The following lists events that happened during 1998 in Australia.

Incumbents

Monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

–

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

–

Sir William Deane Sir William Patrick Deane (born 4 January 1931) is an Australian barrister and jurist who served as the 22nd governor-general of Australia, in office from 1996 to 2001. He was previously a Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1982 to 19 ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

–

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

–

Tim Fischer Timothy Andrew Fischer (3 May 1946 – 22 August 2019) was an Australian politician and diplomat who served as leader of the National Party from 1990 to 1999. He was Deputy Prime Minister in the Howard Government from 1996 to 1999. Fischer ...

Opposition Leader The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

–

Kim Beazley Kim Christian Beazley (born 14 December 1948) is an Australian former politician and diplomat. He was leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from 1996 to 2001 and 2005 to 2006, having previously been a cabinet ...

* Chief Justice – Sir Gerard Brennan (until 21 May), then Murray Gleeson

State and Territory Leaders

Premier of New South Wales The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature. ...

– Bob Carr **

– Peter Collins (until 8 December), then

Kerry Chikarovski Kerry Anne Chikarovski (née Bartels; 4 April 1956) is a former Australian politician who served as leader of the Liberal Party in New South Wales and Leader of the Opposition between 1998 and 2002, the first woman to hold the post. Early li ...

* Premier of Queensland – Rob Borbidge (until 20 June), then Peter Beattie **

– Peter Beattie (until 20 June), then Rob Borbidge * Premier of South Australia – John Olsen **

– Mike Rann *

Premier of Tasmania The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of Ta ...

– Tony Rundle (until 14 September), then

Jim Bacon James or Jim Bacon may refer to: *Jim Bacon (politician) (James Alexander Bacon, 1950–2004), Premier of Tasmania, 1998–2004 *Jim Bacon (rugby) James Arthur Bacon (fourth ¼ 1896 – fourth ¼ 1968) was a Welsh rugby union, and professional ...

–

(until 14 September), then Tony Rundle * Premier of Victoria –

Jeff Kennett Jeffrey Gibb Kennett (born 2 March 1948) is a former Australian politician who was the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, and currently a media commentator. He was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club, serving ...

– John Brumby * Premier of Western Australia –

Richard Court Richard Fairfax Court (born 27 September 1947) is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001 and as Australian Ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2020. A member of the Liberal Party, ...

–

Geoff Gallop Geoffrey Ian Gallop (born 27 September 1951) is an Australian academic and former politician who served as the 27th Premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006. He is currently a professor and director of the Graduate School of Government at ...

Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory The chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory is the head of government of the Australian Capital Territory. The leader of the party with the largest number of seats in the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly usu ...

– Kate Carnell **

–

Wayne Berry Wayne Bruce Berry (born 14 November 1942), former Australian politician, was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 1989 to 2008, representing the electorate of Ginninderra (from 1995–2008) for the ...

(until 20 February), then Jon Stanhope * Chief Minister of the Northern Territory – Shane Stone **

–

Maggie Hickey Margaret Anne Hickey (born 16 October 1946) is a former Australian politician. She represented the electoral division of Barkly for the Labor Party in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 1990 to 2001. She was Leader of the Oppositi ...

Chief Minister of Norfolk Island This article lists the heads of government of Norfolk Island. (Dates in italics indicate ''de facto'' continuation of office, irrespective of continuation of status of that office) See also *History of Norfolk Island *List of administrative ...

– George Smith

Governors and Administrators

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the ...

– Gordon Samuels *

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor Governors of the Australian states, performs c ...

– Peter Arnison *

Governor of South Australia The governor of South Australia is the representative in South Australia of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the governor-gene ...

– Sir Eric Neal * Governor of Tasmania – Sir Guy Green *

Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and the ...

– Sir James Gobbo * Governor of Western Australia – Michael Jeffery * Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories – Ronald Harvey (until 30 October) *

Administrator of Norfolk Island The administrator of Norfolk Island acts as a representative both of The Crown and of the Government of Australia, as well as carrying out other duties according to the ''Norfolk Island Amendment Act 2015''.Tony Messner Anthony John Messner (born 24 September 1939) is a former Australian politician and government minister. Messner was born in Melbourne and educated at a state primary school in Queensland, Pulteney Grammar School, Adelaide and the South Aust ...

* Administrator of the Northern Territory –

Neil Conn Neil Raymond Conn, (born 17 August 1936) is an Australian economist and former Administrator of the Northern Territory (1997-2000). Conn was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II as Lord Prior of the Order of Saint John in 2014. He was succeeded by ...

Events

January

*January – Floods in Katherine in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

kill 3 people. *8 January – Prime Minister

declines an offer to meet with British pop band,

The Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Victor ...

. *28 January – Prime Minister

unveils a new plan for training, education and expansion of the Work for the Dole Scheme aimed at easing youth unemployment. *30 January – Prime Minister

visits the flood ravaged town of Katherine in the Northern Territory as flood waters claim their first victim.

February

*2 – 13 February –

Constitutional Convention Constitutional convention may refer to: * Constitutional convention (political custom), an informal and uncodified procedural agreement *Constitutional convention (political meeting), a meeting of delegates to adopt a new constitution or revise an e ...

is held to decide which model of

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

should be put before the people of Australia in a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

. The model chosen is one where the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

is chosen by a joint sitting of both houses of

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

*4 February – The Federal Government gives short-term credit insurance to exporters to Indonesia to counter-act the effect of Indonesia's economic problems. *5 February –

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises Original jurisdiction, original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Constitution of Australia, Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established fol ...

judge

Ian Callinan Ian David Francis Callinan Order of Australia, AC King's Counsel, KC (born 1 September 1937) is a former Justice of the High Court of Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. Education Born in Casino, New South Wales, Cal ...

is accused of bias in the High Court challenge of the Hindmarsh Bridge. *21 February – Elections in the ACT re-elect the Liberal Party government of Kate Carnell. It would be the last State or Territory election that the Liberal Party have managed to form government after until the

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

state election in September 2008. *23 February–March – After generator breakdowns at four major

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

-fired

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...

rolling blackout A rolling blackout, also referred to as rota or rotational load shedding, rota disconnection, feeder rotation, or a rotating outage, is an intentionally engineered electrical power shutdown in which electricity delivery is stopped for non-overla ...

s hit the city of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

and much of South-East Queensland.

March

*3 March – Federal Speaker of the House of Representatives

Bob Halverson Robert George Halverson, (22 October 1937 – 9 February 2016) was an Australian politician, air force officer and diplomat. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1984 to 1998, representing the Liberal Party. He was Speaker of th ...

resigns. *8 March – New South Wales Premier Bob Carr opens the Olympic Park Station on the new rail link between Sydney and the site for the 2000 Olympics. *12 March – **The Senate votes against the Federal Government's plans to sell off the second portion of

Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets voice, mobile, internet access, pay television and other products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 ...

with the tied vote of Mal Colston. **The Federal Opposition alleges that Mining and Resources Minister Warwick Parer increased his ownership of a mining company during the first year of the Howard Government's office. *16 March – Prime Minister

pledges a $50 million crime database investment if the Liberal Party is re-elected. *17 March – **The Federal Government announces sweeping reforms to business rules to attract overseas companies to Australia.

April

*2 April – Prime Minister

pledges $270 million to keep the aged in their own homes and win back their support. *7 April – 3 June –

Patrick Corporation Patrick Corporation is an Australian seaport operator with operations in Brisbane, Fremantle, Melbourne and Sydney. Formerly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, it is owned by Brookfield Asset Management and Qube Holdings. History ...

sacks 2,000 dock workers to try to improve efficiency on the waterfront. In response, the Maritime Union of Australia stages possibly the largest

industrial dispute Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to Labor (economics), work. A strike usually takes place in response to grievance (labour), employee grievance ...

Australia has ever seen. In the end, the jobs are restored to the workers in exchange for improvements in efficiency. *25 April – Prime Minister

joins former prisoners of war in a ceremony at Hellfire Pass in Thailand, paying tribute to those who died building the Thai-Burma railway.

May

*5 May – Fires caused by unsafe fuel hoses aboard the replenishment ship HMAS ''Westralia'' kill four people. *14 May – Prime Minister

cuts defence ties and suspends all but the most vital humanitarian aid to India after the country carries out two more nuclear tests. *18 May – The value of the Australian dollar slumps to 62 and a quarter US cents, its lowest level in 12 years. Prime Minister

blames the fall in value on "poorly informed people on the other side of the world". *23 May – The

Federal Court of Australia The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indic ...

blocks construction of the

Jabiluka uranium mine Jabiluka is a pair of uranium deposits and mine development in the Northern Territory of Australia that was to have been built on land belonging to the Mirarr clan of Aboriginal people. The mine site is surrounded by, but not part of, the World H ...

, granting to the traditional owners of the land a temporary injunction against work on the mine entrance. *24 May – **Prime Minister

opens the new Central Synagogue in Sydney to replace the former synagogue which burnt down in 1994. **

Christopher Skase Christopher Charles Skase (18 September 19485 August 2001) was an Australian businessman who later became one of his country's most wanted fugitives, after his business empire crashed spectacularly and he fled to Majorca, Spain. Early life Sk ...

's passport is seized by Spanish officials and cancelled. Mr. Skase applies for a renewal of his Spanish residency, which expired on 13 May and the Federal Government asks Spanish authorities to refuse the application, hoping it will force him home. *26 May – The first National Sorry Day is observed, on the first anniversary of the tabling of the report Bringing them Home which was the result of an inquiry into the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families (the

Stolen Generation The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian federal and state government agencies and church miss ...

). The day was held annually until 2004. It was renamed

National Day of Healing National Sorry Day, or the National Day of Healing, is an annual event that has been held in Australia on 26 May since 1998. The event remembers and commemorates the mistreatment of the country's Indigenous peoples as part of an ongoing process ...

from 2005. *27 May – The

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

criticises the Queensland Coalition Government for its decision to put

Pauline Hanson Pauline Lee Hanson (''née'' Seccombe, formerly Zagorski; born 27 May 1954) is an Australian politician who is the founder and leader of One Nation, a right-wing populist political party. Hanson has represented Queensland in the Australian ...

's One Nation party ahead of the Labor Party on how to vote papers for the upcoming Queensland State Election. *31 May – Prime Minister

expresses Australia's concern about Pakistan's nuclear tests.

June

*1 June – The Terminus Hotel in

Wodonga, Victoria Wodonga ( Waywurru: ''Wordonga'') is a city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Wodonga LGA. Its population is approximately 3 ...

, burns down. *13 June – The

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

state elections depose the ruling National Party government of Rob Borbidge & elect a minority ALP government, led by Peter Beattie.

's One Nation scored 23% of the vote & 11 seats, leading to anti-racism protests & four former

s to sign an open letter rejecting

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

. *30 June – The Mercy Hospital in

Albury, New South Wales Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the C ...

, closes down its maternity unit. From 1 July, all babies are now born at the Wodonga Hospital in

July

*11 July – The

sale bill is defeated in the Senate. Prime Minister

states the full sale of Telstra is still on the agenda for the next election. *15 July – Prime Minister

stands firm against a Coalition backbench revolt on the full sale of Telstra. Mr. Howard informs Parliament that the Government is committed to the Telstra sale. *21 July – Federal Treasurer

Peter Costello Peter Howard Costello (born 14 August 1957) is an Australian businessman, lawyer and former politician who served as the treasurer of Australia in government of John Howard from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving treasurer in Australia' ...

admits he has been approached to challenge

for the leadership of the Liberal Party. Talk of the challenge overshadows a Cabinet meeting in regional Victoria. * 21 July – 5 September – The

1998 Sydney water crisis The 1998 Sydney water crisis involved the suspected contamination of the water supply system of Greater Metropolitan Sydney by the microscopic pathogens ''Cryptosporidium'' and '' Giardia'' between July and September 1998. Following routine wa ...

involved the suspected contamination by the microscopic pathogens ''

cryptosporidium ''Cryptosporidium'', sometimes informally called crypto, is a genus of apicomplexan parasitic alveolates that can cause a respiratory and gastrointestinal illness (cryptosporidiosis) that primarily involves watery diarrhea (intestinal cryptosp ...

'' and ''

giardia ''Giardia'' ( or ) is a genus of anaerobic flagellated protozoan parasites of the phylum Metamonada that colonise and reproduce in the small intestines of several vertebrates, causing the disease giardiasis. Their life cycle alternates between ...

'' of the water supply system of Greater Metropolitan Sydney. *22 July – The Federal Government bows to the mounting pressure from backbenchers and rural voters by placing a 49% cap on the sale of

. *26 July – Premier Bob Carr promises to help the victims of flooding in Narrabri, Wee Waa and Gunnedah. The damage bill is expected to top $100 million.

August

*13 August – The Coalition Tax Reform Package is launched and includes a 10 percent GST with the proceeds to be distributed to the states. Income tax will be lowered and the wholesale sales tax abolished, along with certain taxes on financial transactions. *16 August – Silk-Miller police murders: Two

Victoria Police Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''. , Victo ...

officers, Gary Michael Silk, 34, and Rodney James Miller, 35, are murdered in Moorabbin, Victoria. *17 August – Illawarra floods *28 August –

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can ...

, Mary McAleese pays a 10 day visit. *29 August – The Liberal Party government of Tony Rundle is voted out in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

& replaced with an ALP government of

September

*17 September – Prime Minister

terminates a radio interview in Sydney after being asked whether a GST will affect the price of heroin. *23 September – Federal Opposition Leader

launches Labor's election policy at the Brisbane Convention Centre, promising funding to a new jobs plan. Prime Minister

dismisses Mr. Beazley's job target as unrealistic. *25 September – A gas explosion at

Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (the phonetic p ...

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

plant killed 2, injured 8 & left most of Victoria without gas for two weeks. Hundreds of businesses were affected.

October

*3 October – With the help of One Nation preferences, John Howard's Liberal/National

coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

government is re-elected in the

federal election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

November

*6 November – Queensland's Electric Tilt Trains enter service *12 November – State Premiers and Territory Chief Ministers meet in Canberra with Prime Minister

to discuss the sharing of funds from a goods and services tax. *15 November – Prime Minister

arrives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the APEC Conference. *20 November – The

decides to allow uranium mining to proceed at Jabiluka in the Northern Territory. *29 November – Prime Minister

joins in celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the first Holden motor car.

December

*1 December – The Federal Government rejects an attempt by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

to suspend construction of the

pending a further environmental impact report. *2 December – The Linton bushfire kills five volunteer

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

s in

Linton, Victoria Linton is a town in Victoria, Australia, off Glenelg Highway. Most of the town is located in Golden Plains Shire; however, a small section is in the Shire of Pyrenees. At the , Linton and the surrounding area had a population of 580. The Clark ...

. *December – A man posts 28 mail bombs in a

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

after losing a legal battle with the Australian Taxation Office which had been going since 1994. One of the bombs explodes, injuring two workers. *4 December – Colin Dunstan, aged 43, is arrested for the tax office mail bomb campaign. *14 December – New South Wales Premier Bob Carr opens extra lanes on the road the runs from Penrith to Strathfield. *19 December – A fire breaks out at the Country Comfort hotel in

, spreading up to the top floor. *20 December –

is rushed to a Majorca hospital just days after a Spanish court lifts an order preventing his deportation.

Full date unknown

The Wiggles The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. The group are currently composed of Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce and Tsehay Hawkins, as well as supporting members Evie Ferris, John Pearce, Ca ...

re-release three videos after the video release of ''

The Wiggles Movie ''The Wiggles Movie'' is a 1997 Australian children's musical comedy film produced by 20th Century Fox and Gladusaurus Productions. Released in Australia on 18 December 1997, it is the only theatrical feature-length film starring the Wiggles. Th ...

'', including ''

Yummy Yummy ''Yummy Yummy'' (Chinese language, Chinese: 雅米雅米, also known as ''Food for Life'') is an Episodic writing, episodic drama filmed by Singapore's now defunct SPH MediaWorks and Hong Kong's Television Broadcasts Limited in a joint collabora ...

'', '' Wiggle Time'', and ''

Wiggledance! ''Wiggledance!'' is the fifth video by the children's band the Wiggles and their first full-length concert video. It was filmed during their December 1996 concerts at the Seymour Centre, and released in June 1997. It was released only to the Aus ...

''. However, Yummy Yummy and Wiggle Time contains new footage, as they have been re-recorded, Wiggledance! cuts out the song "Vini Vini". ** Wilkins Farago book publishing house is founded in Melbourne.

Film

* 2 May – Fox Studios Australia opens in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

on the site of the former Sydney Showgrounds. * Babe: Pig in the City *

The Interview ''The Interview'' is a 2014 satirical alternate history action-comedy film co-produced and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg in their second directorial work, following ''This Is the End'' (2013). The screenplay was written by Dan Sterl ...

Television

*16 February – Long running British preschool series ''

Teletubbies ''Teletubbies'' is a British children's television series created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on th ...

'' premieres on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. *27 March – Darwin finally gets a second commercial

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

station when TND-34 opens, taking a

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

affiliation. * WIN Television WA is granted a licence to broadcast to regional & remote

. *27 November – After 25 years, ''

The Midday Show ''Midday'' (commonly referred to as ''The Midday Show'') is an Australian award-winning daytime television program, based on the variety format that aired on the Nine Network on 11 February 1985 until 27 November 1998. The show aired, like its ...

'' is axed by the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

. *5 October – ''

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

'' begins on

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

. *December – The remote Central & Eastern Australia markets are aggregated, with

Imparja Imparja Television (IMP) is an independent Australian television station servicing over , across six states and territories: Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. It is based in Alice Sprin ...

taking a Nine Network affiliation &

Seven Central QQQ is an Australian television station broadcasting in remote central and eastern areas of Australia, owned by Southern Cross Austereo. The station is available via satellite and terrestrial platforms – mostly through community retransmissio ...

(formerly QSTV) taking a joint Seven &

affiliation.

Sport

Australian Rules Football

*26 September – The Adelaide Crows (15.15.105) defeat

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. North Melbourne recorded a population of 14,953 at the ...

(8.22.70) to win the 102nd

VFL/AFL The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

premiership. *The Brownlow Medal was awarded to Robert Harvey of St Kilda *The Leigh Matthews Trophy was awarded to

Wayne Carey Wayne Francis Carey (born 27 May 1971) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the North Melbourne Football Club and Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A dual-premiership captain at North Melbou ...

*The Coleman Medal was awarded to

Tony Lockett Anthony Howard Lockett (born 9 March 1966) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club and Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). Nicknamed "Plugger", he is considered one of the greatest f ...

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a reser ...

*The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to

Andrew McLeod Andrew Luke McLeod (born 4 August 1976) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is the games record holder for Adelaide, having played 340 games. ...

of Adelaide Crows *The AFL Rising Star award was awarded to

Byron Pickett Byron Pickett (born 11 August 1977) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with three clubs in the AFL. He was known as a big game player as well as for his strength, hard bumps and tough approach to the game. Pickett ...

*The Wooden Spoon was 'awarded' to

NSL

*16 May – South Melbourne become Australian Champions for the third time in their history, beating newly formed

Carlton SC Carlton Soccer Club is a defunct Australian association football (soccer) club. It participated in the National Soccer League from the 1997–98 season until round eight of the 2000–01 season, after which it folded. The club was strongly linke ...

in the

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

Grand Final at Olympic Park.

Rugby League

*13 March – The

NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

competition kicks off, with the South Sydney Rabbitohs upsetting the Auckland Warriors 24–18 at Ericsson Stadium. *15 March – In their first match, the Melbourne Storm upset the

Illawarra Steelers The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level rugby league competition from 1982 until 1998. On the 13th of December 1980, the ...

14–12 at WIN Stadium. The Storm go on to have a remarkable debut season, going within one game of the grand final. *24 April – The Kangaroos play their first 'full-fledged' international match in four years. The Kiwis spoil the party however, winning 22–16. *12 June –

Rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

rocked by drugs scandal. Three Newcastle Knights players test positive, as do one

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

player & a Western Suburbs player. *23 September – The St. George Dragons & the

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...

Steelers announce they will form the game's first joint venture team, the St George Illawarra Dragons. *27 September – Minor premiers the Brisbane Broncos defeat the

Canterbury Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilita ...

38–12 to win the 91st NSWRL/

ARL ARL may refer to: Military * US Navy hull classification symbol for repair ship * Admiralty Research Laboratory, UK * United States Army Research Laboratory * ARL 44, a WWII French tank Organizations * Aero Research Limited, a UK adhesives compan ...

/NRL premiership. It is the first premiership held under the NRL name & the last grand final to be played at the

Sydney Football Stadium The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier rect ...

(now Aussie Stadium). It is also the second consecutive premiership for the Broncos, if you count their 1997 success in

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...

. The Western Suburbs Magpies finish in last position on points difference and points against, claiming the wooden spoon. *1 & 3 December – The

Adelaide Rams The Adelaide Rams were an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Adelaide, South Australia. The team was formed in 1995 for the planned rebel Super League competition. The Rams lasted two seasons, the first in the Super Le ...

& the

Gold Coast Chargers The Gold Coast Chargers were a professional rugby league club which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from New South Wales Rugby League season 1988, 1988 to New South Wales Rugby League season 1994, 1994, the Australian Ru ...

are eliminated from the NRL competition for 1999.

Cricket

*October – Mark Taylor equals

Don Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...

's record of 334 in a test match against

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. However, unlike Bradman, Taylor is not out & declares the innings closed when he reaches that score. * Shane Warne & Mark Waugh confess to accepting money from an Indian bookmaker when the

Australian cricket team The Australia men's national cricket team represents Australia in men's international cricket. As the joint oldest team in Test cricket history, playing in the first ever Test match in 1877, the team also plays One-Day International (ODI) an ...

was on tour in Pakistan &

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

in 1994.

FINA

*8 to 17 January – The VIII FINA World Championships are held in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. Ian Thorpe wins his first gold medal at a major meet in the 400m freestyle.

Human growth hormone Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in h ...

was found in a Chinese swimmer's bag at

Sydney Airport Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (colloquially Mascot Airport, Kingsford Smith Airport, or Sydney Airport; ; ) is an international airport in Sydney, Australia, located 8 km (5 mi) south of the Sydney central business district, in the ...

, resulting in her deportation.

Motor Sport

*8 March – Finnish driver Mika Häkkinen wins a controversial

Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...

ahead of

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...

teammate Scot David Coulthard after Coulthard moved over and allowed Häkkinen to take the race lead in the closing stages of the race. *4 October –

Mick Doohan Michael Sydney Doohan (born 4 June 1965) is an Australian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion, who won five consecutive 500 cc World Championships. Biography Originally from the Gold Coast, Queensland, Doohan attended S ...

riding a

Honda NSR500 Japanese Grand Prix 1993 ">1993 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix">Japanese Grand Prix 1993 The Honda NSR500 is a road racing motorcycle created by HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) and debuted in 1984 for the Grand Prix motorcycle racing's 500&nb ...

won his third and final Australian motorcycle Grand Prix at the

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near Ventnor, on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. The current circuit was first used in 1956. History Road circuit Motor racing on Phillip Island began in 1928 with t ...

. The win secured Doohan's fifth consecutive World Championship victory. *4 October – Jim Richards and Swede

Rickard Rydell Rickard Rydell (born 22 September 1967) is a retired Swedish racing driver. He won the 1998 British Touring Car Championship, the 2011 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, and has also been a frontrunner in the European/World Touring Car Champ ...

win the Bathurst 1000 in their TWR prepared Volvo S40, defeating Richards' son

Steven Richards Steven James Richards (born 11 July 1972) is a New Zealand-Australian racing driver, currently competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship. Richards, the son of seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner Jim Richards, is himself a five-t ...

and Brit Matt Neal in a Nissan Primera by the smallest competitive margin in the races history. It was Richards' sixth Bathurst victory. *8 November – Finnish driver Tommi Mäkinen won his second Rally Australia driving a Mitsubishi Lancer. *15 November –

Jason Bright Jason Bright (born 7 March 1973) is a retired Australian racing driver who competed in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. He drove the No. 56 Ford FG X Falcon for Britek Motorsport, a satellite team of Prodrive Racing Australia, be ...

and

in a

Ford Falcon Ford Falcon is an automobile nameplate applied to several vehicles worldwide. * Ford Falcon (North America), an automobile produced by Ford from 1960 to 1970. * Ford Falcon (Argentina), a car built by Ford Argentina from 1962 until 1991. * Fo ...

take victory in the Bathurst Classic, the first major victory for Stone Brothers Racing team.

Commonwealth Games

*September – Australia comes home with a record 199 medals, 80 of them gold from the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998)'', officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16)'', was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by several unprecedent ...

held in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Netball

*7 August – The Adelaide Thunderbirds defeat the Sydney Swifts 48–42 in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy netball grand final

Horse Racing

*3 November –

Jezabeel Jezabeel (2 November 1992 – 22 September 2015) was a top New Zealand thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1998 Melbourne Cup. In April 1995, as a 2 year old, she won the listed 1600m Champagne Stakes at Ellerslie. Later that year she went to F ...

wins the Melbourne Cup.

Miscellaneous

*February –

Zali Steggall Zali Steggall (born 16 April 1974) is an Australian politician, lawyer and former Olympic athlete. She has been independent member for Warringah since the 2019 Australian federal election when she defeated the incumbent, former Prime Minister ...

wins bronze in the women's slalom at the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...

Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...

, Japan. It is

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

's first ever individual

Winter Olympic The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were hel ...

medal. *13 March – First day of the Australian Track & Field Championships for the 1997–1998 season, which are held at the Olympic Park in

Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung–Taungurung language, Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the St ...

. The 10,000 metres was conducted at the Zatopek Classic, Melbourne on 18 December 1998. The men's decathlon event was staged at the Hobart Grand Prix on 21 – 22 February. *12 July – Greg Lyons wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:17:00 in

, while Lisa Dick claims her second women's title in 2:36:54. *December – Six sailors die in the

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is an annual event hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, New South Wales, on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. The race distance is approximately . The race is run i ...

Births

* 1 January –

Lara Robinson Lara Robinson (born 1 January 1998) is an Australian actress who has appeared in films, television series, and theatre productions. Career Robinson has appeared in a remake of a 1978 Australian thriller ''Long Weekend'' starring Claudia Karvan ...

, actress * 2 January – Jake Clifford, rugby league player * 14 January –

Maddison Inglis Maddison Inglis (born 14 January 1998) is an Australian tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of 112, achieved on 2 March 2020. Inglis has won five singles and three doubles titles on the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour, ITF Circu ...

, tennis player * 15 January –

Alexandra Eade Alexandra Eade (born 15 January 1998) is a retired Australian artistic gymnast. Eade competed at the Gymnastics at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, 2018 Commonwealth Games where she won a gold medal in the Gymnastics at the 2018 Commonwealth Games ...

, artistic gymnast * 16 January ** Cameron Murray, rugby league player ** Jai Whitbread, rugby league player * 17 January –

Sophie Molineux Sophie Grace Molineux (born 17 January 1998) is an Australian cricketer from Bairnsdale, Victoria. A left-arm orthodox bowling all-rounder, Molineux has been a member of the national women's team since 2018. At domestic level, she currently pl ...

, cricketer * 5 February –

Sara Tomic Sara Tomic (; hr, Sara Tomić, ; born 5 February 1998) is a professional Australian tennis player. She is the younger sister of tennis player Bernard Tomic. In June 2015, she won her first professional-level title in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. ...

, tennis player * 12 February – Bilal Maarbani, rugby league player * 17 February – Harry Grant, rugby league player * 24 February –

Tom Highmore Tom Highmore (born 24 February 1998) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted as a 22-year-old in the 2020 AFL Draft at pick number 45 overall. E ...

, Australian Rules footballer * 12 March – Jordan Jansen, singer * 14 March –

Victor Radley Victor Derrick Radley (born 14 March 1998) is an England international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL. He won back-to-back NRL premierships with the Roosters in 2018 and 2019. Background Radley was ...

, rugby league player * 30 March –

Kalyn Ponga Kalyn Ponga (born 30 March 1998) is a professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League, NRL. He played for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League, New ...

, rugby league player * 1 April –

Isabella Bliss Isabella Bliss (born 1 April 1998) is an Australian woman from Queensland, notable for winning ''Junior MasterChef Australia'' (series 1) in 2010. ''Junior MasterChef Australia'' Bliss entered the first season of Junior MasterChef Australia ...

, chef * 3 April – Max Purcell, tennis player * 16 April – Jordana Beatty, actress * 22 April – Reed Mahoney, rugby league player * 29 April –

Kimberly Birrell Kimberly Birrell (born 29 April 1998) is an Australian tennis player. She has won two singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF Circuit. Birrell reached her best singles ranking of world No. 154 on 6 May 2019. Personal life Birrell was ...

, German-born Australian tennis player * 30 April **

Oliver Anderson Oliver Anderson (born 30 April 1998) is an Australian tennis performance coach and former player. Anderson was convicted and temporarily suspended from playing professional tennis due to being found guilty of match fixing his first round match ...

, tennis player **

Olivia DeJonge Olivia DeJonge (; born 30 April 1998) is an Australian actress, known for playing Tara Swift / Shaneen Quigg in ABC1's '' Hiding'', Becca in the film '' The Visit'' (2015), Elle in Netflix's '' The Society'' (2019), and Priscilla Presley in the ...

, actress * 10 May – Priscilla Hon, tennis player * 27 May –

Brittany O'Brien Brittany Mae O'Brien (born 27 May 1998) is an Australian diver. She competed at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. She attended Pymble Ladies' College and graduated in 2016. She also owns a Jewellery Brand called Draco Jewellery which she launched ...

, diver * 9 June –

Moses Suli Mosese "Moses" Suli (born 9 June 1998) is a Tonga international rugby league player who plays as a and er for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL. Suli previously played for the Wests Tigers, was signed by the Canterbury-Bankstown ...

, rugby league player * 24 July –

Bindi Irwin Bindi Sue Irwin (born 24 July 1998) is an Australian television personality, conservationist, zookeeper and actress. She is the elder of the two children of the late conservationist and television personality Steve Irwin and his conservationis ...

, television presenter * 1 August –

Pasami Saulo Pasami Saulo (born 1 August 1998) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL. He previously played for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League. Background Saulo was born in Belmont ...

, rugby league player * 5 August –

Adam Doueihi Adam Doueihi (born 5 August 1998) is a Lebanese international rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Wests Tigers in the NRL. He previously played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League, and represented Leban ...

, rugby league player * 15 August –

Gulliver McGrath Gulliver William McGrath (born 15 August 1998) is an Australian actor. Life and career McGrath played Charlie in the Australian crime series '' Rush''. He also starred as the title character in the Melbourne Theatre Company production ''Poor ...

, actor * 19 August – Salesi Junior Fainga'a, rugby league player * 21 August – Sean O'Sullivan, rugby league player * 1 September –

Emily Condon Emily Rose Condon (born 1 September 1998) is an Australian football (soccer) player who currently plays for Adelaide United in the Australian W-League. Club career Condon made her debut for Adelaide United on 5 January 2014, in the team's 2� ...

, footballer * 2 September –

Gehamat Shibasaki Gehamat Shibasaki (born 2 September 1998) is an Australian-Japanese professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or er for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League. He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos and Newc ...

, rugby league player * 9 September – Alexander Brimson, rugby league player * 19 October – Enari Tuala, rugby league player * 29 October –

Kotoni Staggs Kotoni Staggs (born 29 October 1998) is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has represented Indigenous All Stars, Tonga and New South Wales. He has playe ...

, rugby league player * 3 November –

Maddison Elliott Maddison Gae Elliott, (born 3 November 1998) is an Australian swimmer. At the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, she became the youngest Australian Paralympic medallist by winning bronze medals in the women's 400 m and 100 m freesty ...

, swimmer * 18 November –

Nick Cotric Nikola Cotric (; born 18 November 1998) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League (NRL), and Australia at international level He previously played for the ...

, rugby league player * 8 December –

Shai Bolton Shai Bolton ( ; born 8 December 1998) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted by Richmond in the second round of the 2016 draft and made his ...

, Australia Rules footballer

Deaths

16 January Events Pre-1600 *27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire. * 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Speart ...

– Alphonse Gangitano, underworld criminal (b.

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...

) *

22 January Events Pre-1600 * 613 – Eight-month-old Constantine is crowned as co-emperor (''Caesar'') by his father Heraclius at Constantinople. * 871 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated by the Danelaw V ...

–

Chilla Christ Charles Percival "Chilla" Christ (10 June 1911 – 22 January 1998) was an Australian cricketer who played first-class cricket for Queensland from 1937 to 1947. Cricket career Chilla Christ (his family name rhymes with "mist") was a left-arm s ...

, cricketer (b.

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

) *

25 February Events Pre-1600 * 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor. * 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II. ...

–

B. A. Santamaria Bartholomew Augustine Santamaria, usually known as B. A. Santamaria (14 August 1915 – 25 February 1998), was an Australian Roman Catholic Anti-communism, anti-Communist political activist and journalist. He was a guiding influence in the found ...

, political activist and journalist (b.

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

) *

15 March Events Pre-1600 * 474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce. *44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place. * 493 – Odoa ...

–

Afferbeck Lauder Afferbeck Lauder was the pseudonym used by Alastair Ardoch Morrison (21 September 1911 – 15 March 1998), an Australian graphic artist and author who in the 1960s documented Strine in the song ''With Air Chew'' and a series of books beginning with ...

, author (b.

) *

28 April Events Pre-1600 * 224 – The Battle of Hormozdgan is fought. Ardashir I defeats and kills Artabanus V effectively ending the Parthian Empire. * 357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory ...

–

Mum Shirl Coleen Shirley Perry Smith AM MBE (22 November 1924 – 28 April 1998), better known as Mum Shirl, was a prominent Wiradjuri woman, social worker and humanitarian activist committed to justice and welfare of Aboriginal Australians. She wa ...

, Indigenous activist (b.

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hol ...

) *

13 June Events Pre-1600 * 313 – The decisions of the Edict of Milan, signed by Constantine the Great and co-emperor Valerius Licinius, granting religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire, are published in Nicomedia. * 1325 – Ibn Battut ...

–

Kathleen Funder Kathleen Rose Funder (19 September 1941 – 13 June 1998) was an Australian social scientist, who is recognised for her significant contribution to the Australian Institute of Family Studies as a Principal Research Fellow. Biography Funder comp ...

, social scientist and researcher (b.

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...

) *

17 July Events Pre-1600 * 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world. * 1048 – Damasu ...

–

Marc Hunter Marc Alexander Hunter (7 September 195317 July 1998) was a New Zealand rock and pop singer, songwriter and record producer. He was the lead vocalist of Dragon (1973–11/1979, 8/1982–1989, 1995–11/1997), a band formed by his older brother, ...

, singer, songwriter and record producer (born in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

) (b.

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

) *

2 September Events Pre-1600 *44 BC – Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. * 44 BC – Cicero launches the first of his ''Philippicae'' (oratorical attacks) on Mark Antony. He will make 14 of them ...

–

Tommy J. Smith Thomas John Smith (3 September 1916 – 2 September 1998) was a leading trainer of thoroughbred racehorses based in Sydney, New South Wales. Inducted into the Australian Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in 2001 and elevated to Legend status in ...

, racehorse trainer (b.

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...

) * 4 September – Elizabeth Kata, author (b. 1912) * 9 October – Ian Johnson (cricketer), Ian Johnson, cricketer (b. 1917) * 21 November – Otto Frankel, Sir Otto Frankel, geneticist (born in Austria-Hungary, Austria) (b. 1900)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1998 in Australia 1998 in Australia, 1998 by country, Australia Years of the 20th century in Australia