2007 in Australia

 

2007 in Australia:

Other years

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News by month

Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec

Australian current events

Sport and Music

2007 Australian cricket season

2007 AFL Season

2007 NRL Season

Incumbents

• Queen of Australia - HM Queen Elizabeth II
• Governor General - Michael Jeffery
• Prime Minister - John Howard
• Premier of New South Wales - Morris Iemma
• Premier of South Australia - Mike Rann
• Premier of Queensland - Peter Beattie, until 13 September then Anna Bligh
• Premier of Tasmania - Paul Lennon
• Premier of Western Australia - Alan Carpenter
• Premier of Victoria - Steve Bracks, until 30 July then John Brumby
• Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory - Jon Stanhope
• Chief Minister of the Northern Territory - Clare Martin

Events

Whole year

• Year of the Surf Lifesaver^[1]

January

• January 1 - An estimated five hundred rioters turn on police in Rye, Victoria.^[2]
• January 4 - Storms lash the town of Esperance, Western Australia. A natural disaster area is declared.^[3]
• January 13 - Youth attending an illegal drag race in the Melbourne suburb of Noble Park turn on police throwing flares and trashing a video store.^[4]
• January 15 - The first day of competition at the Australian Open is marred by clashes between Serbian and Croatian supporters and the Victorian police.^[5]
• January 16 - Large parts of Victoria are hit with power outages, including Melbourne, Geelong and Bendigo, after bushfires knock out power transmission lines connecting the state to the national electricity grid.^[6]
• January 23 - John Howard reshuffles his federal cabinet. Such changes include the sacking of the Immigration Minister, Amanda Vanstone.^[7]
• January 26 - Organisers of the Big Day Out in Sydney plead with event-goers not to bring Australian flags with them, fearing outbreaks of racial violence. The plea is ignored, and the day passes without incident.^[8]
• January 31 - A report commissioned by the New South Wales Government predicts large temperature rises and a decrease in rainfall of up to 40 per cent over the next 70 years. ^[9]

February

• February 5 - The first inquest into the deaths of the Balibo Five begins.^[10]
• February 7 - James Hardie announces that it has approved long-term compensation arrangements for asbestos victims.^[11]
• February 11 - Prime Minister John Howard causes a diplomatic stir when he publicly criticises U.S. presidential nominee Barack Obama for his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.^[12]

March

• March 3 - Liberal Senator Ian Campbell resigns his cabinet portfolio as Minister for Human Services after it is revealed that he, like Kevin Rudd, had met with disgraced former Premier of Western Australia, Brian Burke.
• March 4 - At the request of president Xanana Gusmão and prime minister José Ramos Horta, Australian Special Air Service troops raid a rebel stronghold in Same, East Timor, in an attempt to capture rebel leader Alfredo Reinhado. Four Timorese men are killed in the battle, and Reinhado escapes.
• March 6 - The Australian government approves a proposed AUD $11.1 billion sale of the national airline Qantas to an international consortium after the Foreign Investment Review Board finds that the sale would not breach foreign ownership laws.
• March 7 - Five Australians are killed when Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 crashes and explodes in Java: a journalist, two Australian Federal Police officers, an Australian embassy official and a foreign aid worker.
• March 8 - Two people are killed when Severe Tropical Cyclone George makes landfall near Port Hedland, Western Australia. An third death occurs three days later when a man dies of head injuries sustained in the cyclone.
• March 9 - Shadow Attorney-General Kelvin Thomson resigns from the Opposition front bench after it is revealed that he wrote a positive character reference for Melbourne gangland figure and fugitive Tony Mokbel six years ago.
• March 14 - An electrical fault on a Northern Line train near the Sydney Harbour Bridge strands 4,000 passengers on Sydney's CityRail train system for nearly three hours, and causes substantial delays during the evening rush hour.
• March 16 - Senator Santo Santoro resigns as Minister for Ageing following a scandal involving his ownership of shares in a company related to his portfolio. He resigns from the Senate on March 20.
• March 18 - More than 200,000 people walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to celebrate its 75th anniversary.
• March 23 - Three people are killed when three trucks and four cars are involved in a major collision and explosion in Melbourne's Burnley Tunnel.
• March 23 - The PlayStation 3 games console is released in Australia, exactly a year after the Australian release of Microsoft's Xbox 360.
• March 24 - The Australian Labor Party and Premier Morris Iemma are returned to power with a reduced majority in the 2007 New South Wales state election. Peter Debnam resigns as Opposition Leader & Barry O'Farrell is elected leader on April 4.
• March 26 - Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Matthew Hicks pleads guilty to a charge of providing material support for terrorism before a United States military commission in Cuba.
• March 28 - Four people are killed after a private charter boat collides with a Sydney Harbour ferry.
• March 29 - New South Wales Police arrest three people, including an Australian Army captain, for alleged involvement in the theft and distribution of M72 LAW rocket launchers to criminals.^[13]
• March 31 - Earth Hour, in which Sydneysiders were encouraged to turn off their lights between 7:30pm and 8:30pm, takes place.

April

• April 2 - The Bureau of Meteorology issues a tsunami warning for the east coast of Australia after an earthquake in the South Pacific Ocean is detected. Precautions are taken, such as the suspension of Sydney Ferry services, but Australia is unaffected. The tsunami, however, causes devastation in the Solomon Islands.
• April 10 - Four elderly residents of the Broughton Hall nursing home in Melbourne die after a gastroenteritis outbreak at the home over the Easter weekend. A fifth resident dies in hospital on April 16.
• April 19 - Prime Minister John Howard announces a report which states that unless significant rain falls in the Murray-Darling Basin within the next six to eight weeks, Australia will face a major agricultural crisis with no irrigation allocations available to farmers.
• April 24 - Two Australian soldiers are injured when a roadside bomb goes off in Iraq.
• April 26 - Former immigration minister Senator Amanda Vanstone announces her immediate resignation from the Australian Senate. It is announced later that day that Vanstone will take up the position of Australia's Ambassador to Italy in late June.

May

• May 20 - Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Matthew Hicks returns to Australia, where he will serve the remaining seven months of his sentence at Adelaide's Yatala Labour Prison.

June

• June 1 - The Australian Government climate task force releases its report, recommending Australia implement an emissions trading scheme by 2012. Prime Minister John Howard declines to set a target for greenhouse gas reduction until after the 2007 election.^[14]
• June 5 - Eleven people are killed, 12 seriously injured, 50 others wounded and 13 still missing after a V/Line train collides with a truck at a level crossing near Kerang, Victoria.^[15]
• June 6 - Fugitive Tony Mokbel is recaptured in Greece after being missing since March 2006^[16].
• June 8 - June 10 - Major storms strike Newcastle, the Hunter region and the Central Coast, killing at least nine people and causing major flooding. The coal freighter Pasha Bulker is forced to run aground on Nobby's Beach, a major Newcastle beach.^[17][18][19]
• June 18 - Victoria Police cordon off a large part of the Melbourne city centre after a gunman shoots three people, killing one, and then escapes.^[20]
• June 21 - After the release of a report into child abuse and domestic violence in indigenous communities, the Prime Minister declares the situation a "national emergency" and announces a series of measures (most of which are controversial) to deal with the crisis.
• June 25 - John Laws announces his retirement from radio after a career spanning 54 years. ^[21].

July

• July 2 - The Pasha Bulker is refloated after 25 days aground.
• July 2 - Thai Airways International flight TG999 arrives in Melbourne from Bangkok, causing a health scare when one of the passengers is later diagnosed with polio.^[22]
• July 3 - Wesfarmers announces a $22 billion takeover of the Coles Group in the nation's largest ever corporate takeover.
• July 3 - Dr. Mohamed Haneef is arrested at Brisbane Airport on suspicion of being involved in the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack.
• July 7 - Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney hosts one of seven global legs of the Live Earth concert series, which aim to promote action on climate change.
• July 14 - Dr. Mohamed Haneef is charged with providing support to a terrorist organisation, after it is alleged that he "recklessly" provided his mobile phone SIM card to the group responsible for the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack.^[23]
• July 27 - Steve Bracks resigns as Premier of Victoria.^[24] Deputy Premier John Thwaites also resigns.^[25]
• July 27 - The Director of Public Prosecutions drops the terrorism support charges against Dr. Mohamed Haneef.^[26]
• July 30 - John Brumby and Rob Hulls are elected unopposed as Premier and Deputy Premier of Victoria respectively, following the sudden resignation of Steve Bracks and John Thwaites.

August

• August 14 - The federal Cabinet approves uranium exports to India outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.^[27]
• August 15 - Three journalists (Paul Daley and Michael Brissenden of the ABC, and Tony Wright of The Age and previously The Bulletin) give details of a dinner they attended in 2005 with Treasurer Peter Costello, at which Costello outlined his intention to challenge Prime Minister John Howard for the leadership of the Liberal Party.^[28]
• August 19 - Leader of the Opposition Kevin Rudd admits that he once visited New York strip club Scores in 2003.^[29]
• August 21 - The Federal Court of Australia reverses the decision of Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews to cancel the visa of former terrorism suspect Dr. Mohamed Haneef on character grounds, although the Australian Government announces it will appeal the decision.^[30]
• August 27 - The Australian Government releases a draft booklet of Australian facts and values from which 20 questions of a citizenship test will be drawn. Applicants for citizenship will be required to score 12 out of 20 (60%) in the test to be eligible.^[31]

September

• September 2 – September 9 - The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation hosts its annual leaders meeting in Sydney. A public holiday was held in the Sydney Metropolitan area on September 7.
• September 10 - Peter Beattie announces he will resign as Premier of Queensland
• September 11 - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper became the first Canadian Prime Minister, since Canadian Confederation, to address the Parliament of Australia.
• September 13 - Anna Bligh is sworn in as Queensland's first female premier.
• September 15 - A three-year-old toddler, Qian Xun Xue (nicknamed "Pumpkin" by authorities), is found wandering alone at Melbourne's Southern Cross Station. Police believe the child had arrived several days before from New Zealand, and that her father had fled to the United States.
• September 22 - The 171 year old Myer building in Hobart is destroyed by fire.

October

• October 4 - The controversial Gunns Tamar Valley Pulp Mill is given the go-ahead by federal Environment and Water Resources Minister Malcolm Turnbull, with some conditions imposed on its development and with the Shadow minister for Environment and Water 's backing. ^[32]
• October 14 - Prime Minister John Howard announces that the 2007 federal election will take place on November 24.

Future events

• November 24 - A federal election will be held.

Arts & Literature

• March 1 - John Beard wins the 2007 Archibald Prize for his portrait of fellow artist Janet Laurence.
• April 13 - Australian author Peter Carey is announced as one of 15 finalists for the 2007 Man Booker Prize.^[33]
• June 5 - Australian crime writer Peter Temple wins the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award for his novel The Broken Shore.

Film

• January 23 - The Australian film Clubland is picked up by a US distributor at the Sundance Film Festival.
• February 25 - The Australian animated film Happy Feet, directed by George Miller, wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
• March 26 - The documentary Bra Boys became Australia's highest-grossing non-IMAX documentary.
• April 30 - Filming begins in Sydney on Baz Luhrmann's epic World War II drama Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

Television

Main article: 2007 in Australian television

• January 29 - Former Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host and CEO of the Nine Network, Eddie McGuire, returns to screens as the host of Nine's new game show 1 vs. 100. Also debuting on the same night, but at a different time, is the Seven Network's big money game show The Rich List.
• February 9 - The Australian Football League signs a five-year broadcasting contract with the Seven Network, Network Ten and pay TV provider Foxtel, in a controversial deal that will see half of the AFL matches played each week broadcast on Foxtel instead of free-to-air television.
• February 12 - Jodi Power, a family friend of convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby, made allegations in a paid interview on Channel Seven's Today Tonight that Corby's sister Mercedes had previously asked Power to transport drugs to Bali & that Mercedes had confessed to smuggling compressed cannabis concealed inside her body into Indonesia. Mercedes is interviewed by Channel Nine's rival program A Current Affair on February 14.
• April 1 - The Seven Network pays $3 million for the broadcast rights to the fourth series of Kath & Kim, a popular soap opera which had previously aired on ABC TV.
• April 16 - Leader of the Opposition Kevin Rudd and Minister for Workplace Relations Joe Hockey discontinue their weekly appearances on the Sunrise Live television program after five years. The decision follows possibly politically-damaging accusations that Sunrise had requested that Rudd appear at a dawn service for ANZAC Day in Long Tan, Vietnam, with the service held an hour early to accommodate the time difference for live television.^[34]
• May 18 - After a tumultuous 15-month reign, the CEO of the Nine Network, Eddie McGuire, resigns.
• June 1 - The last ever episode of Bert's Family Feud goes to air on the Nine Network after a 18 month run.
• June 22 - Mornings with Kerri-Anne is axed by WIN. Only Nine or NBN will continue the show. Mornings with Kerri-Anne is replaced by Susie a talk show with Susie Elelman in Wollongong debuted on June 25, just one week after Seven's The Morning Show launched.
• July 5 - High-budget drama series Sea Patrol makes its debut on the Nine Network.
• July 23 - Top-rating soap opera Neighbours makes a super international revamp over to continue its long-run on the Network Ten.
• July 30 - Aleisha Cowcher wins Big Brother Australia 2007 becoming the second ever female winner.
• September 6 - Julian Morrow and Chas Licciardello from The Chaser's War on Everything along with nine other production crew members are arrested in Sydney during the APEC summit for entering a restricted area. Those arrested were travelling in a fake Canadian motorcade, with Licciardello dressed up as Osama bin Laden.

Sport

• January 1 - Cricketer Justin Langer announces his retirement from Test cricket following the 2006-07 Ashes series, after similar announcements from teammates Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.
• January 5 - Australia wins the Fifth Ashes Test against by 10 wickets at the SCG in Sydney, New South Wales – achieving a 5-0 "whitewash" of every Test in the series for the first time in 86 years.
• January 9 - Australia wins the Twenty20 International cricket match at the SCG, beating England by 77 runs with a world record score of 5-221.
• February 18 - Season premiers Melbourne Victory win the second Hyundai A-League football (soccer) grand final at Telstra Dome in Melbourne, beating Adelaide United 6-0, with Archie Thompson scoring 5 goals.
• March 1 - Jockey Chris Munce is sentenced to 30 months imprisonment in Hong Kong for taking bribes in exchange for racing tips. His lawyers are appealing.
• March 4 - Troy Bayliss and British rider James Toseland each take a race win at the Australian Superbike Grand Prix at Phillip Island.
• March 9 - Brisbane Bullets clinch their first title in twenty years by defeating Melbourne Tigers 103-94 in Game 4 of the NBL Grand Final series.
• March 10 - Motorcycle racer Casey Stoner wins the first grand prix of the MotoGP season and the first ever 800cc grand prix, beating world champion Valentino Rossi at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.
• March 17 - The Carlton Blues win the 2007 NAB Cup, the pre-season competition of the Australian Football League, beating the Brisbane Lions.
• March 18 - Kimi Räikkönen wins the 2007 Australian Grand Prix for the Scuderia Ferrari team.
• March 18 - The Gold Coast Titans play their first ever match against the St George Illawarra Dragons at Suncorp Stadium. They lose 20-18. Their first home game is against the Cronulla Sharks one week later.
• March 18 – April 1 - The 2007 World Aquatics Championships were held in Melbourne.
• March 23 - Tasmania wins the Pura Cup cricket competition for the first time, beating New South Wales by 421 runs at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.
• March 25 - The Socceroos beat China 2–0 in an international friendly match at Guangzhou in the People's Republic of China.
• March 31 - Retired swimmer Ian Thorpe is accused in French sports newspaper L'Equipe of having tested positive for abnormal levels of testosterone in May 2006. FINA demands an investigation into the allegations, which Thorpe denies. Thorpe is eventually found to have no case to answer
• April 8 - Will Power becomes the first Australian to win a Champ Car race after taking victory at the opening round of the season at the Vegas Grand Prix in Las Vegas.
• April 10 - Rugby League legend Andrew Johns announces his retirement following a neck injury.
• April 15 - Australian cyclist Stuart O'Grady wins the Paris-Roubaix Classic.^[35]
• April 28 - Australia wins the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, beating Sri Lanka by 53 runs.^[36]
• May 23 - Queensland defeat New South Wales 25-18 in the first State of Origin match in the 2007 series.
• July 7 – July 29 - The 2007 AFC Asian Cup football (soccer) tournament takes place in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Socceroos took part for the first time since joining the AFC in 2006. The Socceroos were drawn in Group A with Thailand, Iraq and Oman. They successfully reached the quarter finals, but were defeated by Japan in a penalty shootout.
• July 23 - Denis Pagan is sacked as the coach of Carlton Football Club.^[37]
• July 25 - After 26 years as Essendon coach, it is announced that the contract of Kevin Sheedy will not be renewed at the end of the season.^[38]
• July 29 - Australian cyclist Cadel Evans comes second in the final standings of the 2007 Tour de France.
• August 23 - A horse is diagnosed with horse flu (equine influenza) in a quarantine station at Eastern Creek. Further horses are diagnosed at the quarantine centre, Centennial Park and outside New South Wales over the next few days, resulting in the cancellation of race meetings Australia-wide and suspension of horse transportation for 72 hours on August 25.^[39]
• August 26 - Melbourne AFL fans farewell Essendon Football Club coach Kevin Sheedy and captain James Hird, as the Bombers are defeated by Richmond 17.17 (119) to 13.14 (92) at the MCG.^[40]
• August 30 - News Limited papers reveal that Andrew Johns was arrested in London for possessing ecstasy. He later admits to using recreational drugs throughout his career.
• August 30 - The 2007 Spring Racing Carnival at Randwick Racecourse is cancelled to the equine influenza outbreak.
• August 30 - Jana Rawlinson (née Pittman) wins the women's 400m hurdles at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, Japan.
• September 1 - Nathan Deakes wins the 50km walk at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, Japan.
• September 23 - Motorcycle racer Casey Stoner gains an unbeatable lead in the MotoGP world championships when he finished third in a race in Tokyo.^[41]
• September 29 - The Geelong Cats (24.19.163) defeat the Port Adelaide Power (6.8.44) to win the 111th VFL/AFL premiership. It is the first premiership since 1963 for the Cats, the first premiership won by a Victorian team since 2000 and the largest ever winning margin in VFL/AFL grand final history.
• September 30 - The Melbourne Storm defeat the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (34–8) at Telstra Stadium, to win the 100th NSWRL/ARL/NRL premiership.
• October 6 - England knock the Wallabies out of the quarter finals of the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France.
• October 7 - The 2007 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was won by defending champions Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup for TeamVodafone ahead of two other Ford Falcons. It was the first Ford whitewash of the Bathurst podium since 1988.
• October 14 - New world champion, Casey Stoner took victory at the Australian MotoGP Grand Prix, at Phillip Island, the first Australian to win his home event since Mick Doohan in 1998.

Future dates

• November 6 (First Tuesday in November) - The 2007 Melbourne Cup will be run at Flemington, assuming that the equine influenza outbreak is contained.
• November 28 - Sydney will host the Asian Football Confederation awards.

Births

Deaths

• January 1 - Leonard Fraser, 55, serial killer
• January 2 - A. Richard Newton, 55, electrical engineer and academic
• January 4 - Ben Gannon, 54, film producer
• January 12 - Sir James Killen, 81, Liberal politician
• January 24 - Harry Melbourne, 94, confectioner (inventor of Freddo Frog)
• January 27 - Trevor Allan, 30, rugby union player and commentator
• February 9 - Andrew McAuley, 39, kayak adventurer
• February 13 - Elizabeth Jolley, 83, author
• February 28 - Billy Thorpe, 60, musician
• March 6 - Shane Cross, 20, skateboarder
• March 7 - Morgan Mellish, 36, journalist
• March 9 - Ron Evans, 67, footballer and chairman of the AFL
• March 11 - Angela Webber, 52, comedian and writer
• March 23 - Damian McDonald, 34, Olympic cyclist
• March 30 - Basil Catterns, 90, WWII soldier
• April 1 - John Billings, 89, medical doctor
• April 2 - Jeannie Ferris, 66, Liberal senator
• April 10 - Kevin Crease, 70, South Australian newsreader
• April 13 - Joe Lane, 80, bebop jazz vocalist
• April 15 - Justine Saunders, 54, actress
• April 17 - Len Fitzgerald, 76, VFL/SANFL footballer
• April 17 - Bruce Haslingden, 84, Olympic cross-country skier
• April 20 - Audrey Fagan, 44, Chief Police Officer of the ACT
• April 21 - Lobby Loyde, 64, musician
• May 13 - Kate Webb, 64, war journalist
• May 14 - Aaron McMillan, 30, classical pianist
• May 16 - Allan Hird, 88, VFL footballer
• May 20 - Norman Von Nida, 93, golfer
• May 21 - Peter Hayes, 54, lawyer
• May 24 - Bill Johnston, 85, cricketer
• May 27 - Ron Archer, 73, Test cricketer
• May 29 - Norman Kaye, 80, actor
• June 4 - Tom Burns, 75, ALP politician
• June 8 - Lynne Randell, 57, 1960s pop singer
• June 10 - George Burarrwanga, 50, lead singer of the Warumpi Band
• June 12 - Frank Scarrabelotti, 109, Australia's oldest man
• July 6 - Eileen Wearne, 95, sprinter and Australia's oldest Olympic athlete
• July 9 - General John Baker, 71, former Chief of the Australian Defence Force (1995–1998)
• July 11 - Richard Franklin, 58, film director
• July 11 - Glenda Adams, 68, writer
• July 12 - Stan Zemanek, 60, radio broadcaster
• July 16 - Tom Brooks, 88, NSW cricketer and international umpire
• July 22 - Walter Jona, 81, Victorian politician
• July 27 - Leo "Lucky" Grills, 79, comedian and actor
• August 7 - Wolfgang Sievers, 93, photographer
• August 12 - Ronald N. Bracewell, 86, physicist and radio astronomer
• August 17 - Tanja Liedtke, 30, dancer
• September 8 - Vincent Serventy, 91, writer and conservationist
• September 13 - Neville Jeffress, 87, advertising executive and founder of Media Monitors Australia
• September 13 - Clare Oliver, 26, cancer activist
• September 18 - Len Thompson, 60, Collingwood VFL player
• September 20 - Myra Nicholson, 112, Australia's oldest person
• September 21 - Bob Collins, 61, former ALP senator
• September 29 - Lois Maxwell, 80, Canadian actress who played Miss Moneypenny in the early James Bond films, spent later years of her life in Perth.
• October 1 - Chris Mainwaring, 41, West Coast Eagles AFL player
• October 12 - Kim Edward Beazley, 90, ALP politician and father of Kim Beazley

References

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