1986 in Australia

none March 2020 February 2012 July 2017 The following lists events that happened during 1986 in Australia. Elizabeth II Sir Ninian Stephen Bob Hawke 16,018,310 WA, TAS, QLD 1986 Incumbents thumb|upright|140px|Sir Ninian Stephen thumb|upright|140px|Bob Hawke Monarch — Elizabeth II Governor-General — Sir Ninian Stephen Prime Minister — Bob Hawke Deputy Prime Minister — Lionel Bowen Opposition Leader — John Howard Chief Justice — Sir Harry Gibbs State and territory leaders Premier of New South Wales — Neville Wran (until 4 July), then Barrie Unsworth Opposition Leader — Nick Greiner Premier of Queensland — Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen Opposition Leader — Nev Warburton Premier of South Australia — John Bannon Opposition Leader — John Olsen Premier of Tasmania — Robin Gray Opposition Leader — Ken Wriedt (until 19 February), then Neil Batt Premier of Victoria — John Cain Jr. Opposition Leader — Jeff Kennett Premier of Western Australia — Brian Burke Opposition Leader — Bill Hassell (until 25 November), then Barry MacKinnon Chief Minister of the Northern Territory — Ian Tuxworth (until 10 May), then Stephen Hatton Opposition Leader — Bob Collins (until 19 August), then Terry Smith Chief Minister/President of the Legislative Assembly of Norfolk Island — David Buffett (until 21 May), then John Brown Governors and administrators Governor of New South Wales — Sir James Rowland Governor of Queensland — Sir Walter Campbell Governor of South Australia — Sir Donald Dunstan Governor of Tasmania — Sir James Plimsoll Governor of Victoria — Davis McCaughey (from 18 February) Governor of Western Australia — Gordon Reid Administrator of Norfolk Island — John Matthew Administrator of the Northern Territory — Eric Johnston Events January 2 January — A state funeral is held for former Governor of Victoria Sir Henry Winneke at St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne. 3 January — Federal Opposition Leader John Howard introduces a four-point plan to reduce interest rates. 4 January — A tanker driver is killed instantly when his truck overturns in Aspen, New South Wales, releasing clouds of nitrogen gas. 5 January — Actress Lauren Bacall arrives in Sydney to star in the play Sweet Bird of Youth. February 2 February — Nurse Anita Cobby is abducted, robbed, raped and murdered by John Travers, Michael Murdoch, and Leslie, Gary and Michael Murphy at Prospect in Sydney (all five men are sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, June 1987). 7 February — Following Lindy Chamberlain's identification of a baby's jacket found near Uluru as being similar to the one worn by her baby Azaria, her case takes a new turn. 8 February — Elections in Western Australia and Tasmania see the re-election of the ALP in WA, and the Liberal Party in Tasmania. Post-mortem results support the claim of the sister of Sally Anne Huckstep that she was murdered. Dire Straits makes history in Tasmania by drawing the state's biggest audience ever for an open-air concert. 9 February — Lindy Chamberlain is released from prison in Darwin on licence after serving 39 months of a life sentence. 11 February — Joan Child becomes the first female Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives. More than 100 bushfires burn across the state of Victoria. 12 February — Ernie Bridge is elected to the West Australian Cabinet, thereby becoming the first Aborigine to become a Cabinet minister. March 3 March — The Australia Act 1986 comes into effect at 1600 AEST, granting Australia legal independence from the United Kingdom by removing the power of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to legislate with effect in Australia and its states and territories. 18 March — Prime Minister Bob Hawke commits the Federal Government not to raise home interest lending rates above 13.5%, despite continued pressure from the banks. 27 March — The Russell Street bombing takes place at the headquarters of Victoria Police in Melbourne. A police constable, Angela Taylor, is killed. April 2 April — Prime Minister Bob Hawke breaks an election promise by lifting the ceiling on home interest rates, following the banks' promise of an extra $6 million for home loans. 11 April — The Arbitration Commission finds that the Builders' Labourers Federation was guilty of serious industrial misconduct and the union is deregistered. 14 April — A second trial of Mr. Justice Lionel Murphy begins in Sydney, and lasts for two weeks, with the jury eventually acquitting him. May 14 May — Responding to the release of dismal current account deficit figures, Federal Treasurer Paul Keating makes his infamous off-the-cuff warning about Australia becoming a "banana republic". July 4 July — After ten years in power, Neville Wran resigns as Premier of New South Wales, and is replaced by Barrie Unsworth. 7 July — Barlow & Chambers are executed at Malaysia's Pudu Prison for drug trafficking. Prime Minister Hawke condemns the move as "barbaric". 16 July — An explosion at Moura No. 4 mine in Moura, Queensland kills 12 people. 25 July — An unusual cold dry change sweeps through south-eastern Australia, causing temperatures to plummet and bringing 8 cm inch 2 of snow to Hobart, isolating the city until midday. Canberra also receives snow during the early afternoon with reports of snow and sleet also occurring in the suburbs of Melbourne and Sydney. August 2 August — The painting The Weeping Woman by Pablo Picasso is stolen from the National Gallery of Victoria. The painting is found undamaged in a locker at Spencer Street station on 19 August.Weeping Woman Mystery http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01596b.htm eMelbourne University of Melbourne 1 September 2016 8 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160308053209/http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01596b.htm live 6 August — A low pressure system moving from South Australia and redeveloping off the New South Wales coast dumps a record 327.6 mm inch 2 of rain in a day on Sydney. Resulting floods kill six people. 19 August – Sydney schoolgirl Samantha Knight abducted and murdered by Michael Guider.Michael Guider, who killed schoolgirl Samantha Knight, to walk free within days https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/sep/03/michael-guider-who-killed-schoolgirl-samantha-knight-to-walk-free-within-days The Guardian 22 October 2023 3 September 2019 14 July 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240714074853/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/sep/03/michael-guider-who-killed-schoolgirl-samantha-knight-to-walk-free-within-days live 21 August — Labor Caucus votes 74:42 to resume sales of uranium to France. September 23 September — Federal Opposition Leader John Howard is suspended from the Australian House of Representatives for 24 hours after attacking Federal Treasurer Paul Keating for huge travel expenses incurred by claiming Sydney as his principal place of residence.Warden Ian 26 September 1986 Fines better for naughty MPs https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/131840552 The Canberra Times 3 August 2021 3 August 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210803070455/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/131840552 live October 8 October — Following three years of wage indexation, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) approves a two-tier wage-fixing system. 17 October — Brisbane loses bid to host 1992 Olympic Games to the Spanish city of Barcelona. 21 October — The Mr. Justice Lionel Murphy saga comes to a close when he dies of cancer. 24 October — The last link of the national microwave telephone system is completed at Kununurra in Western Australia. November 1 November — The 1986 Queensland state election is held. Joh Bjelke-Petersen wins his final election as Premier of Queensland with his party, the National Party gaining 38.6% of the vote and an absolute majority of seats in the Queensland Parliament 24 November — Pope John Paul II becomes the second pontiff to tour Australia, arriving in Canberra and then touring 27 November — Federal Treasurer Paul Keating is found liable to a fine of $4,000 for not lodging his tax return for 1985 and his 1986 return being overdue. December 10 December — Senator George Georges resigns from the Australian Labor Party over uranium mining and the proposed ID card (Australia Card). 26 December — Tuning into rural disenchantment, Queensland Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen contemplates the notion of entering the federal political scene. Arts and literature 1986 in Australian literature Elizabeth Jolley's novel The Well wins the Miles Franklin Award Film 30 April — Crocodile Dundee is released in Australia. The film will go on to become a worldwide smash hit, becoming the highest grossing Australian until 2015 Malcolm The Fringe Dwellers Law Re Loubie a case involving the Queensland Bail Act and s.117 of the constitution. Music Before Too Long Devils in Heaven rock band formed (as Dinner Time). Don't Dream It's Over Stimulation You're the Voice Television 5 January — SBS ceases VHF transmissions on Channel 0 in Sydney & Melbourne. 20 January — Neighbours makes its debut on Network Ten & comes to dominate the 7 pm weeknight timeslot. February — Red Symons signs to Hey Hey It's Saturday as the show launches Red Faces. 30 October — The Movie Show begins on SBS. December — The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, owners of HSV-7 & ADS-7 are sold to Rupert Murdoch's News Limited for $1.8 billion. As News Limited owned ATV-10 at this time, HSV-7 is sold to Fairfax (already owners of ATN-7 & BTQ-7) in February 1987 for $320 million. Christopher Skase's Qintex company sells TVQ-0 to Darling Downs Television, owners of DDQ-10 in Toowoomba. AUSSAT satellites are launched, bringing television to remote areas for the first time. Sport 16 March — Parramatta Stadium is opened. The Parramatta Eels defeat the St. George Dragons 36–6. 23 March — Robert de Castella is once again Australia's best finisher at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, this time staged in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He finishes in 14th place (36:10.9) in the long-distance race over 12,000 metres. 8 June — Stephen Austin wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:15:59 in Sydney, while Margaret Reddan claims the women's title in 2:48:28. 29 June — Last game of rugby league is played at the Sydney Sports Ground. Eastern Suburbs Roosters defeat the North Sydney Bears 21–14. 27 September — Hawthorn (16.14.110) defeats Carlton (9.14.68) in the 1986 VFL Grand Final to win the 90th VFL premiership. 28 September — Minor premiers Parramatta Eels defeat the Canterbury Bulldogs 4–2 in the lowest scoring grand final in history to win the 79th NSWRL premiership. It is the Eels' most recent premiership win. The Illawarra Steelers finish in last position, claiming their second straight wooden spoon. The Clive Churchill Medal, made to honour the late Clive Churchill (who died the previous year), is awarded to its inaugural recipient, Parramatta Eels halfback Peter Sterling. 4 November — At Talaq wins Melbourne Cup ridden by Michael Clarke. Brownlow Medal awarded to Robert DiPierdomenico (Hawthorn) and Greg Williams (Sydney) Farrier Command 10 https://web.archive.org/web/20110710215526/http://www.f-boat.com/pages/trimarans/TheCommand10.html 10 July 2011 "Aussie" was constructed and launched. Births January thumb|100px|Kevin Parker 7 January – Shane Alexander, volleyball player 8 January – Scott Anderson, rugby player 9 January – Paul Benz, Paralympic athlete 10 January – Des Abbott, field hockey player 14 January – Sam Butler, footballer 20 January Dave Dennis, rugby player Okwy Diamondstar, footballer Kevin Parker, singer/songwriter and guitarist 21 January – Kirin J. Callinan, singer/songwriter and guitarist 23 January – Joseph Brennan, author 26 January – Andrew Dodt, golfer 28 January – Nathan Outteridge, sailor February thumb|100px|Teresa Palmer 3 February – Selasi Berdie, rugby player 4 February – Jackie Barnes, drummer for Rose Tattoo 8 February – Scott Arnold, squash player 9 February – Marieke D'Cruz, swimmer 10 February – Ben Davies, footballer 12 February – Johanna Allston, orienteer 14 February Daniel Conn, model and rugby player Cameron Crombie, Paralympic shot putter and javelin thrower 17 February – Scott Daruda, rugby player 20 February – Shannon Ashlyn, actress 22 February David Barnes, Olympic archer Zac Dawson, footballer Josh Helman, actor Joel Brunker, boxer 23 February Troy Chaplin, footballer Kate Keltie, actress 26 February Lichelle Clarke, Paralympic swimmer Teresa Palmer, actress, writer, model and film producer 27 February – Jayden Attard, footballer 28 February – Tendai Mzungu, footballer March thumb|100px|Jai Courtney 1 March – Kathryn Beck, actress 3 March – Catherine Cannuli, soccer player and coach 7 March – Shannon Cox, footballer 8 March – Michelle Steele, athlete 13 March – Gillian Alexy, actress 14 March – Trent Copeland, cricketer 15 March – Jai Courtney, actor 17 March – Chelsea Baker, rugby player 18 March – Arlo Bugeja, speedway rider 19 March – Daniel Dillon, basketball player 20 March Ruby Rose, actress, model, and television presenter Dean Geyer, actor, singer and Australian Idol contestant 22 March – Andrew Barisic, footballer 26 March – Jessica Hart, model 27 March – Joshua Allison, wheelchair basketball player 28 March – Richard Cardozo, footballer April thumb|100px|Tahyna Tozzi 1 April – James Albury, baseball player 3 April – Burt Cockley, cricketer 4 April Steven Brown, judoka personnel Bevan Calvert, handball player Erin Carroll, badminton player 11 April Hayley Aitken, pop singer/songwriter Ashley Delaney, Olympic swimmer 16 April Miles Armstrong, tennis player Bronwen Knox, water polo player 24 April – Tahyna Tozzi, model, singer and actress 29 April – Danny Clayton, television and radio presenter May thumb|100px|Zoë Badwi 1 May – Adam Casey footballer 4 May – Zoë Badwi, singer/songwriter, model, and actress 7 May – Mark Furze, actor and singer 9 May – Kirby Bentley, footballer 16 May – Paul Carroll, volleyball player 23 May – Marcus Allan, footballer 28 May Berrick Barnes, rugby union player Chris Bond, wheelchair rugby player 30 May – Thomas Do Canto, long distance runner June thumb|100px|Ahren Stringer 2 June Todd Carney, rugby player Pekahou Cowan, rugby player 5 June – Ahren Stringer, musician, bassist and singer for The Amity Affliction (2003-2025) 6 June – Nathan van Berlo, footballer 12 June Benjamin Schmideg, actor Harry Taylor, footballer 15 June – Ronnie Buckley, discus thrower 29 June – Christopher Egan, actor July thumb|100px|Natalie Tran 4 July – Leah Blayney, footballer and coach 8 July – Timothy Cox, baseball player 11 July Bryn Coudraye, Olympic rower Rebecca Dwyer, field hockey player 12 July 360, rapper Krystal Forscutt, reality TV star 14 July – Nic Beveridge, Paralympic triathlete 16 July – Leith Brodie, swimmer 18 July Simon Clarke, Olympic cyclist James Sorensen, actor 24 July Natalie Tran, comedian Remy Hii, Malaysian-born actor 25 July – Travis Baird, footballer 28 July – Karyn Bailey, netball player 29 July – Scott Dureau, rugby player August thumb|100px|Ali Abbas 1 August – Mikaela Dombkins, basketball player and coach 3 August – Ryan Brabazon, footballer 8 August – Alex Cudlin, motorcycle racer 10 August – Mia-Rae Clifford, footballer 12 August – Chris Adams, rugby player 14 August – Nigel Boogaard, footballer 16 August – Felicity Abram, triathlete 18 August – Anthony Alozie, Nigerian-born track and field sprinter 19 August – Adam Cockshell, footballer 21 August – Patrick Dellit, rugby player 22 August – Shane Cross, skateboarder (d. 2007) 28 August Briggs, rapper, record label owner, comedy writer, actor, and author Sarah Christophers, actress Tommy Dassalo, comedian James Davison, racing driver Sam Dwyer, footballer 30 August – Ali Abbas, Iraqi-born footballer 31 August Chloe Boreham, actress Melanie Schlanger, freestyle swimmer September thumb|100px|Ebanie Bridges 4 September – Liam Adams, Olympic runner 8 September – Brett Anderson, rugby player 10 September Laura Attard, footballer Cheyenne Campbell, rugby player 18 September – Eloise Mignon, actress 19 September Ben Demery, Paralympic tandem cyclist Sally Pearson, Olympic hurdler 22 September – Ebanie Bridges, boxer 23 September – Wade Dutton, baseball player 29 September – Greg Broughton, footballer October thumb|100px|Christie Hayes 1 October Prashanth Sellathurai, gymnast Justin Westhoff, footballer 4 October – James Brooke, DJ and radio host 10 October Julie Corletto, netball player Nathan Jawai, basketball player 13 October – Sarah Calati, Paralympic wheelchair tennis player 14 October – Nicholas Colla, actor, writer, and director 15 October – Tony Caine, rugby player 16 October – Peter George, cricketer 18 October – Renee Bargh, entertainment reporter 20 October Adam D'Apuzzo, footballer Elyse Taylor, model 21 October – Candice Dianna, singer/songwriter, voice actress, and record producer 23 October – Max Bailey, footballer and coach 27 October – David Warner, cricketer 30 October – Adam Gibson, basketball player 31 October Chris Alajajian, Australian-born Armenian race car driver Christie Hayes, actress November thumb|100px|Kristina Akheeva 1 November – Kristina Akheeva, Russian-born actress and model 2 November – Lara Sacher, actress 5 November – Nathan Crawford, baseball player 9 November – Luke Blackwell, footballer 10 November – James Aspey, animal rights activist and lecturer 19 November Renae Camino, basketball player Brad Hill, basketball player Jessicah Schipper, swimmer 26 November Eddie Betts, footballer Tom Cooper, Australian-born Dutch cricketer December thumb|100px|Torah Bright 8 December – Lara Carroll, English-born Olympic swimmer 9 December Aron Baynes, basketball player Johannah Curran, netball player 10 December – Joshua Adams, dancesport competitor 11 December – Jackson Bird, cricketer 14 December – James Aubusson, rugby player 19 December Luke Cook, actor, director, writer, and content creator Gemma Pranita, actress 21 December – Davey Browne, boxer (d. 2015) 22 December Dennis Armfield, footballer Arianne Caoili, Filipino-born chess player (d. 2020) 23 December – Beau Champion, rugby player 27 December – Torah Bright, snowboarder 29 December – Chris Cayzer, singer and actor 30 December – Tara Cheyne, politician Full date unknown Abdul Abdullah, artist Zane Banks, guitarist Ali Barter, pop rock singer/songwriter Graeme Begbie, field hockey player Alexander Campbell, ballet dancer Joel Carroll, field hockey player Melanie Cheng, doctor and author Nadia Clancy, politician Jesse Cox, radio producer, broadcaster, and documentary maker (d. 2017) Michael Czugaj, glazier and convicted drug trafficker Deaths 21 October — Lionel Murphy (born 1922), former Attorney-General of Australia and High Court judge 7 November — Tracy Pew (born 1957), bass guitarist for The Birthday Party 12 December – Buddy Williams (born 1918), country musician See also 1986 in Australian television List of Australian films of 1986 References 1986 in yes Australia Category:Years of the 20th century in Australia