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1984 in Australia 
Summary
The following lists events that happened during 1984 in Australia.
| 1984 in Australia | |
|---|---|
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | Sir Ninian Stephen |
| Prime minister | Bob Hawke |
| Population | 15,393,472 |
| Australian of the Year | Lowitja O'Donoghue |
| Elections | NSW, Federal, Referendum |
| |||||
| Decades: |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| See also: | |||||
Incumbents edit
- Monarch – Elizabeth II
- Governor-General – Sir Ninian Stephen
- Prime Minister – Bob Hawke
- Chief Justice – Sir Harry Gibbs
State and territory leaders edit
- Premier of New South Wales – Neville Wran
- Premier of Queensland – (Sir) Joh Bjelke-Petersen
- Opposition Leader – Keith Wright (until 29 August), then Nev Warburton
- Premier of South Australia – John Bannon
- Premier of Tasmania – Robin Gray
- Premier of Victoria – John Cain Jr.
- Premier of Western Australia – Brian Burke
- Opposition Leader – Ray O'Connor (until 15 February), then Bill Hassell
- Chief Minister of the Northern Territory – Paul Everingham (until 15 October), then Ian Tuxworth
- Chief Minister of Norfolk Island – David Buffett
Governors and administrators edit
- Governor of New South Wales – Sir James Rowland
- Governor of Queensland – Sir James Ramsay
- Governor of South Australia – Sir Donald Dunstan
- Governor of Tasmania – Sir James Plimsoll
- Governor of Victoria – Sir Brian Murray
- Governor of Western Australia – Gordon Reid (from 2 July)
- Administrator of Norfolk Island – Raymond Trebilco
- Administrator of the Northern Territory – Eric Johnston
Events edit
January edit
- 17 January – Ian Sinclair is elected leader of the National Party of Australia following Doug Anthony's retirement.[1]
- 26 January – Aboriginal leader Lowitja (Lois) O'Donoghue becomes Australian of the Year.[2]
- 27 to 30 January – The final Narara Music Festival on the Central Coast of New South Wales features INXS, Simple Minds, The Pretenders, Talking Heads, Eurythmics and Def Leppard.[3][4]
February edit
- 1 February – Medicare comes into effect in Australia.[5]
- 2 February – Melbourne newspaper The Age publishes phone taps incriminating an unknown judge.[6]
- 14 February – Elton John marries Renate Blauel in Sydney.[7]
March edit
- 6 March –
- A bomb blast wrecks the home of Judge Richard Gee in the Sydney suburb of Belrose.[8]
- High Court Judge, Justice Lionel Murphy is named in Parliament as the judge referred to in The Age tapes published on 2 February.[9]
- 24 March – Wran Government re-elected in NSW for a 4th term.[10]
- 26 March – The $100 note is introduced.[11]
April edit
- April – A 915g jar of Vegemite is the first product in Australia to be electronically scanned at a checkout.[12]
- 19 April – Advance Australia Fair is proclaimed as Australia's national anthem, and green and gold as the national colours.[13][14]
May edit
- 14 May – The one dollar coin is introduced in Australia.[15]
- 18 May – In New South Wales gay sex between consenting adult males is decriminalised.[16][17]
July edit
- 4 July – Pearl, wife of Justice Ray Watson killed when their home is bombed. It is believed Judge Watson was the target.[18]
- 16 July – Letters Patent issued for the Royal Commission into British Nuclear Tests in Australia[19]
- 18 July – National Crime Authority is established.[20][21]
August edit
- August – Brenda Hodge becomes the last person to be sentenced to death by Western Australia, and in the country as a whole, before the complete abolition of capital punishment. Her sentence is later commuted to life imprisonment.
- 1 August – Australian banks are deregulated.
- 7 August – Margaret, 35, and Seana Tapp, 9 are attacked and murdered by an unknown man in their suburban Melbourne home.[22] Seana is also sexually assaulted.[23]
- 21 August – The Federal budget is televised for the first time.[24]
September edit
- 2 September – 7 people shot dead and 12 wounded in a bikie shootout between rival bikie gangs the Bandidos and Comancheros in the Sydney suburb of Milperra.[25]
- 5 September – Western Australia becomes the last Australian state to abolish capital punishment for ordinary crimes (i.e. murder). New South Wales maintained it as a punishment for treason and piracy with violence until 1985†, when capital punishment was finally abolished in Australia.
October edit
- 1 October – National Film and Sound Archive (Screensound Australia) opens in Canberra.[26]
November edit
- 6 November – In a crime that shocks the city, Melbourne schoolgirl Kylie Maybury is kidnapped, raped and murdered after being sent on an errand to buy a bag of sugar.[27]
- 26 November –
- Former NSW Corrective Services Minister Rex Jackson appears in Court on conspiracy charges for the early release of prisoners.[28]
- A good performance by Andrew Peacock in the leaders' televised debate boosts his poll ratings.[29]
December edit
- 2 December – Hawke Government re-elected with a reduced majority.[30]
- 7 December – Andrew Peacock and John Howard retain their respective positions in the Opposition.[31]
Arts and literature edit
- Tim Winton's novel Shallows wins the Miles Franklin Award[32]
Film edit
Television edit
- 30 January – Perfect Match is launched in the 5:30 pm timeslot, bringing in record ratings for that timeslot & ensuring Ten's Eyewitness News won the 6–7 p.m. timeslot.
- 3 February – Australia's first nationally televised telethon screens on Network Ten. It is a 26-hour effort to raise money for Australia's Olympic athletes.[33]
- 11 February – The Nine Network's Hey Hey It's Saturday moves from Saturday mornings to the 9:30 pm timeslot and renamed Hey Hey It's Saturday Night.
- 26 July – French-American-Canadian animated television series Inspector Gadget begins on ABC.
- Christopher Skase purchases TVQ-0.[34]
- Network Ten televises the 1984 Summer Olympics from Los Angeles. Also, all stations adopt a uniform on-air look for the first time.
- The first televised federal election debate takes place.
Sport edit
VFL edit
- 29 September – Essendon (14.21.105) defeat Hawthorn (12.9.81) to win the 88th VFL premiership[35]
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Peter Moore (Melbourne)[36]
Rugby league edit
- 23 September – Minor premiers Canterbury Bulldogs defeat Parramatta Eels 6–4 to win the 77th NSWRL premiership.[37] Western Suburbs Magpies finish in last position, claiming the wooden spoon.
Other edit
- 25 March – Robert de Castella is Australia's only competitor at the twelfth IAAF World Cross Country Championships, staged in New York, USA. He finishes in 21st place (34:08.0) in the race over 12,086 metres.[38]
- 10 June – Andrew Lloyd wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:14:36 in Sydney, while Mora Main claims the women's title in 2:46:00.[39][40]
- 6 November – Black Knight wins the Melbourne Cup.[41]
Births edit
- 1 January – Michael Witt, rugby league player
- 10 January – Trent Cutler, rugby league player
- 26 January – Ryan Hoffman, rugby league player
- 7 March – Jacob Lillyman, rugby league player
- 22 March – Tara Simmons, musician (died 2019)
- 30 March – Samantha Stosur, tennis player
- 3 April – Allana Slater, gymnast
- 10 April – Peter Veness, journalist (d. 2012)
- 13 April – Kris Britt, cricketer
- 26 April – Petrina Price, high jumper
- 3 May – Jacqui Dunn, artistic gymnast[42]
- 4 May – Kiel Brown, field hockey midfielder
- 10 May – Alana Boyd, pole vaulter
- 15 May
- Samantha Noble, actress
- Beau Scott, Australian rugby league player
- 31 May – Jason Smith, actor
- 3 June – Todd Reid, tennis player (died 2018)
- June 14 – Jay Lyon, actor, musician and model
- 9 July – Alexandra Croak, gymnast & diver
- 20 July – James Mackay, actor
- 24 July – Patrick Harvey, actor
- 30 July – Trudy McIntosh, artistic gymnast[43]
- 4 September – Adam Marshall, politician
- 20 September – Jason Chatfield, artist, comedian
- 3 October – Jarrod Bannister, athlete (d. 2018)[44]
- 8 October — Laura Wells, International Plus Sized Model and Environmentalist.
- 17 October – Michelle Ang, actress
- 30 October – Cameron Ciraldo, rugby league player and coach
- 9 November – Delta Goodrem, singer and actress
- 13 November – Jamie Soward, rugby league player
- 14 November – Courtney Johns, Australian footballer
- 25 November – Peter Siddle, cricketer
- 28 November – Andrew Bogut, basketball player
- 8 December – Tim Paine, cricketer
- 12 December
- Sophie Edington, swimmer
- Daniel Merrett, Australian footballer
- 25 December – Lisa and Jessica Origliasso, singer/songwriters
Deaths edit
- 9 January – Bob Dyer, television host (born in the United States) (b. 1909)
- 21 January – Alan Marshall, writer (b. 1902)
- 17 May – Nigel Drury, Queensland politician (b. 1911)
- 26 May – Hilda Abbott, Red Cross leader and wife of the administrator of the Northern Territory (b. 1890)
- 19 June – Sir Phillip Lynch, Victorian politician (b. 1933)
- 21 June – Denis Murphy, Queensland politician (b. 1936)
- 6 July – Mina Wylie, swimmer (b. 1891)
- 13 August – Clyde Cook, actor (b. 1891)
- 29 September – Hal Porter, author and playwright (b. 1911)
- 6 November – Kylie Maybury, murder victim (b. 1978)
- 20 December – Grace Cossington Smith, artist (b. 1892)
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Malone, Paul (18 January 1988). "New leader Sinclair faces questions on credibility". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Jon Seiben on visit anyway". The Canberra Times. 28 January 1985. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ Dempsey, Shelley (30 January 1985). "2CC chats with performers at Narara". The Canberra Times.
- ^ "Rain drowns the music, and floods leave festival fans stranded in the mud". The Canberra Times. 31 January 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Teething troubles likely for Labor's newborn Medicare". The Canberra Times. 1 February 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Police to investigate allegations about judge". The Canberra Times. 3 February 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ Miller, Julie. "Rocketman: Elton John's Forgotten 1984 Wedding to Renate Blauel". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ^ Coulthart, Ross (7 July 2013). "Investigation exposes the dad accused of an unsolved crime spree that killed four people". The Sunday Telegraph. Australia. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
- ^ Malone, Paul (7 March 1984). "Judge named by Qld minister". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ Malone, Paul (25 March 1984). "Labor back, but about 11 seats lost". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "New $100 note on Monday". The Canberra Times. 21 March 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ Sheedy, Chris; Jenny Bond (2006). 100 Great Icons. Milsons Point, New South Wales: Random House Australia. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-1-74166-501-7.
- ^ "'Advance Australia' national anthem". The Canberra Times. 12 April 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Green and gold our official colours". The Canberra Times. 20 April 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "New, shiny, $1 coin raises some eyebrows". The Canberra Times. 15 May 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "NSW Assembly passes homosexuality law reform". The Canberra Times. 17 May 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Homosexuality Bill passes all stages". The Canberra Times. 19 May 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Family Court judge's wife killed, home damaged". The Canberra Times. 5 July 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Report of the Royal Commission into British Nuclear Tests in Australia". Australian Parliament House. 20 November 1985. p. 7 (PDF). Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ "Three states to join national crime body". The Canberra Times. 3 July 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ Waterford, Jack (22 July 1984). "Top ACT judge enters fray over 'Mr Justice Policeman'". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Mother, daughter killed in beds". The Canberra Times. 10 August 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ Jolly, Nathan (1 December 2019). "Why the murders of mother and daughter Margaret and Seana remain unsolved". news.com.au. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ Morris, Joan (19 August 1984). "Television history being made". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Seven shot dead at hotel". The Canberra Times. 3 September 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ Jeffrey, Brian (2 October 1984). "Archive grew out of concern for film and sound heritage". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Body of girl, 6, found in gutter". The Canberra Times. 8 November 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Jackson needed to raise money, Crown alleges". The Canberra Times. 27 November 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ Jones, Bruce (26 November 1984). "Peacock's 'impressive performance'". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ Malone, Paul (2 December 1984). "Informal vote takes icing off ALP cake". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ Coyle, Kerry (8 December 1984). "Peacock, Howard returned". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Franklin award to Winton". The Canberra Times. 15 May 1985. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ "Olympics telethon aims for LA and beyond". The Canberra Times. 3 February 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Qld TV channel buyer pursuing media interest". The Canberra Times. 6 May 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Winners at last..." The Canberra Times. 30 September 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Melbourne ruckman Peter Moore wins second Brownlow". The Canberra Times. 25 September 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Canterbury the best". The Canberra Times. 24 September 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "De Castella confident despite losses". 7 April 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Wang Australian Marathon 1984 results (page 1)". ausrunning. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Wang Australian Marathon 1984 results (page 3)". ausrunning. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "The Melbourne Cup in pictures..." The Canberra Times. 8 November 1984. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Jacqui Dunn". m2002.thecgf.com. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ "Trudy MCINTOSH - Olympic Gymnastics Artistic | Australia". Olympic.org. International Olympic Committee. 20 June 2016.
- ^ "Jarrod Bannister". Olympic.org. International Olympic Committee.