Timeline of Australian history
Encyclopedia
This is a timeline of Australian history.
BC
- c. 68,000–40,000 BC: AboriginalIndigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
tribes are thought to have arrived in Australia. - c. 13,000 BC: Land bridges between mainland Australia and Tasmania are flooded. Tasmanian Aboriginal people become isolated for the next 12,000 – 13,000 years.
- c. 3000 BC: DingoDingoThe Australian Dingo or Warrigal is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. Its original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively undomesticated and closer to...
s are thought to have arrived in Australia.
16th century
- 1521–22: Several writers have argued that Australia was first discovered by a Portuguese expeditionTheory of Portuguese discovery of AustraliaAlthough most historians hold that the European discovery of Australia began in 1606 with the voyage of the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon on board the Duyfken, a theory exists that a Portuguese expedition arrived in Australia between 1521 and 1524...
at this time. However other historians disagree and the evidence remains contentious.
17th century
- 1606 (March): The Dutch East India Company (VOC) ship DuyfkenDuyfkenDuyfken was a small Dutch ship built in the Netherlands. She was a fast, lightly armed ship probably intended for shallow water, small valuable cargoes, bringing messages, sending provisions, or privateering...
, under Captain Willem JanszoonWillem JanszoonWillem Janszoon , Dutch navigator and colonial governor, is probably the first European known to have seen the coast of Australia. His name is sometimes abbreviated to Willem Jansz....
, explores the western coast of Cape York PeninsulaCape York PeninsulaCape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
. This was the first recorded landfall by a European on Australian soil. - 1606 (May): Pedro Fernandes de QueirósPedro Fernandes de QueirósPedro Fernandes de Queirós , was a Portuguese navigator best known for his involvement with Spanish voyages of discovery in the Pacific Ocean, in particular the 1595-1596 voyage of Alvaro de Mendaña de Neira, and for leading a 1605-1606 expedition which crossed the Pacific in search of Terra...
believed that he had found the southern continent. He named it La Australia del Espiritu Santo (The Great South Land of the Holy Spirit). He actually was on VanuatuVanuatuVanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
. - 1606 (August): Portuguese or Spanish seaman Luis Váez de Torres sails through the Torres StraitTorres StraitThe Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the Australian state of Queensland...
, between Australia and New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, along the latter's southern coast. He may well have sighted the northernmost extremity of Australia, although this is not recorded. Torres reported 'shoals', some of which may have been the northernmost atolls of the Great Barrier Reef. - 1616: Dutch captain Dirk HartogDirk HartogDirk Hartog was a 17th century Dutch sailor and explorer. Dirk Hartog's expedition was the third European group to land on Australian soil. He was the first to leave behind an artifact to record his visit, the Hartog plate. His name is sometimes alternatively spelled Dirck Hartog or Dierick...
in the EendrachtEendracht (1615 ship)The Eendracht was an early 17th Century Dutch wooden-hulled sailing ship, launched in 1615 in the service of the Dutch East India Company...
makes the second recorded landfall by a European, at Dirk Hartog IslandDirk Hartog IslandDirk Hartog Island is an island off the Gascoyne coast of Western Australia, within the Shark Bay World Heritage Area. It is about 80 kilometres long and between 3 and 15 kilometres wide and is Western Australia's largest and most western island. It covers an area of 620 square kilometres and is...
on the western coast of Australia. Leaves behind the Hartog PlateHartog PlateHartog Plate or Dirk Hartog's Plate is either of two plates, although primarily the first, which were left on Dirk Hartog Island during a period of European exploration of the western coast of Australia prior to European settlement there...
. - 1623: Dutch captain Jan CarstenszJan CarstenszoonJan Carstenszoon or more commonly Jan Carstensz ) was a 17th century Dutch explorer.In 1623, Carstenszoon was commissioned by the Dutch East India Company to lead an expedition to the southern coast of New Guinea and beyond, to follow up the reports of land sighted further south in the 1606 voyages...
navigates the Gulf of CarpentariaGulf of CarpentariaThe Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
aboard the Pera and ArnhemArnhem (ship)The Arnhem, named after the city of Arnhem in the Netherlands, was a Dutch East Indiaman that entered the Gulf of Carpentaria and recorded having sighted Groote Eylandt in 1623. The vessel was shipwrecked off Mauritius on 12 February 1662. Volkert Evertsz and other survivors of the wreck came...
. The Arnhem crosses the Gulf to reach and name Groote EylandtGroote EylandtGroote Eylandt is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria in northeastern Australia. It is the homeland of, and is owned by, the Anindilyakwa people who speak the isolated Anindilyakwa language)....
. - 1642: Dutch explorer Abel TasmanAbel TasmanAbel Janszoon Tasman was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the VOC . His was the first known European expedition to reach the islands of Van Diemen's Land and New Zealand and to sight the Fiji islands...
explores the west coast of 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...
, lands on its east coast and names the island Anthoonij van DiemenslandtVan Diemen's LandVan Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
. - 1688: English explorer William DampierWilliam DampierWilliam Dampier was an English buccaneer, sea captain, author and scientific observer...
explores the west coasts of Australia. - 1696: Dutch explorer Willem de VlaminghWillem de VlaminghWillem Hesselsz de Vlamingh was a Dutch sea-captain who explored the central west coast of Australia in the late 17th century.- Vlamingh and the VOC :...
charts the southwestern coast of Australia, making landfall at Rottnest IslandRottnest IslandRottnest Island is located off the coast of Western Australia, near Fremantle. It is called Wadjemup by the Noongar people, meaning "place across the water". The island is long, and at its widest point with a total land area of . It is classified as an A Class Reserve and is managed by the...
and the site of the present-day city of PerthPerth, 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....
.
18th century
- 1770: English Lieutenant James CookJames CookCaptain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
's expedition in HM Bark EndeavourHM Bark EndeavourHMS Endeavour, also known as HM Bark Endeavour, was a British Royal Navy research vessel commanded by Lieutenant James Cook on his first voyage of discovery, to Australia and New Zealand from 1769 to 1771....
charts the eastern coast, and claims it for the British Crown. Australia dubbed "terra nullius" i.e., according to the European legal precepts of the era, it was "owned" by no-one. - 17881788 in Australia-Leaders:*Governor of New South Wales – Captain Arthur Phillip*Governor of Norfolk Island – Philip Gidley King*Commanding officer of the colony's marine presence – Major Robert Ross-Events:* 18 January – HMS Supply of the First Fleet arrives in Botany Bay....
: The British First FleetFirst FleetThe First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
, led by Governor Arthur PhillipArthur PhillipAdmiral Arthur Phillip RN was a British admiral and colonial administrator. Phillip was appointed Governor of New South Wales, the first European colony on the Australian continent, and was the founder of the settlement which is now the city of Sydney.-Early life and naval career:Arthur Phillip...
arrives 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...
to found first European settlement and penal colonyPenal colonyA penal colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general populace by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory...
at 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...
. Colony includes "all the islands adjacent in the Pacific Ocean" and running westward to the 135th meridian east135th meridian eastThe meridian 135° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, Australasia, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
. This claim included the islands of New Zealand, which were administered as part of New South Wales. - 17881788 in Australia-Leaders:*Governor of New South Wales – Captain Arthur Phillip*Governor of Norfolk Island – Philip Gidley King*Commanding officer of the colony's marine presence – Major Robert Ross-Events:* 18 January – HMS Supply of the First Fleet arrives in Botany Bay....
: British settlement founded at Norfolk IslandNorfolk IslandNorfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
. - 17901790 in AustraliaSee also:1789 in Australiaother events of 1790,1791 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-----Leaders:*Governor of New South Wales – Captain Arthur Phillip*Lieutenant-Governor of Norfolk Island – Philip Gidley King...
: Beleaguered Second Fleet arrives. Colony gripped by food crisis. - 17921792 in AustraliaSee also:1791 in Australiaother events of 1792,1793 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-----Leaders:*Governor of New South Wales - Captain Arthur Phillip*Lieutenant-Governor of Norfolk Island - Philip Gidley King...
: Two French ships, La Recherche and L'Espérance, anchor at Recherche BayRecherche BayRecherche Bay is located on the extreme south-eastern corner of Tasmania, Australia and was a landing place of the d’Entrecasteaux expedition to find missing explorer La Pérouse...
, near the southernmost point of 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...
at a time when England and France were racing around the globe to be the first to discover and colonise Australia. - 1792 : Governor Philip returns to England, accompanied by his friend BennelongBennelongWoollarawarre Bennelong was a senior man of the Eora, an Aboriginal people of the Port Jackson area, at the time of the first British settlement in Australia, in 1788...
and a companion who become the first Australian born person to sail to Europe. - 17971797 in AustraliaSee also:1796 in Australia,other events of 1797,1798 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.----- Leaders :* Governor of New South Wales - John Hunter* Lieutenant-Governor of Norfolk Island - Philip Gidley King...
: Sydney CoveSydney Cove (ship)Sydney Cove was a sailing ship wrecked in 1797 on Preservation Island off Tasmania while on her way from Calcutta to Port Jackson. She was among the first ships wrecked on the east coast of Australia.- Voyage :...
wrecked and some survivors travelled from Bass Strait to Port Jackson allowing for the rescue of others but also furthering knowledge of the geography of Australia. - 1798-91798 in AustraliaSee also:1797 in Australiaother events of 1798,1799 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-----Leaders:*Governor of New South Wales - John Hunter*Lieutenant-Governor of Norfolk Island - Philip Gidley King...
: George BassGeorge BassGeorge Bass was a British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia.-Early years:He was born on 30 January 1771 at Aswarby, a hamlet near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, the son of a tenant farmer, George Bass, and a local beauty named Sarah Nee Newman. His father died in 1777 when Bass was 6...
and Matthew FlindersMatthew FlindersCaptain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
sail from Sydney and circumnavigate Tasmania, thus proving it to be an island.
1800s
- 18031803 in AustraliaSee also:1802 in Australia,other events of 1803,1804 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales – Captain Philip King-Events:...
: Matthew FlindersMatthew FlindersCaptain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
completes the first circumnavigationCircumnavigationCircumnavigation – literally, "navigation of a circumference" – refers to travelling all the way around an island, a continent, or the entire planet Earth.- Global circumnavigation :...
of the continent (still known as "New Holland") - 18041804 in AustraliaSee also:1803 in Australia,other events of 1804,1805 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales – Captain Philip King...
: A settlement is founded at RisdonRisdon, TasmaniaRisdon is a suburb of Hobart, capital city of Tasmania, Australia. It is west of Risdon Vale. Eucalyptus risdonii is native to this location, and is the emblem of Geilston Bay High School....
on the Derwent River in Van Diemen's Land by Lieutenant Bowen. - 1804: Castle Hill convict rebellionCastle Hill convict rebellionThe Castle Hill Rebellion of 4 March 1804, also called the Second Battle of Vinegar Hill, was a large-scale rebellion by Irish convicts against British colonial authority in Australia...
also known as the second Battle of Vinegar Hill - 1804: The Risdon settlement is moved to Sullivan's Cove (now HobartHobartHobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
) by Colonel David CollinsDavid Collins (governor)Colonel David Collins was the first Lieutenant Governor of the Colony of Van Diemens Land, founded in 1804, which in 1901 became the state of Tasmania in the Commonwealth of Australia.-Early life and military career:...
. - 18081808 in AustraliaSee also:1807 in Australia,other events of 1808,1809 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales- Captain William Bligh; from 28 July, Lieut-Col Joseph Foveaux...
: The Rum RebellionRum RebellionThe Rum Rebellion of 1808 was the only successful armed takeover of government in Australia's history. The Governor of New South Wales, William Bligh, was deposed by the New South Wales Corps under the command of Major George Johnston, working closely with John Macarthur, on 26 January 1808, 20...
1810s
- 18131813 in AustraliaSee also:1812 in Australia,other events of 1813,1814 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.1813 in Australia featured a number of important developments. Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth crossed the Blue Mountains which opened up the inlands of New South...
: BlaxlandGregory BlaxlandGregory Blaxland was a pioneer farmer and explorer in Australia.- Early life :Gregory Blaxland was born 17 June 1778 at Fordwich, Kent, England, the fourth son of John Blaxland, mayor from 1767 to 1774, whose family had owned estates nearby for generations, and Mary, daughter of Captain Parker,...
, Lawson and WentworthWilliam WentworthWilliam Charles Wentworth was an Australian poet, explorer, journalist and politician, and one of the leading figures of early colonial New South Wales...
cross the Blue Mountains. - 1813: Matthew Flinders refers to New South Wales by the name "Australia".
- 18171817 in AustraliaSee also:1816 in Australia,other events of 1817,1818 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales- Lachlan Macquarie...
: John OxleyJohn OxleyJohn Joseph William Molesworth Oxley was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of English colonisation.October 1802 he was engaged in coastal survey work including an expedition to Western Port in 1804-05...
charts the Lachlan RiverLachlan River- Course :The river rises in the central highland of New South Wales, part of the Great Dividing Range, 13 km east of Gunning. Its major headwaters, the Carcoar River, the Belubula River and the Abercrombie River converge near the town of Cowra. Minor tributaries include the Morongla Creek... - 1817: Australia's first bank, the Bank of New South Wales, opens in Macquarie Place, Sydney (it became WestpacWestpacWestpac , is a multinational financial services, one of the Australian "big four" banks and the second-largest bank in New Zealand....
in 1982). - 1817: Governor Lachlan MacquarieLachlan MacquarieMajor-General Lachlan Macquarie CB , was a British military officer and colonial administrator. He served as the last autocratic Governor of New South Wales, Australia from 1810 to 1821 and had a leading role in the social, economic and architectural development of the colony...
petitioned the British Admiralty to use the name "Australia" instead of "New Holland" - 18181818 in AustraliaSee also:1817 in Australia,other events of 1818,1819 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales – Lachlan Macquarie...
: Oxley charts the Macquarie RiverMacquarie RiverThe Macquarie River is one of the main inland rivers in New South Wales. Its headwaters rise in the central highlands of New South Wales near the town of Oberon. The river travels generally northwest past the towns of Bathurst, Wellington, Dubbo, Narromine, and Warren to the Macquarie Marshes...
.
1820s
- 18241824 in AustraliaSee also:1823 in Australia,other events of 1824,1825 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales- Major-General Sir Thomas Brisbane...
: A penal colony is founded at Moreton BayMoreton BayMoreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
, now the city of 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...
. - 1824: Bathurst and Melville Islands are annexed.
- 1824: Permission granted to change the name of the continent from "New Holland" to "Australia"
- 1824-25 : Hume and Hovell expeditionHume and Hovell expeditionThe Hume and Hovell expedition was one of the most important journeys of explorations undertaken in eastern Australia. In 1824 the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Thomas Brisbane, commissioned Hamilton Hume and former Royal Navy Captain William Hovell to lead an expedition to find new grazing land...
travels overland to Port Phillip Bay, discovers Murray RiverMurray RiverThe Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it... - 18251825 in AustraliaSee also:1824 in Australia,other events of 1825,1826 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales – Major-General Sir Thomas Brisbane...
: 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...
western border is extended to 129° E. Van Diemen's LandVan Diemen's LandVan Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
is proclaimed. - 18281828 in AustraliaSee also:1827 in Australia,other events of 1828,1829 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Ralph Darling*Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania - Colonel George Arthur...
: Charles SturtCharles SturtCaptain Charles Napier Sturt was an English explorer of Australia, and part of the European Exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from both Sydney and later from Adelaide. His expeditions traced several of the westward-flowing rivers,...
charts the Darling RiverDarling RiverThe Darling River is the third longest river in Australia, measuring from its source in northern New South Wales to its confluence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. Including its longest contiguous tributaries it is long, making it the longest river system in Australia.The...
. - 18291829 in AustraliaSee also:1828 in Australia,other events of 1829,1830 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Ralph Darling*Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania - Colonel George Arthur...
: The whole of Australia is claimed as British territory. The settlement of PerthPerth, 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....
is founded. Swan River ColonySwan River ColonyThe Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
is declared by Charles FremantleCharles FremantleAdmiral Sir Charles Howe Fremantle GCB RN was a British Royal Navy officer. The city of Fremantle in Western Australia is named after him.-Early life:...
for BritainUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
.
1830s
- 18301830 in AustraliaSee also:1829 in Australia,other events of 1830,1831 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Ralph Darling*Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania - Colonel George Arthur...
: Sturt arrives at Goolwa, having charted the Murray RiverMurray RiverThe Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
. - 18311831 in AustraliaSee also:1830 in Australia,other events of 1831,1832 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Ralph Darling ....
: Sydney Herald (later to become 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...
) first published. - 18321832 in AustraliaSee also:1831 in Australia,other events of 1832,1833 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Events:*7 February - The West Australian Legislative Council and Executive Council meet for the first time...
: Swan River ColonySwan River ColonyThe Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
has its name changed to Western Australia. - 18331833 in AustraliaSee also:1832 in Australia,other events of 1832,1834 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Events:*5 January - The Perth Gazette and the West Australian Journal are first published by Charles Marshall...
: The penal settlement of Port ArthurPort Arthur, TasmaniaPort Arthur is a small town and former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula, in Tasmania, Australia. Port Arthur is one of Australia's most significant heritage areas and the open air museum is officially Tasmania's top tourist attraction. It is located approximately 60 km south east of...
is founded in Van Diemen's Land. - 18351835 in AustraliaSee also:1834 in Australia,other events of 1835,1836 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales – Major-General Sir Richard Bourke....
: John BatmanJohn BatmanJohn Batman was an Australian grazier, businessman and explorer who is best known for his role in the founding of a settlement which became Melbourne and the colony of Victoria.-Life:...
and John Pascoe FawknerJohn Pascoe FawknerJohn Pascoe Fawkner was an early pioneer, businessman and politician of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. In 1835 he financed a party of free settlers from Van Diemen's Land , to sail to the mainland in his ship, Enterprize...
establish a settlement at Port PhillipPort PhillipPort Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
, now the city of 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...
. - 1835 - William WentworthWilliam WentworthWilliam Charles Wentworth was an Australian poet, explorer, journalist and politician, and one of the leading figures of early colonial New South Wales...
establishes Australian Patriotic Association (Australia's first political party) to demand democracy for New South Wales. - 18361836 in AustraliaSee also:1835 in Australia,other events of 1836,1837 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Major-General Sir Richard Bourke...
: Province of 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...
proclaimedProclamationA proclamation is an official declaration.-England and Wales:In English law, a proclamation is a formal announcement , made under the great seal, of some matter which the King in Council or Queen in Council desires to make known to his or her subjects: e.g., the declaration of war, or state of...
with its western border at 132° E. - 18381838 in AustraliaSee also:1837 in Australia,other events of 1838,1839 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir George Gipps...
: First Prussian settlers arrive in South Australia; the largest group on non-British migrants in Australia at the time. - 18391839 in AustraliaSee also:1838 in Australia,other events of 1839,1840 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Events:*3 January - John Hutt becomes Governor of Western Australia*15 January - The first US consul, J. H. Williams, takes residence in Sydney...
: Paul Edmund Strzelecki becomes first European to ascend and name Australia's highest peak, Mount KosciuszkoMount KosciuszkoMount Kosciuszko is a mountain located in the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park. With a height of 2,228 metres above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Australia...
.
1840s
- 18401840 in AustraliaSee also:1839 in Australia,other events of 1840,1841 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir George Gipps...
: Australia's first municipal authority, the City of AdelaideCity of AdelaideThe City of Adelaide is a local government area in the metropolitan area of Adelaide, South Australia. It covers the original Adelaide city centre settlement, , North Adelaide, and the Adelaide Park Lands which surround North Adelaide and the city centre.Established in 1840, the organisation now...
, is established, followed by Sydney City Council. - 18411841 in AustraliaSee also:1840 in Australia,other events of 1841,1842 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir George Gipps...
: New Zealand is proclaimed as a separate colony, no longer part 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...
. - 18421842 in AustraliaSee also:1841 in Australia,other events of 1842,1843 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir George Gipps*Governor of South Australia - Sir George Grey...
: CopperCopperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
is discovered at Kapunda in 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...
. - 18431843 in AustraliaSee also:1842 in Australia,other events of 1843,1844 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir George Gipps*Governor of South Australia - Sir George Grey...
: Australia's first parliamentary elections held for the New South Wales Legislative CouncilNew South Wales Legislative CouncilThe New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
(though voting rights are restricted to males of certain wealth or property). - 18451845 in AustraliaSee also:1844 in Australia,other events of 1845,1846 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir George Gipps...
: The ship Cataraqui is wrecked off King IslandKing Island, TasmaniaKing Island is one of the islands that make up the state of Tasmania, Australia. It is located in the Roaring Forties of Bass Strait, off the north-western tip of the main island of Tasmania, about half way between Tasmania and the mainland state of Victoria. The southernmost point is called Stokes...
in Bass StraitBass StraitBass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
. It is Australia's worst civil maritime disaster, with 406 lives lost. - 18451845 in AustraliaSee also:1844 in Australia,other events of 1845,1846 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir George Gipps...
: CopperCopperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
is discovered at BurraBurra, South AustraliaBurra is a pastoral centre and historic tourist town in the mid-north of South Australia. It lies east of the Clare Valley in the Bald Hills range, part of the northern Mount Lofty Ranges, and on Burra Creek. The town began as a single company mining township that, by 1851, was a set of townships ...
in 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...
.
1850s
- 18501850 in AustraliaSee also:1849 in Australia,other events of 1850,1851 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy...
: Western Australia becomes a penal colony. - 1850: Australian Colonies Government Act [1850] grants representative constitutions to New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, colonies set about writing constitutions which produced democratically progressive parliaments
- 1850: Australia's first university, the University of SydneyUniversity of SydneyThe University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, is founded. - 18511851 in AustraliaSee also:1850 in Australia,other events of 1851,1852 in Australia,1853 in Australia,1854 in Australia,and theTimeline of Australian history....
: 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....
separates from 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...
. - 1851: The Victorian gold rushVictorian gold rushThe Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
starts when gold is found at Summerhill Creek and Ballarat. - 18511851 in AustraliaSee also:1850 in Australia,other events of 1851,1852 in Australia,1853 in Australia,1854 in Australia,and theTimeline of Australian history....
: Forest Creek Monster MeetingForest Creek Monster MeetingOne of the social effects of the Australian gold rushes in the colony of Victoria in the period 1851-54 was the growing demand for political representation and reasonable limits to taxation...
of miners at Chewton near CastlemaineCastlemaine, VictoriaCastlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The... - 18531853 in AustraliaSee also:1850 in Australia,1851 in Australia,1852 in Australia,other events of 1853,1854 in Australia, and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy...
: Bendigo PetitionBendigo PetitionThe Bendigo Petition was an attempt by miners in the colony of Victoria to demand political representation and reasonable limits to taxation from Governor La Trobe, a representative of the British Government. In particular the miners requested reform of license fees applicable to miners on the...
and Red Ribbon Rebellion at BendigoBendigo, VictoriaBendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban... - 18541854 in AustraliaSee also:1853 in Australia,other events of 1854,1855 in Australia, and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy...
: The Eureka StockadeEureka StockadeThe Eureka Rebellion of 1854 was an organised rebellion by gold miners which occurred at Eureka Lead in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The Battle of Eureka Stockade was fought on 3 December 1854 and named for the stockade structure erected by miners during the conflict... - 18551855 in AustraliaSee also:1854 in Australia,other events of 1855,1856 in Australia, and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales — Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy...
: The transportation of convicts to Norfolk IslandNorfolk IslandNorfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
ceases. - 1855 : All men over 21 years of age obtain the right to vote in South Australia.
- 18561856 in AustraliaSee also:1855 in Australia,other events of 1856,1857 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales — Sir William Denison...
: Van Diemen's LandVan Diemen's LandVan Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
name changed to 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...
. - 18571857 in AustraliaSee also:1856 in Australia,other events of 1857,1858 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir William Denison...
: Victorian Committee reported that a 'federal union' would be in the interests of all the growing colonies. However, there was not enough interest in or enthusiasm for taking positive steps towards bringing the colonies together. - 1857: Victorian men achieve the right to vote.
- 18581858 in AustraliaSee also:1857 in Australia,other events of 1858,1859 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales – Sir William Denison...
: Sydney and Melbourne linked by electric telegraphTelegraphyTelegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
. - 1858: New South Wales men achieve the right to vote.
- 18591859 in AustraliaSee also:1858 in Australia,other events of 1859,1860 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales — Sir William Denison*Governor of Queensland — Sir George Bowen...
: SS AdmellaSS AdmellaThe SS Admella was an Australian passenger steamship which was shipwrecked on a submerged reef off the coast of Carpenter Rocks, south west of Mount Gambier South Australia, in the early hours of Saturday 6 August 1859...
wrecked off south-east coast of 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...
with the loss of 89 lives. - 18591859 in AustraliaSee also:1858 in Australia,other events of 1859,1860 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales — Sir William Denison*Governor of Queensland — Sir George Bowen...
: Australian rules footballAustralian rules footballAustralian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
codified, Melbourne Football ClubMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
founded - 18591859 in AustraliaSee also:1858 in Australia,other events of 1859,1860 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales — Sir William Denison*Governor of Queensland — Sir George Bowen...
: Queensland separates from 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...
with its western border at 141° E.
1860s
- 18601860 in AustraliaSee also:1859 in Australia,other events of 1860,1861 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir William Dennison*Governor of Queensland - Sir George Bowen...
: John McDouall StuartJohn McDouall StuartJohn McDouall Stuart was one of the most accomplished and famous of all Australia's inland explorers. Stuart led the first successful expedition to traverse the Australian mainland from south to north and return, and the first to do so from a starting point in South Australia, achieving this...
reaches the centre of the continent. 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...
n border changed from 132° E to 129° E. - 18611861 in AustraliaSee also:1860 in Australia,other events of 1861,1862 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir William Dennison, John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar...
: The ill-fated Burke and Wills expeditionBurke and Wills expeditionIn 1860–61, Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills led an expedition of 19 men with the intention of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the south to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north, a distance of around 3,250 kilometres...
occurs. - 18611861 in AustraliaSee also:1860 in Australia,other events of 1861,1862 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir William Dennison, John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar...
: skiing in AustraliaSkiing in AustraliaSkiing in Australia takes place in the high country of the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, as well as in the Australian Capital Territory, during the Southern Hemisphere winter....
introduced by Norwegians in the Snowy MountainsSnowy MountainsThe Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", are the highest Australian mountain range and contain the Australian mainland's highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, which reaches 2,228 metres AHD, approximately 7310 feet....
goldrush town of Kiandra - 18621862 in AustraliaSee also:1861 in Australia,other events of 1861,1863 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar...
: Stuart reaches Port DarwinDarwin, Northern TerritoryDarwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, founding a settlement there. Queensland's western border is moved to 139° E. - 18631863 in AustraliaSee also:1862 in Australia,other events of 1863,1864 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales — John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar*Governor of Queensland — Sir George Bowen...
: 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...
takes control of the Northern TerritoryNorthern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
which was part of the colony 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...
. - 18671867 in AustraliaSee also: 1866 in Australia, other events of 1867, 1868 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:GovernorsGovernors of the Australian colonies:...
: Gold is discovered at GympieGympieGympie may refer to:* Gympie, a city in Queensland, Australia** Gympie Airport** Electoral district of Gympie** Gympie Region, its local government authority* Gympie Gympie , a stinging plant...
, QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. - 1867: Saint Mary MacKillop founds Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred HeartSisters of St Joseph of the Sacred HeartThe Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the Josephites , were founded in Penola, South Australia in 1866 by Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods....
. - 18681868 in AustraliaSee also:1867 in Australia,other events of 1868,1869 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales — Somerset Lowry-Corry, 4th Earl Belmore...
: The transportation of convicts to Western Australia ceases. - 18691869 in AustraliaSee also:1868 in Australia,other events of 1869,1870 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales – Somerset Lowry-Corry, 4th Earl Belmore...
: Children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent are removed from their families by Australian and State government agencies.
1870s
- 18721872 in AustraliaSee also:1871 in Australia,other events of 1872,1873 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:...
: Overland Telegraph LineAustralian Overland Telegraph LineThe Australian Overland Telegraph Line was a 3200 km telegraph line that connected Darwin with Port Augusta in South Australia. Completed in 1872 the Overland Telegraph Line allowed fast communication between Australia and the rest of the world. An additional section was added in 1877 with the...
linking DarwinDarwin, Northern TerritoryDarwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
and AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
opens. - 18731873 in AustraliaSee also:1872 in Australia,other events of 1873,1874 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales – Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead...
: UluruUluruUluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
is first sighted by Europeans, and named Ayers Rock. - 18751875 in AustraliaSee also: 1874 in Australia, other events of 1875, 1876 in Australia, Timeline of Australian history.-Events:*11 January - William Robinson arrives in Western Australia to become Governor of the colony....
: strikes Old Reef off North Queensland and sinks with the loss of approximately 102 lives. - 1875: Adelaide Steamship CompanyAdelaide Steamship CompanyThe Adelaide Steamship Company was formed by a group of South Australian businessmen in 1875. Their aim was to control the transport of goods between Adelaide and Melbourne and profit from the need for an efficient and comfortable passenger service...
is formed. - 18781878 in AustraliaSee also:1877 in Australia,other events of 1878,1879 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales – Sir Hercules Robinson*Governor of Queensland – Sir Arthur Kennedy...
: First horse-drawn trams in Australia commenced operations in AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. - 18791879 in AustraliaSee also:1878 in Australia,other events of 1879,1880 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales – Sir Hercules Robinson , then Sir Augustus Loftus...
: The first congress of trade unions is held.
1880s
- 18801880 in AustraliaSee also:1879 in Australia,other events of 1880,1881 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Events:* 20 January - Bushranger Captain Moonlite hanged in Sydney....
: The bushrangerBushrangerBushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...
Ned KellyNed KellyEdward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
is hanged. - 1880: Parliamentarians in Victoria become the first in Australia to be paid for their work.
- 18821882 in AustraliaSee also:1881 in Australia,other events of 1882,1883 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales – Lord Augustus Loftus*Governor of Queensland – Arthur Edward Kennedy...
: First water-borne sewerage service in Australia commenced operations in AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. - 18831883 in AustraliaSee also:1882 in Australia,other events of 1883,1884 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:* Governor of New South Wales - Lord Augustus Loftus...
: The opening of the Sydney-Melbourne railway - 1883: Silver is discovered at Broken HillBroken Hill, New South Wales-Geology:Broken Hill's massive orebody, which formed about 1,800 million years ago, has proved to be among the world's largest silver-lead-zinc mineral deposits. The orebody is shaped like a boomerang plunging into the earth at its ends and outcropping in the centre. The protruding tip of the...
- 18871887 in AustraliaSee also:1886 in Australia,other events of 1887,1888 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Premier of New South Wales – Patrick Jenning , then Henry Parkes...
: An Australian cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
team is established, defeating England in the first Ashes seriesThe 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...
. First direct Inter-colonial passenger trains begin running between AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and Melbourne. - 18891889 in AustraliaSee also:1888 in Australia,other events of 1889,1890 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Henry Parkes , then George Dibbs , then Henry Parkes...
: The completion of the railway network between AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, 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...
, Melbourne and Sydney. - 1889: Sir Henry ParkesHenry ParkesSir Henry Parkes, GCMG was an Australian statesman, the "Father of Federation." As the earliest advocate of a Federal Council of the colonies of Australia, a precursor to the Federation of Australia, he was the most prominent of the Australian Founding Fathers.Parkes was described during his...
delivers the Tenterfield OrationTenterfield OrationThe Tenterfield Oration was a speech given by Sir Henry Parkes at the Tenterfield School of Arts, New South Wales, Australia on 24 October 1889 asking for the Federation of the six Australian colonies, which were at the time self-governed but under the distant central authority of the British...
.
1890s
- 18901890 in AustraliaSee also:1889 in Australia,other events of 1890,1891 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Premier of New South Wales - Henry Parkes*Premier of South Australia - John Cockburn until 19 August, then Thomas Playford II...
: The Australian Federation Conference calls a constitutional convention. - 18911891 in AustraliaSee also:1890 in Australia,other events of 1891,1892 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Premier of New South Wales - Henry Parkes then George Dibbs*Premier of South Australia - Thomas Playford II...
: A National Australasian Convention meets, agrees on adopting the name "the Commonwealth of Australia" and drafting a constitutionConstitution of AustraliaThe Constitution of Australia is the supreme law under which the Australian Commonwealth Government operates. It consists of several documents. The most important is the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia...
. - 1891: The first attempt at a federal constitution is drafted.
- 1891: The Convention adopts the constitution, although it has no legal status
- 1891: A severe depression hits Australia
- 18921892 in AustraliaSee also:1891 in Australia,other events of 1892,1893 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Premier of New South Wales - George Dibbs...
: Gold is discovered at Coolgardie, Western AustraliaCoolgardie, Western AustraliaCoolgardie is a small town in the Australian state of Western Australia, east of the state capital, Perth. It has a population of approximately 800 people....
. - 18931893 in AustraliaSee also:1892 in Australia,other events of 1893,1894 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Premier of New South Wales - George Dibbs*Premier of South Australia - John Downer then Charles Kingston...
: The Corowa ConferenceCorowa ConferenceThe Corowa Conference was a political meeting held in the New South Wales border town of Corowa in 1893 to discuss a proposed federation of the Australian colonies....
(the "people's convention") calls on the colonial parliaments to pass enabling acts, allowing the election of delegates to a new constitutional convention aimed at drafting a proposal and putting it to a referendum in each colony. - 18941894 in AustraliaSee also:1893 in Australia,other events of 1894,1895 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Premier of New South Wales - George Dibbs then George Reid*Premier of South Australia - Charles Kingston...
: 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...
becomes the first Australian colony, and the second place in the world, to grant women the right to voteWomen's suffrageWomen's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
, as well the first Parliament in the world to allow women to stand for office. - 18951895 in AustraliaSee also:1894 in Australia,other events of 1895,1896 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Premier of New South Wales - George Reid*Premier of South Australia - Charles Kingston*Premier of Queensland - Hugh Nelson...
: The premiers, except for those of Queensland and Western Australia, agree to implement the Corowa proposals. - 1895: Waltzing MatildaWaltzing Matilda"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's most widely known bush ballad. A country folk song, the song has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia"....
is first sung in public, in Winton, QueenslandWinton, Queensland-Qantas:Winton was one of the founding towns of the Australian airline Qantas. The first board meeting was held at the Winton Club on 10 February 1921.-Waltzing Matilda:... - 1895: Banjo PatersonBanjo PatersonAndrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, OBE was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales where he spent much of his childhood...
publishes The Man from Snowy River - 18961896 in AustraliaSee also:1895 in Australia,other events of 1896,1897 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales – Henry Brand, 2nd Viscount Hampden...
: The Bathurst Conference (the second "people's convention") meets to discuss the 1891 draft constitution - 18971897 in AustraliaSee also:1896 in Australia,other events of 1897,1898 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Premier of New South Wales - George Reid*Premier of South Australia - Charles Kingston*Premier of Queensland - Hugh Nelson...
: In two sessions, the Second National Australasian Convention meets (with representatives from all colonies except Queensland present). They agree to adopt a constitution based on the 1891 draft, and then revise and amend it later that year. Catherine Helen SpenceCatherine Helen SpenceCatherine Helen Spence was a Scottish-born Australian author, teacher, journalist, politician and leading suffragette. In 1897 she became Australia's first female political candidate after standing for the Federal Convention held in Adelaide...
became the first female political candidate for political office, standing for election as a representative for South Australia. - 18981898 in AustraliaSee also:1897 in Australia,other events of 1898,1899 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Premier of New South Wales - George Reid*Premier of South Australia - Charles Kingston...
: The Convention agrees on a final draft to be put to the people. - 1898: After much public debate, the Victorian, South Australian and Tasmanian referendums are successful; the New South Wales referendum narrowly fails. Later New South Wales votes "yes" in a second referendum, and Queensland and Western Australia also vote to join.
- 18991899 in AustraliaSee also:1898 in Australia,other events of 1899,1900 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Governors of the Australian colonies:...
: The decision is made to site the national capitalCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
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...
, but not within 100 miles of Sydney. - 1899: 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...
holds office for a few days in Queensland, becoming the first trade union party to do so anywhere in the world. - 1899: The first contingents from various Australian colonies are sent to South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to participate in the Second Boer WarSecond Boer WarThe Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
.
20th century
- 19001900 in AustraliaSee also: 1899 in Australia, other events in 1900, 1901 in Australia, Timeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch — Queen VictoriaNote: Australia was not yet federated as of 1900, therefore no prime minister existed....
– Several delegates visit London to resist proposed changes to the agreed-upon constitution. - 1900 – The constitution is passed by the Parliament of the United KingdomParliament of the United KingdomThe Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
as a schedule to the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, and is given royal assent - 19011901 in AustraliaSee also:1900 in Australia,other events of 1901,1902 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch — Queen Victoria , then Edward VII*Governor General — John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun...
– Australia becomes a federation on 1 January. Edmund BartonEdmund BartonSir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC , Australian politician and judge, was the first Prime Minister of Australia and a founding justice of the High Court of Australia....
becomes 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...
; the 7th Earl of HopetounJohn Hope, 1st Marquess of LinlithgowJohn Adrian Louis Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC , also known as Viscount Aithrie before 1873 and as The 7th Earl of Hopetoun between 1873 and 1902, was a Scottish aristocrat, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his brief and controversial tenure as the...
becomes 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... - 1901 – The first parliament met in Parliament House, MelbourneParliament House, MelbourneParliament House in Melbourne, located at Spring Street in East Melbourne at the edge of the Melbourne city centre, has been the seat of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia, since 1855 .- History :In 1851, even before the colony of Victoria acquired full parliamentary self-government, Governor...
- 1901 – Immigration Restriction act was introduced- The White Australian Policy
- 1901 – The Australian National FlagFlag of AustraliaThe flag of Australia is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union Flag in the canton , and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter...
was flown for the first time - 19021902 in AustraliaSee also:1901 in Australia,other events of 1902,1903 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King Edward VII*Governor-General – John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun*Prime Minister – Edmund Barton-State premiers:...
– The Franchise ActCommonwealth Franchise Act 1902The Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 was an Act of the Parliament of Australia which defined who was allowed to vote in Australian federal elections. The Act granted Australian women the right to vote at a national level, and to stand for election to the Parliament...
guarantees women the right to vote in federal elections (by this stage, most states had already done this). However, it excludes most non-European ethnic groups, including AboriginalIndigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
people, unless already registered to vote on State roles. - 1902 – King Edward VIIEdward VII of the United KingdomEdward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
approved the design of the Australian flag. - 1902 – Breaker MorantBreaker MorantHarry 'Breaker' Harbord Morant was an Anglo-Australian drover, horseman, poet, soldier and convicted war criminal whose skill with horses earned him the nickname "The Breaker"...
is executed for having shot Boers who had surrendered - 19031903 in AustraliaSee also:1902 in Australia,other events of 1903,1904 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – Edward VII*Governor General – John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun , then Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson...
– The High Court of AustraliaHigh Court of AustraliaThe High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
is established with Samuel GriffithSamuel GriffithSir Samuel Walker Griffith GCMG QC, was an Australian politician, Premier of Queensland, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia and a principal author of the Constitution of Australia.-Early life:...
as the first Chief JusticeChief Justice of AustraliaThe Chief Justice of Australia is the informal title for the presiding justice of the High Court of Australia and the highest-ranking judicial officer in the Commonwealth of Australia...
. - 1903 – The Defence Act gives the federal government full control over the Australian 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...
- 1903 – Alfred DeakinAlfred DeakinAlfred Deakin , Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later the second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria, including the...
elected Prime Minister - 19041904 in AustraliaSee also:1903 in Australia,other events of 1904,1905 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King Edward VII...
– A site at Dalgety, New South WalesDalgety, New South WalesDalgety is a small town in New South Wales Australia, on the banks of the Snowy River between Melbourne and Sydney.The town is located at what was once an important river crossing along the Travelling Stock route from Gippsland to the Snowy Mountains High Country dating from the 1840s.- History...
chosen for the new national capital - 1904 – Chris WatsonChris WatsonJohn Christian Watson , commonly known as Chris Watson, Australian politician, was the third Prime Minister of Australia...
forms the first federal LaborAustralian 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...
(minority) government - 19061906 in AustraliaSee also: 1905 in Australia, other events of 1906, 1907 in Australia, Timeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King Edward VII*Governor General – Henry Northcote, 1st Baron Northcote*Prime Minister – Alfred Deakin-State premiers:...
– Australia takes control of south-eastern New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago... - 19081908 in AustraliaSee also: 1907 in Australia, other events of 1908, 1909 in Australia, Timeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King Edward VII*Governor-General – Henry Northcote, 1st Baron Northcote , then William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley...
– Dorothea MackellarDorothea MackellarIsobel Marion Dorothea Mackellar, OBE was an Australian poet and fiction writer.The only daughter of noted physician and parliamentarian Sir Charles Mackellar, she was born in Sydney in 1885...
publishes My Country - 1908 – The Dalgety proposal for the national capital is revoked, and CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
is chosen instead - 19091909 in AustraliaSee also:1908 in Australia,other events of 1909,1910 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King Edward VII*Governor-General – William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley...
– The first powered aeroplane flight in Australia is made.
1910s
- 19101910 in AustraliaSee also:1909 in Australia,other events of 1910,1911 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King Edward VII , then King George V*Governor-General – William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley...
– Andrew Fisher forms the first federal majority Labor government. - 19111911 in AustraliaSee also:1910 in Australia,other events of 1911,1912 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley , then Thomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman...
– The Royal Australian NavyRoyal Australian NavyThe Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
is founded - 1911 – The Northern TerritoryNorthern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
comes under Commonwealth control, being split off from 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... - 1911 – The first national census is conducted.
- 1911 – Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
proclaimed. - 19121912 in AustraliaSee also:1911 in Australia,other events of 1912,1913 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – The Right Hon...
– Australia sends women to the Olympic Games for the first time - 1912 – Walter Burley GriffinWalter Burley GriffinWalter Burley Griffin was an American architect and landscape architect, who is best known for his role in designing Canberra, Australia's capital city...
wins a design competition for the new city of CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne... - 19131913 in AustraliaSee also:1912 in Australia,other events of 1913,1914 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – The Right Hon...
– The foundation stone for the city of Canberra is put in place - 19141914 in Australia1914 in Australia was dominated by the outbreak of World War I. Andrew Fisher, who became Prime Minister a month after Australia entered the war vowed that Australia would "stand beside our own to help and defend Britain to the last man and the last shilling." In 1914, the Australian war effort...
– Australian soldiers are sent to the First World WarMilitary history of Australia during World War IIn Australia, the outbreak of World War I was greeted with considerable enthusiasm. Even before Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914, the nation pledged its support for the Empire alongside other Commonwealth nations and almost immediately began preparations to send forces overseas to...
. This was first time Australians had fought under the Australian flag, as opposed to that of Britain's. - 19151915 in AustraliaSee also:1914 in Australia,other events of 1915,1916 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – The Right Hon...
– Australian soldiers land at Anzac CoveAnzac CoveAnzac Cove is a small cove on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. It became famous as the site of World War I landing of the ANZAC on April 25, 1915. The cove is a mere long, bounded by the headlands of Ari Burnu to the north and Little Ari Burnu, known as Hell Spit, to the south...
on the GallipoliGallipoliThe Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
Peninsula in Turkey on 25 April. - 1915 – Jervis Bay Territory comprising 6,677 hectares surrendered and becomes part of the Australia Capital Territory.
- 19151915 in AustraliaSee also:1914 in Australia,other events of 1915,1916 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – The Right Hon...
– SurfingSurfingSurfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
is first introduced to Australia - 1915 – Billy HughesBilly HughesWilliam Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
became Prime Minister - 19161916 in AustraliaSee also:1915 in Australia,other events of 1916,1917 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – The Right Hon. Sir Ronald Munro-Ferguson*Prime Minister – Billy Hughes-State premiers:...
– Hotels are forced to close at 6 p.m., leading to the beginning of the "six o'clock swillSix o'clock swillThe six o'clock swill was an Australian and New Zealand slang term for the last-minute rush to buy drinks at a hotel bar before it closed. During a significant part of the 20th century, most Australian and New Zealand hotels shut their public bars at 6 p.m. A culture developed of heavy drinking...
" - 1916 - Australia suffers heavy casualties in the Western FrontWestern FrontWestern Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the contested armed frontier between lands controlled by Germany to the east and the Allies to the west...
Battle of the Somme. - 1916 – The Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Imperial League of Australia, the forerunner to the Returned and Services League of AustraliaReturned and Services League of AustraliaThe Returned and Services League of Australia is a support organisation for men and women who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force ....
is founded - 1916 – The Labor government under Billy Hughes splits over conscriptionConscriptionConscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
. First referendum on conscription is rejected - 19171917 in AustraliaSee also:1916 in Australia,other events of 1917,1918 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history."As of 1917 Australia's population was still only 5 million, with most people living in scattered rural areas. The sea voyage to Britain took two months, and land transport within Australia...
– Second referendum on conscription is rejected. Transcontinental railway linking AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
to PerthPerth, 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....
is completed. - 1917 - Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade launches last cavalry charge in modern warfare to capture BeershebaBeershebaBeersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
from the Ottoman Turks. - 1918 - Battle of Amiens: Australian troops spearhead 8 August offensive against Hindenberg Line: the "black day of the German Army". On 12 August, Australian commander General Sir John MonashJohn MonashGeneral Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD was a civil engineer who became the Australian military commander in the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the War and then became commander of the 4th Brigade in Egypt shortly after the outbreak of the War with whom he took part...
is knighted in the field of battle by King George V - 1918 – First World War ends - 60,000 Australians dead.
- 1918 - The Darwin RebellionDarwin RebellionThe Darwin Rebellion of 17 December 1918 was the culmination of unrest in the Australian Workers' Union which had grown between 1911 and 1919. Led by Harold Nelson, some 1000 demonstrators marched on Government House at Liberty Square in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia where they burnt an...
takes place, with 1,000 demonstrators demanding the resignation of the 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...
, John A. GilruthJohn A. GilruthJohn Anderson Gilruth was a veterinary scientist and administrator. He is particularly noted for being Administrator of the Northern Territory from 1912 to 1918, when he was recalled after an angry mob demanded that he resign...
. - 19191919 in AustraliaSee also:1918 in Australia,other events of 1919,1920 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – Sir Ronald Munro-Ferguson*Prime Minister – Billy Hughes-State premiers:...
- Prime Minister Billy HughesBilly HughesWilliam Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
signs Treaty of VersaillesTreaty of VersaillesThe Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
: the first signing of an international treaty by Australia. Australia obtains League of NationsLeague of NationsThe League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
mandate over German New GuineaGerman New GuineaGerman New Guinea was the first part of the German colonial empire. It was a protectorate from 1884 until 1914 when it fell to Australia following the outbreak of the First World War. It consisted of the northeastern part of New Guinea and several nearby island groups...
.
1920s
- 19201920 in AustraliaSee also:1919 in Australia,other events of 1920,1921 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – Ronald Munro-Ferguson , then Henry Forster*Prime Minister – Billy Hughes...
– The airline QantasQantasQantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
is founded - 19211921 in AustraliaSee also:1920 in Australia,other events of 1921,1922 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – Henry Forster*Prime Minister – Billy Hughes-State premiers:...
– Edith CowanEdith CowanEdith Dircksey Cowan , MBE was an Australian politician, social campaigner and the first woman elected to an Australian parliament....
becomes the first woman elected to an Australian parliament - 19221922 in AustraliaSee also:1921 in Australia,other events of 1922,1923 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster of Lepe*Prime Minister – Billy Hughes-State premiers:...
– The Smith FamilyThe Smith FamilyThe Smith Family is an Australian, independent non-profit children's charity committed to unlocking opportunities for disadvantaged children and their families to participate more fully in society, using education as the key.-The Smith Family history:...
charity is founded in Sydney - 19231923 in AustraliaSee also:1922 in Australia,other events of 1923,1924 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor General – Henry Forster*Prime Minister – Billy Hughes , then Stanley Bruce...
– VegemiteVegemiteVegemite is a dark brown Australian food paste made from yeast extract. It is a spread for sandwiches, toast, crumpets and cracker biscuits, and filling for pastries...
is first produced - 19261926 in AustraliaSee also:1925 in Australia,other events of 1926,1927 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V...
– The first Miss AustraliaMiss AustraliaMiss Australia is the title for the winner of the Miss Australia Quest/Awards, which ran from 1954 until 2000, when the last Miss Australia was named....
contest is held - 19271927 in AustraliaSee also:1926 in Australia,other events of 1927,1928 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:...
– The tenth parliament is formally opened in CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, finalising the move to the new capital - 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:...
– Bert HinklerBert HinklerHerbert John Louis Hinkler AFC DSM , better known as Bert Hinkler, was a pioneer Australian aviator and inventor. He designed and built early aircraft before being the first person to fly solo from England to Australia, and the first person to fly solo across the Southern Atlantic Ocean...
makes the first successful flight from Britain to Australia, and Charles Kingsford SmithCharles Kingsford SmithSir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith MC, AFC , often called by his nickname Smithy, was an early Australian aviator. In 1928, he earned global fame when he made the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia...
makes the first flight from the United States to Australia. The Shrine of Remembrance is built. - 19291929 in AustraliaSee also:1928 in Australia,other events of 1929,1930 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – John Baird, Baronet of Stonehaven...
– Western Australia celebrates its centenaryCentenary of Western AustraliaIn 1929, Western Australia celebrated the centenary of the founding of Perth and the establishment of the Swan River Colony, the first permanent European settlement... - 19291929 in AustraliaSee also:1928 in Australia,other events of 1929,1930 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – John Baird, Baronet of Stonehaven...
– Labor returns to office under James ScullinJames ScullinJames Henry Scullin , Australian Labor politician and the ninth Prime Minister of Australia. Two days after he was sworn in as Prime Minister, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 occurred, marking the beginning of the Great Depression and subsequent Great Depression in Australia.-Early life:Scullin was...
. The Great Depression hits AustraliaGreat Depression in AustraliaAustralia suffered badly during the period of the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. As in other nations, Australia suffered years of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging incomes, and...
.
1930s
- 19301930 in AustraliaSee also:1929 in Australia,other events of 1930,1931 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – John Baird, Baronet of Stonehaven*Prime Minister of Australia...
– Batsman Don BradmanDonald BradmanSir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
scores a record 452 not out in one cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
innings - 1930 – Phar LapPhar LapPhar Lap was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse whose achievements captured the public's imagination during the early years of the Great Depression. Foaled in New Zealand, he was trained and raced in Australia. Phar Lap dominated Australian racing during a distinguished career, winning a Melbourne...
wins his first 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... - 19311931 in AustraliaSee also:1930 in Australia,other events of 1931,1932 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven , then Sir Isaac Isaacs...
– Sir Douglas MawsonDouglas MawsonSir Douglas Mawson, OBE, FRS, FAA was an Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer and Academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Ernest Shackleton, Mawson was a key expedition leader during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.-Early work:He was appointed geologist to an...
charts 4,000 miles of Antarctic coastline and claims 42% of the icy mass for Australia - 19321932 in AustraliaSee also:1931 in Australia,other events of 1932,1933 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – Sir Isaac Isaacs*Prime Minister – James Scullin , then Joseph Lyons...
– The Sydney Harbour BridgeSydney Harbour BridgeThe Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
opens - 1932 – The Labor government falls and Joseph LyonsJoseph LyonsJoseph Aloysius Lyons, CH was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928 and a Minister in the James Scullin government from 1929 until his resignation from the Labor Party in March 1931...
becomes Prime Minister - 19331933 in AustraliaSee also:1932 in Australia,other events of 1933,1934 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Governor-General – Sir Isaac Isaacs*Prime Minister – Joseph Lyons-State Premiers:...
– Western Australia votes at a rerefendum to secede from the Commonwealth, but the vote is ignored by both the Commonwealth and British governments - 19361936 in AustraliaSee also:1935 in Australia,other events of 1936,1937 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V , then King Edward VIII , then King George VI...
– The last ThylacineThylacineThe thylacine or ,also ;binomial name: Thylacinus cynocephalus, Greek for "dog-headed pouched one") was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or the Tasmanian wolf...
dies - 19371937 in AustraliaSee also:1936 in Australia,other events of 1937,1938 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie*Prime Minister – Joseph Lyons-State Premiers:...
– The radio series Dad and Dave begins - 19381938 in AustraliaSee also:1937 in Australia,other events of 1938,1939 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie*Prime Minister – Joseph Lyons-State Premiers:...
– Sydney hosts the Empire Games, the forerunner to the Commonwealth GamesCommonwealth GamesThe Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years.... - 19391939 in AustraliaSee also:1938 in Australia,other events of 1939,1940 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruvthen, 1st Baron Gowrie...
- April, Prime Minister Lyons dies in office and is replaced by Robert MenziesRobert MenziesSir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
and the first Menzies GovernmentMenzies Government (1939–1941)The Menzies Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister Robert Menzies. Menzies led the United Australia Party in the Australian Parliament from 1939–1941... - 1939 – September, Australia enters the Second World WarMilitary history of Australia during World War IIAustralia entered World War II shortly after the invasion of Poland, declaring war on Germany on 3 September 1939. By the end of the war, almost a million Australians had served in the armed forces, whose military units fought primarily in the European theatre, North African campaign, and...
following the German Invasion of Poland. The 2nd Australian Imperial Force is raised. - 1939 – The first flight is made by an Australian-made warplane, the Wirraway
- 1939 – Victoria is devastated by the Black Friday bushfiresBlack Friday (1939)The Black Friday fires of 13 January 1939, in Victoria, Australia, were considered one of the worst natural bushfires in the world, and certainly the single worst in Australian history as a measure of land affected...
1940s
- 19401940 in AustraliaSee also:1939 in Australia,other events of 1940,1941 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies-State Governors:...
– A team of scientists, under Howard Florey, develops penicillinPenicillinPenicillin is a group of antibiotics derived from Penicillium fungi. They include penicillin G, procaine penicillin, benzathine penicillin, and penicillin V.... - 1940 - Fascist Italy enters war, Royal Australian NavyRoyal Australian NavyThe Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
engages Italian NavyRegia MarinaThe Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
in the early stages of the Battle of the MediterraneanBattle of the MediterraneanThe Battle of the Mediterranean was the name given to the naval campaign fought in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II, from 10 June 1940-2 May 1945....
. - 1941 - 3 Divisions of the 2nd Australian Imperial Force join operations in the Mediterranean. After initial successes against Italy, 2nd AIF suffered defeat against the Germans in Greece, Crete, and North Africa.
- 1941 - Apr-Aug, Australian garrison (Rats of Tobruk) halt advance of Hitler's panzers for the first time during the Siege of TobrukSiege of TobrukThe siege of Tobruk was a confrontation that lasted 240 days between Axis and Allied forces in North Africa during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War...
. - 19411941 in AustraliaSee also:1940 in Australia,other events of 1941,1942 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie...
– Menzies resigns and John CurtinJohn CurtinJohn Joseph Curtin , Australian politician, served as the 14th Prime Minister of Australia. Labor under Curtin formed a minority government in 1941 after the crossbench consisting of two independent MPs crossed the floor in the House of Representatives, bringing down the Coalition minority...
becomes Prime Minister in the Curtin GovernmentCurtin GovernmentThe Curtin Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Curtin. It was made up of members of the Australian Labor Party in the Australian Parliament from 1941 to 1945.-Background:...
of 1941-45. - 1942 - Feb, Fall of Singapore. 15,000 Australians become Prisoners of War of the JapaneseMilitary history of Australia during World War IIAustralia entered World War II shortly after the invasion of Poland, declaring war on Germany on 3 September 1939. By the end of the war, almost a million Australians had served in the armed forces, whose military units fought primarily in the European theatre, North African campaign, and...
- 1942–431942 in AustraliaSee also:1941 in Australia,other events of 1942,1943 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie*Prime Minister – John Curtin-State Premiers:...
– Japanese air raidsJapanese air attacks on Australia, 1942-43Between February 1942 and November 1943, during the Pacific War, the Australian mainland, domestic airspace, offshore islands and coastal shipping were attacked at least 97 times by aircraft from the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force...
- almost 100 attacks against sites in the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland. - 1942 - The Royal Australian NavyRoyal Australian NavyThe Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
and 6th and 7th Divisions of 2nd AIF are recalled from Mediterranean Theatre to participate in the anticipated Battle of Australia. - 1942-3 - Sparrow ForceSparrow ForceSparrow Force was a detachment based on the 2/40th Australian Infantry Battalion and other British and Australian 8th Division units, during World War II. The force was formed to defend the island of Timor, from invasion by the Empire of Japan...
engages in guerilla campaign in Battle of Timor - 1942 - Battle of the Coral SeaBattle of the Coral SeaThe Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
- United StatesUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and Royal Australian NavyRoyal Australian NavyThe Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
halt advance of the Japanese towards Port MoresbyPort MoresbyPort Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
(Australian Territory of Papua) - 1942 - Battle of Kokoda Trail - Australian soldiers halt Japanese march on Port MoresbyPort MoresbyPort Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
- 1942 - Aug-Sep, Australian forces inflict the first defeat on the Imperial Japanese ArmyImperial Japanese Army-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
in the Battle of Milne BayBattle of Milne BayThe Battle of Milne Bay, also known as Operation RE by the Japanese, was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Japanese marines attacked the Australian base at Milne Bay on the eastern tip of New Guinea on 25 August 1942, and fighting continued until the Japanese retreated on 5...
. - 1942 - Jul-Nov, Australia's 9th Division plays crucial role in the FirstFirst Battle of El AlameinThe First Battle of El Alamein was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought between Axis forces of the Panzer Army Africa commanded by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, and Allied forces The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert...
and Second Battle of El AlameinSecond Battle of El AlameinThe Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The battle took place over 20 days from 23 October – 11 November 1942. The First Battle of El Alamein had stalled the Axis advance. Thereafter, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery...
, which turned the North Africa Campaign in favour of the Allies. - 1942 – National daylight saving is introduced as a war time measure.
- 1942 – The UK Statute of WestminsterStatute of Westminster 1931The Statute of Westminster 1931 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Passed on 11 December 1931, the Act established legislative equality for the self-governing dominions of the British Empire with the United Kingdom...
is formally adopted by Australia. The Statute formally grants Australia the right to pass laws that conflict with UK laws. - 19431943 in AustraliaSee also:1942 in Australia,other events of 1943,1944 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie*Prime Minister – John Curtin-State Premiers:...
– Australia wins its first OscarAcademy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, with cinematographer Damien ParerDamien ParerDamien Peter Parer was an Australian war photographer. He became famous for his war photography of the Second World War, and was killed by Japanese machinegun fire at Peleliu, Palau. He married Elizabeth Marie Cotter on 23 March 1944, and his son, producer Damien Parer, was born after his father...
honoured for Kokoda Front Line! documentary. - 1943 - 2,815 Australian Pows die constructing Japan's Burma-Thailand Railway
- 1943-44 - Australian forces engage Japan in New Guinea, Wau, and the Huon peninsula.
- 19441944 in AustraliaSee also:1943 in Australia,other events of 1944,1945 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie*Prime Minister – John Curtin-State Premiers:...
– Cowra breakoutCowra breakoutDuring World War II, a prisoner of war camp near the town of Cowra in New South Wales, Australia was the site of one of the largest prison escapes of the war, on 5 August 1944. At least 545 Japanese POWs were involved in the breakout.-The camp:...
, mass escape of Japanese prisoners of war occurs in NSW. - 1944 - Japanese inflict Sandakan Death March on 2,000 Australian and British prisoners of war - only 6 survive. The single worst war crime perpetrated against Australians.
- 1944 - Australian forces battle Japanese garrisons from Borneo to Bougainville.
- 19441944 in AustraliaSee also:1943 in Australia,other events of 1944,1945 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie*Prime Minister – John Curtin-State Premiers:...
– The Pharmaceutical Benefits SchemePharmaceutical Benefits SchemeThe Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme or PBS is a program of the Australian Government that provides subsidised prescription drugs to residents of Australia. The PBS ensures that all Australians have affordable and reliable access to a wide range of necessary medicines.-History:The PBS was established...
is introduced, providing subsidised medicine to all Australians - 19451945 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie , then the Duke of Gloucester*Prime Minister – John Curtin , then Frank Forde , then Ben Chifley...
- the Liberal Party of AustraliaLiberal 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...
is established with Robert MenziesRobert MenziesSir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
as its first leader. - 1945 - Australian forces lead Battle of BorneoBorneo campaign (1945)The Borneo Campaign of 1945 was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area, during World War II. In a series of amphibious assaults between 1 May and 21 July, the Australian I Corps, under General Leslie Morshead, attacked Japanese forces occupying the island. Allied naval and...
- 19451945 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie , then the Duke of Gloucester*Prime Minister – John Curtin , then Frank Forde , then Ben Chifley...
– 7 May, Nazi Germany surrenders - 1945 - July, Prime Minister Curtin dies and is replaced by Ben ChifleyBen ChifleyJoseph Benedict Chifley , Australian politician, was the 16th Prime Minister of Australia. He took over the Australian Labor Party leadership and Prime Ministership after the death of John Curtin in 1945, and went on to retain government at the 1946 election, before being defeated at the 1949...
and the Chifley Labor GovernmentChifley GovernmentThe Chifley Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister Ben Chifley. It was made up of members of the Australian Labor Party in the Australian Parliament from 1945 to 1949.-Background:... - 1945 - 14 August, Japan Surrenders
- 19451945 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie , then the Duke of Gloucester*Prime Minister – John Curtin , then Frank Forde , then Ben Chifley...
– Australia becomes a founding member of the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace... - 1945 – The Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race is held for the first time
- 19461946 in AustraliaSee also:1945 in Australia,other events of 1946,1947 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester*Prime Minister – Ben Chifley-State Premiers:...
– Minister for Immigration Arthur CalwellArthur CalwellArthur Augustus Calwell Australian politician, was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for 32 years from 1940 to 1972, Immigration Minister in the government of Ben Chifley from 1945 to 1949 and Leader of the Australian Labor Party from 1960 to 1967.-Early life:Calwell was born in...
introduces the major post-war immigration scheme - 1946 – Norman MakinNorman MakinNorman John Oswald Makin AO , Australian politician, was a Cabinet minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives and diplomat.-Early life:...
, is voted in as the first President of the United Nations Security CouncilUnited Nations Security CouncilThe United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
. - 19481948 in AustraliaSee also:1947 in Australia,other events of 1948,1949 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor General – William McKell*Prime Minister – Ben Chifley-State Premiers:...
– Minister for External Affairs, Dr. H.V. Evatt is elected President of the United Nations General AssemblyUnited Nations General AssemblyFor two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
. - 1948 – Australia becomes a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human RightsUniversal Declaration of Human RightsThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
. - 19491949 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – William McKell*Prime Minister – Ben Chifley , then Robert Menzies-State Governors:*Governor of New South Wales – Sir John Northcott*Governor of Queensland – Sir John Lavarack...
– Construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme begins - 1949 – All indigenous ex-servicemen and any Indigenous AustraliansIndigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
who are eligible to vote in State Elections (NSW, VIC, SA and TAS) are given an unrestricted right to vote in Federal Elections. - 1949 – The Nationality and Citizenship Act is passed. Rather than being identified as subjects of Britain, the Act established Australian citizenship for people who met eligibility requirements.
- 1949 – Menzies returns to power as leader of the new Liberal Party Menzies Government.
1950s
- 1950-531950 in AustraliaSee also:1949 in Australia,other events of 1950,1951 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – William McKell*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies- State Premiers :...
– Australian troops are sent to the Korean WarKorean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
to assist South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. - 1951 – Voters reject a referendum to change the Constitution to allow the Menzies Government to ban the Communist PartyCommunist Party of AustraliaThe Communist Party of Australia was founded in 1920 and dissolved in 1991; it was succeeded by the Socialist Party of Australia, which then renamed itself, becoming the current Communist Party of Australia. The CPA achieved its greatest political strength in the 1940s and faced an attempted...
- 19511951 in AustraliaSee also:1950 in Australia,other events of 1951,1952 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – William McKell*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies-State Premiers:...
– Australia signs the ANZUSANZUSThe Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty is the military alliance which binds Australia and New Zealand and, separately, Australia and the United States to cooperate on defence matters in the Pacific Ocean area, though today the treaty is understood to relate to attacks...
treaty with the United States and New Zealand - 19521952 in AustraliaSee also:1951 in Australia,other events of 1952,1953 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI , then Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William McKell*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies...
– First nuclear test conducted in Australian territory by the United Kingdom off the coast of Western Australia. - 19541954 in AustraliaSee also:1953 in Australia,other events of 1954,1955 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William Slim*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies-State Premiers:...
– 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,...
and Prince Philip make a royal visit; the SovietSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
diplomat Vladimir PetrovVladimir Mikhaylovich Petrov (diplomat)Vladimir Mikhaylovich Petrov was a member of the Soviet Union's clandestine services who became famous in 1954 for his defection to Australia.-Early life:...
defects, leading to the Petrov AffairPetrov AffairThe Petrov Affair was a dramatic Cold War spy incident in Australia in April 1954, concerning Vladimir Petrov, Third Secretary of the Soviet embassy in Canberra.- History :...
and another split in the Labor Party - 1955 - Democratic Labor PartyDemocratic Labor Party (historical)The Democratic Labor Party was an Australian political party that existed from 1955 until 1978.-History:The DLP was formed as a result of a split in the Australian Labor Party that began in 1954. The split was between the party's national leadership, under the then party leader Dr H.V...
splits from 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...
over concerns of Communist influence in the labour movement - 1955 Australia becomes involved in Malayan Insurgence
- 19551955 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William Slim*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies-State Premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Joseph Cahill*Premier of Queensland – Vince Gair*Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV...
– Hotels in New South Wales no longer have to close at 6 p.m., ending the "six o'clock swillSix o'clock swillThe six o'clock swill was an Australian and New Zealand slang term for the last-minute rush to buy drinks at a hotel bar before it closed. During a significant part of the 20th century, most Australian and New Zealand hotels shut their public bars at 6 p.m. A culture developed of heavy drinking...
" - 19561956 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William Slim*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies-State Premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Joseph Cahill*Premier of Queensland – Vince Gair*Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV...
- Television in Australia is launched. - 19561956 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William Slim*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies-State Premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Joseph Cahill*Premier of Queensland – Vince Gair*Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV...
– Melbourne holds the Olympics1956 Summer OlympicsThe 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations... - 1956 - performing artist Barry HumphriesBarry HumphriesJohn Barry Humphries, AO, CBE is an Australian comedian, satirist, dadaist, artist, author and character actor, best known for his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife and "gigastar", and Sir Les Patterson, Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to the...
introduces Edna Everage to the Australian stageTheatre in AustraliaTheatre of Australia incorporates the theatrical arts produced in the area of, on the subject of or by the people of the Commonwealth of Australia... - 19571957 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William Slim*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies-State Premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Joseph Cahill*Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV...
- the song "Wild OneWild One (Johnny O'Keefe song)"Wild One" or "Real Wild Child" is an Australian rock and roll song written by Johnny Greenan, Johnny O'Keefe, and Dave Owens. Sydney disc jockey Tony Withers was credited with helping to get radio airplay for the song but writer credits on subsequent versions often omit Withers, who later worked...
" makes Johnny O'KeefeJohnny O'KeefeJohn Michael O'Keefe, known as Johnny O'Keefe was an Australian rock and roll singer whose career began in the 1950s. Some of his hits include "Wild One" , "Shout!" and "She's My Baby"...
the first Australian rock'n'roller to reach the national charts. - 1957 - Slim DustySlim DustyDavid Gordon "Slim Dusty " Kirkpatrick AO, MBE was an Australian country music singer-songwriter and producer, with a career spanning nearly eight decades. He was known to record songs in the legacy of Australian poets Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson that represented the Australian Bush...
's Australian country musicAustralian country musicAustralian country music is a part of the music of Australia. There is a broad range of styles, from bluegrass, to yodelling to folk to the more popular. The genre has been influenced by Celtic and English folk music, by the traditions of Australian bush balladeers, as well as by popular American...
hit Pub With No BeerPub with No BeerA Pub With No Beer is the title of a humorous country song made famous by country singers Slim Dusty and Bobbejaan Schoepen ....
becomes the first Australian song to attain international chart success.
1960s
- 1962 - Robert MenziesRobert MenziesSir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
' Commonwealth Electoral Act provided that all Indigenous AustraliansIndigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
should have the right to enrol and vote at federal elections, removing remaining restrictions applying in QLD, WA and NT. - 1962 Malayan Insurgence ends
- 19641964 in Australia-Incumbents:*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies*Governor General – William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle*Premier of New South Wales – Robert Heffron , then Jack Renshaw*Premier of South Australia – Sir Thomas Playford...
– The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
tour Australia; 82 sailors die when sinks after being rammedMelbourne-Voyager collisionThe Melbourne-Voyager collision, also referred to as the "Melbourne-Voyager incident" or simply the "Voyager incident", was a collision between two warships of the Royal Australian Navy ; the aircraft carrier and the destroyer...
by ; the editors of OzOz (magazine)Oz was first published as a satirical humour magazine between 1963 and 1969 in Sydney, Australia and, in its second and better known incarnation, became a "psychedelic hippy" magazine from 1967 to 1973 in London...
magazine are charged with obscenity; PM Robert Menzies announces the reintroduction of compulsory military service for men aged from 18–25 years old; First troops sent to Vietnam War. - 19651965 in Australia-Incumbents:*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies*Governor General – Viscount De L'Isle, succeeded by Lord Casey*Premier of New South Wales – Jack Renshaw ; Robert Askin...
– Indigenous Australians gain right to vote in state of Queensland - 19661966 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – The Lord Casey*Prime Minister – Sir Robert Menzies , then Harold Holt-State Premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Jack Renshaw , then Robert Askin...
– The ban on the employment of married women in the Commonwealth Public Service is lifted; Menzies retires as Australia's longest-serving Prime Minister and is succeeded by Harold HoltHarold HoltHarold Edward Holt, CH was an Australian politician and the 17th Prime Minister of Australia.His term as Prime Minister was brought to an early and dramatic end in December 1967 when he disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria, and was presumed drowned.Holt spent 32 years...
. - 19661966 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – The Lord Casey*Prime Minister – Sir Robert Menzies , then Harold Holt-State Premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Jack Renshaw , then Robert Askin...
– DecimalisationDecimalisationDecimal currency is the term used to describe any currency that is based on one basic unit of currency and a sub-unit which is a power of 10, most commonly 100....
; on *14 February the Australian currency is changed to dollars and cents, with the Australian DollarAustralian 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...
replacing the Australian poundAustralian poundThe pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
. - 19671967 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – The Lord Casey*Prime Minister – Harold Holt , then John McEwen-State premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Robert Askin...
– Large areas of HobartHobartHobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
and south-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...
are devastated by bushfires on 7 February that kill 62 people; Prime Minister Holt drowns and is succeeded by John GortonJohn GortonSir John Grey Gorton, GCMG, AC, CH , Australian politician, was the 19th Prime Minister of Australia.-Early life:...
; the constitution is changedAustralian referendum, 1967 (Aboriginals)The referendum of 27 May 1967 approved two amendments to the Australian constitution relating to Indigenous Australians. Technically it was a vote on the Constitution Alteration 1967, which became law on 10 August 1967 following the results of the referendum...
to allow Aboriginal Australians to be included in the population count and for the federal government to legislate for them; Sydney is rocked by a series of brutal underworld killings; talkback radio is introduced; British comedian Tony HancockTony HancockAnthony John "Tony" Hancock was an English actor and comedian.-Early life and career:Hancock was born in Southam Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, England, but from the age of three was brought up in Bournemouth, where his father, John Hancock, who ran the Railway Hotel in...
commits suicide in Sydney; Gough WhitlamGough WhitlamEdward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
becomes leader of the Labor Party; Ronald RyanRonald RyanRonald Joseph Ryan was the last person to be legally executed in Australia. Ryan was found guilty of shooting and killing prison officer George Hodson during a prison escape from Pentridge Prison, Victoria in 1965...
becomes the last person legally executed in Australia. - 19681968 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor General – The Lord Casey*Prime Minister – John McEwen , John Gorton -State premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Robert Askin...
– Australia signs the nuclear non-proliferation treaty; Aboriginal boxing champion Lionel RoseLionel RoseLionel Edmund Rose MBE was an Australian bantamweight boxer, the first Indigenous Australian to win a world title.-Early life:...
defeats Masahiko "Fighting" Harada in Japan to become the world bantamweight champion; Australia's first liverLiverThe liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
transplantOrgan transplantOrgan transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
operation is performed in Sydney; - 19691969 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Lord Casey , then Sir Paul Hasluck*Prime Minister – John Gorton-State premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Robert Askin*Premier of Queensland – Joh Bjelke-Petersen...
– French conceptual artist Christo 'wraps' Little Bay in Sydney; renowned author-artists Norman LindsayNorman LindsayNorman Alfred William Lindsay was an Australian artist, sculptor, writer, editorial cartoonist, scale modeler, and boxer. He was born in Creswick, Victoria....
and May GibbsMay GibbsCecilia May Gibbs MBE was an Australian children's author, illustrator, and cartoonist. She is best-known for her gumnut babies , and the book Snugglepot and Cuddlepie....
die; the Australian production of the rock musical HairHair (musical)Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
premieres in Sydney; top pop groups The EasybeatsThe EasybeatsThe Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
and The Twilights break up; Tim BurstallTim BurstallTim Burstall was an Australian film director, writer and producer, best known for the motion picture Alvin Purple....
directs2000 Weeks2000 Weeks2000 Weeks is a 1969 Australian film directed by Tim Burstall.Paul Byrnes from the NFSA comments: "2000 Weeks was one of the first features of the modern era in Australian cinema, after decades in which almost the only productions were British and American films in search of exotic locales. .....
, the first all-Australian feature released since Charles Chauvel's JeddaJeddaJedda was the last movie made by the Australian filmmaker Charles Chauvel. The film is most notable for being the first to star two Aboriginal actors in the leading roles, and also to be the first Australian film shot in colour...
in 19581958 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William Slim*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies-State premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Joseph Cahill*Premier of Queensland – Frank Nicklin*Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV...
1970s
- 19701970 in Australia-Incumbents:*Prime Minister – John Gorton*Governor-General – Paul Hasluck*Premier of New South Wales – Robert Askin*Premier of South Australia – Steele Hall; Don Dunstan*Premier of Queensland – Joh Bjelke-Petersen*Premier of Tasmania – Angus Bethune...
– More than 200,000 people participate in the largest demonstrations in Australian history, against the Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of... - 19711971 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Prime Minister – John Gorton , then William McMahon*Governor General – Paul Hasluck-State premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Robert Askin*Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan...
– Neville BonnerNeville BonnerNeville Thomas Bonner AO was an Australian politician, and the first indigenous Australian to become a member of the Parliament of Australia...
becomes the first AborigineIndigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
to become an Australian Member of Parliament; John GortonJohn GortonSir John Grey Gorton, GCMG, AC, CH , Australian politician, was the 19th Prime Minister of Australia.-Early life:...
resigns and is succeeded by William McMahonWilliam McMahonSir William "Billy" McMahon, GCMG, CH , was an Australian Liberal politician and the 20th Prime Minister of Australia... - 1971 – The 1971 Springbok tour1971 Springbok tourThe 1971 South Africa rugby union tour of Australia was a controversial six-week rugby union tour by the South African national team to Australia. Anti-apartheid protests came to being all around the country. The tour is perhaps most infamous for a state of emergency being declared in Queensland...
sparks protest all throughout Australia. Premier of Queensland Joh Bjelke-PetersenJoh Bjelke-PetersenSir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
declares a state of emergencyState of emergencyA state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
in QLD in response to escalating protest. - 1971 – Daylight SavingDaylight saving timeDaylight saving time —also summer time in several countries including in British English and European official terminology —is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less...
is introduced to New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory. - 19721972 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir Paul Hasluck*Prime Minister – William McMahon, then Gough Whitlam-State premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Sir Robert Askin*Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan...
– The Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission rules that women doing the same job as men have the right to be paid the same wage. - 1972 – Aboriginal Tent Embassy erected in response to the Coalition government's approval of exploration licences and mining tenements on reserves
- 1972 – The first LaborAustralian 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...
government since 1949 is elected under the leadership of Gough WhitlamGough WhitlamEdward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the... - 1972 – Australia recognizes the People's Republic of China
- 1972 – Queensland abandons Daylight SavingDaylight saving timeDaylight saving time —also summer time in several countries including in British English and European official terminology —is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less...
. - 19731973 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir Paul Hasluck*Prime Minister – Gough Whitlam*Premier of New South Wales – Sir Robert Askin*Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan*Premier of Queensland – Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen...
– 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...
is opened - 1973 – The White Australian Policy (established 1901) is officially dismantled
- 1973- Vietnam War ends
- 1973 – The federal voting age is dropped from 21 to 18
- 1973 – Unionists save the historic "The RocksThe Rocks, New South WalesThe Rocks is an urban locality, tourist precinct and historic area of Sydney's city centre, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, immediately north-west of the Sydney central business district...
" area of Sydney from demolition by introducing "Green Bans" - 1973 – Patrick WhitePatrick WhitePatrick Victor Martindale White , an Australian author, is widely regarded as an important English-language novelist of the 20th century. From 1935 until his death, he published 12 novels, two short-story collections and eight plays.White's fiction employs humour, florid prose, shifting narrative...
becomes the first Australian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature - 19741974 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir Paul Hasluck , then Sir John Kerr*Prime Minister – Gough Whitlam*Premier of New South Wales – Sir Robert Askin*Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan...
– DarwinDarwin, Northern TerritoryDarwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
is devastated by Cyclone TracyCyclone TracyCyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974... - 19751975 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir John Kerr*Prime Minister – Gough Whitlam , then Malcolm Fraser*Premier of New South Wales – Sir Robert Askin , then Tom Lewis...
– A constitutional crisisAustralian constitutional crisis of 1975The 1975 Australian constitutional crisis has been described as the greatest political crisis and constitutional crisis in Australia's history. It culminated on 11 November 1975 with the removal of the Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam of the Australian Labor Party , by Governor-General Sir John Kerr...
occurs when Malcolm FraserMalcolm FraserJohn Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
blocks supply, bringing the nation to a standstill until 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...
John Kerr dismisses Prime Minister Gough WhitlamGough WhitlamEdward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
on the 11.11.75. Fraser wins elections and becomes Prime Minister - 1975 – The 'Privy Council (Appeals from the High Court) Act removes the right to appeal High Court decisions to the British Privy CouncilPrivy councilA privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
. Appeals to the Privy Council direct from State Supreme Courts remain until 1988. - 19751975 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir John Kerr*Prime Minister – Gough Whitlam , then Malcolm Fraser*Premier of New South Wales – Sir Robert Askin , then Tom Lewis...
– South Australia becomes the first state in Australia to legalise homosexuality between consenting adults in private. - 1975 – Whitlam government introduced the Aboriginal Land (NT) Bill into Parliament. The bill proposed land rights in the Northern Territory based on land claimed on grounds of need as well as traditional affiliation and traditional landowners maintaining control over mining and development.
- 19761976 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir John Kerr*Prime Minister – Malcom Fraser*Premier of New South Wales -Tom Lewis, then Sir Eric Willis, then Neville Wran*Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan...
– The Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
legalises homosexuality between consenting adults in private. - 19771977 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir John Kerr up to 8 December, Sir Zelman Cowen from 8 December*Prime Minister – Malcolm Fraser*Premier of New South Wales – Neville Wran*Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan...
– Advance Australia FairAdvance Australia Fair"Advance Australia Fair" is the official national anthem of Australia. Created by the Scottish-born composer, Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, but did not gain its status as the official anthem until 1984. Until then, the song was sung in Australia as a patriotic song...
becomes Australia's official national anthemNational anthemA national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence... - 19771977 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir John Kerr up to 8 December, Sir Zelman Cowen from 8 December*Prime Minister – Malcolm Fraser*Premier of New South Wales – Neville Wran*Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan...
– Granville rail disaster killed eighty-three people - 19781978 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir Zelman Cowen*Prime Minister – Malcolm Fraser*Premier of New South Wales – Neville Wran*Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan*Premier of Queensland – Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen...
– The First Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras kicks off in Sydney - 19791979 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Prime Minister – Malcolm Fraser*Governor General – Zelman Cowen*Premier of New South Wales – Neville Wran*Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan, Des Cocoran*Premier of Queensland – Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen...
– Australian women win the right to maternity leave - 1979 – Kakadu National ParkKakadu National ParkKakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
and the Great Barrier Reef Marine ParkGreat Barrier Reef Marine ParkThe Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. Fishing and the removal of artefacts or...
are both proclaimed.
1980s
- 19801980 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Prime Minister – Malcolm Fraser*Governor General – Sir Zelman Cowen*Premier of New South Wales – Neville Wran*Premier of South Australia – David Tonkin*Premier of Queensland – Joh Bjelke-Petersen...
– Baby Azaria ChamberlainAzaria Chamberlain disappearanceAzaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain was a nine-week-old Australian baby girl, who disappeared on the night of 17 August 1980 on a camping trip to Uluru with her family. Her body was never found. Her parents, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, reported that she had been taken from their tent by a dingo...
disappears from a campsite at Uluru (Ayers Rock), reportedly taken by a dingo. The Coalition wins the 1980 Australian federal electionAustralian federal election, 1980Federal elections were held in Australia on 18 October 1980. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and 34 of the 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Malcolm Fraser with coalition partner the National Country Party led by Doug...
. - 19811981 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir Zelman Cowen*Prime Minister – Malcolm Fraser*Premier of New South Wales – Neville Wran*Premier of South Australia – David Tonkin*Premier of Queensland – Joh Bjelke-Petersen...
– A referendum is held in Tasmania to vote for whether or not the Franklin Dam should be built. - 19821982 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir Zelman Cowen, then Sir Ninian Stephen.*Prime Minister – Malcolm Fraser*Premier of New South Wales – Neville Wran*Premier of South Australia – David Tonkin, then John Bannon...
– Commonwealth Games1982 Commonwealth GamesThe 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 30 September–9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium , in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the venue which was used for the athletics and archery competitions during the...
held in Brisbane. The National Gallery of AustraliaNational Gallery of AustraliaThe National Gallery of Australia is the national art gallery of Australia, holding more than 120,000 works of art. It was established in 1967 by the Australian government as a national public art gallery.- Establishment :...
is opened. - 19831983 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir Ninian Stephen*Prime Minister – Malcolm Fraser then Bob Hawke*Premier of New South Wales – Neville Wran*Premier of South Australia – John Bannon*Premier of Queensland – Joh Bjelke-Petersen...
– Australia wins the America's CupAmerica's CupThe America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
; Bob HawkeBob HawkeRobert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
defeats Fraser and leads Labor back to government. The Australian DollarAustralian 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...
is floated. The Ash Wednesday firesAsh Wednesday firesThe Ash Wednesday bushfires, known in South Australia as Ash Wednesday II, were a series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia on 16 February 1983. Within twelve hours, more than 180 fires fanned by winds of up to 110 km per hour caused widespread destruction across the states...
kill 71 people. - 19841984 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir Ninian Stephen*Prime Minister – Bob Hawke*Premier of New South Wales – Neville Wran*Premier of South Australia – John Bannon*Premier of Queensland – Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen...
– Advance Australia FairAdvance Australia Fair"Advance Australia Fair" is the official national anthem of Australia. Created by the Scottish-born composer, Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, but did not gain its status as the official anthem until 1984. Until then, the song was sung in Australia as a patriotic song...
is proclaimed as Australia's national anthem. The one dollar coin is introduced. Labor wins the 1984 Australian federal election. MedicareMedicare (Australia)Medicare is Australia's publicly funded universal health care system, operated by the government authority Medicare Australia. Medicare is intended to provide affordable treatment by doctors and in public hospitals for all resident citizens and permanent residents except for those on Norfolk Island...
is established. - 19851985 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir Ninian Stephen*Prime Minister – Bob Hawke*Premier of New South Wales – Neville Wran*Premier of South Australia – John Bannon*Premier of Queensland – Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen...
– The government grants the freehold title of a large area of land in central Australia, including prominent landmarks UluruUluruUluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
and Kata TjutaKata TjutaKata Tjuta, sometimes written Tjuṯa , and also known as Mount Olga , are a group of large domed rock formations or bornhardts located about southwest of Alice Springs, in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia...
, to the Mutitjulu people, who in turn give them a 99-year lease. The last state to do so (New South Wales) abolishes capital punishment. - 19861986 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir Ninian Stephen*Prime Minister – Bob Hawke*Premier of New South Wales – Neville Wran, then Barrie Unsworth*Premier of South Australia – John Bannon...
– The Australia ActAustralia Act 1986The Australia Act 1986 is the name given to a pair of separate but related pieces of legislation: one an Act of the Commonwealth Parliament of Australia, the other an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
removes the right of appeal from State courts to the British Privy Council, making the High Court the final court of appeal in Australia. The Act also removes all remaining rights of the UK parliament to pass law for Australia. Anita Cobby murderAnita Cobby murderAnita Lorraine Cobby was an Australian registered nurse and beauty pageant winner. At 26 years old, she was abducted from Blacktown, and raped and murdered at nearby Prospect, on the evening of 2 February 1986...
in Sydney. Russell Street BombingRussell Street BombingThe Russell Street Bombing refers to the 27 March 1986 bombing of the Russell Street Police Headquarters complex in Russell Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
in Melbourne. Crocodile DundeeCrocodile Dundee"Crocodile" Dundee is a 1986 Australian comedy film set in the Australian Outback and in New York City. It stars Paul Hogan as the weathered Mick Dundee and Linda Kozlowski as Sue Charlton....
is released in Australia. - 19871987 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir Ninian Stephen*Prime Minister – Bob Hawke-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Barrie Unsworth*Premier of Queensland – Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen , then Mike Ahern...
– Hoddle Street MassacreHoddle Street massacreThe Hoddle Street massacre is a spree killing that occurred on the evening of Sunday, 9 August 1987 in Hoddle Street, Clifton Hill, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia.The shootings resulted in the deaths of seven people, and serious injury to 19 others...
kills 7 victims and injures 19, Queen Street MassacreQueen Street massacreThe Queen Street massacre was a spree killing suicide that occurred on 8 December 1987 at the Australia Post offices at 191 Queen Street in Melbourne, Australia...
kills 8 victims and injures 5. Sir Joh Bjelke-PetersenJoh Bjelke-PetersenSir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
resigns as Premier of Queensland after 19 years at the top. - 19881988 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir Ninian Stephen*Prime Minister – Bob Hawke-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Barrie Unsworth , then Nick Greiner*Premier of Queensland – Mike Ahern...
– Australia celebrates its bicentenaryAustralian BicentenaryThe bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1970 on the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook landing and claiming the land, and again in 1988 to celebrate 200 years of permanent European settlement.-1970:...
, with large celebrations and major funding for capital works projects. The new Parliament HouseParliament House, CanberraParliament House is the meeting facility of the Parliament of Australia located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. The building was designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects and opened on 1988 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia...
opens. Federal referendums on 4-year parliamentary terms, recognition of local government and other issues are defeated. Brisbane hosts World Expo '88. - 19891989 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir Ninian Stephen , then Bill Hayden*Prime Minister – Bob Hawke-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Nick Greiner...
– Newcastle Earthquake kills 13 people. ACT gains self-Government. The Kempsey bus crashKempsey bus crashThe Kempsey bus crash occurred in Australia on December 22, 1989 when two full tourist coaches, each travelling at 100km/h, collided head-on on the Pacific Highway at Clybucca Flat, 12 km north of Kempsey, New South Wales. The collision killed both drivers instantly. The impact snapped seats from...
and Grafton bus crashGrafton bus crashThe Grafton bus crash killed 21 people and injured 22 on the Pacific Highway on the North Coast of New South Wales near Grafton. At some time between 3:50 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. on Friday, 20 October 1989 a southbound semi-trailer truck carrying a load of tinned fruit juice veered onto the wrong side...
kill a total of 56 people. - 1989 – Queensland commences three-year trial of Daylight SavingDaylight saving timeDaylight saving time —also summer time in several countries including in British English and European official terminology —is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less...
. - 1989 - Rosemary FollettRosemary FollettRosemary Follett AO , Australian politician, was the first Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory. She was the first woman to become head of government in an Australian state or territory....
(Australian Labor Party) becomes the first 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...
and the first woman to become head of government in an Australian state or territoryStates and territories of AustraliaThe Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
.
1990s
- 19901990 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Bill Hayden*Prime Minister – Bob Hawke-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Nick Greiner*Premier of Queensland – Wayne Goss*Premier of South Australia – John Bannon...
– Royal Australian NavyRoyal Australian NavyThe Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
deployed in preparation for the First Gulf War. Carmen LawrenceCarmen LawrenceCarmen Mary Lawrence is a retired Australian politician; a former Premier of Western Australia and the first woman to become Premier of a State of the Commonwealth of Australia....
becomes the first female premier of an Australian state. Labor wins the 1990 federal election. - 19911991 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Bill Hayden*Prime Minister – Bob Hawke , then Paul Keating-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Nick Greiner*Premier of Queensland – Wayne Goss...
– Prime Minister Bob Hawke is replaced by Paul KeatingPaul KeatingPaul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
. Seven people die in the Strathfield massacreStrathfield MassacreThe Strathfield massacre was a shooting rampage in Sydney, Australia on Saturday, 17 August 1991. The shooter was Wade Frankum, who killed himself as police arrived at the scene. The incident left eight dead and six wounded.-Perpetrator:...
. Prominent heart surgeon Victor ChangVictor ChangVictor Peter Chang, AC , was a Chinese Australian cardiac surgeon and a pioneer of modern heart transplantation. Born in Shanghai to Australian-born Chinese parents, he grew up in Hong Kong before moving to Australia...
is gunned down. The Coode IslandCoode IslandCoode Island, was an island at the convergence of the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers, 4km west of central Melbourne, Australia. Today the low-lying land is part of the Port of Melbourne, site of Swanson and Appleton Docks and their associated container storage and rail yards, as well as a number of...
chemical storage facility in Melbourne explodes, leaving a toxic cloud hanging over the city for days.
- 19921992 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Bill Hayden*Prime Minister – Paul Keating-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Nick Greiner , then John Fahey*Premier of Queensland – Wayne Goss...
– The High Court delivers the Mabo Decision, which rules that indigenous native title does exist. This effectively extinguishes the concept of terra nulliusTerra nulliusTerra nullius is a Latin expression deriving from Roman law meaning "land belonging to no one" , which is used in international law to describe territory which has never been subject to the sovereignty of any state, or over which any prior sovereign has expressly or implicitly relinquished...
. New South Wales Premier Nick GreinerNick GreinerNicholas "Nick" Frank Hugo Greiner AC, is an Australian businessman and former politician. He was the 37th Premier New South Wales from 1988 to 1992. He was Leader of the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party from 1983 to 1992 and Leader of the Opposition from 1983 to 1988. He is married...
resigns. - 1992 – Queensland holds a ReferendumReferendumA referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
on Daylight SavingDaylight saving timeDaylight saving time —also summer time in several countries including in British English and European official terminology —is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less...
, which is defeated with a 54.5% 'no' vote. - 19931993 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Bill Hayden*Prime Minister – Paul Keating-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – John Fahey*Premier of Queensland – Wayne Goss...
– Keating defeats John HewsonJohn HewsonJohn Robert Hewson AM is an Australian economist, company director and a former politician. He was federal leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 1990 to 1994 and led the party to defeat at the 1993 federal election.-Early life:...
in the 1993 federal election; the Australian GreensAustralian GreensThe Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
stand candidates for the first time. - 19951995 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Bill Hayden*Prime Minister – Paul Keating*Premier of New South Wales – John Fahey, then Bob Carr*Premier of South Australia – Dean Brown*Premier of Queensland – Wayne Goss...
– The Northern TerritoryNorthern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
legalises voluntary euthanasiaEuthanasiaEuthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
, but it is overruled by the federal government when Liberal MP Kevin AndrewsKevin Andrews (Australian politician)Kevin James Andrews is an Australian politician and member of the Liberal Party of Australia. He is a member of the House of Representatives and was Minister for Immigration and Citizenship in the Howard Government, having previously been Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations from 7...
proposes the Euthanasia Laws Bill 1996 - 19961996 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Bill Hayden , then Sir William Deane.*Prime Minister – Paul Keating , then John Howard-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr...
– The High Court hands down the Wik Decision, which holds that indigenous native title can survive the granting of pastoral leases. - 1996 – Liberal 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....
becomes Prime Minister, defeating Paul KeatingPaul KeatingPaul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
after a record 13 years of Labor government - 1996 – All Australian states and territories agree to introduce uniform gun laws following the deaths of 35 people in the Port Arthur massacre
- 19971997 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William Deane*Prime Minister – John Howard-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr*Premier of Queensland – Rob Borbidge...
– Expelled Liberal MP Pauline HansonPauline HansonPauline Lee Hanson is an Australian politician and former leader of Pauline Hanson's One Nation, a political party with a populist and anti-multiculturalism platform...
forms the One Nation PartyOne Nation PartyOne Nation is a far-right and nationalist political party in Australia. It gained 22% of the vote translating to 11 of 89 seats in Queensland's unicameral legislative assembly at the 1998 state election and made major inroads into the vote of the existing parties... - 19971997 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William Deane*Prime Minister – John Howard-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr*Premier of Queensland – Rob Borbidge...
– On 1 May 1997 Tasmania legalises homosexuality. - 1997 – Eighteen people die when the Bimbadene and Carinya Lodges collapse at Thredbo Alpine Village at 11.30 p.m. on 30 July
- 19981998 in Australia-Incumbents:*Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William Deane*Prime Minister – John Howard-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr*Premier of Queensland – Rob Borbidge , then Peter Beattie...
– A major strike1998 Australian waterfront disputeThe Australian waterfront dispute of 1998 was a watershed event in Australian Industrial Relations history, in which the Patrick Corporation undertook a restructuring of their operations for the purpose of increasing the productivity of their workforce...
results when Patrick StevedoresPatrick CorporationPatrick Corporation Ltd was an Australian publicly listed logistics conglomerate. Headed by CEO Chris Corrigan before it was absorbed by Toll Holdings in 2006, Patrick had interests in shipping, rail and aviation, including a 62% shareholding in airline Virgin Blue...
attempt to introduce non-union labour to reduce the influence of the Maritime Union of AustraliaMaritime Union of AustraliaThe Maritime Union of Australia covers waterside workers, seafarers, port workers, professional divers, and office workers associated with Australian ports. As of 2011 the union has about 13,000 members. It is an affiliate of the International Transport Workers' Federation and represents the... - 1998 – The Australian Stock ExchangeAustralian Stock ExchangeThe Australian Securities Exchange was created by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in July 2006. It is the primary stock exchange group in Australia....
is demutualized and floated as a public company, becoming the world's first stock exchange to be listed on an exchange. - 19991999 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William Deane.*Prime Minister – John Howard-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr*Premier of Queensland – Peter Beattie*Premier of South Australia – John Olsen...
– Both houses of the federal parliament pass a motion signifying both recognition of and regret at past treatment of indigenous Australians. - Australia win the 1999 Rugby World Cup
- 1999 – A referendum on changing to a republic is unsuccessful
- 1999 – Australian soldiers are deployed 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...
as part of the INTERFETINTERFETThe International Force for East Timor was a multinational peacekeeping taskforce, mandated by the United Nations to address the humanitarian and security crisis which took place in East Timor from 1999–2000 until the arrival of United Nations peacekeepers...
peacekeeping force.
2000
- 20002000 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William Deane*Prime Minister – John Howard-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr*Premier of Queensland – Peter Beattie*Premier of South Australia – John Olsen...
– 27th Olympic Games held in 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...
. - 2000 - Howard GovernmentHoward GovernmentThe Howard Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard. It was made up of members of the Liberal–National Coalition, which won a majority of seats in the Australian House of Representatives at four successive elections. The Howard Government...
introduces a Goods and Services TaxGoods and Services Tax (Australia)The GST is a broad sales tax of 10% on most goods and services transactions in Australia. It is a value added tax, not a sales tax, in that it is refunded to all parties in the chain of production other than the final consumer....
.
21st century
- 20012001 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor General – Sir William Deane, then Peter Hollingworth*Prime Minister – John Howard*Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr*Premier of South Australia – John Olsen, then Rob Kerin...
- Australia celebrates centenary of Federation; - Tampa affairTampa affairIn August 2001, the Howard Government of Australia refused permission for the Norwegian freighter MV Tampa, carrying 438 rescued Afghans from a distressed fishing vessel in international waters, to enter Australian waters...
(August) and tightening of policies against illegal immigration; - September 11 Terrorist Attacks on the United States by Al Qaeda (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....
invokes ANZUS Treaty); - Howard defeats 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....
in Federal Election - 2001 – Western Australia adopts a uniform Age of consentAge of consentWhile the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
of 16. - 2001 - Australian forces deployed to WarWar in Afghanistan (2001–present)The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
to topple Taliban for supporting Al Qaeda - 20022002 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor General – Peter Hollingworth*Prime Minister – John Howard*Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr*Premier of South Australia – Rob Kerin, then Mike Rann*Premier of Queensland – Peter Beattie...
- 2002 Bali bombings, the deadliest act of terrorismTerrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
in the history of IndonesiaHistory of IndonesiaThe History of Indonesia was shaped by its geographic position, its natural resources, the series of human migrations, contacts, economy and trade, conquests and politics. Indonesia is an archipelagic country of 17,508 islands stretching along the equator in South East Asia...
, killing 202 people, (including 88 Australians. - 20032003 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor General – Peter Hollingworth, then Administrator of Australia – Sir Guy Green , then Michael Jeffery*Prime Minister – John Howard*Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr*Premier of South Australia – Mike Rann...
– Australian military deployed to Iraq War to oust the Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
regime for serial non-compliance with the 1991 Gulf War Peace TreatyGulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. - 2003 – Northern Territory introdues uniform Age Of Consent set at 16 for everyone.
- 2003 – New South Wales becomes the last State to have a Uniform Age of Consent at 16 for everyone.
- 2003 - Australia hosts the Rugby World Cup2003 Rugby World CupThe 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
, with the home side losing the final to England in Sydney - 20042004 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor General – Michael Jeffery*Prime Minister – John Howard*Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr*Premier of South Australia – Mike Rann*Premier of Queensland – Peter Beattie...
– A bomb explodes2004 Jakarta embassy bombingThe 2004 Australian embassy bombing took place on 9 September 2004 in Jakarta, Indonesia.A one-tonne car bomb, which was packed into a small Daihatsu delivery van, exploded outside the Australian embassy at Kuningan District, South Jakarta, at about 10:30 local time , killing 9 people including...
outside the Australian embassy in JakartaJakartaJakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, 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...
, Asia. - 2004 – Federal Election: Howard GovernmentHoward GovernmentThe Howard Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard. It was made up of members of the Liberal–National Coalition, which won a majority of seats in the Australian House of Representatives at four successive elections. The Howard Government...
(LiberalLiberal 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...
-NationalNational Party of AustraliaThe National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
Coalition) wins fourth term and defeats Mark LathamMark LathamMark William Latham , an author and former Australian politician, was leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from December 2003 to January 2005....
led 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...
. - 2005 – Sydney beachside suburb of Cronulla sees a protest against the alleged bashing of a beach lifeguard, developing into an alcohol-fuelled, racially-charged riot2005 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....
. - 20062006 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Michael Jeffery*Prime Minister – John Howard-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Morris Iemma*Premier of South Australia – Mike Rann*Premier of Queensland – Peter Beattie...
– The Commonwealth GamesCommonwealth GamesThe Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
are held in Melbourne. - 2006-7 – Australian Forces are again deployed 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...
to help stabilize the country. - 2007 – Sydney hosts APEC summitAPEC Australia 2007APEC Australia 2007 was a series of political meetings held around Australia between the 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation during 2007...
. - 2007-2010 - Australia avoids recession amidst Global Financial Crisis
- 2007 – Federal Election: 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...
(Australian Labor Party) defeats 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....
(LiberalLiberal 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...
-NationalNational Party of AustraliaThe National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
Coalition) and becomes Prime Minister. - 20082008 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Michael Jeffery , then Quentin Bryce*Prime Minister – Kevin Rudd-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Morris Iemma , then Nathan Rees...
– 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...
leads bi-partisan Parliamentary apology to the Stolen GenerationStolen GenerationThe Stolen Generations were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Federal and State government agencies and church missions, under acts of their respective parliaments...
. - 2008 – Longest heatwave for an Australian Capital City recorded in AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. - 2008 - Sydney hosts Catholic World Youth DayWorld Youth Day 2008The 23rd World Youth Day 2008 was a Catholic youth festival that started on 15 July and continued until 20 July 2008 in Sydney, Australia. It was the first World Youth Day held in Australia and the first World Youth Day in Oceania. This meeting was decided by Pope Benedict XVI, during the Cologne...
- 2008 - Quentin BryceQuentin BryceQuentin Bryce, AC, CVO is the 25th and current Governor-General of Australia and former Governor of Queensland....
becomes first female Governor General of Australia. - 20092009 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Quentin Bryce*Prime Minister – Kevin Rudd-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Nathan Rees , then Kristina Keneally*Premier of South Australia – Mike Rann...
– Black Saturday: Massive bushfires swept across Victoria, resulting in 173 fatalities. - 20102010 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Quentin Bryce*Prime Minister – Kevin Rudd , then Julia Gillard-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Kristina Keneally*Premier of South Australia – Mike Rann...
- Kevin Rudd challenged and replacedAustralian Labor Party leadership election, 2010A leadership election of the Australian Labor Party was held on 2010. The Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, was challenged by the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, for the leadership of the party, and therefore the prime ministership, since the ALP has held a majority in...
as leader of the Labor Party by 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...
; Gillard becomes the first female 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...
. - 2010 - Federal Election results in hung ParliamentHung parliamentIn a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
and narrow victory by Julia Gillard (ALP) over Tony AbbottTony AbbottAnthony John "Tony" Abbott is the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives and federal leader of the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott has represented the seat of Warringah since the 1994 by-election...
(Lib-Nat Coalition); LiberalLiberal 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...
Ken WyattKen WyattKenneth George Wyatt AM is a member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the electoral division of Hasluck in Western Australia for the Liberal Party of Australia...
becomes the first Aborigine elected to the Australian House of RepresentativesAustralian House of RepresentativesThe House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years.... - 2011 State of Queensland affected by major flooding2010–2011 Queensland floodsA series of floods hit Australia, beginning in December 2010, primarily in the state of Queensland including its capital city, Brisbane. The floods forced the evacuation of thousands of people from towns and cities. At least seventy towns and over 200,000 people were affected. Damage initially was...
followed by Cyclone YasiCyclone YasiSevere Tropical Cyclone Yasi was a tropical cyclone that made landfall in northern Queensland, Australia in the early hours of Thursday, 3 February 2011. Yasi originated from a tropical low near Fiji. The system intensified to a Category 3 cyclone at about 5pm AEST on 31 January 2011...
.