Governors

• Governor of New South Wales
  Governors of New South Wales
  The Governor of New South Wales is the state viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who is equally shared with 15 other sovereign nations in a form of personal union, as well as with the eleven other jurisdictions of Australia, and resides predominantly in her...
  
   — Sir William Denison
  William Denison
  Sir William Thomas Denison, KCB was Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land from 1847 to 1855, Governor of New South Wales from 20 January 1855 to 22 January 1861, and Governor of Madras from 1861 to 1866....
  
  
• Governor of South Australia
  Governors of South Australia
  The Governor of South Australia is the representative in the Australian state of South Australia of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level.In...
  
   — Sir Richard MacDonnell
  Richard Graves MacDonnell
  Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell KCMG CB was an Anglo-Irish lawyer, judge and colonial governor...
  
  
• Governor of Tasmania
  Governors of Tasmania
  The Governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as the Governor-General of Australia does at the national level.In accordance with the...
  
   — Sir Henry Young
  Henry Young
  Sir Henry Edward Fox Young, KCMG was the fifth Governor of South Australia, serving in that role from 2 August 1848 until 20 December 1854. He was then the first Governor of Tasmania, from 1855 until 1861.-Early life:...
  
  
• Governor of Victoria
  Governors of Victoria
  The Governor of Victoria is the representative in the Australian state of Victoria of its monarch, Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level...
  
   — Sir Henry Barkly
  Henry Barkly
  Sir Henry Barkly, GCMG, KCB, FRS, FRGS was a British politician, colonial governor and patron of the sciences.-Early life and education:...
  
  
• Governor of Western Australia as a Crown Colony
  Governor of Western Australia
  The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
  
   — Captain Charles Fitzgerald
  Charles Fitzgerald
  Captain Charles Fitzgerald was the Governor of The Gambia from 1844 until 1847, then Governor of Western Australia from 1848 to 1855....
  
  

Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales
  Premiers of New South Wales
  The Premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature...
  
   — Stuart Donaldson
  Stuart Donaldson
  Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson was the first Premier of the Colony of New South Wales.-Early life:Donaldson was born in London, England. He entered his father's firm at the age of 15 and was sent first to Mexico , for business training, and then to Sydney, where he arrived in 1835...
  
   from 6 June to 25 August then Charles Cowper
  Charles Cowper
  Sir Charles Cowper, KCMG was an Australian politician and the Premier of New South Wales on five different occasions from 1856 to 1870....
  
   to 2 October then Henry Parker
• Premier of Queensland
  Premiers of Queensland
  Before the 1890s, there was no developed party system in Queensland. Political affiliation labels before that time indicate a general tendency only. Before the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, political parties were more akin to parliamentary factions, and were fluid, informal and...
  
   — office not created until 1859
• Premier of South Australia
  Premiers of South Australia
  Before the 1890s when there was no formal party system in South Australia, MPs tended to have historical liberal or conservative beliefs. The liberals dominated government from 1893 to 1905 with Labor support, with the conservatives mostly in opposition. Labor took government with the support of...
  
   — Boyle Finniss
  Boyle Finniss
  Boyle Travers Finniss was the first Premier of the Colony of South Australia, serving from 24 October 1856 to 20 August 1857.-Early life:...
  
   from 24 October
• Premier of Tasmania
  Premiers of Tasmania
  The Premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly will nominate its leader to be Premier. The nominated politician is then invited by the Governor of...
  
   — William Champ
  William Champ
  William Thomas Napier Champ was a soldier and politician who became the first Premier of Tasmania.-Early life:...
  
   from 1 November
• Premier of Victoria
  Premiers of Victoria
  The Premier of Victoria is the leader of the government in the Australian state of Victoria. The Premier is appointed by the Governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Legislative Assembly....
  
   — Dr William Haines
  William Haines (Australian politician)
  Dr William Clark Haines , Australian colonial politician, was the first Premier of Victoria.Haines was born in London, the son of John Haines, a physician. He was educated at Charterhouse School and Caius College, Cambridge, where he graduated in medicine; he later practiced surgery for several years...
  
  
• Premier of Western Australia
  Premier of Western Australia
  The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
  
   — office not created until 1890
  1890 in Australia
  See 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...
  
  

Events

• 7 February — Tasmanian Electoral Act introduced the secret ballot
  Secret ballot
  The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
  
  , which was known elsewhere, in particular in the United States
  United States
  The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
  
   as the "Australian ballot"
• 19 March — The Electoral Act 1856
  Electoral Act 1856
  The Electoral Act 1856 was an act of the government of Victoria which introduced voting by secret ballot. The act was passed by a one vote majority on 13 March 1856; it was enacted when it received assent from the Governor of Victoria on 19 March of the same year.Victorian law was the third of its...
  
  introduced the secret ballot in Victoria
• 2 April — South Australia
  South Australia
  South 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...
  
   introduced the secret ballot
• 11 April — At a public meeting in Melbourne, Dr Thomas Embling
  Thomas Embling
  Thomas Embling was a doctor from the United Kingdom who took an interest in the humane treatment of inmates in asylums before emigrating to Melbourne, Australia where he set about reforming the Yarra Bend Asylum...
  
   repeated the slogan "eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest
  Eight-hour day
  The eight-hour day movement or 40-hour week movement, also known as the short-time movement, had its origins in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, where industrial production in large factories transformed working life and imposed long hours and poor working conditions. With working conditions...
  
  ".
• 22 May — First Parliament of New South Wales
  Parliament of New South Wales
  The Parliament of New South Wales, located in Parliament House on Macquarie Street, Sydney, is the main legislative body in the Australian state of New South Wales . It is a bicameral parliament elected by the people of the state in general elections. The parliament shares law making powers with...
  
   opened by the governor, Sir William Denison
  William Denison
  Sir William Thomas Denison, KCB was Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land from 1847 to 1855, Governor of New South Wales from 20 January 1855 to 22 January 1861, and Governor of Madras from 1861 to 1866....
  
  
• 24 June — Queen Victoria makes Norfolk Island
  Norfolk Island
  Norfolk 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...
  
   a separate settlement from Tasmania to be administered by the Governor of New South Wales.
• 23 September — The town of Perth, Western Australia
  Perth, Western Australia
  Perth 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 proclaimed a City
  City
  A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
  
   by letters patent
  Letters patent
  Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
  
   from Queen Victoria.

Exploration and settlement

• 1 January – The name Tasmania
  Tasmania
  Tasmania 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...
  
   officially adopted to replace Van Diemen's Land
  Van Diemen's Land
  Van 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...
  
   which was felt to have too many convict
  Convictism in Australia
  During the late 18th and 19th centuries, large numbers of convicts were transported to the various Australian penal colonies by the British government. One of the primary reasons for the British settlement of Australia was the establishment of a penal colony to alleviate pressure on their...
  
   connotations.
• 8 June – Pitcairn Islanders
  Pitcairn Islands
  The Pitcairn Islands , officially named the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, form a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. The islands are a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union in the Pacific...
  
   arrived on Norfolk Island
  Norfolk Island
  Norfolk 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...
  
  ; the last convict had left and the island was no longer a penal colony. Queen Victoria granted the island to the Pitcairners as a home. Bounty Day
  Bounty Day
  Bounty Day is a holiday on both Pitcairn Island, destination of the HMS Bounty mutineers, and on Norfolk Island. It is celebrated on January 23 on Pitcairn, and on June 8 on Norfolk Island, the day that the descendants of the mutineers arrived on the island...
  
   is celebrated each year in Norfolk Island to commemorate the event.
• Suburb of Goodna founded in Queensland
  Queensland
  Queensland 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...
  
  , Australia – Originally part of NSW, its 150-year anniversary was celebrated in 2006.

Births

• 8 March — Tom Roberts
  Tom Roberts
  Thomas William Roberts , usually known simply as Tom, was a prominent Australian artist and a key member of the Heidelberg School.-Life:...
  
  , artist (d. 1931)
• 3 August — Alfred Deakin
  Alfred Deakin
  Alfred 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...
  
  , Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1919)
• 19 September — Arthur Morgan
  Arthur Morgan (Queensland politician)
  Sir Arthur Morgan was the Premier of Queensland, Australia from 1903 to 1906.Morgan was born in Warwick, Queensland, the fourth son of James Morgan and his wife Kate, née Barton...
  
  , Premier of Queensland (d. 1916)
• 3 December — George Leake
  George Leake
  George Leake CMG QC was Premier of Western Australia from 27 May 1901 to 21 November 1901, and again from 23 December 1901 until his death on 24 June 1902.-Early life:...
  
  , Premier of Western Australia (d. 1902)

Deaths

• 1 January — Convict William Buckley
  William Buckley (convict)
  William Buckley was an English convict who was transported to Australia, escaped, was given up for dead and lived in an Aboriginal community for many years....
  
  dies near Hobart, aged 75.