1993 in Australia
Encyclopedia
Incumbents
- MonarchMonarchy in AustraliaThe Monarchy of Australia is a form of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of Australia. The monarchy is a constitutional one modelled on the Westminster style of parliamentary government, incorporating features unique to the Constitution of Australia.The present monarch is...
– Elizabeth II - 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...
– Bill HaydenBill HaydenWilliam George "Bill" Hayden AC was the 21st Governor-General of Australia. Prior to this, he represented the Australian Labor Party in parliament; he was a minister in the government of Gough Whitlam, and later became Leader of the Opposition, narrowly losing the 1980 federal election to the... - 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...
– 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...
Premiers and Chief Ministers
- Premier of New South Wales – John FaheyJohn Fahey (politician)John Joseph Fahey, AC is a former Premier of New South Wales and Federal Minister for Finance in Australia. John Fahey is currently the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1984 to 1996 and the federal House of Representatives...
- Premier of Queensland – Wayne GossWayne GossWayne Keith Goss was Premier of Queensland from 7 December 1989 until 19 February 1996.-Early life:He was born at Mundubbera, Queensland and educated at Inala High School and the University of Queensland...
- Premier of South Australia – Lynn ArnoldLynn ArnoldLynn Maurice Ferguson Arnold, AO , former Australian politician, was the Labor Premier of South Australia between 4 September 1992 and 14 December 1993....
(until 14 December), then Dean BrownDean BrownDean Craig Brown, AO was the Liberal Premier of South Australia between 14 December 1993 and 28 November 1996, and Deputy Premier of South Australia between 22 October 2001 and 5 March 2002 to Rob Kerin.-Political career:... - Premier of Tasmania – Ray GroomRay GroomRaymond John "Ray" Groom, AO is a lawyer and former Australian sportsman and politician, representing the Liberal Party in the Federal Parliament 1975–84 and the Tasmanian Parliament 1986–2001. He was a Federal and state minister for a total of 13 years...
- Premier of Western AustraliaPremier of Western AustraliaThe Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
– 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....
(until 16 February), then Richard CourtRichard CourtRichard Fairfax Court AC , was a Western Australian politician, representing the seat of Nedlands in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Party of Australia from 1982 to 2001. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001.Court was born into an old political... - Premier of Victoria – Jeff KennettJeff KennettJeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...
- 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...
– 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.... - Chief Minister of the Northern TerritoryChief Minister of the Northern TerritoryThe Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is appointed by the Administrator, who in normal circumstances will appoint the head of whatever party holds the majority of seats in the legislature of the territory...
– Marshall PerronMarshall PerronMarshall Bruce Perron is a former Australian politician, who was a Country Liberal Party member of the Legislative Assembly in the Northern Territory from the formation of the Assembly in 1974 until his resignation in 1995. From 1988 to 1995, Perron was the Chief Minister of the Northern...
Governors and Administrators
- Governor of New South Wales – Peter Sinclair
- Governor of Queensland – Leneen Forde
- Governor of South Australia – Dame Roma MitchellRoma MitchellDame Roma Flinders Mitchell, AC, DBE, CVO, QC was an Australian lawyer, judge and state governor. Mitchell was the first Australian woman to be a judge, a Queen's Counsel, a chancellor of an Australian university and the Governor of an Australian state.Roma Mitchell was born in Adelaide in 1913,...
- Governor of Tasmania – Sir Phillip BennettPhillip BennettGeneral Sir Phillip Harvey Bennett AC, KBE, DSO is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army who served as Chief of the Australian Defence Force from 1984 to 1987, and later as Governor of Tasmania from 1987 to 1995....
- Governor of Western AustraliaGovernor of Western AustraliaThe Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
– Sir Francis BurtFrancis BurtSir Francis Theodore Page Burt, AC, KCMG, QC , commonly known as "Red", Australian jurist, served as Chief Justice of Western Australia from 1977 until 1988 and as Governor of Western Australia from 1990 to 1993. He was also Lieutenant Governor of the State from 1977 to 1990...
(until 31 October), then Michael JefferyMichael JefferyMajor General Philip Michael Jeffery AC, CVO, MC was the 24th Governor-General of Australia , the first Australian career soldier to be appointed governor-general... - Governor of Victoria – Richard McGarvieRichard McGarvieRichard Elgin McGarvie, AC, KStJ, QC was a judge in the Supreme Court of Victoria and Governor of Victoria from 1992 to 1997.-Early life:...
- 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...
– James MuirheadJames MuirheadJames Henry Muirhead AC KStJ QC was an Administrator of the Northern Territory and a Judge of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory.-Pre-Northern Territory:...
(until 1 March), then Austin AscheAustin AscheKeith John Austin Asche, AC, QC is a former Administrator of the Northern Territory and was the third Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory.-Early years, education and family:...
Events
- 6 February – Elections in Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
see the ALPAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
government of Carmen Lawrence voted out and the Liberal PartyLiberal Party of AustraliaThe Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
voted in. Richard Court becomes the new premier. - 7 March – Two prisoners, Peter GibbPeter GibbPeter Robert Gibb was an Australian criminal, known for his escape from the Melbourne Remand Centre in 1993.-Escape from Melbourne Remand Centre:...
and Archie Butterley, escape from the Melbourne Remand CentreHM Melbourne Assessment PrisonHM Melbourne Assessment Prison is an Australian remand and reception prison located in Spencer Street, Melbourne, Victoria. The prison is also known by the nickname 'The Map'...
with the help of prison officer Heather Parker. - 13 March – Paul Keating and the ALP win the federal 'unwinnable election' and are re-elected for a fifth term in power.
- 4 August – Coles Myer announces a $Australian dollarThe Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
4 billion expansion plan creating 100,000 new jobs & spanning five years. - 28 August - HMAS Collins is officially launched at a ceremony by the RAN and annouced by Paul Keating
- 23 September – The IOCInternational Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
selects 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...
to be the site of the 2000 Summer Olympics2000 Summer OlympicsThe Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia... - 11 December – Dean Brown and the Liberal Party win the 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 elections, winning government from Lynn Arnold and the ALP.
Arts and literature
- Alex MillerAlex Miller (writer)Alexander McPhee Miller is an Australian novelist. Born in London, England to Scottish parents, he migrated to Australia at the age of 16. After working and travelling he graduated from the University of Melbourne in English and History in 1965...
's novel The Ancestor GameThe Ancestor GameThe Ancestor Game is a 1992 Miles Franklin literary award winning novel by the Australian author Alex Miller.-Awards:*Miles Franklin Literary Award, 1993: winner*Commonwealth Writers Prize, Overall Best Book Award, 1993: winner...
wins the Miles Franklin AwardMiles Franklin AwardThe Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize for the best Australian ‘published novel or play portraying Australian life in any of its phases’. The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin , who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career ...
Film
The Piano (1993) – New Zealand co-production, won 3 Oscars and received a further 5 nominations. AFI winner for Best FilmTelevision
- 3 March – The Birthday Cake InterviewBirthday Cake InterviewThe "birthday cake interview" was a famous political interview in Australia that was carried out between interviewer Mike Willesee and Liberal Party Opposition Leader Dr. John Hewson shortly before the 1993 federal election...
takes place. This is seen as a crucial factor in the surprise re-election of the ALP in the federal election.
- 30 July- Australian drama series "A Country Practice" is axed after 1058 episodes by the Seven Network, the final episode aired on 22 November, Network Ten pick up the series the following year, but it is nowhere near as successful as the Channel Seven version and is axed soon after.
- 25 November – Ray MartinRay Martin (television presenter)Raymond George "Ray" Martin AM is an Australian television journalist. He is best known for his various on-air roles on Channel Nine from 1978 to 2008. In 2011 he returned to 60 Minutes....
presents his final episode of MiddayMiddayMidday is a television show that aired on Australia's Nine Network from 1985-1998. The show aired, like its title suggests, at noon on every weekday and was a 90 minute variety programme with international and local guests. It featured interviews, musical performances and comedy spots...
. He moves on to A Current Affair in 1994 and is replaced in the Midday role by Derryn HinchDerryn HinchDerryn Nigel Hinch is an Australian media personality best known for his work on Melbourne radio. He is currently the host of 3AW's drive time radio show...
. - Canwest buys Network TenNetwork TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
from WestpacWestpacWestpac , is a multinational financial services, one of the Australian "big four" banks and the second-largest bank in New Zealand....
Sport
- 5 March – First day of the Australian Track & Field Championships for the 1992–1993 season, which are held at the QEII Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland.
- 10 April - Jason A Richardson won the Stawell Gift in 11.94secs
- 16 May – Marconi Fairfield equal the record of 4 national titles by beating Adelaide CityAdelaide CityAdelaide City is a football club in Adelaide, South Australia. They are also known as The Zebras. They played in the National Soccer League for 27 Seasons but withdrew just prior to the 2003/2004 season. They now play in the South Australian Super League. City won the inaugural Super League...
in the NSLNational Soccer LeagueThe National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
Final. - 4 June – Shane WarneShane WarneShane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
, in his first delivery of AshesThe AshesThe Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
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...
, delivers what has been described as the "Ball of the CenturyBall of the CenturyThe Ball of the Century, also referred to as the Gatting Ball or simply That Ball, is the name given to a cricket delivery bowled by Australia's Shane Warne to England's Mike Gatting. The event occurred on day two of the first Test of the 1993 Ashes series, which took place at Old Trafford,...
" to Mike GattingMike GattingMichael "Mike" William Gatting OBE is a former English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Middlesex and for England from 1977 to 1995, captaining the national side in twenty-three Test matches between 1986 and 1988...
, bowling the EnglishmanEnglish cricket teamThe England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
. - 18 July – Sean Quilty wins his second men's national marathon title, clocking 2:15:31 in BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, while Karen McCann claims her second women's title in 2:40:10. - 25 September – EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
(20.13.133) defeat CarltonCarlton Football ClubThe Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
(13.11.89) to win the 97th VFL/AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
premiership. - 26 September – Brisbane BroncosBrisbane BroncosThe Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
(14) defeat the St. George DragonsSt. George DragonsThe St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
(6) for the second consecutive year to win the 86th NSWRLNew South Wales Rugby LeagueThe New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
premiership. - 17 November – The Socceroos lose to ArgentinaArgentina national football teamThe Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
0–1 in Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
in the CONMEBOL/CONCACAF-OFC playoff, thereby failing to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup1994 FIFA World CupThe 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
on aggregate.
Deaths
- 10 February – Fred HollowsFred HollowsFrederick "Fred" Cossom Hollows, AC was an ophthalmologist who became known for his work in restoring eyesight for countless thousands of people in Australia and many other countries...
(b. 1929), ophthalmologist - 2 July – Sir Edward "Weary" DunlopEdward DunlopLieutenant Colonel Sir Ernest Edward "Weary" Dunlop, AC, CMG, OBE was an Australian surgeon who was renowned for his leadership while being held prisoner by the Japanese during World War II.-Early life and family:...
(b. 1907), surgeon - 6 November – Michael VernonMichael VernonMichael 'Mike' Vernon A.M. was a prominent Australian consumer activist. Vernon was born in Portsmouth, United Kingdom in 1932 to John Ernest Vernon and Caroline Vernon . He emigrated to Australia in 1955 and settled in Canberra, Australia...
(b. 1932), consumer activist