The following lists events that happened during 2019 in Australia.
Incumbents
State and territory leaders
Governors and administrators
Events
January
- 3 January â One man is killed and another is injured following a double stabbing at the Asia-Pacific headquarters of the Church of Scientology in the Sydney suburb of Chatswood.
- 5 January â A far-right political rally held in Melbourne, marked by scuffles with police and counter-protesters, is attended by Independent Senator Fraser Anning, who admits to using tax-payer funded travel to attend the event.
- 7 January â A mass fish die-off occurs on the Lower Darling River at Menindee Lakes. Up to 1 million fish, including endangered species, ultimately die in what is described as possibly the largest fish die-off in Australian history.
- 24 January â Professor Tanya Monro is appointed Australia's next Chief Defence Scientist, the first woman in the position.
- 29 January â The South Australian Murray Darling Basin Royal Commission report is released. The commission, which commenced in 2018, was critical of the Murray Darling Basin Plan and the Commonwealth Murray Darling Basin Authority.
February
March
- 13 March â Cardinal George Pell is sentenced to six years in prison following his conviction over the sexual abuse of two choirboys.
- 19 March â a few days prior to the state election, a video from September 2018 surfaced in which NSW Labor leader Michael Daley made comments about Asian immigration in Sydney. Daley said "Our young children will flee and who are they being replaced with? They are being replaced by young people from typically Asia with PhDs," and "So there's a transformation happening in Sydney now where our kids are moving out and foreigners are moving in and taking their jobs".
- 23 March âÂÂ
- The Liberal-National Coalition government led by Gladys Berejiklian wins the 2019 New South Wales state election and returns to office with a reduced majority.
- Tropical Cyclone Trevor makes landfall in the Northern Territory.
April
May
June
July
August
- 13 August â 2019 Sydney stabbing attack
- 16 August â Pro-Hong Kong protesters clash with pro-China supporters in Melbourne, while police are forced to intervene during similar confrontations in Sydney and Adelaide, following the 2019âÂÂ20 Hong Kong protests.
- 21 August â The Victorian Court of Appeal dismisses George Pell's appeal to overturn his conviction for child sex offences.
- 29 August â An attempt to deport the Sri Lankan Tamil Nadesalingam family asylum seekers was thwarted by a last-minute injunction, forcing the plane carrying the couple and their children out of Australia to land in Darwin.
September
- 9 September â Homes and buildings, including the historic Binna Burra Lodge, are destroyed by a bushfire in Queensland's Scenic Rim region.
October
November
- 8 November â Three people are killed and 150 homes are destroyed by a large number of bushfires burning across New South Wales and South East Queensland.
- 11 November â A week-long State of Emergency is declared in New South Wales and the Australian Defence Force is put on alert amid mounting bushfire warnings.
December
Music, arts and literature
Sport
January
February
March
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
Deaths
January
- 1 January â Paul Neville, Queensland politician (b. 1940)
- 2 January â Darius Perkins, actor (b. 1964)
- 4 January â John Thornett, rugby union player (b. 1935)
- 6 January â Annalise Braakensiek, model (b. 1972)
- 7 January â Jimmy Hannan, television presenter (b. 1934)
- 8 January â Sir William Cole, public servant (b. 1926)
- 16 January â Chris Wilson, blues musician (b. 1956)
- 17 January â Tara Simmons, musician (b. 1984)
- 19 January â Robert Furlonger, diplomat and public servant (b. 1921)
- 20 January â Fred Castledine, Australian rules footballer (b. 1937)
- 22 January â Eileen Massey, cricketer (b. 1935)
- 24 January â Jim McCabe, Victorian politician (b. 1922)
- 29 January â Ian George, Anglican bishop (b. 1934)
- 30 January
- Maureen Brunt, economist (b. 1928)
- Alan Hayes, Australian rules footballer (Richmond) (b. 1939)
February
- 1 February â Andrew McGahan, novelist (b. 1966)
- 3 February
- Carmen Duncan, actor (b. 1942)
- John Sinclair, conservationist (b. 1939)
- 9 February â Barney Cooney, Victorian politician (b. 1934)
- 11 February â Jeffrey Miles, Australian Capital Territory Supreme Court Chief Justice (b. 1935)
- 13 February â Leonard Casley, self-proclaimed monarch of the Principality of Hutt River (b. 1925)
- 21 February â Sir Rupert Myers, metallurgist and university administrator (b. 1921)
- 24 February
- Paul Blackwell, actor (b. 1954)
- Philip Cummins, Victorian Supreme Court judge (b. 1939)
- Dame Margaret Scott, ballet dancer (b. 1922)
- 25 February â John Herron, Queensland politician and diplomat (b. 1932)
- 27 February
- Bill Landeryou, Victorian politician and union official (b. 1941)
- Milton Morris, New South Wales politician (b. 1924)
- 28 February â Bruce Rosier, Anglican bishop (b. 1928)
March
- 1 March â Mike Willesee, television journalist (b. 1942)
- 3 March â Richard Lewis, Western Australian politician (b. 1939)
- 4 March â Les Carlyon, newspaper editor (b. 1942)
- 10 March â Gordon McIntosh, Western Australian politician (b. 1925)
- 11 March â Desmond Ford, theologian (b. 1929)
- 13 March â Edmund Capon, art historian (died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1940)
- 18 March â Giovanni Sgro, Victorian politician (b. 1931)
- 19 March
- Lance Oswald, Australian rules footballer (St Kilda) (b. 1937)
- Ian Thorogood, Australian rules footballer (Carlton) and coach (b. 1936)
- Kenneth To, swimmer (b. 1992)
- 20 March â Noel Hush, chemist (b. 1924)
- 22 March â Jack Absalom, artist, author and adventurer (b. 1927)
- 24 March â Vicky Kippin, Queensland politician (b. 1942)
- 25 March â Stylianos Harkianakis, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Australia (b. 1935)
- 27 March â Bruce Yardley, Test cricketer (b. 1947)
- 30 March â Geoff Harvey, musician and television personality (b. 1935)
- 31 March â Peter Coleman, 30th New South Wales Leader of the Opposition (b. 1928)
April
- 1 April â Bill Butchart, middle-distance runner (b. 1933)
- 4 April â John Winneke, Victorian Supreme Court judge (b. 1938)
- 6 April â Lloyd McDermott, barrister and rugby union player (b. 1939)
- 7 April
- Peter Armstrong, rugby league footballer (b. 1936)
- Joe Bertony, spy and engineer (b. 1922)
- 9 April â Rod Galt, Australian rules footballer (St Kilda, Carlton) (b. 1951)
- 11 April
- Lewis Cooper, cricketer (b. 1937)
- Peter Smedley, businessman (b. 1943)
- 13 April
- Ron Austin, LGBT rights activist (b. 1929)
- Wally Carr, boxer (b. 1954)
- Michael Coper, legal scholar (b. 1946)
- 15 April â Rex Harry, cricketer (b. 1936)
- 16 April â Suzanne Twelftree, Paralympic wheelchair tennis player and powerlifter (b. 1956)
- 18 April â Andrew Mallard, wrongfully convicted ex-convict (died in the United States) (b. 1962)
- 20 April â Joyce Evans, photographer (b. 1929)
- 23 April â Scott W. Sloan, civil engineer and academic (b. 1954)
- 26 April â Eric Kent, Victorian politician (b. 1919)
- 29 April â Les Murray, poet (b. 1938)
- 30 April â Max Evans, Western Australian politician (b. 1930)
May
- 1 May â Sir Arvi Parbo, businessman (b. 1926)
- 2 May â Mike Williamson, sports commentator (b. 1928)
- 3 May â Enrico Taglietti, architect (b. 1926)
- 4 May â Adam Sky, DJ (b. 1976)
- 12 May â Alan Grover, Olympic rowing coxswain (b. 1944)
- 14 May â Barbara York Main, arachnologist (b. 1929)
- 16 May
- David Cervinski, soccer player (b. 1970)
- Bob Hawke, 23rd Prime Minister of Australia and President of the ACTU (b. 1929)
- 19 May â John Millett, poet (b. 1921)
- 20 May â Peter Hitchcock, environmentalist (b. 1944)
- 21 May
- Lawrence Carroll, painter (died in the United States) (b. 1954)
- Densey Clyne, naturalist (b. 1922)
- Brian Kann, Australian rules footballer (Hawthorn) (b. 1933)
- Peter Schulze, Tasmanian politician (b. 1935)
- 24 May â Alan Murray, golfer (b. 1940)
- 25 May â Jean Burns, aviator (b. 1919)
- 26 May â Kath Venn, Tasmanian politician (b. 1926)
- 27 May â Judith McKenzie, archaeologist (b. 1957)
- 28 May â Nick Yakich, rugby league footballer (b. 1940)
- 30 May â Allan Edwards, cricketer (b. 1921)
June
- 1 June â Christobel Mattingley, writer (b. 1931)
- 4 June
- Roger Covell, musicologist (b. 1931)
- Max Kay, entertainer and manager (b. 1936)
- 5 June
- Stan Smith, Australian rules footballer (Collingwood) (b. 1925)
- Peter Toogood, golfer (b. 1930)
- 8 June
- John Causby, cricketer (b. 1942)
- Bob Henderson, Australian rules footballer (Fitzroy) (b. 1934)
- 12 June â Don Benson, Australian rules footballer (Richmond) (b. 1920)
- 13 June â Anne Hamilton-Byrne, cult leader of The Family (b. 1921)
- 15 June â John Wilson, Australian rules footballer (Richmond) (b. 1940)
- 18 June â Alf Hughes, Australian rules footballer (Hawthorn) (b. 1930)
- 19 June â Christine Barnetson, swimmer (b. 1948)
- 20 June
- Bill Collins, film critic (b. 1934)
- Noel White, rugby league footballer (b. 1923)
- 21 June
- Lindsay Drake, rugby league footballer (b. 1950)
- John Vernon, Olympic high jumper (b. 1929)
- 23 June
- John Kobelke, Western Australian politician (b. 1949)
- George Strickland, Western Australian politician (b. 1942)
- 24 June â Steve Dunleavy, journalist (died in the United States) (b. 1938)
- 25 June
- Mack Atkins, Australian rules footballer (Hawthorn) (b. 1931)
- Bryan Marshall, actor (b. 1938)
- 26 June â Ian Johnson, television executive (b. 1949)
- 28 June â Brian Rhodes, cricketer (b. 1951)
- 30 June â Doug Ford, cricketer (b. 1928)
July
- 2 July â Bruce Wallrodt, Paralympic athlete (b. 1951)
- 5 July
- Dorothy Buckland-Fuller, sociologist and social activist (b. 1922)
- Neil Davey, public servant (b. 1922)
- Kevin Higgins, Australian rules footballer (Geelong, Fitzroy) (b. 1951)
- 6 July
- Bill Casimaty, farmer (b. 1935)
- Peter Hamilton, Australian rules footballer (Melbourne) (b. 1956)
- John Waddington, Australian rules footballer (North Melbourne) (b. 1938)
- 8 July
- Nick Garratt, rowing coach (b. 1947)
- Neil Oliver, Western Australian politician (b. 1933)
- 10 July â Nino Randazzo, journalist and member of the Italian Senate (b. 1932)
- 13 July
- Richard Carter, actor (b. 1953)
- Kerry Reed-Gilbert, poet, author, collector and Aboriginal rights activist (b. 1956)
- 15 July â Doug Flett, songwriter (b. 1935)
- 19 July â David Hunt, New South Wales Supreme Court judge (b. 1935)
- 20 July â Peter McNamara, tennis player and coach (died in Germany) (b. 1955)
- 21 July
- Laurie Hergenhan, literary scholar (b. 1931)
- Ann Moyal, historian (b. 1926)
- 24 July â Margaret Fulton, cookbook writer (b. 1924)
- 25 July â Bruce Webster, New South Wales politician and broadcaster (b. 1927)
- 26 July â Graham Freudenberg, political speechwriter (b. 1934)
- 28 July â Ian Drohan, Australian rules footballer (St Kilda) (b. 1932)
- 29 July
- Doris Goddard, cabaret singer and actress (b. 1930)
- Sam Trimble, cricketer (b. 1934)
- 31 July
- Barrington Pheloung, composer (b. 1954)
- John Scarlett, Australian rules footballer (Geelong, South Melbourne) (b. 1947)
August
- 1 August â Barrington Pheloung, composer (b. 1954)
- 3 August â Damien Lovelock, musician (b. 1954)
- 5 August â Russell Middlemiss, Australian rules footballer (Geelong) (b. 1929)
- 6 August
- Mick Miller, police officer (b. 1926)
- George Whaley, actor and director (b. 1934)
- 8 August â Malcolm T. Elliott, radio personality (b. 1946)
- 9 August â Hendricus Vogels, Olympic cyclist (b. 1942)
- 10 August â Jim Forbes, South Australian politician (b. 1923)
- 11 August
- Bluey Adams, Australian rules footballer (Melbourne) (b. 1935)
- Ningali Lawford, actor (died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1967)
- 14 August
- Polly Farmer, Australian rules footballer (Geelong) (b. 1935)
- Ben Unwin, actor (b. 1977)
- 15 August â Glenn Tasker, President of Paralympics Australia (b. 1951)
- 17 August â Ronald Gray, Olympic athlete (b. 1932)
- 19 August
- John Matthews, New South Wales politician (b. 1928)
- Jan Ruff O'Herne, human rights activist, former "comfort woman" (b. 1923)
- 20 August â Colin Beard, Australian rules footballer (South Fremantle, Richmond) (b. 1941)
- 21 August â Norma Croker, Olympic athlete (b. 1934)
- 22 August â Tim Fischer, 10th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1946)
- 23 August â Peter Moscatt, rugby league footballer (b. 1943)
- 24 August â Tony Nichols, Anglican prelate (b. 1938)
- 28 August â Max McDonald, Victorian politician (b. 1927)
- 30 August â Elaine Darling, Queensland politician (b. 1936)
- 31 August â Jane Mathews, Federal Court judge (b. 1940)
September
- 1 September â Alison Cheek, Episcopal priest (died in the United States) (b. 1927)
- 3 September
- David Evans, Western Australian politician (b. 1924)
- Tony Thiessen, Australian rules footballer (Melbourne, Carlton, North Melbourne) (b. 1942)
- 6 September â Susan Irvine, author and educator (b. 1928)
- 8 September â Paul Lyons, Olympic taekwondo practitioner (b. 1969)
- 9 September â Danny Frawley, Australian rules footballer (St Kilda) and coach (Richmond) (b. 1963)
- 10 September â Hal Colebatch, author (b. 1945)
- 11 September â Penny Whetton, climatologist (b. 1958)
- 13 September
- Paul Cronin, actor (b. 1938)
- Charles Henderson, weightlifter (b. 1922)
- 16 September â Peter Lucas, Australian rules footballer (Collingwood) (b. 1929)
- 17 September â Robert Oatey, Australian rules footballer (b. 1942)
- 20 September â Jim Macken, lawyer, judge and human rights activist (b. 1927)
- 21 September â David Combe, political lobbyist (b. 1943)
- 23 September â Tauto Sansbury, Indigenous activist (b. 1949)
- 26 September â Martin Wesley-Smith, composer (b. 1945)
- 29 September â John D'Arcy, Australian rules footballer (Richmond) (b. 1935)
- 30 September â Tom Allsop, Australian rules footballer (Hawthorn) (b. 1929)
October
- 1 October â Richard Scotton, health economist (b. 1930)
- 2 October â Robert Hickman, Australian rules footballer (Richmond) (b. 1942)
- 4 October â Bryce Gaudry, New South Wales politician (b. 1942)
- 6 October
- Neale Lavis, equestrian (b. 1930)
- Eddie Lumsden, rugby league footballer (b. 1936)
- 8 October
- John Bennett, Tasmanian politician (b. 1942)
- Louis Waller, legal scholar (b. 1935)
- Reg Watson, television producer and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 9 October â John Williams, Australian rules footballer (Carlton) (b. 1940)
- 11 October â Richard Tracey, Federal Court judge and military officer (died in the United States) (b. 1948)
- 14 October â Patrick Ward, actor (b. 1950)
- 21 October â Peter Hobbs, musician (b. 1961)
- 22 October â Garry Koehler, singer-songwriter (b. 1955)
- 27 October
- Ivan Milat, convicted serial killer (b. 1944)
- Anne Phelan, actress (b. 1948)
- 30 October
- Beatrice Faust, co-founder of Women's Electoral Lobby and author (b. 1939)
- Paul Whelan, New South Wales politician (b. 1943)
November
- 5 November
- Kevin Hogan, broadcaster and Australian rules footballer (South Melbourne) (b. 1934)
- Robert Smithies, rugby league footballer (Hull Kingston Rovers, Balmain) (b. 1934)
- 6 November
- John Curro, conductor (b. 1932)
- Clive Minton, ornithologist (b. 1934)
- 9 November
- Dwight Ritchie, boxer (b. 1992)
- Mehmet Tillem, Victorian politician (b. 1974)
- 13 November
- Stephen Albert, actor and singer (b. 1950)
- Kieran Modra, Paralympic cyclist (b. 1972)
- 15 November
- Tony Mann, cricketer (b. 1945)
- Ray Preston, rugby league footballer (Newtown Jets) (b. 1929)
- 17 November
- Ben Humphreys, Queenslander politician (b. 1934)
- John Wegner, opera singer (b. 1950)
- 19 November
- John Abel, New South Wales politician (b. 1939)
- Colin Tatz, historian (b. 1934)
- 22 November
- Tony Bull, Australian rules footballer (Melbourne) (b. 1930)
- Bill Waterhouse, bookmaker (b. 1922)
- 23 November â Terry Board, Australian rules footballer (Carlton) (b. 1945)
- 24 November
- J. Bruce Jacobs, academic (b. 1943)
- Clive James, writer and broadcaster (died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1939)
- 25 November â Tsebin Tchen, Victorian politician (b. 1941)
- 26 November â Ken Kavanagh, motorcycle racer (died in Italy) (b. 1923)
- 27 November
- Martin Armiger, musician, record producer and composer (b. 1949)
- Sam Watson, activist, politician and writer (b. 1952)
- 28 November â Graham Crouch, athlete (died in Germany) (b. 1948)
- 30 November â Doug Cox, Australian rules footballer (St Kilda) (b. 1957)
December
- 1 December â Stuart Fraser, musician
- 2 December â Greedy Smith, musician (b. 1956)
- 5 December â Don Howell, Australian rules footballer (St Kilda, Collingwood) (b. 1935)
- 9 December â Paddy Guinane, Australian rules footballer (Richmond) (b. 1939)
- 10 December â Bill Welsh, Australian rules footballer (Collingwood) (b. 1924)
- 13 December â Graham Cooper, Australian rules footballer (Hawthorn) (b. 1938)
- 14 December â Ken Wright, Victorian politician (b. 1925)
- 15 December â Alfred Dennis, New South Wales politician (b. 1924)
- 18 December â Doug Ricketson, rugby league footballer (b. 1930)
- 20 December â Robert Moir, medical researcher (died in the United States) (b. 1961)
- 21 December â Ron Penny, immunologist (b. 1936)
- 23 December â John Cain Jr., 41st Premier of Victoria (b. 1931)
- 29 December â M. C. Ricklefs, Indonesianist (b. 1943)
- 30 December â Horst Kwech, racecar driver (died in the United States) (b. 1937)
See also
References