The following lists events that happened during 2018 in Australia.
Incumbents
State and territory leaders
Governors and administrators
Events
January
- 18 January â Malaysia Airlines Flight MH122 from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur is forced to make an emergency landing in Alice Springs after experiencing engine problems.
- 20 January â Authorities evacuate the Royal National Park south of Sydney as two fires burn out of control, with smoke visible across the city.
- 26 January â Tens of thousands of protesters march in Sydney and Melbourne in "Invasion Day" rallies.
- 31 January â The ABC publishes information from hundreds of classified Cabinet documents which were found in two second-hand filing cabinets purchased at a sale of ex-government furniture.
February
- 1 February â David Feeney resigns as MP for Batman, after he is unable to find documentation confirming that he had renounced his British citizenship.
- 6 February â News Corp reveals that Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is expecting a baby with a former staffer, following the break-up of his marriage.
- 11 February â The Melbourne's Domain Parkland and Memorial PrecinctâÂÂincluding Kings Domain, Alexandra Gardens, Queen Victoria Gardens, the Melbourne Observatory, the Shrine of Remembrance and Government House, MelbourneâÂÂwas added to the Australian National Heritage List.
- 12 February â The Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry, headed by Kenneth Hayne, opens in Melbourne.
- 23 February âÂÂ
- Barnaby Joyce announces he will stand down on 26 February as leader of the National Party and therefore as Deputy Prime Minister of Australia following pressure from government and public figures over his relationship with a former staffer.
- A voluntary recall of rockmelons is started after several deaths from listeriosis contracted from consuming the fruit. , nineteen infections and six deaths have been linked to rockmelon-related listeria.
- 26 February â New South Wales MP Michael McCormack wins the National Party of Australia leadership election and becomes Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, brought about by the resignation of Barnaby Joyce, defeating Queensland MP George Christensen.
March
- 3 March â The Liberal Party led by Will Hodgman wins a second term of government but with a reduced majority at the 2018 Tasmanian state election.
- 5 March - The Australian Border Force conducts an early morning raid on a family home in Biloela, Queensland and forcibly removes a Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seeker family and takes them into immigration detention in Melbourne before being transferring them to Christmas Island. The family's plight garners ongoing media attention and prompts supporters to launch the Home to Bilo campaign.
- 10 March â A state of disaster is declared in Queensland, after flooding between Cairns and Townsville, with some catchment areas receiving over 700mm in four days.
- 14 March â Peter Dutton calls to treat White South African farmers as refugees, stating that "they need help from a civilised country". and was met with "regret" by the South African foreign ministry. The Australian High Commissioner was subsequently summoned by the South African foreign ministry, which expressed its offence at Dutton's statements, and demanded a "full retraction".
- 17 March âÂÂ
- The Liberal Party under Steven Marshall wins the 2018 South Australian state election, defeating the Labor Party and incumbent Premier Jay Weatherill.
- The Labor Party wins the Batman by-election, maintaining its numbers in the House of Representatives.
- The Liberal Party wins the Cottesloe by-election, maintaining its numbers in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly.
- 18 March â Hot and windy conditions see a bushfire destroy over 70 buildings at Tathra on the New South Wales South Coast, while 18 homes are destroyed by a grass fire in Western Victoria.
- 24 March â Qantas launches the first direct passenger flight between Australia and Europe, beginning its service between Perth and London.
- 25 March â Australian cricket captain Steve Smith is suspended, and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull calls for action from Cricket Australia, after members of the Australian team admit to ball tampering during a match against South Africa.
April
May
- 7 May â Ancient HTLV-1 virus detected in indigenous communities in Australia, raising concerns and calls to stop the spread.
- 9 May âÂÂ
- An estimated 100,000 union workers march through Melbourne's CBD in protest of workplace conditions in a rally to kick off the Australian Council of Trade Unions's "Change the Rules" campaign.
- The High Court of Australia rules in Re: Gallagher that Katy Gallagher was ineligible to be chosen as a Senator, as her submission of a renunciation of British citizenship was not sufficient to meet the "reasonable steps" clause of Section 44 of the Constitution of Australia. Four lower house MPs in the same situation subsequently resign: Labor's Justine Keay, Susan Lamb and Josh Wilson, and Centre Alliance's Rebekha Sharkie.
- 11 May âÂÂ
- Over 10,000 homes are left without power, and over 120mm of rain causes flooding in the Hobart central business district and at the University of Tasmania, as severe weather sweeps across southern Tasmania.
- Four children and three adults are found shot dead at a house in Osmington, Western Australia in what police believe is a murder-suicide, and Australia's worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.
- 22 May â The Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson, is found guilty by Newcastle Local Court of covering up child sexual abuse cases which occurred in the 1970s.
- 23 May - NSW Labor leader Luke Foley makes comments about White flight. His view that an influx of people of non-European descent had driven many White Australians to leave parts of Sydney. He was condemned by Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
June
July
August
- 5 August â Outgoing race discrimination commissioner Tim Soutphommasane slams the 'resurgence of far-right politics' in Australia.
- 6 August â Sky News Australia is heavily criticised for providing a platform to Blair Cottrell, leader of the far-right, organisation United Patriots Front in a one-on-one discussion about immigration on The Adam Giles Show. Sky News presenters, including Laura Jayes and David Speers, were among those critical (both on-air and off-air) of his appearance on the program."
- 8 August â The New South Wales Government announces that the entire state is in drought.
- 14 August â Senator Fraser Anning delivers his maiden speech to the Senate in what is described as "the most inflammatory maiden speech to an Australian Parliament since One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's in 1996." In it, he calls for a plebiscite to reinstate White Australia policy, especially with regard to Muslims.
- 21 August â Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull declares a leadership spill in the Liberal Party, following pressure from conservatives in the party. Turnbull is challenged by Peter Dutton, but wins the vote by 48 to 35 votes.
- 24 August â The Liberal Party of Australia holds a second leadership spill. Malcolm Turnbull resigns as party leader, and Scott Morrison is elected as his replacement, becoming the 30th Prime Minister of Australia.
- 31 August â Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull resigns from parliament triggering a by-election in his seat of Wentworth.
September
October
- 15 October â it was revealed the NSW National Party and the Young Nationals had been infiltrated by a significant number of neo-Nazis with a number of members being investigated for alleged links to neo-Nazism. Party leader Michael McCormack denounced these attempts stating that "The Nationals will not tolerate extremism or the politics of hate. People found to engage with such radicalism are not welcome in our party.
- One Nation leader Pauline Hanson proposes an "It's OK to be white" motion in the Australian Senate intended to acknowledge the "deplorable rise of anti-white racism and attacks on Western civilization". It was supported by most senators from the governing Liberal-National Coalition, but was defeated 31âÂÂ28 by opponents who called it a racist slogan from the white supremacist movement. The following day, the motion was "recommitted", and this time rejected unanimously by senators in attendance, with its initial supporters in the Liberal-National Coalition saying they had voted for it due to an administrative error (One Nation did not attend the recommital vote).
November
December
- 15 December â Australia officially recognizes West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The move is seen as controversial and bizarre by some as only partially recognizing Jerusalem is deemed unlikely to please either the Israelis or Palestinians entirely.
- 24 December â Thousands of residents of an apartment block in Sydney Olympic Park are forced to evacuate following structural concerns and fears the 36-storey building could collapse.
Music, arts and literature
Sport
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
- 28 December â Yacht racing: Wild Oats XI wins its ninth line honours in the 2018 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. A protest lodged by the race committee, following a claim that the yacht's AIS was switched off, is dismissed by an international jury.
Deaths
January
- 2 January â Bryan Conquest, 87, politician
- 3 January â Colin Brumby, 84, composer and conductor
- 8 January âÂÂ
- Ron Tandberg, 74, cartoonist
- Keith McKenzie, 95, Australian rules football player and coach
- 16 January â Moya O'Sullivan, 91, actress
- 20 January âÂÂ
- Graeme Langlands, 76, rugby league player
- Barry Williams, 79, skeptic
- 22 January â Peter Diversi, 85, rugby league player
- 24 January â Bruce Light, 68, Australian rules football player
- 25 January â Steve Foster, 71, singer-songwriter
- 30 January â Ron Walker, 78, businessman, Lord Mayor of Melbourne.
February
- 3 February â Michael Gordon, 62, journalist
- 5 February â Hugh Wirth, 78, veterinarian and animal welfare advocate
- 8 February âÂÂ
- Jarrod Bannister, 33, javelin thrower (died in the Netherlands)
- Don Hart, 87 Australian rules football player (Fitzroy)
- 9 February â Michael Crouch, 84, businessman and philanthropist
- 10 February â John Muir, 73, Queensland Supreme Court judge
- 11 February â Nicholas Shehadie, 92, rugby union player, Lord Mayor of Sydney
- 12 February â Grant McBride, 68, New South Wales politician
- 15 February â Geoff Jones, 87, Australian rules football player (St Kilda)
- 21 February âÂÂ
- John Cribb, 67, criminal
- Zelda D'Aprano, 90, activist
- 23 February âÂÂ
- Eddy Amoo, 73, British soul singer
- Graeme Gahan, 76, Australian rules football player (Richmond)
- 25 February âÂÂ
- Max Cole, 77, Australian rules football player (Fitzroy)
- Ainsley Gotto, 72, political staffer and entrepreneur
- Nev Pask, 87, property developer
- 27 February â Steve Folkes, 59, rugby league player and coach
March
- 3 March âÂÂ
- Mal Bryce, 74, Western Australian politician
- Vanessa Goodwin, 48, Tasmanian politician
- 5 March â Jeff St John, 71, singer
- 6 March â Peter Nicholls, 78, literary scholar and critic
- 8 March â Peter Temple, 71, novelist
- 10 March â Tony Benneworth, 67, Tasmanian cricketer and politician
- 11 March âÂÂ
- Bob Baxt, 79, lawyer and academic
- John Daly, 81, Olympic coach and academic
- 17 March â Dexter Davies, 66, Western Australian politician
- 18 March â David Cooper, 69, immunologist
- 24 March â Joe Malone, 94, Australian rules footballer (North Melbourne)
- 25 March â Edwin Carr, 89, Olympic sprinter
- 27 March â Sir Eric McClintock, 99, public servant and businessman
April
- 1 April âÂÂ
- Gil Brealey, 85, film producer and director
- Jocelyn Newman, 80, Tasmanian politician
- 8 April â Tate Adams, 96, printmaker
- 11 April â Polixeni Papapetrou, 57, photographic artist
- 12 April â Stuart Devlin, 86, gold and silversmith
- 15 April â Michael Halliday, 93, linguist
- 16 April â Ivan Mauger, 78, New Zealand motorcycle speedway rider
- 19 April â Darrell Eastlake, 75, sports commentator
- 20 April âÂÂ
- Dick Hughes, 86, jazz pianist and journalist
- Shane Yarran, 28, Australian rules footballer
- 24 April â Paul Gray, 54, singer-songwriter (Wa Wa Nee)
- 26 April â Michael Luscombe, 64, businessman, CEO of Woolworths
- 30 April âÂÂ
- Jan Cameron, 71, Olympic swimming medallist and coach
- Terry Mackenroth, 68, Queensland politician
May
- 2 May â Cliff Watson, 78, rugby league footballer
- 4 May âÂÂ
- Cathy Godbold, 43, television actress
- Patricia Lascelles, Countess of Harewood, 91, Australian-born violinist and fashion model
- 6 May âÂÂ
- Leonard Faulkner, 91, Archbishop of Adelaide (1985âÂÂ2001)
- David Mitchell, 84, constitutional lawyer
- 9 May â Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, 34, Bali Nine member (died in Indonesia)
- 10 May â David Goodall, 104, English-born botanist and ecologist (died in Switzerland)
- 11 May â Tom E. Lewis, 59, actor (The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith)
- 18 May âÂÂ
- Sir John Carrick, 99, politician
- Troy Waters, 53, boxer
- 19 May âÂÂ
- John Avery, 90, New South Wales Police Commissioner
- David Treasure, 74, Victorian politician
- 20 May â Ernie Page, 83, New South Wales politician
- 21 May â Don Jessop, 90, politician
- 24 May â Phil Emmanuel, 65, guitarist
- 28 May â Cornelia Frances, 77, actress
June
- 1 June â Jill Ker Conway, 83, Australian-American scholar, author and businesswoman (died in the United States)
- 2 June âÂÂ
- Joe Berinson, 86, politician
- Tony Morphett, 80, screenwriter
- 9 June â Deborah Cameron, 59, radio presenter
- 10 June â Ben Hills, investigative journalist
- 16 June â Ken Wood, 88, swimming coach
- 20 June â Peter Thomson, 88, golfer
- 21 June âÂÂ
- Sir Laurence Street, 91, Chief Justice of New South Wales
- Hugh Stuckey, 89, comedy writer
- 22 June â Steve Condous, 82, South Australian politician
- 27 June âÂÂ
- Liz Jackson, 67, journalist and former barrister
- William McBride, 91, obstetrician
- 28 June â Sam Bass, 73, South Australian politician
July
- 4 July â Harry M. Miller, 84, promoter, publicist and celebrity agent
- 9 July â Sam Chisholm, 78, television executive
- 11 July âÂÂ
- Abdel Aziem Al-Afifi, 48, Grand Mufti of Australia
- Laurie Kelly, 89, New South Wales politician
- 16 July â Evan Whitton, 90, journalist
- 20 July â Jeff Hook, 89, cartoonist
- 29 July â Ian Stanley, 69, golfer
August
- 5 August âÂÂ
- Nev Warburton, 86, Queensland politician
- Mary E. White, 92, paleobotanist
- 6 August â Nicole Kullen, 38, Paralympic equestrian
- 8 August âÂÂ
- Ronald Crawford, 82, racewalker
- Jarrod Lyle, 36, golfer
- Richard Searby, 87, lawyer
- 16 August â Jim McKiernan, 73, politician
- 17 August â Michael 'Tarzan' Fomenko, 88, ocean rower and hermetic bushman
- 20 August â Charles Blackman, 90, painter
- 21 August â Spencer P. Jones, 61, musician
- 22 August â Bill McGrath, 81, politician
- 23 August â Lance Thompson, 40, rugby league player
- 26 August âÂÂ
- Kerry Hill, 75, architect
- Patrick Quilty, 79, Antarctic paleontologist
- 27 August â Mirka Mora, 90, artist
- 28 August â Andrew Hughes, 62, police officer
- 30 August â Peter Corris, 76, crime novelist
- 31 August âÂÂ
- Brian Davis, 84, Queensland politician
- Ian Jones, 86, author, television writer and director
September
- 2 September â Conway Savage, 58, musician (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
- 3 September â Ian Hampshire, 70, Australian rules footballer
- 5 September â Dennis Green, 87, canoeist
- 7 September â Donald Robinson, 95, Anglican archbishop
- 12 September âÂÂ
- Barry Cunningham, 78, politician
- Albert Ullin, 88, children's bookseller
- 16 September âÂÂ
- Jim Kettle, 93, Australian rules footballer
- John Molony, 91, historian, academic and author
- Michael Young, 59, Australian rules footballer
- 18 September â Moi-Yo Miller, 104, illusionist and magic assistant
- 22 September â Damian Hill, 42, actor and screenwriter (Pawno)
- 28 September â Bob Jane, 88, former race car driver and prominent businessman
October
- 2 October â Ron Casey, 89, broadcaster
- 5 October âÂÂ
- Frank Drum, 87, Australian rules football player (Richmond)
- John Deeble, 87, health economist
- 6 October âÂÂ
- Quentin Kenihan, 43, disability advocate and actor
- James Cowan, 76, novelist, poet and nonfiction writer
- 10 October â Bill Corey, 101, soldier, Rat of Tobruk
- 12 October â Pat Leane, 88, track and field athlete
- 16 October âÂÂ
- Ian Kiernan, 78, yachtsman and environmental campaigner (Clean Up Australia)
- Margaret Thorsborne, 91, naturalist, conservationist and environmental activist
- 17 October â Gordon Maitland, 92, general
- 18 October â Jeff Hallebone, 89, cricketer
- 19 October âÂÂ
- Tom Meehan, 92, Australian rules football player
- Darren Stewart, 52, association footballer and manager
- 21 October â Eleanor Witcombe, 95, screenwriter and playwright
- 22 October â Anne Fairbairn, 90, poet, journalist and expert in Arab culture
- 23 October â Todd Reid, 34, tennis player
- 24 October âÂÂ
- Dame Beryl Beaurepaire, 95, philanthropist
- John D. Lamond, 71, filmmaker
- 28 October âÂÂ
- Richard Gill, 76, conductor
- Colin Sylvia, 32, Australian rules football player (Melbourne, Fremantle)
November
- 6 November âÂÂ
- Jonathan Cantwell, 36, racing cyclist
- Ted Mack, 84, politician
- Cliffs of Moher, 4, racehorse
- 8 November â Murray Wilcox, 81, Federal Court judge
- 15 November â Ann Symonds, 79, politician
- 19 November â Larry Pickering, 76, cartoonist
- 22 November â Judith Rodriguez, 82, poet
- 23 November â Stan Perron, 96, businessman
- 26 November â Bonita Mabo, 75, indigenous activist
December
See also
References