1972 in Australia
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The following lists events that happened during 1972 in Australia.


Incumbents

* MonarchElizabeth II *
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 Paul Hasluck Sir Paul Meernaa Caedwalla Hasluck, (1 April 1905 – 9 January 1993) was an Australian statesman who served as the 17th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1969 to 1974. Prior to that, he was a Liberal Party politician, holding min ...
* Prime MinisterWilliam McMahon (until 5 December), then Gough Whitlam ** Deputy Prime MinisterDoug Anthony (until 5 December), then
Lance Barnard Lance Herbert Barnard AO (1 May 19196 August 1997) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He was the deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1974 and held senior ministerial office in the Whitlam Government, most no ...
** Opposition LeaderGough Whitlam (until 5 December), then
Billy Snedden Sir Billy Mackie Snedden, (31 December 1926 – 27 June 1987) was an Australian politician who served as the leader of the Liberal Party from 1972 to 1975. He was also a cabinet minister from 1964 to 1972, and Speaker of the House of Represe ...
(from 20 December) * Chief Justice
Sir Garfield Barwick Sir Garfield Edward John Barwick, (22 June 190313 July 1997) was an Australian judge who was the seventh and longest serving Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1964 to 1981. He had earlier been a Liberal Party politician, serving as a m ...


State and territory leaders

* Premier of New South Wales(Sir) Robert Askin ** Opposition LeaderPat Hills * Premier of QueenslandJoh Bjelke-Petersen ** Opposition LeaderJack Houston * Premier of South AustraliaDon Dunstan ** Opposition LeaderSteele Hall (until 15 March), then
Bruce Eastick Bruce Charles Eastick, (born 25 October 1927) is a former South Australian politician, and was South Australian Leader of the Opposition from 1972 to 1975. He was a member of the Liberal and Country League (LCL), later renamed the South Aust ...
* Premier of TasmaniaAngus Bethune (until 3 May), then Eric Reece ** Opposition LeaderEric Reece (until 3 May), then Max Bingham * Premier of VictoriaSir Henry Bolte (until 23 August), then Rupert Hamer ** Opposition LeaderClyde Holding * Premier of Western AustraliaJohn Tonkin ** Opposition Leader
Sir David Brand Sir David Brand KCMG (1 August 1912 – 15 April 1979) was an Australian politician. A member of the Liberal Party, he was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1945 to 1975, and also the 19th and longest-serving Premi ...
(until 5 June), then Sir Charles Court


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 ...
Sir Roden Cutler * Governor of Queensland
Sir Alan Mansfield Sir Alan James Mansfield, (30 September 1902 – 17 July 1980) was an Australian barrister, judge, and the 18th Governor of Queensland, serving from 1966 until 1972. Early life Mansfield was born on 20 September 1902 in Brisbane, Queensland, wh ...
(until 21 March), then Sir Colin Hannah *
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 Mark Oliphant * Governor of TasmaniaLieutenant General Sir Edric Bastyan * Governor of VictoriaMajor General Sir Rohan Delacombe * Governor of Western AustraliaMajor General Sir Douglas Kendrew * Administrator of Norfolk Island – Robert Dalkin (until August), then Edward Pickerd * Administrator of the Northern TerritorySir Frederick Chaney * Administrator of Papua and New Guinea
Les Johnson Leslie Royston Johnson AM (22 November 1924 – 26 May 2015) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and held ministerial office in the Whitlam Government, serving as Minister for Housing (1972–19 ...


Events

*26 January – Aboriginal Tent Embassy was constructed in front of Parliament House (now old Parliament House). *10 May – Law professor George Duncan is drowned in the Torrens River, Adelaide. Police establish that his death was a homophobic-related murder. *3 June – Douglas Nicholls becomes the first Indigenous Australian to be knighted. *29 July – Kerry Anne Wells earned Australia's first Miss Universe crown, in Dorado, Puerto Rico. *30 August - Three people are killed in the
1972 Taroom explosion The 1972 Taroom explosion occurred after a truck carrying ammonium nitrate, an explosive and fertilizer, caught fire on 30 August 1972 near Taroom, Central Queensland, Australia. The explosion, on the Fitzroy Developmental Road near cattle statio ...
when a burning truck loaded with ammonium nitrate explodes near Taroom, Queensland. *6 October –
Faraday School kidnapping The Faraday School kidnapping occurred on 6 October 1972 at a one-teacher school in the rural town of Faraday in Victoria, Australia, where two plasterers, Edwin John Eastwood and Robert Clyde Boland, kidnapped six female pupils and their teach ...
– six pupils and their teacher are kidnapped for $1 million ransom in Victoria. *15 November – First aircraft hijacking in Australia. Ansett Airlines Flight 232 from Adelaide to
Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
with 28 passengers and a crew of 4. Followed by gun battle at Alice Springs Airport. *1 December –
Belinda Green Belinda Lynette Green (born 4 May 1952) is an Australian model and beauty queen who won the Miss World 1972 contest at the age of 20. She became the second Australian to win the title; the first, Penelope Plummer, was crowned Miss World in 1968 ...
is crowned
Miss World Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Miss Int ...
in London, becoming the second Australian winner of this pageant. Australia won the two most important beauty contest in this year. *2 December –
1972 Australian federal election The 1972 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 2 December 1972. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election, as well as a single Senate seat in Queensland. The incumbent Liberal–Country coalition governme ...
: The Labor Party led by Gough Whitlam defeats the Liberal/ Country
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 led by Prime Minister William McMahon. Consequently, Whitlam becomes the first Labor
Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...
since the defeat of Ben Chifley in
1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...
. *
Shane Gould Shane Elizabeth Gould (born 23 November 1956) is an Australian former competition swimmer. She won three gold medals, a silver medal and a bronze, at the 1972 Summer Olympics. In 2018, she won the fifth season of ''Australian Survivor,'' becom ...
is announced as
Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territo ...
* The health warning, "Smoking is a Health Hazard" becomes compulsory on
cigarette packets in Australia Cigarette packets in Australia have undergone significant changes. Since 1 December 2012, all forms of branding logos, colours, and promotional texts are banned from cigarette pack designs. In turn they were replaced with drab dark brown packets ...
.


Arts and literature

* Thea Astley's novel ''
The Acolyte ''The Acolyte'' was a science fiction fanzine edited by Francis Towner Laney from 1942-1946 (a total of 14 issues), dedicated to articles about fantasy fiction, with particular emphasis on H. P. Lovecraft and his circle. (Laney's essay, "The Cth ...
'' wins the
Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–195 ...


Film

* The Adventures of Barry McKenzie


Television

*13 March – Controversial soap opera ''
Number 96 96 (ninety-six) is the natural number following 95 and preceding 97. It is a number that appears the same when turned upside down. In mathematics 96 is: * an octagonal number. * a refactorable number. * an untouchable number. * a semiperfect ...
'' debuts on Network 0–10. *16 November – The Aunty Jack Show premieres on ABC-TV in Sydney.


Sport

*16 September – Bernard Vine wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:28:21 in Richmond, Australia. *
Manly-Warringah 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 ...
defeated
Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...
19–14 in the
1972 NSWRFL season The 1972 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 65th season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve teams, including six of 1908's foundation clubs and another six from across Sydne ...
Grand Final, claiming the first premiership win in the club's history. Parramatta finish in last position, claiming the wooden spoon. *In the
Bulimba Cup The Bulimba Cup was an Australian rugby league football competition contested by the Brisbane, Ipswich and Toowoomba representative rugby league sides during the mid 20th century. In 1931, a team from Lismore, New South Wales participated. It was ...
final Brisbane defeat Toowoomba 55–2 at Lang Park *
Piping Lane Piping Lane (foaled 1966, died 1996) was a brown Australian Thoroughbred racehorse gelding by Lanesborough out of the mare Londonderry Air by Piping Time. Piping Lane came to prominence by winning the 1972 Melbourne Cup over 3,200 metres at odds ...
wins the Melbourne Cup * Western Australia wins the Sheffield Shield * ''American Eagle'' takes line and handicap honours 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 ...
*
Shane Gould Shane Elizabeth Gould (born 23 November 1956) is an Australian former competition swimmer. She won three gold medals, a silver medal and a bronze, at the 1972 Summer Olympics. In 2018, she won the fifth season of ''Australian Survivor,'' becom ...
wins 3 gold medals for swimming at the
1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...
in Munich * Australia draws Ashes Cricket Test Series 2–2 with England


Births

* 2 January –
Adam Elliot Adam Elliot (born 2 January 1972) is an Australian stop-motion animation writer, director and producer based in Melbourne, Australia. His five films have collectively participated in over seven hundred film festivals and have received over one ...
, animator and screenwriter * 7 January –
Shane Kelly Shane John Kelly OAM (born 7 January 1972) is a former professional Australian track racing Track racing is a form of motorcycle racing where teams or individuals race opponents around an unpaved oval track. There are differing variants, w ...
, cyclist * 16 January **
Ang Christou Ang Christou (born 16 January 1972) is a former Australian rules footballer for Carlton in the Australian Football League. Football career Christou played for the Carlton Football Club and along with Anthony Koutoufides was a popular figure a ...
, Australian rules footballer ** Greg Page, former member of The Wiggles * 21 January – Brett Mullins, rugby league player * 1 February –
Taryn Fiebig Taryn Fiebig (1 February 1972 – 20 March 2021) was an Australian soprano, a principal soprano of Opera Australia who also performed internationally. She appeared in many Mozart roles such as Susanna and Zerlina. The versatile singer also pe ...
, opera and
musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...
soprano (died 2021) * 5 February – Brad Fittler, rugby league footballer and coach * 6 February –
Mark Ladbrook ''Mark Daniel Ladbrook'' (born 8 February 1972 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian track and field athlete who specialises in the 400m. Ladbrook represented Australia at the 1996 Olympics in the 400m and the 4 × 400 m. He did not make it ...
, track and field sprinter * 7 March –
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 ...
, current member of The Wiggles * 9 March – Spencer Howson, radio announcer * 11 March –
Adam Bandt Adam Paul Bandt (born 11 March 1972) is an Australian politician and former industrial lawyer who is the leader of the Australian Greens and federal MP for Melbourne. Previously, he served as co-deputy leader of the Greens from 2012 to 2015 and ...
, politician * 25 March –
Nina Bonner Nina Bonner (born 25 March 1972 in New South Wales) is a retired female field hockey goalkeeper from Australia. She made her debut for the Australian women's national team during the 1996 season (Indira Gandhi Cup). Nicknamed ''Boona'' she was ...
, field hockey goalkeeper * 8 April –
Katrina Powell Katrina Maree "Triny" Powell (born 8 April 1972 in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory) is an Australian field hockey player. She represented Australia in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1996. Powell was a member of the Au ...
, field hockey player * 15 April –
Glenn Butcher Glenn Donald Butcher (born 1961) is an Australian actor and writer. He first came to prominence as a member of the cult Newcastle-based comedy musical troupe The Castanet Club (1982-1991), in which he played parodic lounge singer Lance Norton. ...
, politician * 26 April - Kerri Nayda, supermum and friend extraordinaire * 16 May –
Adam Crouch Adam Sibery Crouch (born 16 May 1972) is an Australian politician who was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the member for Terrigal for the Liberal Party at the 2015 New South Wales state election. After the 2019 New South W ...
, politician * 20 May – Michael Diamond, professional target shooter * 30 May -
Simon Holmes à Court Simon Holmes à Court (born 30 May 1972) is an Australian businessman and political activist. He is the son of Australia's first billionaire Robert Holmes à Court, and convenor of Climate 200. He is also a senior advisor to the Climate and Ene ...
, entrepreneur and founder of
Climate 200 Climate 200 is an Australian company that provides political funding. It describes itself as a "community crowdfunding initiative" that supports community-backed independents to stand for election to advance climate policy, reduce greenhouse g ...
* 30 May – Renita Farrell, field hockey player * 31 May – Sarah Murdoch, model, actress and television presenter * 19 June –
Poppy Montgomery Poppy Montgomery (born Poppy Petal Emma Elizabeth Deveraux Donahue; June 19,1972) is an Australian-born actress. She played FBI agent Samantha Spade on the CBS mystery drama ''Without a Trace'' from 2002 to 2009 and played Detective Carrie Well ...
, actress * 22 June – Damien Oliver, jockey * 24 June – Robbie McEwen, cyclist * 24 June –
Ian Rutledge Ian Gregory Rutledge (born 24 June 1972 in Cudal, New South Wales) is a field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive ...
, field hockey coach * 30 June –
Stuart Rendell Stuart Rendell (born 30 June 1972 in Canberra to Carole and Ralph Rendell) is an Australian retired hammer thrower. He competed in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, but failed to qualify from his pool. His personal best throw is 79.29 metres, achieved ...
, hammer thrower * 6 July –
Daniel Andrews Daniel Michael Andrews (born 6 July 1972) is an Australian politician serving as the 48th and current premier of Victoria since December 2014. He has been the leader of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since December ...
, Premier of Victoria * 14 July – Deborah Mailman, actress and singer * 26 July –
Nathan Buckley Nathan Charles Buckley (born 26 July 1972) is a former professional Australian rules football coach, player and commentator. He is listed by journalist Mike Sheahan as one of the top 50 players of all time. Buckley won the inaugural Rising St ...
, Australian rules footballer * 12 August –
Allison Tranquilli Allison Petra Cook-Tranquilli (born 12 August 1972 in Melbourne, Victoria) is a retired female basketball player from Australia, who played for the Melbourne Tigers and PVSK Pecs in Hungary. A two-time Olympian she was a member of the nation ...
, basketball player * 1 September – Louise Dobson, field hockey player * 19 September **
Matt Cockbain Matt Cockbain (born 19 September 1972) is an Australian rugby union football coach and a former international player. He played over 60 tests for the national team, the Wallabies including winning the 1999 Rugby World Cup. Cockbain was an assis ...
, rugby player and coach **
Ryan Girdler Ryan Girdler (born 19 September 1972) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australia international representative goal-kicking centre, he played h ...
, rugby league player * 20 September – Jenn Morris, field hockey player * 11 October – Claudia Black, actress * 1 November – Toni Collette, actress * 7 November – Melissa Bell, actress * 8 November –
Kylie Shadbolt Kylie Shadbolt (born 8 November 1972) is an Australian artistic gymnast. Shadbolt competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona in the individual and team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achie ...
, artistic gymnast * 13 November –
Samantha Riley Samantha Linette Pearl Riley (born 13 November 1972) is an Australian breaststroke swimmer of Aboriginal descent who competed for Australia in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, winning three medals ...
, swimmer * 9 December –
Annalise Braakensiek Annalise Braakensiek (9 December 1972 – 6 January 2019) was an Australian model, actress, television presenter, businesswoman and campaign ambassador. Life and career Braakensiek had a successful career as a model, with some acting work, for ...
, model, actress, television presenter, businesswoman and activist (died 2019) * 11 December –
Del Kathryn Barton Del Kathryn Barton (born 11 December 1972) is an Australian artist who began drawing at a young age, and studied at UNSW Art & Design (formerly the College of Fine Arts) at the University of New South Wales. She soon became known for her psyche ...
, artist * 12 December – Quan Yeomans, musician; lead singer of Regurgitator * 13 December – Chris Grant, Australian rules footballer * 22 December – Anthony Edwards, rower * 28 December – Patrick Rafter, tennis player


Deaths

* 6 January – Olegas Truchanas (born 1923), conservationist and nature photographer * 22 January – Jack Cummings (born 1901), tennis player * 2 February – Matt Goggin (born 1936), Australian rules footballer (Geelong) * 15 February – Sir Kenneth Street (born 1890), Chief Justice of New South Wales * 29 February – Ernie Barber (born 1895), Australian rules footballer (South Melbourne) * 9 March – Roy Kendall (born 1899), politician and MI6 officer * 19 March – ** George Bassett (born 1888), politician **
Jack Carington Smith Jack Carington Smith (26 February 1908 – 19 March 1972) was an Australian artist from Launceston, Tasmania. Born simply "Smith", he adopted "Carington Smith" as his surname around 1936 when he won a travelling scholarship which enabled him to s ...
(born 1908), artist * 16 April –
Frank O'Connor Frank O'Connor (born Michael Francis O'Donovan; 17 September 1903 – 10 March 1966) was an Irish author and translator. He wrote poetry (original and translations from Irish), dramatic works, memoirs, journalistic columns and features on a ...
(born 1894), public servant * 2 May – Arthur Trebilcock (born 1907), Tasmanian cricketer * 7 July –
Owen Dixon Sir Owen Dixon (28 April 1886 – 7 July 1972) was an Australian judge and diplomat who served as the sixth Chief Justice of Australia. A judge of the High Court for thirty-five years, Dixon was one of the leading jurists in the English-s ...
(born 1886), former
Chief Justice of Australia The Chief Justice of Australia is the presiding Justice of the High Court of Australia and the highest-ranking judicial officer in the Commonwealth of Australia. The incumbent is Susan Kiefel, who is the first woman to hold the position. Co ...
* 21 August –
Ernestine Hill Ernestine Hill (21 January 1899 — 21 August 1972) was an Australian journalist, travel writer and novelist. Life Born Mary Ernestine Hemmings in Rockhampton, Queensland, she attended All Hallows' School in Brisbane, and then Stott & Hoa ...
(born 1899), author * 23 September – Peter O'Sullivan (born 1932), Australian rules footballer (Essendon, North Melbourne) * 4 November – Harry Rigby (born 1896), World War I flying ace


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1972 in Australia
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 ...
Years of the 20th century in Australia