The following lists events that happened during 1986 in Australia.
Incumbents
State and territory leaders
Governors and administrators
Events
January
February
- 2 February â Nurse Anita Cobby is abducted, robbed, raped and murdered by John Travers, Michael Murdoch, and Leslie, Gary and Michael Murphy at Prospect in Sydney (all five men are sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, June 1987).
- 7 February â Following Lindy Chamberlain's identification of a baby's jacket found near Uluru as being similar to the one worn by her baby Azaria, her case takes a new turn.
- 8 February âÂÂ
- Elections in Western Australia and Tasmania see the re-election of the ALP in WA, and the Liberal Party in Tasmania.
- Post-mortem results support the claim of the sister of Sally Anne Huckstep that she was murdered.
- Dire Straits makes history in Tasmania by drawing the state's biggest audience ever for an open-air concert.
- 9 February â Lindy Chamberlain is released from prison in Darwin on licence after serving 39 months of a life sentence.
- 11 February âÂÂ
- Joan Child becomes the first female Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives.
- More than 100 bushfires burn across the state of Victoria.
- 12 February â Ernie Bridge is elected to the West Australian Cabinet, thereby becoming the first Aborigine to become a Cabinet minister.
March
- 3 March â The Australia Act 1986 comes into effect at 1600 AEST, granting Australia legal independence from the United Kingdom by removing the power of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to legislate with effect in Australia and its states and territories.
- 18 March â Prime Minister Bob Hawke commits the Federal Government not to raise home interest lending rates above 13.5%, despite continued pressure from the banks.
- 27 March â The Russell Street bombing takes place at the headquarters of Victoria Police in Melbourne. A police constable, Angela Taylor, is killed.
April
- 2 April â Prime Minister Bob Hawke breaks an election promise by lifting the ceiling on home interest rates, following the banks' promise of an extra $6 million for home loans.
- 11 April â The Arbitration Commission finds that the Builders' Labourers Federation was guilty of serious industrial misconduct and the union is deregistered.
- 14 April â A second trial of Mr. Justice Lionel Murphy begins in Sydney, and lasts for two weeks, with the jury eventually acquitting him.
May
- 14 May â Responding to the release of dismal current account deficit figures, Federal Treasurer Paul Keating makes his infamous off-the-cuff warning about Australia becoming a "banana republic".
July
August
September
October
November
December
Arts and literature
Film
Law
- Re Loubie a case involving the Queensland Bail Act and s.117 of the constitution.
Music
Television
Sport
Births
January
- 7 January – Shane Alexander, volleyball player
- 8 January – Scott Anderson, rugby player
- 9 January – Paul Benz, Paralympic athlete
- 10 January – Des Abbott, field hockey player
- 14 January – Sam Butler, footballer
- 20 January
- Dave Dennis, rugby player
- Okwy Diamondstar, footballer
- Kevin Parker, singer/songwriter and guitarist
- 21 January – Kirin J. Callinan, singer/songwriter and guitarist
- 23 January – Joseph Brennan, author
- 26 January – Andrew Dodt, golfer
- 28 January – Nathan Outteridge, sailor
February
- 3 February – Selasi Berdie, rugby player
- 4 February – Jackie Barnes, drummer for Rose Tattoo
- 8 February – Scott Arnold, squash player
- 9 February – Marieke D'Cruz, swimmer
- 10 February – Ben Davies, footballer
- 12 February – Johanna Allston, orienteer
- 14 February
- Daniel Conn, model and rugby player
- Cameron Crombie, Paralympic shot putter and javelin thrower
- 17 February – Scott Daruda, rugby player
- 20 February – Shannon Ashlyn, actress
- 22 February
- David Barnes, Olympic archer
- Zac Dawson, footballer
- Josh Helman, actor
- Joel Brunker, boxer
- 23 February
- Troy Chaplin, footballer
- Kate Keltie, actress
- 26 February
- Lichelle Clarke, Paralympic swimmer
- Teresa Palmer, actress, writer, model and film producer
- 27 February – Jayden Attard, footballer
- 28 February – Tendai Mzungu, footballer
March
- 1 March – Kathryn Beck, actress
- 3 March – Catherine Cannuli, soccer player and coach
- 7 March – Shannon Cox, footballer
- 8 March – Michelle Steele, athlete
- 13 March – Gillian Alexy, actress
- 14 March – Trent Copeland, cricketer
- 15 March – Jai Courtney, actor
- 17 March – Chelsea Baker, rugby player
- 18 March – Arlo Bugeja, speedway rider
- 19 March – Daniel Dillon, basketball player
- 20 March
- Ruby Rose, actress, model, and television presenter
- Dean Geyer, actor, singer and Australian Idol contestant
- 22 March – Andrew Barisic, footballer
- 26 March – Jessica Hart, model
- 27 March – Joshua Allison, wheelchair basketball player
- 28 March – Richard Cardozo, footballer
April
- 1 April – James Albury, baseball player
- 3 April – Burt Cockley, cricketer
- 4 April
- Steven Brown, judoka personnel
- Bevan Calvert, handball player
- Erin Carroll, badminton player
- 11 April
- Hayley Aitken, pop singer/songwriter
- Ashley Delaney, Olympic swimmer
- 16 April
- Miles Armstrong, tennis player
- Bronwen Knox, water polo player
- 24 April – Tahyna Tozzi, model, singer and actress
- 29 April – Danny Clayton, television and radio presenter
May
- 1 May – Adam Casey footballer
- 4 May – Zoë Badwi, singer/songwriter, model, and actress
- 7 May – Mark Furze, actor and singer
- 9 May – Kirby Bentley, footballer
- 16 May – Paul Carroll, volleyball player
- 23 May – Marcus Allan, footballer
- 28 May
- Berrick Barnes, rugby union player
- Chris Bond, wheelchair rugby player
- 30 May – Thomas Do Canto, long distance runner
June
July
- 4 July – Leah Blayney, footballer and coach
- 8 July – Timothy Cox, baseball player
- 11 July
- Bryn Coudraye, Olympic rower
- Rebecca Dwyer, field hockey player
- 12 July
- 360, rapper
- Krystal Forscutt, reality TV star
- 14 July – Nic Beveridge, Paralympic triathlete
- 16 July – Leith Brodie, swimmer
- 18 July
- Simon Clarke, Olympic cyclist
- James Sorensen, actor
- 24 July
- Natalie Tran, comedian
- Remy Hii, Malaysian-born actor
- 25 July – Travis Baird, footballer
- 28 July – Karyn Bailey, netball player
- 29 July – Scott Dureau, rugby player
August
- 1 August – Mikaela Dombkins, basketball player and coach
- 3 August – Ryan Brabazon, footballer
- 8 August – Alex Cudlin, motorcycle racer
- 10 August – Mia-Rae Clifford, footballer
- 12 August – Chris Adams, rugby player
- 14 August – Nigel Boogaard, footballer
- 16 August – Felicity Abram, triathlete
- 18 August – Anthony Alozie, Nigerian-born track and field sprinter
- 19 August – Adam Cockshell, footballer
- 21 August – Patrick Dellit, rugby player
- 22 August – Shane Cross, skateboarder (d. 2007)
- 28 August
- Briggs, rapper, record label owner, comedy writer, actor, and author
- Sarah Christophers, actress
- Tommy Dassalo, comedian
- James Davison, racing driver
- Sam Dwyer, footballer
- 30 August – Ali Abbas, Iraqi-born footballer
- 31 August
- Chloe Boreham, actress
- Melanie Schlanger, freestyle swimmer
September
- 4 September – Liam Adams, Olympic runner
- 8 September – Brett Anderson, rugby player
- 10 September
- Laura Attard, footballer
- Cheyenne Campbell, rugby player
- 18 September – Eloise Mignon, actress
- 19 September
- Ben Demery, Paralympic tandem cyclist
- Sally Pearson, Olympic hurdler
- 22 September – Ebanie Bridges, boxer
- 23 September – Wade Dutton, baseball player
- 29 September – Greg Broughton, footballer
October
- 1 October
- Prashanth Sellathurai, gymnast
- Justin Westhoff, footballer
- 4 October – James Brooke, DJ and radio host
- 10 October
- Julie Corletto, netball player
- Nathan Jawai, basketball player
- 13 October – Sarah Calati, Paralympic wheelchair tennis player
- 14 October – Nicholas Colla, actor, writer, and director
- 15 October – Tony Caine, rugby player
- 16 October – Peter George, cricketer
- 18 October – Renee Bargh, entertainment reporter
- 20 October
- Adam D'Apuzzo, footballer
- Elyse Taylor, model
- 21 October – Candice Dianna, singer/songwriter, voice actress, and record producer
- 23 October – Max Bailey, footballer and coach
- 27 October – David Warner, cricketer
- 30 October – Adam Gibson, basketball player
- 31 October
- Chris Alajajian, Australian-born Armenian race car driver
- Christie Hayes, actress
November
- 1 November – Kristina Akheeva, Russian-born actress and model
- 2 November – Lara Sacher, actress
- 5 November – Nathan Crawford, baseball player
- 9 November – Luke Blackwell, footballer
- 10 November – James Aspey, animal rights activist and lecturer
- 19 November
- Renae Camino, basketball player
- Brad Hill, basketball player
- Jessicah Schipper, swimmer
- 26 November
- Eddie Betts, footballer
- Tom Cooper, Australian-born Dutch cricketer
December
- 8 December – Lara Carroll, English-born Olympic swimmer
- 9 December
- Aron Baynes, basketball player
- Johannah Curran, netball player
- 10 December – Joshua Adams, dancesport competitor
- 11 December – Jackson Bird, cricketer
- 14 December – James Aubusson, rugby player
- 19 December
- Luke Cook, actor, director, writer, and content creator
- Gemma Pranita, actress
- 21 December – Davey Browne, boxer (d. 2015)
- 22 December
- Dennis Armfield, footballer
- Arianne Caoili, Filipino-born chess player (d. 2020)
- 23 December – Beau Champion, rugby player
- 27 December – Torah Bright, snowboarder
- 29 December – Chris Cayzer, singer and actor
- 30 December – Tara Cheyne, politician
Full date unknown
- Abdul Abdullah, artist
- Zane Banks, guitarist
- Ali Barter, pop rock singer/songwriter
- Graeme Begbie, field hockey player
- Alexander Campbell, ballet dancer
- Joel Carroll, field hockey player
- Melanie Cheng, doctor and author
- Nadia Clancy, politician
- Jesse Cox, radio producer, broadcaster, and documentary maker (d. 2017)
- Michael Czugaj, glazier and convicted drug trafficker
Deaths
See also
References