1994 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
• Premier of South Australia – Dean Brown
• Premier of Tasmania – Ray Groom
• Premier of Victoria – Jeff Kennett
• Premier of Western Australia – Richard Court
• Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory – Rosemary Follett
• Chief Minister of the Northern Territory – Marshall Perron

Governors and Administrators

• Governor of New South Wales – Peter Sinclair
• Governor of Queensland – Leneen Forde
• Governor of South Australia – Dame Roma Mitchell
• Governor of Tasmania – Sir Phillip Bennett
• Governor of Victoria – Richard McGarvie
• Governor of Western Australia – Michael Jeffery
• Administrator of the Northern Territory – Austin Asche
• Administrator of Norfolk Island – Alan Gardner Kerr

Events

• 2 to 15 January – Major bushfires devastate coastal New South Wales—four people are killed and over 300 homes are lost.
• 26 January – Student David Kang fires two blank shots from a starting pistol at Prince Charles in Sydney, Australia.^[1]
• 27 February – Ros Kelly resigns as Minister for Sports and the Environment over the "sports rorts affair".^[2]
• 23 May – John Hewson is replaced as Leader of the Opposition by Alexander Downer.^[3]
• 25 July – Telephone numbers in Australia begin transitioning to eight digits. Mona Vale in Sydney is the first suburb to change to the new numbers.
• August – Wollemia nobilis, a "fossil tree", is discovered by bushwalker David Noble only 150 km from Sydney.^[4]
• 5 September – New South Wales state MP John Newman is shot outside his home, in Australia's first political assassination since 1977.^[5]
• 4 November – Sydney's third runway opens, ensuring protests about noise levels.
• 2 December – The Australian government agrees to pay reparations to aborigines that were displaced during the nuclear tests in 1950s and 1960s.

Arts and literature

• Rodney Hall's novel The Grisly Wife wins the Miles Franklin Award

Film

• Muriel's Wedding & The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert are major box office hits both here & abroad.

Television

• 18 January – Blue Heelers premieres on Channel 7.
• 28 April – The Tasmanian television market is aggregated, with TasTV (now WIN Television) taking a Nine Network affiliation and Southern Cross taking a dual Seven and Ten affiliation.
• 21 July – Mother and Son finale airs. (1984–1994)
• Hey Dad...! hosts its final original episode (1984–1994)
• A Country Practice (1981–1993 on Channel 7) revival attempt on Channel 10 backfires.

Sport

• 9 February – Twenty minute quarters and the "final 8" are introduced in the AFL.
• February – Australia takes its first Winter Olympic medal when the Australian short track speed skating team wins bronze in the 5000m relay at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
• 2 March – Rumours of a breakway competition reported after relations deteriorate between the Brisbane Broncos & the NSWRL
• 10 March – First day of the Australian Track & Field Championships for the 1993–1994 season, which are held at the Sydney Athletic Field in Sydney. The combined events championships were conducted in Canberra on 17 and 18 March 1994.
• 1 May – Adelaide City become NSL Champions for the third time, defeating a Mark Viduka inspired Melbourne Knights at Olympic Park.
• 23 May – Queensland stage heart-stopping fightback in the last five minutes of State of Origin I. After coming from 12–4 down, winger Mark Coyne scores match-winner in final minute.
• 8 June – 87,161 people-an Australian rugby league record-turn out at the MCG for State of Origin II. NSW win 14–0.
• 17 July – Michael Dalton wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:16:17 in Brisbane, while Joanne Cowan claims the women's title in 2:45:35.
• 26 July – NSWRL general manager John Ribot concedes a privately run competition is feasible as news of a "Super League" competition surfaces.
• 24 September – West Coast Eagles (20.20.143) defeated Geelong (8.15.63) to win the 98th AFL premiership.
• 25 September – Canberra captain & rugby league legend Mal Meninga ends club career on winning note when he leads Canberra to a comprehensive 36–12 defeat of Canterbury Bulldogs in the NSWRL Grand Final. His playing career would finish two months later when he led the Kanagroos on a successful tour of Great Britain & France.
• 20 October – ARL chairman Ken Arthurson warns the Broncos that they face expulsion over their involvement with Super League

Births

• 21 January – Laura Robson, tennis player
• 7 April – Viktorija Rajicic, tennis player
• 22 April – James Morris, chess player
• 17 June – Jiordan Anna Tolli, actor
• 24 June – Tory Green, actor
• 6 July – Scott James, Olympic snowboarder
• 16 September – Maddison Gabriel, model
• 18 October – Morgan Featherstone, fashion model
• 3 November - Jordan Pressnell, Australian
• 21 December - Imogen Hines, Cyclist

Deaths

• 16 January – Jack Metcalfe, 81, track and field athlete
• 14 May – Leonard Teale, 71, actor
• 28 May – Sir Charles Spry, 83, Director-General of ASIO (1950–1970)

References