1990 in Australia

Infobox Australian year
monarch = Elizabeth II
governor-general = Bill Hayden
pm =Bob Hawke
population = 17,065,128
australian =
elections =Federal, NT"See also:"
1989 in Australia,
other events of 1990,
1991 in Australia----

See also:
* 1990 Australian incumbents

Incumbents

*Queen of Australia - HM Queen Elizabeth II
*Governor General - Bill Hayden
*Prime Minister - Bob Hawke
*Premier of New South Wales - Nick Greiner
*Premier of South Australia - John Bannon
*Premier of Queensland - Wayne Goss
*Premier of Tasmania - Michael Field
*Premier of Western Australia - Peter Dowding, then Carmen Lawrence
*Premier of Victoria - John Cain, then Joan Kirner
*Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory - Trevor Kaine
*Chief Minister of the Northern Territory - Marshall Perron

Events

*February 12 - Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female premier of Western Australia and indeed Australia's first female premier after the resignation of Peter Dowding.
*March 20 - Serial killer John Wayne Glover is arrested for a series of "Granny Murders" on Sydney's North Shore.
*March 24 - The government of Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke is re-elected for a 4th term.
*August 7 - John Cain resigns as Victorian Premier over a series of financial scandals and is replaced by the first female premier of Victoria, Joan Kirner.
*October 1 - The Tasmanian Greens terminate the Labor-Green Accord after Tasmania adopts the federal government's Forests and Forest Industry Strategy.
*October 2 - Australian opera singer Dame Joan Sutherland announces her retirement.
*October 5 - After one hundred and fifty years, ten months and two days (Friday, January 3, 1840 - Friday, October 5, 1990), "The Herald" broadsheet newspaper in Melbourne is published for the last time as a separate newspaper. Founded in 1840 as "The Port Phillip Herald", it is merged with its morning tabloid sister paper "The Sun News-Pictorial" and the first issue of the new "Herald Sun", described by owner Rupert Murdoch as "The world's first 24-hour newspaper", with morning and afternoon editions, is published on the 8th.
*October 5 - On the same day, the forty nine year old afternoon tabloid "The Daily Mirror" in Sydney is published for the last time as a separate newspaper. The first edition of "The Daily Telegraph-Mirror" appears on the 8th.
*October 27 - Northern Territory elections return Country Liberal Party government of Marshall Perron to power.
*November 1 - The Australian domestic aviation market is deregulated.
*November 29 - Treasurer Paul Keating announces that Australia is experiencing an economic recession.
*December 11 - Fairfax is placed in receivership.

Unknown Dates

*Homosexual acts between consenting adults decriminalised in Queensland.

Arts and literature

* Tom Flood's novel "Oceana Fine" wins the Miles Franklin Award

Film

*September 20 – "The Big Steal" is released. Directed by Nadia Tass, the film will go on to be nominated for nine AFI awards, of which it will win three.

Television

*July - Kerry Packer purchases back control of the Nine Network for $250 million from Alan Bond, who purchased it from him for $1 billion in 1987.
*September 14 - Westpac puts Network Ten into receivership.
*December 27 - WIN Television purchases Star Television just 3 days before Queensland is due to be aggregated, giving them the Nine Network affiliation & leaving QTV, who were going to take the Nine affiliation, with the Network Ten affiliation.
*December 31 - The Queensland Regional television market is aggregated, with Sunshine Television Network (now Seven Queensland) taking a Seven affiliation, WIN Television taking a Nine affiliation & QTV with the Ten affiliation.
*The Seven Network is placed in receivership.

port

*March 20 – The VFL officially becomes known as the AFL.
*March 30 – First day of the Australian Track & Field Championships for the 1989-1990 season, which are held at the Olympic Park in Melbourne, Victoria. The men's 10,000 metres event was conducted at Canberra on February 24, 1990.
*May 22 – New South Wales (13.8.86) upsets Victoria (10.16.76) in a State of Origin match at the SCG.
*July 22 – Allan Carman wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:15:17 in Brisbane, while Trudy Fenton claims the women's title in 2:44:38.
*July 23 – Players' draft adopted at board meeting of NSWRL.
*September 8 – Collingwood draws its elimination final with the West Coast Eagles. The AFL finals schedule is thrown into chaos & the Grand Final had to be played a week later than usual. Extra time is subsequently introduced in future finals matches.
*October 6 – Collingwood (13.11.89) defeat Essendon (5.11.41) to win the 94th VFL/AFL premiership. It is the first premiership won under the AFL banner & Collingwood's first premiership since 1958, thereby symbolising the end of the "Colliwobbles".
*November 10 – Mal Meninga scores stunning last-minute try to win second Ashes rugby league test at Old Trafford.

Births

*March 24 – Keisha Castle-Hughes, New Zealand actress

Deaths

*January 4 – Henry Bolte (b. 1908), Premier of Victoria
*January 9 – Sir Edward McTiernan (b. 1892), High Court judge and politician
*January 15 – Dame Peggy van Praagh (b. 1910), ballet dancer
*February 8 – Sir Ernie Titterton (b. 1916), nuclear physicist
*February 14 – Graeme Hole (b. 1931), cricketer
*March 10 – Pat McDonald (b. 1922), actress ("Number 96", "Sons & Daughters")
*March 10 – Sir Reginald Wright (b. 1905), Tasmanian Liberal senator
*April 15 – William Hart-Smith (b. 1911), poet
*May 5 – Gordon Mackie (b. 1912), NSW politician
*June 8 – Herbie Matthews (b. 1913), Australian Rules football player and coach for the South Melbourne Swans
*June 21 – Martin Johnston (b. 1947), poet
*June 25 – Peggy Glanville-Hicks (b. 1912), composer
*July 1 – Albert Field (b. 1910), Queensland senator
*August 15 – Jimmy Carruthers (b. 1929), boxer
*August 17 – Sir David Martin (b. 1933), Governor of New South Wales
*September 2 – Robert Holmes à Court (b. 1937), businessman
*September 26 – Sir James Forrest (b. 1905), lawyer
*September 30 – Patrick White (b. 1912), author
*October 14 – Clifton Pugh (b. 1924), artist
*December 25 – John Stuart Anderson (b. 1908), chemist