2012 In Australia

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The following lists events that happened during 2012 in Australia.

Incumbents

Quentin Bryce No

Julia Gillard 2010

*

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

–

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 –

Quentin Bryce Dame Quentin Alice Louise Bryce, (née Strachan; born 23 December 1942) is an Australian academic who served as the 25th governor-general of Australia from 2008 to 2014. She is the first woman to have held the position, and was previously the ...

*

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 i ...

– Julia Gillard **

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 ...

–

Wayne Swan Wayne Maxwell Swan (born 30 June 1954), often colloquially referred to as Swanny, is an Australian politician who is National President of the Labor Party. He was previously the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Deputy Leader of the Labor ...

**

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 ...

–

Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott was born in Londo ...

* Chief Justice –

Robert French Robert Shenton French (born 19 March 1947) is an Australian lawyer and judge who served as the twelfth Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 2008 to 2017. He has been the chancellor of the University of Western Australia since 2017. Fren ...

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 legislatu ...

–

Barry O'Farrell Barry Robert O'Farrell (born 24 May 1959) is a former Australian politician who has been Australia's High Commissioner to India and non-resident Ambassador to Bhutan since May 2020. O'Farrell was the 43rd Premier of New South Wales and Minis ...

**

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 ...

– John Robertson *

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...

– Anna Bligh (until 26 March), then Campbell Newman **

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 ...

–

Jeff Seeney Jeffrey William Seeney (born 2 February 1957) is a former Australian politician and the former Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning of Queensland. He was a member of the Legislative Assembl ...

(until 26 March), then

Annastacia Palaszczuk Annastacia Palaszczuk ( , Polish: Annastacia Pałaszczuk, ; born 25 July 1969) is an Australian politician who has been the 39th premier of Queensland since 2015 and the leader of the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since ...

*

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

–

Jay Weatherill Jay Wilson Weatherill (born 3 April 1964) is an Australian politician who was the 45th Premier of South Australia, serving from 21 October 2011 until 19 March 2018. Weatherill represented the House of Assembly seat of Cheltenham as a member of ...

**

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 ...

–

Isobel Redmond Isobel Mary Redmond (born 8 April 1953) is a former Australian politician who was the member for the electoral district of Heysen in the House of Assembly from 2002 to 2018. She was the parliamentary leader of the South Australian Division of t ...

*

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 ...

–

Lara Giddings Larissa Tahireh "Lara" Giddings (born 14 November 1972) is a former Australian politician who was the 44th Premier of Tasmania from 24 January 2011 until 31 March 2014, the first woman to hold the position. Born in Goroka, Papua New Guinea, she ...

**

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 ...

–

Will Hodgman William Edward Felix Hodgman (born 20 April 1969) is an Australian diplomat and former politician who has been the High Commissioner of Australia to Singapore since February 2021. He was the 45th Premier of Tasmania and a member for the Divisio ...

*

Premier of Victoria The premier of Victoria is the head of government in the Australian state of Victoria. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Victorian Legislative Assemb ...

–

Ted Baillieu Edward Norman Baillieu (born 31 July 1953) is a former Australian politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2010 to 2013. He was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2014, representing the electorate of ...

**

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 ...

– Daniel Andrews *

Premier of Western Australia The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive bra ...

–

Colin Barnett Colin James Barnett (born 15 July 1950) is a former Australian politician who was the 29th Premier of Western Australia. He concurrently served as the state's Treasurer at several points during his tenure and had previously held various other po ...

**

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 ...

–

Eric Ripper Eric Stephen Ripper (born 13 September 1951) is a retired Australian politician. From 2008 to 2012 he was Leader of the Opposition and leader of the Labor Party in Western Australia. He grew up on a wheat/sheep farm near Nyabing. Ripper late ...

(until 23 January), then

Mark McGowan Mark McGowan (born 13 July 1967) is an Australian politician, the 30th premier of Western Australia, and the leader of the Western Australian branch of the Labor Party. McGowan was born and raised in Newcastle, New South Wales. He attended t ...

* Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory –

Katy Gallagher Katherine Ruth Gallagher (born 18 March 1970) is an Australian politician who has been serving as the Minister for Finance, Minister for Women, Minister for the Public Service and Vice-President of the Executive Council in the Albanese Gove ...

**

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 ...

–

Zed Seselja Zdenko Matthew "Zed" Seselja (born 27 March 1977) is an Australian politician who was a Senator for the Australian Capital Territory from 2013 to 2022, representing the Liberal Party. He was the Minister for International Development and the ...

*

Chief Minister of the Northern Territory The chief minister of the Northern Territory is the head of government of the Northern Territory. The office is the equivalent of a state premier. When the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly was created in 1974, the head of government was ...

– Paul Henderson (until 29 August), then Terry Mills **

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 ...

– Terry Mills (until 29 August), then

Delia Lawrie Delia Phoebe Lawrie (born 30 July 1966) is an Australian politician. She was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2016, representing the electorate of Karama. She was a Labor member from 2001 to 2015, and served ...

* Chief Minister of Norfolk Island –

David Buffett David Ernest Buffett Order of Australia, AM (born 17 October 1942) is a political figure from the Australian territory of Norfolk Island. He served as List of heads of government of Norfolk Island, Chief Minister of Norfolk Island from March 201 ...

Governors and Administrators

* Governor of New South Wales –

Marie Bashir Dame Marie Roslyn Bashir (born 1 December 1930) is the former and second longest-serving Governor of New South Wales. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positio ...

*

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 performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...

–

Penelope Wensley Penelope Anne Wensley, (born 18 October 1946) is a former Australian public servant and diplomat who served as the 25th Governor of Queensland from 2008 to 2014. She was previously High Commissioner to India from 2001 to 2004 and Ambassador to ...

* Governor of South Australia –

Kevin Scarce Rear Admiral Kevin John Scarce, (born 4 May 1952) is a retired Royal Australian Navy officer who was the 34th Governor of South Australia, serving from August 2007 to August 2014. He was succeeded by Hieu Van Le, who had previously been his li ...

*

Governor of Tasmania The governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The incumbent governor is Barbara Baker, who was appointed in June 2021. The official residence of the ...

–

Peter Underwood Peter George Underwood, (10 October 1937 – 7 July 2014) was an Australian jurist and the Governor of Tasmania from 2008 until his death in 2014. He was the Chief Justice of Tasmania from 2004 to 2008, having been a judge of the Supreme Cour ...

*

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 th ...

– Alex Chernov *

Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutiona ...

– Malcolm McCusker * Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories –

Brian Lacy Brian James Lacy (born 22 May 1943) is an Australian public servant. He was formerly the Administrator of Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Lacy was the Senior Deputy President of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission bef ...

(until 5 October), then

Jon Stanhope Jonathan Donald Stanhope (born 29 April 1951) is a former Australian politician who was Labor Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2001 to 2011. Stanhope represented the Ginninderra electorate in the ACT Legislative Assemb ...

*

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''.Owen Walsh (until 1 April), then

Neil Pope Neil Albert Pope (born 3 March 1949) is a former Australian politician. He was the Labor member for Monbulk in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1982 to 1992. and served as a Minister in the Labor Governments of John Cain II and Joan Ki ...

*

Administrator of the Northern Territory The Administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the Governor-General of Australia to represent the government of the Commonwealth in the Northern Territory, Australia. They perform functions similar to those of a state gov ...

– Sally Thomas

Events

Whole year

*Australian Year of the Farmer

January

*12 January – Category 2 Tropical Cyclone Heidi battered Western Australia's

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a g ...

region bringing disruption to the local iron ore industry, damaging roofs, bringing down trees, and cutting power to at least 3,500 people. *18 January - Sam Moran leaves

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, ...

after having been wearing the yellow skivvy since 2006. As a result, Greg Page makes a return to the group. *26 January – Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott are evacuated by a security detail from a celebratory function when a protest by supporters of the

Aboriginal Tent Embassy The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is a permanent protest occupation site as a focus for representing the political rights of Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander people. Established on 26 January (Australia Day) 1972, and celebrating i ...

threatened to turn violent.

February

*3 February – The Mehi River at Moree, in northern New South Wales breaks its banks, flooding much of the town. Around 1,600 people are evacuated from their homes. Other towns affected by the flooding include

Wee Waa Wee Waa () is a town located on the north-western slopes of the New England region in New South Wales, Australia. The town is within the Narrabri Shire local government area and is on the Namoi River. Wee Waa is north-west of Narrabri and n ...

, Pallamallawa and Biniguy. In south west Queensland, the

Maranoa River The Maranoa River, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is a river situated in South West Queensland, Australia. Course and features Formed by the confluence of the west and east branches of the river, the Maranoa River rises on the Consuelo Table ...

floods the town of

Mitchell Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territo ...

, inundating 100 homes and threatens to flood downstream Roma. *6 February – Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II's accession as

Queen of Australia Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

*17 February – Air Australia's fleet is grounded as the budget airline goes into

voluntary administration As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions, similar to bankruptcy in the United States. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry o ...

. *27 February – The Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party holds a ballot to determine its leader and by extension the Prime Minister of Australia. Julia Gillard wins the ballot by 71 votes to Kevin Rudd's 31 votes.

March

*20 March – A

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

destroys houses and injures nine people in the

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

suburb of

Vincent Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

. *24 March – The Queensland state election is held. Anna Bligh's

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

government is defeated heavily, with the Liberal National Party led by Campbell Newman winning the largest parliamentary majority in the state's history. *31 March –

Genieve Blackwell Genieve Mary Blackwell (born 1962) is an Australian Anglican bishop who has served as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Melbourne since June 2015, and previously served as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn from 20 ...

is the first woman appointed as an Anglican bishop in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

.

April

*22 April – Peter Slipper stands aside as Speaker of the House of Representatives while a civil claim of sexual harassment is dealt with by the Federal Court. *28 April –

Graham Quirk Graham Quirk (born c. 1958) is a former Australian politician who served as the 16th Lord Mayor of Brisbane. From 2008 until 2011, he was Deputy Lord Mayor under Campbell Newman, succeeding the latter when Newman became the Premier of Queenslan ...

wins the

2012 Brisbane City Council election Elections to Brisbane City Council were held on Saturday, 28 April 2012 to elect a councillor to each of the local government area's 26 wards and the direct election of the Lord Mayor of Brisbane. The election resulted in a landslide re-electi ...

to remain as Lord Mayor.

May

*17 May – Three members of

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, ...

Murray Cook Murray James Cook, AM (born 30 June 1960) is an Australian musician, actor, and Disc jockey. Cook was one of the founding members of the children's band the Wiggles from 1991 to 2012. Cook provided guitar, vocals, and songwriting in the group ...

and Jeff Fatt, announced that they will retire at the end of the year and will be replaced by Emma Watkins (yellow skivvy),

Simon Pryce Simon James Pryce (born 7 March 1972) is an Australian singer and actor. He is best known for his work as the Red Wiggle of The Wiggles since 2013, and also for the children's show ''The Kingdom of Paramithi''. Career Pryce, whose grandparents ...

(red skivvy) and Lachlan Gillespie (purple skivvy) respectively.

June

*5 June – Record rainfall across much of

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It cove ...

leads to flooding in

Traralgon Traralgon ( ) is a town located in the east of the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia and the most populous city of the City of Latrobe. The urban population of Traralgon at the was 26,907. It is the largest and fastes ...

.

Omeo Omeo ( ) is a town in Victoria, Australia on the Great Alpine Road, east of Mount Hotham, in the Shire of East Gippsland. At the 2016 census, Omeo had a population of 406. The name is derived from an Aboriginal word for 'mountains' or 'hills ...

records its wettest day since records began 133 years ago—. *12 June – A fourth coronial inquest into the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain rules that a dingo took the infant from an Uluru campsite in 1980. *14 June – The world's largest network of marine parks in offshore waters is announced by Environment Minister

Tony Burke Anthony Stephen Burke (born 4 November 1969) is an Australian politician serving as Leader of the House, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for the Arts since 2022. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP ...

. *18 June –

Fairfax Media Fairfax Media was a media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased ''The Sydney Morning Herald' ...

—the publishers of ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'' and ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

''—announce plans to cut 1900 jobs and to reformat both papers to a compact tabloid size. *19 June – A minor earthquake shakes Melbourne and much of regional Victoria. The

epicentre The epicenter, epicentre () or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates. Surface damage Before the instrumental pe ...

of the 5.4

magnitude Magnitude may refer to: Mathematics *Euclidean vector, a quantity defined by both its magnitude and its direction *Magnitude (mathematics), the relative size of an object *Norm (mathematics), a term for the size or length of a vector *Order of ...

earthquake was around south west of the Gippsland town of Moe.

July

*1 July – A carbon pricing scheme is introduced in Australia, which will charge a group of "liable entities" $23 per tonne of carbon emissions they produce in the 2012–13 financial year.

August

*15 August – The High Court of Australia rules in the cases '' JT International SA v Commonwealth of Australia'' and '' British American Tobacco Australasia Limited & Ors v Commonwealth of Australia'' that the government's

plain cigarette packaging Plain tobacco packaging, also known as generic, neutral, standardised or homogeneous packaging, is packaging of tobacco products, typically cigarettes, without any branding (colours, imagery, corporate logos and trademarks), including only the br ...

legislation was not contrary to s 51 (xxxi) of the Australian Constitution, which empowers the Parliament to make laws with respect to "the acquisition of property on just terms".JT International SA v Commonwealth of Australia; British American Tobacco Australasia Limited & Ors v Commonwealth of Australia
High Court of Australia, 15 August 2012. *25 August – A general election is held in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

. Paul Henderson's Labor government is defeated by the

Country Liberal Party The Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory (CLP) is a centre-right political party in Australia's Northern Territory. In local politics it operates in a two-party system with the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It also contests federal ...

led by Terry Mills.

September

*15 September – 2012 Sydney Islamic Riots erupt in response to an American anti-Islamic film.

October

*9 October – Peter Slipper resigns as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Anna Burke is elected the new Speaker. *20 October – A general election is held in the Australian Capital Territory. The Labor Party led by

Katy Gallagher Katherine Ruth Gallagher (born 18 March 1970) is an Australian politician who has been serving as the Minister for Finance, Minister for Women, Minister for the Public Service and Vice-President of the Executive Council in the Albanese Gove ...

retains minority government with the support of the only remaining Greens MLA,

Shane Rattenbury Shane Stephen Rattenbury (born 25 August 1971), is the Attorney-General of the ACT and former Speaker of the ACT Legislative Assembly, and a member of the multi-member district unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly repr ...

. *31 October –

Groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are ...

occurs at Australia's largest master planned community, Ecco Ripley.

November

*1 November –

Daniel Keighran Daniel Alan Keighran, (born 18 June 1983) is an Australian soldier and a recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia, the highest award in the Australian honours system. Keighran was awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia for his actions in ...

is awarded the

Victoria Cross for Australia The Victoria Cross for Australia is the highest award in the Australian honours system, superseding the British Victoria Cross for issue to Australians. The Victoria Cross for Australia is the "decoration for according recognition to persons w ...

for his actions of 24 August 2010 during the

Battle of Derapet The Battle of Derapet was fought near the village of Derapet in the Tangi Valley in Deh Rahwod District, Deh Rahwod, Orūzgān Province, southern Afghanistan, between a combined Australian Army and Afghan National Army patrol and Taliban forces on ...

, part of

Operation Slipper The Australian contribution to the war in Afghanistan has been known as Operation Slipper (2001–2014) and Operation Highroad (2015-2021). Australian Defence Force (ADF) operations and the size of the forces deployed have varied and ADF invol ...

in the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...

. *12 November – Prime Minister Julia Gillard announces the creation of a national Royal Commission into institutional responses to instances of child sexual abuse. *14 November –

Total solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six month ...

in northern Australia.

December

*1 December – **The Federal Government's plain packaging laws for cigarettes come into force, meaning that cigarettes must be sold in olive-green packets with graphic health warnings. **15-year-old Central Coast resident Nick Mitchell dies of an LSD overdose. *2 December – **Prime Minister Julia Gillard announces a plan to cut the cost of electricity in Australian households. **West Australian Transport Minister

Troy Buswell Troy Raymond Buswell (born 19 March 1966) is a former Australian politician who was a Liberal member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 2005 to 2014, representing the seat of Vasse. He was Treasurer of Western Australia in th ...

announces a $500 million road package for the northern suburbs which will include an extension to the Mitchell Freeway. *3 December – **A disabled woman interrupts a speech by Prime Minister Julia Gillard to National Disability Services chief executives in Sydney to voice her frustration at eligibility criteria for the disability support pension. **Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury releases the interim response to the Federal Government's taskforce on whether the current GST threshold of $1,000 should be lowered on goods bought online from overseas and advises that lowering the threshold would not be cost-effective, particularly for with the volume of work for Customs and Australia Post. **Food company, Rosella, goes into receivership. **The South Australian Director of Public Prosecutions tells the Court of Criminal Appeal that his office will mount fresh criminal proceedings against a boy who was accused of murdering South Australian woman Pirjo Kemppainen in September 2010. **Former West Australian Premier Brian Burke is found not guilty of illegally obtaining confidential government information. *4 December – **2DayFM presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian make a prank call to the King Edward VII's Hospital, which was treating the Duchess of Cambridge, and pose as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles. Nurse Jacintha Saldanha answers the phone before transferring the call to a colleague, who divulged details of the Duchess's bout of acute morning sickness. **Senator John Faulkner calls for major reform within the New South Wales Labor branch, including electoral funding reform and the establishment of a parliamentary code of conduct. **The Reserve Bank of Australia cuts rates by 25 points back to the historic law of 3%. The Australian dollar remains firmly above $US 1.0472. **The Northern Territory Government reconfirms its promise to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on indigenous communities and then increase motor vehicle registration by $48 a year. **17-year-old Brisbane resident, Harrison Kadell, dies in Fiji in a resort swimming pool while on an end-of-school holiday. *5 December – Dame Elisabeth Murdoch dies in Melbourne aged 103. *6 December – **The Federal Government secures a $6 billion funding deal with New South Wales to begin the National Disability Insurance Scheme in 2018. **Detective Inspector Bryson Anderson is stabbed in Oakville, Sydney while dealing with a dispute between neighbours. He later dies in hospital and Mitch and Fiona Barbieri are charged over his death. *7 December – **A funeral for Daniel Morcombe is held at Sippy Downs. **The

Council of Australian Governments The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) was the primary intergovernmental forum in Australia from 1992 to 2020. Comprising the federal government, the governments of the six states and two mainland territories and the Australian Local G ...

(COAG) Meeting is held. The governments agree to a plan to ease electricity costs, but are reluctant to commit funds to the National Disability Insurance Scheme. They also debated the issue of removing the gender bias from the monarchy succession rules. **An armed robber who led police on a high speed chase through the Valley Fiveways in 2011 and created 4 days of mayhem is arrested. **Jacintha Saldana commits suicide and 2 Day FM says that Michael Christian and Mel Grieg are "completely shattered". *8 December – **Five people die after a horrific crash on the M1 at Coomera. **Five young friends travelling to Melbourne die when their car crashes during their journey from Geelong. *10 December – ** Mel Greig and Michael Christian give their first interviews since Jacintha Saldanha's death, telling Nine Network's ''A Current Affair'' and Seven Network's ''Today Tonight'' that they are still badly shaken over the tragedy **A boat shed near Jacobs Well, Queensland catches fire and 230 boats are destroyed. *11 December – **Queensland Premier Campbell Newman promises that there will be no more public sector job cuts after the current target of 14,000 jobs is met. **Protective Services Officer James Vongvixay is brutally attacked with a hammer on the steps of Parliament House Melbourne, requiring him to undergo surgery to mend a fractured skull. *12 December – **The Federal Court of Australia rules that the case brought against former House of Representatives Speaker Peter Slipper by

James Ashby James Hunter Ashby (born 1979) is an Australian political advisor and former radio presenter. In 2012, he made allegations of sexual harassment against the former Speaker of the House, Peter Slipper, triggering a political scandal. He is curre ...

is an "abuse of process", declaring that its predominant purpose was to cause "significant public, reputational and political damage". **Thousands attend the funeral for slain Detective Inspector Bryson Anderson at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Parramatta. **Summer thunderstorms and once-in-100-year rains wreak havoc across the southern half of Western Australia affecting properties near the Collie River. ** The Queensland Government offers to join the National Disability Insurance Scheme, with Premier Campbell Newman offering $1.77 billion to roll out the scheme in Queensland from 2018. The Federal Government says it is a step in the right direction but the offer is well short of what's required. *13 December – ** The Queensland Government announces a $5 million commission of inquiry to investigate the state's failed health payroll system. The inquiry will investigate what went wrong with the IT system. **The Administrative Decisions Tribunal orders that radio broadcaster Alan Jones apologise on-air next week for describing Lebanese Muslims as "vermin" and mongrels" seven-and-a-half years ago. **New South Wales Premier

Barry O'Farrell Barry Robert O'Farrell (born 24 May 1959) is a former Australian politician who has been Australia's High Commissioner to India and non-resident Ambassador to Bhutan since May 2020. O'Farrell was the 43rd Premier of New South Wales and Minis ...

announces the Government's ''New South Wales Long-Term Transport Master Plan'', including ''Sydney's Light Rail Future'', which commits the Government to commencing construction on a light rail line from Central to Randwick before the next election. Another rail crossing over Sydney Harbour will be built after the north-west rail link is finished at the end of the decade. *14 December – **The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees severely criticises the conditions and treatment of asylum seekers at the Nauru Detention Centre. **The South Australian Government releases another three cases of sex abuse allegations in public schools, but says it will not inform the parents at two schools until the new school year. **Two Queensland unions lose their legal battle with the Queensland Government over job security laws. The Queensland Government has amended the Public Service and Industrial Relations Acts, removing job security clauses in agreements for public sector workers. **A new report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development calls Australia the "Iron Man of advanced nations", but warns that the Federal Government should abandon its plan to return the budget to surplus this financial year if the global and local economies slow down further. **Gerard Baden-Clay is denied bail and the Supreme Court of Queensland releases the diary entries of his deceased wife Allison. *17 December – ** Federal Treasurer

Wayne Swan Wayne Maxwell Swan (born 30 June 1954), often colloquially referred to as Swanny, is an Australian politician who is National President of the Labor Party. He was previously the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Deputy Leader of the Labor ...

meets with state and territory treasurers. The Commonwealth agrees to do more analysis on cutting the GST threshold for online purchases, but Wayne Swan maintains it will cost more than it delivers. *19 December – ** The Climate Change Authority recommends that the renewable energy target remain unchanged, despite falling electricity demand, but says the target will not be met if Tony Abbott is elected and abandons the

carbon tax A carbon tax is a tax levied on the carbon emissions required to produce goods and services. Carbon taxes are intended to make visible the "hidden" social costs of carbon emissions, which are otherwise felt only in indirect ways like more sev ...

. ** West Australian Premier

Colin Barnett Colin James Barnett (born 15 July 1950) is a former Australian politician who was the 29th Premier of Western Australia. He concurrently served as the state's Treasurer at several points during his tenure and had previously held various other po ...

criticises the Federal Government for delaying a decision on what would be the state's first proper uranium mine, in the northern Goldfields. **SkyCity commits more than $300 million to transform the Adelaide Casino, including a huge increase in gambling operations. South Australian Premier

Jay Weatherill Jay Wilson Weatherill (born 3 April 1964) is an Australian politician who was the 45th Premier of South Australia, serving from 21 October 2011 until 19 March 2018. Weatherill represented the House of Assembly seat of Cheltenham as a member of ...

praises the expansion on the basis that it will create a further 500 construction jobs and would make the Riverbank precinct "a world-class entertainment precinct". **The Federal Government confirms that Prime Minister Julia Gillard will formally apologise to children of forced adoptions at Parliament House on 21 March 2013. **Federal Opposition Leader

Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott was born in Londo ...

explains during a press conference that he has been too busy "doing very important things" in London to have read the week-old judgment dismissing a sexual harassment claim against former speaker Peter Slipper. *20 December – ** Federal Treasurer

Wayne Swan Wayne Maxwell Swan (born 30 June 1954), often colloquially referred to as Swanny, is an Australian politician who is National President of the Labor Party. He was previously the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Deputy Leader of the Labor ...

releases the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) which reveals that a budget surplus in the 2012–13 financial year will be unlikely after new figures showed a $4 billion write down in cash receipts during the first four months of the financial year. **The Australian share market hits an 18-month high. **After almost six weeks in court, the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory finds Brownyn Buttery, Christopher Malyshko and Zac Grieve guilty of carrying out the contract killing of Katherine man Ray Niceforo in 2011. **The Wilderness Society launches legal action against the West Australian Government's proposed gas hub near Broome. **South Australian Treasurer

Jack Snelling John James "Jack" Snelling (born 8 November 1972) is a former Australian politician. He was the Labor member for the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Playford from the 1997 election until his retirement in 2018. Snelling left the Labo ...

releases the state's 2012–13 Mid-Year Budget Review (MYBR) and announces that the Government is still on track for a Budget surplus in 2015–16, albeit reduced to $468 million from the $512 million surplus that was forecast in the 2012–13 Budget. Mr. Snelling also announces that the Government will axe another 2,000 public service jobs due to significant revenue write downs which include lower than projected GST collections and continued pressures on the Health Budget. *21 December – **Queensland Attorney-General

Jarrod Bleijie Jarrod Pieter Bleijie (; born 25 January 1982) is an Australian politician in the Queensland parliament. Bleijie was elected as the member for Kawana at the 2009 state election, and is the third member since the seat's inception at the 2001 ...

announces an independent review into the evidence against Graham Stafford in the 1991 murder of schoolgirl Leanne Holland. The findings are to be released in early 2013. **West Australian Treasurer

Troy Buswell Troy Raymond Buswell (born 19 March 1966) is a former Australian politician who was a Liberal member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 2005 to 2014, representing the seat of Vasse. He was Treasurer of Western Australia in th ...

delivers the state's Mid-Year Budget showing that the Government is expecting to post a modest surplus of $140 million for the 2012–13 financial year and an estimated debt level of $18.2 billion. **Queensland Treasurer

Tim Nicholls Timothy James Nicholls (born 6 April 1965) is an Australian politician and a former leader of the Liberal National Party of Queensland. He served as the Treasurer of Queensland and the Minister for Trade of that state between March/April 2012 ...

announces that Cbus Property has been awarded the $653 million tender to construct the new government building at 1 William Street, Brisbane, to be 43 storeys, making it the tallest building in the city.

Arts and literature

*30 March – Tim Storrier is awarded the

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor ...

for his portrait ''The histrionic wayfarer (after Bosch)''. The

Wynne Prize The Wynne Prize is an Australian landscape painting or figure sculpture art prize. As one of Australia's longest-running art prizes, it was established in 1897 from the bequest of Richard Wynne. Now held concurrently with the Sir John Sulman Prize ...

was awarded to

Imants Tillers Imants Tillers (born 1950), is an Australian artist, curator and writer. He lives and works in Cooma, New South Wales. Early life and education Imants Tillers was born in Sydney in 1950, the child of Latvian immigrants. In 1973 he graduated fro ...

for ''Waterfall (after Williams)'' and the

Sulman Prize The Sir John Sulman Prize is one of Australia's longest-running art prizes, having been established in 1936. It is now held concurrently with the Archibald Prize, Australia's best-known art prize, and also with the Wynne Prize, at the Art Galler ...

was awarded to

Nigel Milsom Nigel Milsom is an Australian painter. Early life Milsom was born in 1975 in the southern New South Wales city of Albury. He completed a Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts) at the University of Newcastle in 1998, and then undertook postgraduate st ...

for ''Judo House pt4 (Golden mud)''. *20 June –

Anna Funder Anna Funder (born 1966) is an Australian author. She is the author of ''Stasiland'' and '' All That I Am'' and the novella ''The Girl With the Dogs''. Life Funder went to primary school in Melbourne and Paris; she attended Star of the Sea Coll ...

is awarded the Miles Franklin Award for her novel '' All That I Am''.

Sport

*28 January – Tennis:

Victoria Azarenka Victória Fyódarauna Azárenka ( be, Вікторыя Фёдараўна Азаранка; Russian: Виктория Фёдоровна Азаренко; born 31 July 1989) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Azarenka is a former w ...

wins the women's singles title at the

2012 Australian Open The 2012 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 16 to 29 January 2012. It was the 100th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. The tournamen ...

, defeating

Maria Sharapova Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ( , ; rus, Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова, p=mɐˈrʲijə ʂɐˈrapəvə, a=Maria_sharapova.ogg; born 19 April 1987) is a Russian former world No. 1 tennis player. She competed on the WTA Tour from 2 ...

. *28 January – Cricket:

Sydney Sixers The Sydney Sixers are an Australian professional franchise men's cricket team, competing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League (BBL). Along with the Sydney Thunder, the Sixers are the successors of the New ...

defeat

Perth Scorchers The Perth Scorchers is an Australian domestic Twenty20 franchise cricket team representing the Western Australian city of Perth in the Big Bash League (BBL). The Scorchers are the current BBL Champions, having defeated the Sydney Sixers in the ...

by seven wickets in the final of the 2011–12 Big Bash League at the

WACA Ground The WACA (formally the WACA Ground) is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association. The WACA has been referred to as Wester ...

. *29 January – Tennis:

Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl, Новак Ђоковић, translit=Novak Đoković, ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked world No. 1 for a record total 373 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No. 1 ...

wins the men's singles title at the

2012 Australian Open The 2012 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 16 to 29 January 2012. It was the 100th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. The tournamen ...

, defeating

Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal Parera (, ; born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He is currently ranked world No. 2 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has been ranked world No. 1 for 209 weeks, and has finish ...

. *4 February – Rugby League: The

2012 All Stars match The 2012 All Stars Match was the third of the annual representative exhibition matches played between the Indigenous All Stars and the NRL All Stars team which was held on 4 February 2012 at the Gold Coast's Skilled Park. Teams 1 - Camer ...

is held at

Skilled Park A skill is the learned ability to act with determined results with good execution often within a given amount of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills. For example, in the domain of wo ...

with the NRL All Stars defeating the Indigenous All Stars 36–28. Indigenous winger

Nathan Merritt Nathan Merritt (born 26 May 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A New South Wales State of Origin representative , he played in the National Rugby League for the South Sydney Rab ...

of the

South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league club based in Redfern, a suburb of inner-southern Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and are one of nine existing tea ...

wins the

Preston Campbell Preston Campbell, (born 7 June 1977) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League. A New South Wales Country and Indigenous Dreamtime team representative or , h ...

award for Man of the Match. *12 February – Baseball:

Perth Heat The Perth Heat is a baseball team in the current Australian Baseball League and a foundation member of the Australian Baseball League. It is now the most successful team in ABL, winning 15 Claxton Shields. Australian Baseball League (1989–19 ...

defeat

Melbourne Aces The Melbourne Aces are a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Their home field is the Melbourne Ballpark in Altona. History On Friday, 20 August 2010 it was announced that ex ...

7–6 in the 13th inning in the third and deciding game of the championship series and claim the 2012 Australian Baseball League championship. *13 February – Rugby league: The 2012 Women's All Stars match is held at

Suncorp Stadium Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...

. *17 February – Rugby league: 2011 NRL premiers the

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...

are defeated by

Super League XVI The 2011 Super League season (known as the Engage Super League XVI for sponsorship reasons) was the 16th season of rugby league football since the Super League format was introduced in 1996. Fourteen teams competed for the League Leaders' Shield o ...

champions the

Leeds Rhinos The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club was formed in 1870 as Leeds St John's and play in the Super League, the top tier of English rugby league. They have played home matches at Headin ...

26–12 at the

2012 World Club Challenge The 2012 World Club Challenge (also known due to sponsorship as the Heinz Big Soup World Club Challenge) was the thirteenth consecutive World Club Challenge and was contested by Super League XVI champions, Leeds Rhinos and 2011 NRL Premiers, the ...

, held in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

. *25 February – Cricket: The South Australian Redbacks tied with the

Tasmanian Tigers The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield and the ...

in the final of the

2011–12 Ryobi One-Day Cup The 2011–12 Ryobi One-Day Cup was the 42nd season of official List A domestic cricket in Australia. The season's format reverted to the 50-overs a side format, with Cricket Australia acknowledging the ICC's commitment to 50-over cricket an ...

at the

Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby le ...

, but the Redbacks won on a count back. The win was South Australia's first One-Day domestic title in 25 years. *29 February – Soccer:

Football Federation Australia Football Australia is the governing body of soccer, futsal, and beach soccer within Australia, headquartered in Sydney. Although the first governing body of the sport was founded in 1911, Football Australia in its current form was only establ ...

revokes the A-League licence of

Gold Coast United FC Gold Coast United Football Club is an Australian soccer club based in Gold Coast, Queensland. The earliest incarnation of the club formed in 1966 and its home ground was at Nikiforides Family Park in Broadbeach. The first era of Gold Coast Un ...

. *11 March – Basketball:

Dandenong Rangers The Dandenong Rangers were an Australian professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League ( WNBL). The club is based in Dandenong, Melbourne, Victoria. The team was founded as the Dandenong Rangers, howeve ...

defeat Bulleen Boomers 94–70 in the Grand Final of the 2011–12 Women's National Basketball League. *18 March – Motor racing: British driver

Jenson Button Jenson Alexander Lyons Button (born 19 January 1980) is a British racing driver. He won the 2009 Formula One World Championship when he drove for the Brawn GP team. After his F1 career, he became champion of the 2018 season of the Super G ...

of McLaren wins the 2012 Australian Grand Prix. *19 March – Cricket:

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 , establishe ...

defeat

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

by three wickets in the final of the 2011–12 Sheffield Shield. *9 April – Athletics: Matt Wiltshire wins the men's event at the 131st Stawell Gift. The women's event was won by

Melissa Breen Melissa Breen (born 17 September 1990) is an Australian 100 metres and 200 metres runner. Breen broke the Australian record for the women's 100 m sprint, when she clocked 11.11 seconds at the ACT Championships, held on 9 Feb 2014 at the Austr ...

. *22 April – Soccer: A last minute penalty sees Brisbane Roar FC defeat

Perth Glory FC Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues. Founded in 199 ...

2–1 in the

2012 A-League Grand Final The 2012 A-League Grand Final was the seventh A-League Grand Final, which took place on 22 April 2012 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane for the second year running. Brisbane Roar played in their second Grand Final in two years, and were aiming t ...

. *23 May – Rugby league: The

Queensland Maroons The Queensland rugby league team represents the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football. Nicknamed the "Maroons" after the colour of their jersey, they play three times a year against arch-rivals New South Wales in the State of O ...

defeat the NSW Blues 18–10 at

Etihad Stadium The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., with a domestic football capacity of 53,400, making it the 6th-largest ...

in the first match of the 2012 State of Origin series. Maroons second-rower

Nate Myles Nate Myles (born 24 June 1985) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s, he last played for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League. A Queensland State of Origin and Australia national represen ...

is awarded Man of the Match. *13 June – Rugby league: The NSW Blues defeat the

Queensland Maroons The Queensland rugby league team represents the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football. Nicknamed the "Maroons" after the colour of their jersey, they play three times a year against arch-rivals New South Wales in the State of O ...

16–12 at

ANZ Stadium ANZ may refer to: People * Anz (musician), a British DJ and electronic musician Banks * ANZ (bank), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, the fourth-largest bank in Australia ** ANZ Bank New Zealand, the largest bank in New Zealand * ...

in the second match of the 2012 State of Origin series. Blues second-rower Greg Bird is awarded Man of the Match. *4 July – Rugby league: The

Queensland Maroons The Queensland rugby league team represents the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football. Nicknamed the "Maroons" after the colour of their jersey, they play three times a year against arch-rivals New South Wales in the State of O ...

win the 2012 State of Origin series, their seventh consecutive victory, defeating the NSW Blues 21–20 at

Suncorp Stadium Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...

in the third match. Maroons five-eighth

Johnathan Thurston Johnathan Dean Thurston (born 25 April 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the National Rugby League (NRL). Thurston was an Australian international, Queensland State of Origin and Indigenous All ...

is awarded Man of the Match, while second-rower

Nate Myles Nate Myles (born 24 June 1985) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s, he last played for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League. A Queensland State of Origin and Australia national represen ...

is awarded the Wally Lewis Medal for player of the series. *2 September – Rugby league: The

Canterbury-Bankstown 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 facilit ...

win their first minor premiership since 1994 following the final main round of the

2012 NRL season The 2012 NRL season was the 105th season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the first run by the newly formed Australian Rugby League Commission. The main competition, called the 2012 NRL Telstra Premiership due to spon ...

. The

Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and their ...

finish in last position, claiming their first

wooden spoon Wooden Spoon may refer to: * Wooden spoon, implement * Wooden spoon (award) A wooden spoon is an award that is given to an individual or team that has come last in a competition. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous e ...

since 1972. *24 September – Australian rules football:

Jobe Watson Jobe Watson (born 8 February 1985) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Watson, the son of three-time Essendon premiership champion Tim Watson, w ...

(

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington * Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport * Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United Ki ...

) wins the 2012 Brownlow Medal. *29 September – Australian rules football: The Sydney Swans win the

2012 AFL Grand Final The 2012 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the Sydney Swans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 29 September 2012. It was the 117th annual grand final of the Australian Foot ...

, defeating

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

14.7 (91) to 11.15 (81).2012 AFL grand final
, ''ABC News'', 30 September 2012. *30 September – Rugby league: The

Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...

defeat the

Canterbury-Bankstown 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 facilit ...

14–4 in the

2012 NRL Grand Final The 2012 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2012 NRL season. Played on Sunday, 30 September at Sydney's ANZ Stadium between the minor premiers Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the second-placed Melbourne Sto ...

.Melbourne Storm wins the NRL grand final
, Sky News, 30 September 2012. The

Clive Churchill Medal The Clive Churchill Medal is the award given to the player judged to be man-of-the-match in the National Rugby League's annual Grand Final. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill, one of the greatest rugby league players in Australian ...

for man of the match is awarded to Storm halfback

Cooper Cronk Cooper Patrick Cronk (born 5 December 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An n international and Queensland State of Origin representative , he played most of his club career fo ...

.

Good Charlotte Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of twin brothers Joel Madden (lead vocals) and Benji Madden (guitar and vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Mart ...

and The Script headline pre-game entertainment. *7 October – Motor racing:

Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering, (branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing) is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originally operating ...

Holden Commodore drivers

Jamie Whincup Jamie Whincup (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship. He currently is team principal for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He has driven the No. 88 Holden ZB Commodore, won a rec ...

and Paul Dumbrell win the

2012 Bathurst 1000 The 2012 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was an Australian Touring car racing, touring car motor race for V8 Supercars, the twenty-first race of the 2012 International V8 Supercars Championship. It was held on Sunday, 7 October 2012 at the Mount ...

by 0.3 seconds after a late race challenge from the

Rod Nash Racing Rod Nash Racing is a Supercars Championship racing entity, owned by Rod Nash. Nash co-owns Tickford Racing and since 2018, Rod Nash Racing has run under the Tickford name. Racing history Privateer entry Rod Nash first appeared in the series in ...

Ford Falcon team of David Reynolds and

Dean Canto Dean Justin Canto (born 24 September 1980) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver. Best noted as a Supercars driver, Canto was the inaugural winner of the second-tier V8 Supercar development series in 2000, and the fir ...

. Triple Eight's second Commodore of

Craig Lowndes Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing driver in the Repco Supercars Championship competing in the Holden ZB Commodore for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator. Lowndes is a three-time V8 Sup ...

and

Warren Luff A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Anglo ...

climbed into third place with three laps remaining. *6 November – Horse racing:

Green Moon Green Moon is a Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Ireland and trained in Australia, and owned by Australian businessman Lloyd Williams. He won the 2012 Melbourne Cup, ridden by Brett Prebble and trained by Robert Hickmott. The horse was originall ...

, ridden by jockey

Brett Prebble Brett Prebble (born 23 September 1977 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) is a leading Australian jockey, currently based in Melbourne, Victoria. Having ridden over 1200 career winners, Prebble's most famous win came aboard Green Moon in the 201 ...

, wins the

2012 Melbourne Cup The 2012 Emirates Melbourne Cup was the 152nd running of the Melbourne Cup, Australia's most prestigious Thoroughbred horse race. The race, held on Tuesday, 6 November 2012, at Flemington Racecourse (in Melbourne, Victoria), was won by Gre ...

.

Deaths

*4 January – ** Sir Archibald Glenn, 100, industrialist, Chancellor of

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria a ...

** Patricia Mather, 88, zoologist ** Bob McKenzie, 83, Australian rules footballer (

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 ...

) *6 January – Spike Pola, 97, football player *14 January – Charles Howard, 87, Roman Catholic clergyman *15 January – **

Chris Pavlou Christopher Peter Pavlou (18 August 1939 – 15 January 2012) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Austr ...

, 72, football player ** Peter Veness, 27, journalist *21 January – Jodie-Anne White, 44, dancer and choreographer *23 January – Bill Robb, 84, politician, member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

for Miranda (1978–1984) *25 January – Charles Stanmore, 87, Olympic fencer *4 February – Andrew Wight, 52, writer and film producer ( ''Sanctum'') *4 February –

Mike DeGruy Michael V. deGruy (December 29, 1951 – February 4, 2012) was an American documentary filmmaker specializing in underwater cinematography. His credits include ''Life in the Freezer'', '' Trials of Life'', ''The Blue Planet'' and ''Pacific Abyss ...

, 60, filmmaker and cinematographer *12 February –

Denis Flannery Denis Flannery (1928 – 2012), also known by the nickname of "Flag Pole", was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. An Australian international and Queensland interstate representative winger, he playe ...

, 83, rugby league footballer *17 February –

Danny Halloran Daniel Francis Halloran (4 July 1954 – 17 February 2012) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After being recruited from Kyneton, Halloran debuted for the Blues in 1975, play ...

, 57, Australian rules footballer *17 February –

Hank Nelson Hyland Neil "Hank" Nelson (21 October 1937 – 17 February 2012) was one of Australia's foremost historians of the Pacific, particularly Papua New Guinea. His interest in the region began in 1966 when he took a teaching position at the Adminis ...

, 74, historian *

2 March Events Pre-1600 * 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his ''bucellarii'' are almost cut ...

– Sir Keith Jones, surgeon (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 ...

) *11 March –

Ian Turpie Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

, 68, entertainer, TV host ('' The New Price Is Right'') *12 March – Douglas Scott, 91, Country politician *16 March –

Margaret Whitlam Margaret Elaine Whitlam, AO (née Dovey; 19 November 1919 – 17 March 2012) was an Australian social campaigner, author, and athlete. She was the wife of Gough Whitlam, the 21st Prime Minister of Australia from 1972 to 1975, and a representa ...

, 92, swimmer, activist, wife of

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the ...

*17 March –

Jaye Radisich Jaye Amber Radisich (29 March 1976 – 17 March 2012) was an Australian politician. She was a Labor Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2008, representing the electorate of Swan Hills. Radisich was the ...

, 35, Western Australian politician *20 March –

Jim Stynes James Stynes OAM (23 April 196620 March 2012) was an Irish-born footballer who converted from Gaelic football to Australian rules football. Playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), he went on to become ...

, 45, Australian rules footballer and administrator *21 March – Lincoln Hall, 56, mountaineer *24 March –

Vince Lovegrove Vincent James Lovegrove (19 March 194724 March 2012) was an Australian musician, journalist, music manager, television producer and AIDS awareness pioneer. He was a member of 1960s rock 'n' roll band The Valentines, sharing vocals with Bon ...

, 65, musician, band manager and AIDS activist *27 March –

Dale Baker Dale Spehr Baker (30 January 1939 – 27 March 2012) was an Australian politician, serving as South Australian Opposition Leader and Leader of the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia from 1990 to 1992. Parliament ...

, 73, South Australian politician *29 March – Michael Peterson, 59, surfer *30 March –

Ron Gaunt Ronald Arthur Gaunt (26 February 1934 – 31 March 2012) was an Australian cricketer who played in three Test matches between 1958 and 1964. He was chiefly a fast bowler, who took 266 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 26.85, play ...

, 78, cricketer *31 March – Judith Adams, 68, Senator for Western Australia *1 April –

Lionel Bowen Lionel Frost Bowen, AC (28 December 1922 – 1 April 2012) was an Australian politician and senior Labor Party figure, serving in the ministries of Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke. He was Deputy Prime Minister of Australia from 1983 to 199 ...

, 89, ALP politician; Deputy Prime Minister (1983–1990) *2 April – Jimmy Little, 75, country musician *2 April – Warren Bonython, 95, conservationist, explorer, author and chemical engineer *6 April –

Sheila Scotter Sheila Winifred Gordon Scotter, AM, MBE (2 December 1920 – 6 April 2012) was an Australian businesswoman. She was a fashion designer and third editor of the ''Vogue Australia'' magazine. She also founded the '' Vogue Living'' magazine. ...

, 92, magazine editor, fashion designer, businessperson *15 April –

Murray Rose Iain Murray Rose, (6 January 1939 – 15 April 2012) was an Australian swimmer, actor, sports commentator and marketing executive. He was a six-time Olympic medalist (four gold, one silver, one bronze), and at one time held the world records ...

, 73, swimmer *18 April – Col Saddington, 74, Australian rules footballer (

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

) *19 April –

Greg Ham Gregory Norman Ham (27 September 1953 – 19 April 2012) was an Australian musician, songwriter, and actor, best known as a member of the 1980s band Men at Work. He played saxophone, flute, organ, piano, and synthesizer. Early life Ham was born ...

, 58, musician (

Men at Work Men at Work are an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1978 and best known for breakthrough hits such as " Down Under", "Who Can It Be Now?", " Be Good Johnny", " Overkill", and " It's a Mistake". Its founding member and frontman is C ...

) * 2 May – Les Mogg, 82, Australian rules footballer (

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 ...

) * 3 May – Edith Bliss, 52, pop singer and television presenter *3 May – Felix Werder, 90, composer *9 May –

Northerly Northerly (17 October 1996 – 9 May 2012) was an Australian racehorse who is considered arguably Australia's best middle distance Thoroughbred horse of the early 2000s. Northerly, trained by Western Australian harness racing legend Fred Kers ...

, race horse, 15 *10 May – Gulumbu Yunupingu, 69, Aboriginal artist *13 May –

Don Ritchie Donald Taylor Ritchie, OAM (9 June 1926 – 13 May 2012) was an Australian who intervened in many suicide attempts. He officially rescued at least 180 people who had intended to attempt suicide at the Gap. Early life Ritchie went to Vaucl ...

, 85, volunteer ("Angel of The Gap") *18 May – Peter Jones, 49, drummer ( Crowded House) *20 May – Robin Gibb, 62, Bee Gee *21 May –

Alan Thorne Alan Gordon Thorne (1 March 1939 – 21 May 2012) was an Australian born academic who was extensively involved with various anthropological events and is considered an authority on interpretations of Aboriginal Australian origins and the huma ...

, 73, anthropologist *5 June – Charlie Sutton, 88, Australian rules footballer and coach *12 June – Rolly Tasker, 86, sailor *26 June – Daniel Batman, 31, sprinter *27 June – Rosemary Dobson, 92, poet *30 June – Michael Abney-Hastings, 69,

Earl of Loudoun Earl of Loudoun (pronounced "loud-on" ), named after Loudoun in Ayrshire, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1633 for John Campbell, 2nd Lord Campbell of Loudoun, along with the subsidiary title Lord Tarrinzean and Mauchli ...

, pretender to the British thronehttp://www.smh.com.au/national/obituaries/the-jerilderie-man-who-could-have-been-king-20120705-21jwz.html The Jerilderie man who could have been king *4 July – Peter Bennett, 85, Australian rules footballer ( St Kilda) and Olympic water polo player *8 July – Rodger Head, 73, Australian rules footballer ( St Kilda) *23 July – John Treloar, 84, sprinter *27 July –

Darryl Cotton Darryl Grant Cotton (4 September 1949 27 July 2012) was an Australian pop, rock singer-songwriter, television presenter and actor. He was a founding member of Australian rock group Zoot in 1965, with Beeb Birtles, and were later joined by Rick ...

, 62, musician ( Zoot) and television presenter ('' The Early Bird Show'') *29 July –

Adam Cullen Adam Frederick Cullen (9 October 1965 – 28 July 2012) was an Australian artist, most known for winning the Archibald Prize in 2000 with a portrait of actor David Wenham. He was also known for his controversial subjects and his distincti ...

, 46, artist,

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor ...

winner *30 July – Jonathan Hardy, 71, actor *6 August – Robert Hughes, 74, art critic, writer'He will be greatly missed': art critic Robert Hughes dies in New York, aged 74
''The Age'' 7 August 2012 (died in New York) *13 August –

Ray Jordon Raymond Clarence "Slug" Jordon (17 February 1937 – 13 August 2012) was an Australian first-class cricketer who represented Victoria in the Sheffield Shield and toured with the Australian national cricket team. He was also a successful Au ...

, 75, cricketer and Australian rules football coach *21 August – Gary Mara, 50, rugby league player (died in Los Angeles) * 23 August –

Merv Neagle Mervyn Neagle (7 March 195823 August 2012) was an Australian rules footballer who represented and in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the 1970s and 1980s. Early life Neagle grew up in Dimboola, a country town in western Victoria. ...

, 54, Australian rules footballer * 31 August –

Max Bygraves Walter William Bygraves (16 October 1922 – 31 August 2012), best known by the stage name Max Bygraves (adopted in honour of Max Miller), was an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own television shows, s ...

, 89, British entertainer * 2 September – Bert Worner, 82, Australian football player ( Geelong) * 5 September – Eric Deeral, 79, politician, Queensland MLA for

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...

(1974–1977), first Aboriginal member of the Queensland Parliament * 9 September – John McCarthy, 22, Australian rules footballer ( Port Adelaide) (died in Las Vegas) * 6 September – Amanda Thane, 59, operatic soprano (death announced on this date) * 8 September –

John Gillard John Anthony Gillard (14 February 1933 – 28 October 2000) was an influential British teacher of advertising and design whose notable students included Sir John Hegarty, Michael Peters, and Graham Fink. In a joint letter to ''Design Week'' ma ...

, 82, father of then Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard. * 9 September – Ron Taylor, 78, shark expert * 12 September –

Whobegotyou Whobegotyou (19 August 2005 - 12 September 2012) was an Australian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. The horse won nine races, including the Group One (G1) Caulfield Guineas and Yalumba Stakes for $3,115,450 in prize money. He was a chestnut geld ...

, 7, Thoroughbred racehorse * 4 October –

Tom Stannage Charles Thomas Stannage, AM (14 March 19444 October 2012) was a prominent Western Australian historian, academic, and Australian rules football player. He edited the major work ''A New History of Western Australia'', which was published in 198 ...

, 68, historian * 7 October – Wiley Reed, 68, blues musician * 9 October –

George Paciullo George Paciullo, OAM (; 20 February 19349 October 2012) was an Australian politician. He was the Labor member for Liverpool in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1971 to 1989, and served as a minister from 1984 to 1988. Paciullo was ...

, 78, New South Wales politician * 14 October – Max Fatchen, 92, journalist and children's writer * 28 October –

Gordon Bilney Gordon Neil Bilney (21 June 193928 October 2012) was an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives for the seat of Kingston from 1983 to 1996. Bilney was born in Renmark, South Au ...

, 73, politician * 19 November – Joe Riordan, 82, ALP politician * 22 November – Bryce Courtenay, 79, author * 5 December – Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, 103, philanthropist * 17 December – Tony Charlton, 83, sports broadcaster * 20 December –

Robert Juniper Robert Litchfield Juniper, AM (7 January 192920 December 2012) was an Australian artist, art teacher, illustrator, painter, printmaker and sculptor. Early life Juniper was born in the wheat-belt town of Merredin, Western Australia. He studied ...

, 83, artist * 29 December –

Tony Greig Anthony William Greig (6 October 194629 December 2012) was a South African-born Test cricket captain turned commentator. Greig qualified to play for the England cricket team by virtue of his Scottish parentage. He was a tall () all-rounder w ...

, 66, cricketer and broadcaster.

See also

*

2012 in Australian literature This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2012. Events *Clive James is made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for "services to literature and the media" in the Queen Eliza ...

* 2012 in Australian television * List of Australian films of 2012

References

{{Oceania topic, 2012 in, countries_only=yes Years of the 21st century in Australia