician - 7 May – Richard CarletonRichard CarletonRichard George Carleton was a multi-Logie Award winning Australian television journalist.-Education:Carleton was born in Bowral, New South Wales...
, 62, journalist - 18 August - Ken KearneyKen KearneyKen "Killer" Kearney was an Australian rugby footballer – a dual-code international player – and a rugby league coach. He represented the Wallabies in seven Tests and the Kangaroos in thirty-one Test matches and World Cup games. He captained Australia in nine rugby league Test matches in 1956 and...
, 82, rugby league footballer and coach - 28 August – Don ChippDon ChippDonald Leslie Chipp, AO was an Australian politician, and the inaugural leader of the Australian Democrats.-Early life:...
, 81, politician - 4 September – Steve IrwinSteve IrwinStephen Robert "Steve" Irwin , nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian television personality, wildlife expert, and conservationist. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series which he co-hosted...
("The Crocodile Hunter"), 44, environmentalist & documentarian - 4 September – Colin ThieleColin ThieleColin Milton Thiele, AC was an Australian author and educator. He was renowned for his award-winning children's fiction, most notably the novels Storm Boy, Blue Fin, the Sun on the Stubble series, and February Dragon.- Biography :Thiele was born in Eudunda in South Australia to a Barossa German...
, 85, author - 8 September – Peter BrockPeter BrockPeter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...
, 61, motor racing driver - 11 September – Nancy BorlaseNancy BorlaseNancy Wilmot Borlase AM was a New Zealand-born Australian artist, well-known for her landscape-based abstract paintings and portraits, and as a critic and commentator...
, 92, artist - 15 September – Abe SaffronAbe SaffronAbraham Gilbert "Abe" Saffron was an Australian nightclub owner and property developer who was reputed to have been one of the major figures in Australian organised crime in the latter half of the 20th century....
, 86, notorious Sydney nightclub owner and suspected underworld figure - 3 October – Peter NormanPeter NormanPeter George Norman was an Australian track athlete best known for winning the silver medal in the 200 metres at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. His time of 20.06 seconds still stands as the Australian 200m record. He was a five-time Australian 200m champion...
, 64, athlete - 2 November – Wally ForemanWally ForemanWalter "Wally" John Foreman OAM was a sports administrator and commentator for ABC Radio program "Grandstand" based in Perth, Western Australia....
, 58, sports commentator - 11 November – Belinda EmmettBelinda EmmettBelinda 'Belle' Jane Emmett was an Australian actress and singer. She was married to television personality Rove McManus and was known for her roles in the TV drama series Home and Away and All Saints.-Early life:...
, 32, actress - 27 November – Alan "Fluff" FreemanAlan FreemanAlan Leslie "Fluff" Freeman, MBE was a British disc jockey and radio personality in the United Kingdom for 40 years.-Career:...
, 79, Australian-born UK radio personality - 25 December – Sir Bob Cotton, 91, politician