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

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

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 ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

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 ...

Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...

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, ...

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 ...

Bill Shorten William Richard Shorten (born 12 May 1967) is an Australian politician currently serving as Minister for Government Services and Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme since 2022. He previously served as leader of the opposition ...

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 ...

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 legislatur ...

Mike Baird Michael Bruce Baird (born 1 April 1968) is an Australian investment banker and former politician who was the 44th Premier of New South Wales, the Minister for Infrastructure, the Minister for Western Sydney, and the Leader of the New South ...

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 ...

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 ...

Campbell Newman Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman (born 12 August 1963) is a former Australian politician who served as the 38th Premier of Queensland from 26 March 2012 to 14 February 2015. He served as the member for Ashgrove in the Legislative Assembly of Quee ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Steven Marshall Steven Spence Marshall (born 21 January 1968) is an Australian politician who served as the 46th premier of South Australia between 2018 and 2022. He has been a member of the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia in the ...

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 ...

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 Divisi ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Matthew Guy Matthew Jason Guy (born 6 March 1974) is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal Party of Australia Member of the Parliament of Victoria since 2006, representing Northern Metropolitan Region in the Legislative Council (2006–2014) ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

Jeremy Hanson Jeremy David Hanson, CSC, MLA (born 18 February 1967) is a former Australian Army officer and is an Australian politician with the Liberal Party, elected to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly as one of seven MLAs for the M ...

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 ...

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 ...

Michael Gunner Michael Patrick Francis Gunner (born 6 January 1976) is an Australian politician and was the 11th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from 2016 to 2022. He is a Labor member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, having held his ...

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 A ...

David Hurley General David John Hurley, (born 26 August 1953) is an Australian former senior officer in the Australian Army who has served as the 27th governor-general of Australia since 1 July 2019. He was previously the 38th governor of New South Wales, ...

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 ...

Paul de Jersey Paul de Jersey, (born 21 September 1948) is an Australian jurist who served as the 26th governor of Queensland, in office from 29 July 2014 to 1 November 2021. He was Chief Justice of Queensland from 1998 to 2014. Education De Jersey was ed ...

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-gen ...

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 ...

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 t ...

Alex Chernov Alex Chernov, (born 12 May 1938) is an Australian lawyer, judge and barrister who served as the 28th Governor of Victoria, from 2011 to 2015. Chernov also served as Vice-President of the Australian Bar Association, from 1986 to 1987, President ...

Linda Dessau Linda Marion Dessau (born 8 May 1953) is an Australian jurist, barrister, and the 29th and current governor of Victoria since 1 July 2015. She is the first female and the first Jewish holder of the office. She was a judge of the Family Court ...

Kerry Sanderson Kerry Gaye Sanderson, (née Smith; born 21 December 1950) is a retired Australian public servant and business director, who served as the 32nd Governor of Western Australia, in office from 20 October 2014 to 1 May 2018. She is the first woman t ...

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''.Gary Hardgrave *

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 ...

– John Hardy

Events

January

* 2–9 January

Bushfires A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...

in the Adelaide Hills and the outer

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

metropolitan area destroy 32 houses; and 125 outbuildings. * 5 January – Luke Foley is elected unopposed as Leader of the New South Wales Labor Party. * 6 January – Queensland Premier,

Campbell Newman Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman (born 12 August 1963) is a former Australian politician who served as the 38th Premier of Queensland from 26 March 2012 to 14 February 2015. He served as the member for Ashgrove in the Legislative Assembly of Quee ...

, catches the state by surprise when he announces a 31 January election date—the shortest campaign period in the state's history. * 8 January – Prime Minister

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 ...

, speaking from the Adelaide Hills, outlines plans for Commonwealth recovery payments for victims of the

2015 Sampson Flat bushfires The 2015 Sampson Flat fires were a series of bushfires in the Australian state of South Australia, the area affected was predominantly the northern Adelaide Hills and the outer Adelaide metropolitan area. The fire began on 2 January 2015 durin ...

, amounting to $4 million. * 10 January – A farewell is held at

Cairns Convention Centre The Cairns Convention Centre is a convention and entertainment centre in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. The venue was selected the World's Best Congress Centre in 2004 and 2014. Description The centre has a floor space of on a site in the C ...

for the eight Cairns children who were killed in December. Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten are among the mourners. * 15 January – Federal Health Minister, Sussan Ley, announces that the proposed $20 cut to rebates for short consultations with GPs have been taken "off the table" four days before it was due to take effect. * 19 January –

Queensland Police The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto ...

confirm that part of a skull found near at McGregor Creek in north Queensland is that of schoolgirl Marilyn Wallman, who vanished at the age of 14 while riding to school from the Mackay suburb of Eimeo in March 1972. *24 January – The families of

Bali Nine The Bali Nine were nine Australians convicted for attempting to smuggle of heroin out of Indonesia in April 2005. The heroin was valued at around 4 million and was bound for Australia. Ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were ...

members Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran make a televised plea for clemency against the death penalty. *25 January – Rosie Batty 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 Territ ...

. *26 January –

Angus Houston Air Chief Marshal Sir Allan Grant "Angus" Houston, (born 9 June 1947) is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force. He served as Chief of Air Force from 20 June 2001 and then as the Chief of the Defence Force from 4 July 20 ...

and

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

were appointed

Knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

in the 2015 Australia Day Honours. *28 January – The

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established following passage of the '' Judiciary Act 1903''. ...

rules that the Federal Government acted legally in detaining 157 Tamil asylum seekers aboard a Customs boat. *31 January – A state election is held in

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 ...

. The Labor Party led by

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 ...

forms a minority government with the support of an independent MP.

February

* 2 February ** Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles is replaced in a late night leadership challenge for 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 ...

by

Willem Westra van Holthe Willem Rudolf Westra van Holthe (born 22 August 1962) is an Australian politician. He was a Country Liberal Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2008 to 2016, representing the electorate of Katherine. He was Deputy C ...

. **Prime Minister

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 ...

addresses the

National Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Pre ...

in Canberra, announcing that the Federal Government is abandoning its paid parental leave proposal. The Prime Minister also clarifies that all awards of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

, including knighthoods and damehoods will in future be exclusively the province of the Council of the Order of Australia. * 3 February ** Adam Giles refuses to resign as Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, and eventually negotiates to remain as leader, with

Willem Westra van Holthe Willem Rudolf Westra van Holthe (born 22 August 1962) is an Australian politician. He was a Country Liberal Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2008 to 2016, representing the electorate of Katherine. He was Deputy C ...

as his deputy. **The

Reserve Bank of Australia The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is Australia's central bank and banknote issuing authority. It has had this role since 14 January 1960, when the ''Reserve Bank Act 1959'' removed the central banking functions from the Commonwealth Bank. Th ...

cuts the official cash rate for the first time since August 2013 by one quarter of a per cent to 2.25 per cent—an historic low—in an attempt to stimulate the economy amid concerns over a sharp fall in oil prices, rising unemployment and low consumer confidence. **Two electrical contractors die and two are badly burned in a

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

shopping centre explosion. * 5 February – Journalist Peter Greste returns to Australia after 400 days in Egyptian detention having been freed on 1 February. * 7 February – After a six-year absence, Lawrence Springborg is again elected as Leader of Queensland's Liberal National Party, replacing

Campbell Newman Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman (born 12 August 1963) is a former Australian politician who served as the 38th Premier of Queensland from 26 March 2012 to 14 February 2015. He served as the member for Ashgrove in the Legislative Assembly of Quee ...

(who lost his seat in the 2015 state election). John-Paul Langbroek is elected Deputy Leader, replacing

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 Assembly ...

. * 9 February – **A motion to bring about a leadership spill in the

Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre-right political party in Australia, one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-left Australian Labor Party. It was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United A ...

is defeated 61 votes to 39. **Surfer Tadashi Nakahara dies after a great white shark attack near Ballina, New South Wales and there are 13 other non-fatal attacks, predominantly in northern New South Wales. * 11 February – A report by the

Australian Human Rights Commission The Australian Human Rights Commission is the national human rights institution of Australia, established in 1986 as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and renamed in 2008. It is a statutory body funded by, but oper ...

, ''The Forgotten Children: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014'', is released. The report and the AHRC's president,

Gillian Triggs Gillian Doreen Triggs (born 30 October 1945) is an Australian academic specialising in public international law. In 2019, she was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nati ...

, are subsequently criticised by Prime Minister

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 ...

as "blatantly partisan". * 13 February –

Patties Foods Patties Foods, is an Australian food manufacturing company that produces meat pies, baked goods, frozen fruits, and pre-made desserts. Patties Foods is represented in the Australian market by the Four'n Twenty, Patties, Herbert Adams, Nanna's, ...

issues the first of several recalls of Nanna's brand frozen berries, after an outbreak of

Hepatitis A Hepatitis A is an infectious disease of the liver caused by ''Hepatovirus A'' (HAV); it is a type of viral hepatitis. Many cases have few or no symptoms, especially in the young. The time between infection and symptoms, in those who develop the ...

caused by contaminated fruit. * 14 February –

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 ...

is sworn in as the 39th

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 ...

. * 16 February – The ABC program ''

Four Corners The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...

'' airs allegations that live animals—including rabbits, piglets and possums—have been used as lures, or "live bait", while training dogs in the

greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing; the latter is now banned in most countries. Tr ...

industry. * 18 February – **Victorian Premier

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 ...

announces a $100 million upgrade to

Flinders Street railway station Flinders Street railway station is a train station located on the corner of Flinders Street, Melbourne, Flinders and Swanston Street, Swanston streets in the Melbourne city centre, central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria (Austral ...

in Melbourne, including a restoration of the station's iconic ballroom which has been closed since 1985. **The

United States Court of Military Commission Review The Military Commissions Act of 2006 mandated that rulings from the Guantanamo military commissions could be appealed to a Court of Military Commission Review, which would sit in Washington D.C. In the event, the Review Court was not ...

strikes down David Hicks' March 2007 conviction for supporting terrorism. * 20 February – **Category 4 cyclone, Cyclone Lam, makes landfall in the Northern Territory between Milingimbi and Elcho Island, the strongest cyclone to strike the Northern Territory since

Cyclone Monica Severe Tropical Cyclone Monica was the most intense tropical cyclone, in terms of maximum sustained winds, on record to impact Australia. The 17th and final storm of the 2005–06 Australian region cyclone season, Monica originated from an area ...

in 2006. ** Cyclone Marcia makes landfall in Queensland, damaging the city of

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of t ...

and surrounds. **Social Services Minister Scott Morrison releases the final report of the

Productivity Commission The Productivity Commission is the Australian Government's principal review and advisory body on microeconomic policy, regulation and a range of other social and environmental issues. The Productivity Commission was created as an independent a ...

's Inquiry into Childcare and Early Childhood Learning which recommends that the current child care system be abolished and replaced with a single subsidy available to nannies "to better meet the needs and budgets of families". * 23 February – **Prime Minister

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 ...

delivers a statement on national security outlining proposals to strip Australian citizenship from dual nationals found to be involved in terrorist acts and suspending some citizenship rights for others. **Disgraced entertainer

Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (born 30 March 1930) is an Australian entertainer whose career has encompassed work as a musician, singer-songwriter, composer, comedian, actor, painter and television personality. He often used unusual instruments in his performan ...

is stripped of his Australian honours. * 25 February – Prime Minister

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 ...

and Federal Treasurer

Joe Hockey Joseph Benedict Hockey (born 2 August 1965) is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He was the Member of Parliament for North Sydney from 1996 until 2015. He was the Treasurer of Australia in the Abbott Government from 18 September ...

announce the Government's planned response to increasing foreign investment, outlining plans to impose an application fee on foreign investors wishing to purchase established homes. The Prime Minister is criticised for using the VIP jet to fly from Canberra to Sydney for the 20-minute press conference during a Parliamentary sitting week. * 26 February –

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founde ...

posts a half-year net profit of $203 million in massive turnaround for the airline. Qantas CEO

Alan Joyce Alan Joyce (born 21 October 1942) is a former Australian rules footballer who after playing 49 games for Hawthorn became a premiership winning coach for the club. Originally from Glen Iris, Joyce played in the ruck for Hawthorn, and ultimate ...

cites the repeal of the carbon tax as the main contributing factor. * 28 February – Former Governor-General Dame

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 ...

presents to the Premier of Queensland the report ''Not Now, Not Ever: Putting an End to Domestic and Family Violence in Queensland'' which proposes the introduction of a specialised domestic violence court and a new criminal offence of non-lethal strangulation.

March

* 3 March – **Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley announces that the Government's plans to introduce a $5 General practitioner co-payment have been abandoned due to lack of community support. **The Victorian CFA Training College is closed indefinitely after traces of

PFOS Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) (conjugate base perfluorooctanesulfonate) is a chemical compound having an eight- carbon fluorocarbon chain and a sulfonic acid functional group and thus a perfluorosulfonic acid. It is an anthropogenic (man-m ...

are found in the site's water tanks. The closure follows years of claims that the site is a

cancer cluster A cancer cluster is a disease cluster in which a high number of cancer cases occurs in a group of people in a particular geographic area over a limited period of time.

. **Prime Minister

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 ...

announces that Australia will send another 300 troops to Iraq to help train the Iraqi army in its fight against Islamic State. * 4 March – **Prime Minister

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 ...

announces that Australian defence force personnel will receive a pay rise of two per cent per year – an increase on the Government's earlier below-inflation offer of 1.5 per cent. **Victorian Premier

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 ...

announces tough new laws and a $45.5 million plan to address Victoria's ice epidemic, including a boost to police to crush ice drug labs, as well as better access to rehabilitation and needle exchange programs. *13 March – Australian jihadi Jake Bilardi, aged 18, dies carrying out a suicide-bombing attack in Iraq. *20 March – The Lindt café in Sydney opens three months after the siege in which two of 17 hostages and gunman Man Haron Monis were killed. *24 March – Two Australians are among 150 killed in the Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps. *26 March – Data retention laws require phone and Internet providers to store metadata for two years. *28 March – A state election is held 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 ...

, and is won by the Coalition government led by

Mike Baird Michael Bruce Baird (born 1 April 1968) is an Australian investment banker and former politician who was the 44th Premier of New South Wales, the Minister for Infrastructure, the Minister for Western Sydney, and the Leader of the New South ...

. *29 March – Queensland Premier

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 ...

announces that the Member for Cook, Billy Gordon, has been expelled from the Labor Party over his failure to disclose elements of his past, including criminal convictions.

April

*5 April and July –

Reclaim Australia Reclaim Australia is a far-right Australian nationalist protest group which is associated with nationalist and neo-Nazi hate groups. The group was formed in 2015, holding street rallies in cities across Australia to protest against Islam. It ...

organised Nationalist rallies in several Australian cities. Speakers at these rallies included

Danny Nalliah Daniel "Danny" Nalliah (born 1964Biography Rev Dr Dani ...

,

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

, and George Christensen. *6 April –

Prince Harry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succ ...

starts a month-long secondment at Royal Military College in Duntroon. *7 April – The Federal Court upholds a 'discovery application' by rights-holders of the film '' Dallas Buyers Club'' to obtain the contact details of ISP customers whose IP addresses were alleged to have downloaded or shared the film. *8 April – **Premier

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 ...

announces that she will not change Parliamentary rules, which were introduced by the Newman Government, to reject the vote of ex-Labor MP Billy Gordon, after he refused to quit Parliament and said he would support Labor as an Independent MP. **Three of four children die and their mother survives when a car driven by their mother plunges into a Melbourne lake. **Prime Minister

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 ...

announces a national task force after revelations of ice use and related suicides in the

Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

. * 15 April – Victorian Premier

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 ...

announces that the Government has reached a deal with the East West Connect consortium to pay them $339 million in costs after cancelling the contracts for the East West Link, Melbourne road project. *21 April – Three die as floods wash away houses in

Dungog Dungog is a country town on the Williams River in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. Located in the middle of dairy and timber country, it is the centre of the Dungog Shire local government area and at the 2016 census it had a ...

. *25 April – The centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign is commemorated on

Anzac Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands Ne ...

. *26 April – Australian Renu Fotadar is one of 19 killed at Everest Base Camp in an avalanche triggered by an earthquake. * 29 April –

Bali Nine The Bali Nine were nine Australians convicted for attempting to smuggle of heroin out of Indonesia in April 2005. The heroin was valued at around 4 million and was bound for Australia. Ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were ...

ringleaders

Andrew Chan Andrew Chan (; 12 January 1984 – 29 April 2015) was an Australian man who was convicted and executed in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Chan was arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar. ...

and

Myuran Sukumaran Myuran Sukumaran (17 April 1981 – 29 April 2015) was an Australian who was convicted in Indonesia of drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Sukumaran was arrested in a room at the Melasti Hotel in Kuta with eight others. Pol ...

are executed by firing squad on the Indonesian island of Nusa Kambangan. Australia recalls its ambassador from Indonesia in protest.

May

*4–9 May – The triennial

Beef Australia Beef Australia is an international exposition held triennially in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. The week-long expo has been held in the city during the month of May triennially since the inaugural event in 1988. The event is promoted and u ...

exposition is held in

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of t ...

attracting 90,000 people. *5 May – Queensland Premier

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 ...

announces a Commission of Inquiry into the flooding which led to the 2011 Grantham tragedy. *6 May –

Christine Milne Christine Anne Milne (; born 14 May 1953) is an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Tasmania. She was the leader of the parliamentary caucus of the Australian Greens from 2012 to 2015. Milne stepped down as leader on 6 May 2015, ...

resigns as leader of the

Australian Greens The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, are a confederation of Green state and territory political parties in Australia. As of the 2022 federal election, the Greens are the third largest political party in Australia by vote and t ...

, and is replaced by

Richard Di Natale Richard Luigi Di Natale (born 6 June 1970) is a former Australian politician who was a senator for Victoria. He was also the leader of the Australian Greens from 2015 to 2020. Di Natale was elected to the Senate in the 2010 federal election. A ...

. *14 May – **The ''Norfolk Island Legislation Amendment Bill 2015'' is passed by the Parliament of Australia, abolishing the self-government arrangements of

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together wit ...

. **

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Awa ...

's wife,

Amber Heard Amber Laura Heard (born April 22, 1986) is an American actress. She had her first leading role in the horror film ''All the Boys Love Mandy Lane'' (2006), and went on to star in films such as '' The Ward'' (2010) and '' Drive Angry'' (2011). S ...

, brings pet dogs Pistol and Boo into Australia illegally. Agriculture Minister

Barnaby Joyce Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce (born 17 April 1967) is an Australian politician who served as the 17th deputy prime minister of Australia under Malcolm Turnbull from 2016 to 2018 and under Scott Morrison from 2021 to 2022. He was the leader of the ...

says that the dogs should "bugger off" back to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

and suggests that they might be euthanased if they do not leave. *23 May – **Victorian Premier

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 ...

announces that the Victorian Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade Adem Somyurek has been stood down over allegations of bullying and intimidating behaviour. **Singer

Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...

performs his song "Tonight Again" in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

as Australia's very first entry into the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

. Overall he comes 5th out of 40 countries. *26 May – Prime Minister

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 ...

announces plans to strip Australian citizenship from dual nationals who go overseas to fight with terrorist groups.

June

*4–15 June – The

14th Dalai Lama The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, known as Tenzin Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: ''bsTan-'dzin rgya-mtsho''); né Lhamo Thondup), known as ...

visits Australia. *5 June – **

Monika Radulovic Monika Radulovic; sr, Моника Радуловић, Monika Radulović (born 20 September 1990, in Zavidovići) is a Bosnian-born Serbian Australian model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Australia 2015 and repre ...

crowned

Miss Universe Australia Miss Universe Australia is a national beauty pageant that selects Australia's representative to the Miss Universe pageant. Miss Universe Australia is not only a beauty pageant but a self-development program that provides a platform for the coun ...

. **Businessman and former Australian of the Year

Alan Bond Alan Bond (22 April 1938 – 5 June 2015) was an English-born Australian businessman noted for his high-profile and often corrupt business dealings. These included his central role in the WA Inc scandals of the 1980s, and what was at the time ...

dies in a Perth hospital aged 77. *9 June – A utility crashes into a café at

Ravenshoe Ravenshoe ( ) is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Ravenshoe had a population of 1,400 people. Geography Ravenshoe is on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland. It is located south ...

and the resulting explosion kills two and injures 18. *10 June – Noor Ellis is jailed for 12 years for ordering the murder of her Bali-based Australian husband Robert Ellis. *11 June –

Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...

steps down as CEO of

21st Century Fox Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., doing business as 21st Century Fox (21CF), was an American multinational mass media corporation that was based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was one of the two companies formed on June 28, 2013, fo ...

in favour of son James Murdoch. *16 June – Chancey Luna, aged 17, is jailed for life for the shooting murder of Australian basketballer Chris Lane in Oklahoma. *17 June – **The

Norfolk Legislative Assembly The Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly was the prime legislative body of Norfolk Island from 1979 to 2015. Formed after the Norfolk Island Act 1979 was passed in the Australian parliament, its first members were elected on 10 August 1979. Th ...

is abolished, ending self-government on the island. Transition arrangements are proclaimed by the Governor-General to an advisory council to administer the island until the establishment of the Norfolk Island Regional Council in July 2016. **Australia and China sign the China–Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA). *20 June – The USS ''George Washington'' visits Queensland for biennial war games with the Australian Navy, known as

Exercise Talisman Sabre Exercise Talisman Sabre (also formerly spelled Talisman Saber, the US English alternative title) is a biennial, multinational military exercise led by Australia and the United States. Talisman Sabre involves joint exercises performed by the Aust ...

. *22 June – The Federal Government orders an inquiry into the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...

after former terrorism suspect Zaky Mallah appears on the Q&A programme. *23 June – Australian

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic ter ...

recruit Mohamed Elomar is reportedly killed in Iraq. Doubts remain about Khaled Sharrouf's death. *29 June – 4 July – The

Asia-Pacific Model United Nations Conference The Asia Pacific Model United Nations Conference (AMUNC) is an annual travelling model United Nations conference for university students. Each conference is hosted in a different city within the Asia-Pacific region, attracting approximately 600 s ...

is held in Perth. *30 June – Inmates riot at Melbourne's Metropolitan Remand Prison over the introduction of a smoking ban.

July

* Early to mid July –

Exercise Talisman Saber Exercise Talisman Sabre (also formerly spelled Talisman Saber, the US English alternative title) is a biennial, multinational military exercise led by Australia and the United States. Talisman Sabre involves joint exercises performed by the Austr ...

2015 is conducted over 20 days in Central Queensland. It is the largest combined military exercise undertaken by the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Fo ...

and involves up to 30,000 US and Australian troops. * 1 July –

Tim Carmody Timothy Francis Carmody (born 18 May 1956) is an Australian judge who was the Chief Justice of Queensland between 8 July 2014 and 1 July 2015. His previous roles include work as a police officer, barrister, Queensland Crime Commissioner, Fam ...

resigns as Chief Justice of Queensland after a controversial term lasting just under a year. He will continue to serve as a judge of the

Supreme Court of Queensland The Supreme Court of Queensland is the highest court in the Australian State of Queensland. It was formerly the Brisbane Supreme Court, in the colony of Queensland. The original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court allows its trial division to h ...

. *3 July – **Volcanic ash cloud strands Bali holiday-makers, disrupting several flights in Australia. ** Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh is stabbed to death during a domestic dispute. His son Cy is charged with murder. *6 July – Prime Minister

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 ...

and Federal Opposition Leader

Bill Shorten William Richard Shorten (born 12 May 1967) is an Australian politician currently serving as Minister for Government Services and Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme since 2022. He previously served as leader of the opposition ...

attend a summit of 40 Aboriginal leaders to discuss a possible 2017 referendum for constitutional recognition of Aboriginal people. *8 July – The Federal Government conditionally approves the Watermark open-cut coal mine near Gunneda sparking intense opposition. *9 July – Iron ore prices plunge to a fresh six-year low as commodity gets caught up in the fallout from Chinese market volatility. The fall intensifies throughout the remainder of the year. *13 July – A Royal Commission into family violence begins hearings in Melbourne. *14 July – Indonesia cuts quarterly Australian cattle imports to 50,000 from 250,000. *16 July –

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 s ...

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 ''Judo house pt 6 (the white bird)''. The Wynne Prize was awarded to Natasha Bieniek for ''Biophilia'' and the Sulman Prize was awarded to Jason Phu for ''I was at yum cha when in rolled the three severed heads of Buddha: fear, malice and death''. *19 July – Anti islam

Reclaim Australia Reclaim Australia is a far-right Australian nationalist protest group which is associated with nationalist and neo-Nazi hate groups. The group was formed in 2015, holding street rallies in cities across Australia to protest against Islam. It ...

holds rallies in several Australian cities. One of the Speakers at these rallies included National MP George Christensen. Millions watch live as Australian surfer

Mick Fanning Michael Eugene Fanning (born 13 June 1981) is an Australian professional surfer who was crowned champion of the Association of Surfing Professionals/World Surf League (ASP/WSL)'s World Tour in 2007, 2009 and 2013. In 2015, he survived a shar ...

escapes a shark during a competition at Jeffrey Bay, South Africa. *29 July – A 68-year-old man is arrested by Strike Force Reddan detectives at

Campbelltown, New South Wales Campbelltown is a suburb located on the outskirts of the metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney south-west of the Sydney central business district by road. Campbelltown is the adminis ...

for the Family Court of Australia attacks of 1980 to 1985. In these attacks four people were killed: Judge David Opas and Stephen Blanchard were shot dead, Pearl Watson (the wife of Judge Ray Watson) was killed by a bomb, and Jehovah's Witness minister Graham Wykes was killed and 13 others injured when their hall was bombed. Judge

Richard Gee Richard Gee (6 October 1817 – 14 March 1902) was an Anglican priest who was Canon of Windsor from 1894 to 1902.''Fasti Wyndesorienses'', May 1950. S. L. Ollard. Published by the Dean and Canons of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle Career Gee w ...

was injured by a bomb that destroyed his house.

August

*6 August – **The jobless figure tops 800,000 for the first time in 20 years. **

Hutchison Port Holdings Hutchison Port Holdings Limited (HPH; ), trading as Hutchison Ports (), is a private holding company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. The port operator group is a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings (formerly Hutchison Whampoa). Some o ...

sacks 94 workers via SMS and e-mail, triggering strikes in Brisbane and Sydney. *10 August – Tony Smith is selected as the Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives.

Bronwyn Bishop Bronwyn Kathleen Bishop (née Setright; born 19 October 1942) is an Australian former politician. She was a member of federal parliament for almost 30 years, the longest period of service by a woman. A member of the Liberal Party, she was a ...

, the previous Speaker, resigned on 2 August after revelations of seeming misuse of travel entitlements. *12 August – The

Commonwealth Bank The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), or CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of financial services including retail, busine ...

posts a profit of $9.1 billion, a record for an Australian bank. *13 August –

James Packer James Douglas Packer (born 8 September 1967) is an Australian billionaire businessman and investor. Packer is the son of Kerry Packer , a media mogul, and his wife, Roslyn Packer . He is the grandson of Sir Frank Packer. He inherited control o ...

stands down as

Crown Resorts Crown Resorts Limited is Australia's largest gaming and entertainment group that owns and operates two of Australia's leading gambling and entertainment complexes, Crown Melbourne and Crown Perth. It was listed on the Australian Securities E ...

chairman. *18 August – Rock music performer Jimmy Barnes and his family narrowly escape a Bangkok bombing that kills 20. *19 August – Bankrupt whistleblower

Kathy Jackson Kathy Jackson (born c. 1967) was the national secretary of the Health Services Union of Australia (HSU) between January 2008 and February 2015. In August 2015, Jackson was found by the Australian federal court to have misappropriated union fund ...

is ordered to pay $1.4 million to the

Health Services Union The Health Services Union (HSU) is a specialist health union with around 90,000 members working in the healthcare and social assistance industries across Australia. The membership of the union includes doctors, and allied health professionals ...

after the

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

finds that she misused union money. *20 August – **Hackers expose personal information from cheating website Ashley Madison. **Seven men are stopped from boarding flights allegedly to join terrorists in Middle East. *28 August –

Australian Border Force The Australian Border Force (ABF) is a federal law enforcement agency, part of the Department of Home Affairs, responsible for offshore and onshore border control enforcement, investigations, compliance and detention operations in Australia. Thr ...

announces its officers would be placed throughout the

Melbourne central business district The Melbourne central business district (also known colloquially as simply "The City" or "The CBD") is the city centre and main urban area of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, centred on the Hoddle Grid, the oldest part of the city la ...

to conduct visa compliance checks over the upcoming weekend as part of a joint-agency exercise with

Victoria Police Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian state of Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''. , Victoria Police had over 22,300 staff, comprising over 16,700 ...

called Operation Fortitude. After protests at the operation's media launch at

Flinders Street railway station Flinders Street railway station is a train station located on the corner of Flinders Street, Melbourne, Flinders and Swanston Street, Swanston streets in the Melbourne city centre, central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria (Austral ...

, Victoria Police cancels the operation. *31 August – Unions Royal Commissioner

Dyson Heydon John Dyson Heydon (born 1 March 1943) is a former Australian judge and barrister who served on the High Court of Australia from 2003 to 2013 and the New South Wales Court of Appeal from 2000 to 2003, and previously served as Dean of the Sydney ...

rules that he will not step aside from the Commission over a speaking engagement at a Liberal fundraiser.

September

*9 September – The Australian refugee intake is increased by 12,000 in response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and Iraq. *14 September –

Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...

calls upon Prime Minister

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 ...

to spill the leadership of the Liberal Party, with Abbott calling a party room meeting for later that evening. Turnbull wins the leadership ballot 54–44, becoming leader of the Liberal Party. Turnbull was sworn in as the 29th Prime Minister of Australia on 15 September. *16 September – Australian fighter jets hit

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic ter ...

targets inside Syria for the first time. *19 September – Former SAS captain Andrew Hastie wins the Canning by-election in Western Australia. *21 September – Prime Minister

Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...

drops

Joe Hockey Joseph Benedict Hockey (born 2 August 1965) is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He was the Member of Parliament for North Sydney from 1996 until 2015. He was the Treasurer of Australia in the Abbott Government from 18 September ...

from the ministry, appoints Scott Morrison as Federal Treasurer and

Marise Payne Marise Ann Payne (born 29 July 1964) is an Australian politician who served in the Morrison Government as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022 and as Minister for Women from 2019 to 2022. She has been a Senator for New South Wales s ...

as Australia's first female Defence Minister. *24 September – The Federal Government commits $100 million to boost domestic violence services.

October

*2 October – Curtis Cheng, a civilian worker for the

New South Wales Police Force The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously the New South Wales Police Service and New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (P ...

is shot dead outside police headquarters in

Parramatta Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...

. The suspected perpetrator, a 15-year-old boy, is shot dead by police shortly afterwards. See 2015 Parramatta shooting *6 October – Australia and 11 other countries form the Trans-Pacific Partnership. *7 October – **

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

announces that more than 77,000 diesel vehicles sold in Australia were fitted with emissions-cheating software. **The

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established following passage of the '' Judiciary Act 1903''. ...

rules that the breast cancer gene BRCA1 is not a patentable invention. *8 October – **

Brian Loughnane Brian Gerard Loughnane (born 11 November 1957) is an Australian business and political strategic adviser. He was the federal director of the Liberal Party of Australia from February 2003 until January 2016 and campaign director for the centre-r ...

resigns as Liberal Party Federal Director. **A Commission of Inquiry finds that the 2011 flood in Grantham, Queensland, which killed 12 people, was a freak of nature. *21 October – The remains of a two-year-old girl was found in a suitcase on a South Australian roadside is identified as Khandalyce Pearce, five years after her mother's body was found in Belanglo State Forest, New South Wales. *28 October – Father and son prison escapees, Gino and Mark Stocco are arrested at a remote New South Wales property after eight years on the run.

November

*2 November – Prime Minister

Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...

announces that the knight and dame classes of honours of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

will be abolished, eighteen months after they were re-introduced by

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 ...

. *7 November – The

Royal Commission into trade union governance and corruption The Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption was a Royal Commission established by the Government of Australia to inquire into alleged financial irregularities associated with the affairs of trade unions. The Australian Worke ...

clears Federal Opposition Leader

Bill Shorten William Richard Shorten (born 12 May 1967) is an Australian politician currently serving as Minister for Government Services and Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme since 2022. He previously served as leader of the opposition ...

of wrongdoing during his time at the helm of the Victorian

Australian Workers Union The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoral and mining industries in the 1880s and currently has approximately 80,000 members. It has exerci ...

. *8 November – Detainees riot at

Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory comprising the island of the same name. It is located in the Indian Ocean, around south of Java and Sumatra and around north-west of the ...

following the death of asylum seeker Fazel Chegeni after he escaped from the detention centre. *10 November –

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

and

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the ac ...

begin a six-day tour of South Australia, New South Wales and Western Australia. *13 November – Hobart woman Emma Parkinson, aged 19, is injured in the

November 2015 Paris attacks The November 2015 Paris attacks () were a series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks that took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 9:15p.m., three suicide bombers ...

which kills about 130 people. *17 November – Four people die in

bushfires A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...

around

Esperance, Western Australia Esperance is a town in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, on the Southern Ocean coastline approximately east-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The urban population of Esperance was 12,145 at June 2018. Its major ind ...

. *21 November – Two Australians are among seven dead in a helicopter crash at

Fox Glacier Fox Glacier (; officially Fox Glacier / Te Moeka o Tuawe) is a temperate maritime glacier located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Like nearby Franz Josef Glacier, Fox Glacier is one of t ...

in New Zealand. *25 November – A bushfire kills two people trapped in a car north of Adelaide. *26 November – Australia moves to a new five-tier terrorism threat advisory system.

December

* 2 December – The

Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Australian Government responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. It was established in 1906 under the Meteorology Act, and brought together ...

falls victim to a major cyber attack on its computers and there are suggestions that China may be responsible. * 3 December – **Former Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane announces that he will leave the Liberal Party to join the National Party. **A Queensland Parliamentary Ethics Committee report finds that Queensland Police Minister

Jo-Ann Miller Jo-Ann Roslyn Miller (born 22 August 1958) is an Australian politician. She was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland between February 2000 and February 2020, representing the electorate of Bundamba. Miller entered p ...

demonstrated a pattern of reckless conduct that was not of ministerial or Parliamentary standard. Ms. Miller resigns as Police Minister and from Cabinet the following day after the Government signals its intention to remove her. **The Federal Government strikes a deal with the

Australian Greens The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, are a confederation of Green state and territory political parties in Australia. As of the 2022 federal election, the Greens are the third largest political party in Australia by vote and t ...

to push multi-national tax-avoidance laws through Parliament. * 4 December – **In a landmark case, the Melbourne Magistrates Court finds 54-year-old Uber driver, Nathan Brenner, guilty of operating as a commercial driver without proper accreditation and imposes a fine of $900. **Two die of drug overdoses at the

Stereosonic Stereosonic was an annual electronic dance music festival held in Australia in November and early December. Stereosonic was held in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne, attracting attendances of up to 200,000 patrons nationally feat ...

music festivals in Sydney and Adelaide. *5 December – Liberal staffer

Trent Zimmerman Trent Moir Zimmerman (born 15 October 1968) is an Australian former politician. He was elected to succeed Joe Hockey as the Liberal Party of Australia member of the House of Representatives seat of North Sydney at the 2015 by-election. Zimmerma ...

wins

Joe Hockey Joseph Benedict Hockey (born 2 August 1965) is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He was the Member of Parliament for North Sydney from 1996 until 2015. He was the Treasurer of Australia in the Abbott Government from 18 September ...

's former seat of North Sydney in the North Sydney by-election. * 6 December – Prime Minister

Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...

announces that the Federal Government will implement 38 recommendations from the National Ice Taskforce and will spend more than $300 million implementing a new strategy aimed at tackling ice drug addiction. * 7 December – **Prime Minister

Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...

unveils his Government's vision for a more innovative economy to create an "ideas boom", outlining plans to give generous tax breaks to Australians who invest in start-up companies and changes to the insolvency laws to inspire greater entrepreneurships. **Queensland Premier

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 ...

announces a Queensland Cabinet reshuffle with the appointment of three new ministers, bringing total numbers from 14 to 17, and the splitting of a number of "super-portfolios" to lessen the workload on particular ministers. In doing so, the Premier is accused by the Opposition by breaking an election promise not to increase Cabinet numbers. **Mining magnate Clive Palmer loses a

Supreme Court of Western Australia The Supreme Court of Western Australia is the highest state court in the Australian State of Western Australia. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters (although it usually only hears matters involving sums of A$750, ...

case to force his estranged Chinese business partner, CITIC Pacific, to pay his company, Mineralogy, $48 million. The court decision throws the future of Queensland Nickel into jeopardy as a result. * 8 December – **The Queensland Court of Appeal downgrades Gerard Baden-Clay's charge from murder to manslaughter for the death of his wife Allison in 2012. **

Joe Hockey Joseph Benedict Hockey (born 2 August 1965) is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He was the Member of Parliament for North Sydney from 1996 until 2015. He was the Treasurer of Australia in the Abbott Government from 18 September ...

is appointed ambassador to Washington. * 9 December – **The Victorian Auditor-General reveals in a report that the true cost of abandoning the East West Link, Melbourne motorway is $1.1 billion, as well as finding that both the Napthine and Andrews Governments were poorly advised by public servants on matters such as costs. **Legislation to allow same-sex couples to adopt passes the Victorian Parliament, after the Government decides to accept Upper House amendments allowing religious organisations the right to refuse an adoption to gay couples. **Prime Minister

Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...

visits Western Australia and meets firefighters who battled deadly bushfires near Esperance. Mr. Turnbull raises the possibility of improvements to communication infrastructure in fire-prone regions using federal funds. *11 December – At 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 in Sydney, Prime Minister

Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...

and the State Premiers agree to extend indefinite detention laws to convicted terrorists considered to be a continued risk, as well as agreeing on a timeframe for tax reform. *12 December – Foreign Minister

Julie Bishop Julie Isabel Bishop (born 17 July 1956) is an Australian former politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2018 and deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 to 2018. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Curti ...

is among the signatories to a global climate change agreement after a two-week summit at the

2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 was held in Paris, France, from 30 November to 12 December 2015. It was the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the 1992 United Nations Framework Conv ...

in Paris. *13 December – Illness prevents Cardinal

George Pell George Pell (born 8 June 1941) is an Australian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as the inaugural prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy between 2014 and 2019, and was a member of the Council of Cardinal Advisers between 2013 ...

from leaving Rome to make a third appearance at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. *15 December – **Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison delivers the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook which predicts a deficit of $37.4 billion for the 2015–16 financial year. The Federal Government has made cuts in the health and welfare budgets to pay for new spending on immigration, innovation and pharmaceutical subsidies. ** BHP Billiton shares sink to a 10-year low as the benchmark

S&P/ASX 200 The S&P/ASX 200 index is a market-capitalization weighted and float-adjusted stock market index of stocks listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. The index is maintained by Standard & Poor's and is considered the benchmark for Australi ...

index drops below 5,000. *16 December – A tornado with record wind speeds of up to 213 km/hr. sweeps through Sydney's south-east, destroying dozens of houses. *18 December – **New South Wales Premier

Mike Baird Michael Bruce Baird (born 1 April 1968) is an Australian investment banker and former politician who was the 44th Premier of New South Wales, the Minister for Infrastructure, the Minister for Western Sydney, and the Leader of the New South ...

unveils plans for the forced amalgamations of local councils, with the number of councils being reduced by 40, from 152 to 112. **Prime Minister

Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...

meets Japanese Prime Minister

Shinzō Abe Shinzo Abe ( ; ja, 安倍晋三, Hepburn: , ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 20 ...

during his one-day trip to Japan and announces a partnership between Australian and Japanese universities, as well as the possibility of joint military exercises, while expressing deep disappointment of Japan's resumption of whaling. *19 December – 12 houses are destroyed by a wildfire in Scotsburn. *20 December – 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 ...

announces that the

Perth Children's Hospital Perth Children's Hospital (PCH) is a specialist children's hospital in Nedlands, Western Australia, located at the corner of Winthrop Avenue and Monash Avenue on the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre (QEII) site. It is Western Australia's ...

would not be open until late 2016, a year later than originally planned. Mr. Barnett also reveals that he expects his next term to be his last in politics. *21 December – West Australian Treasurer

Mike Nahan Michael Dennis Nahan (born 2 July 1950) is a former Australian politician who was Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia's Western Australian branch and Leader of the Opposition from the 2017 state election until his resignation in June 2019 ...

releases the State's mid-year Budget review, announcing that as a result of back-to-back deficits, this year's deficit will hit $3.1 billion as opposed to the $2.7 billion outlined in the Budget. *25 December – At least 116 homes are destroyed by

bushfires A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...

in Wye River and Separation Creek in the Great Ocean Road region of Victoria. *28 December – Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley announces that 23 tests and procedures, including ear, nose and throat surgeries and diagnostic imaging, have been recommended for removal from the Medicare Benefits Schedule as part of major reforms to Medicare. *29 December – Cities and the Built Environments Minister Jamie Briggs resigns from the federal ministry and admits being guilty of sexual assault against a female public servant in Hong Kong on 27 November. Special Minister of State Mal Brough stands down from the ministry while the

Australian Federal Police The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government with the unique role of investigating crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth of Australia. ...

complete their investigations into his alleged involvement in the scandal over the diaries of former Federal Speaker Peter Slipper. *30 December – Commissioner

Dyson Heydon John Dyson Heydon (born 1 March 1943) is a former Australian judge and barrister who served on the High Court of Australia from 2003 to 2013 and the New South Wales Court of Appeal from 2000 to 2003, and previously served as Dean of the Sydney ...

releases the final report of the

Royal Commission into trade union governance and corruption The Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption was a Royal Commission established by the Government of Australia to inquire into alleged financial irregularities associated with the affairs of trade unions. The Australian Worke ...

which details "widespread and deep-seated" misconduct by union officials and refers more than 40 individuals and organisations to authorities such as police. *Throughout the year – 2015 Australian human powered vehicle season

Arts and literature

*23 June –

Sofie Laguna Sofie Laguna (born 1968) is an Australian writer. She was born in Sydney and studied law before deciding that being a lawyer was not for her. She has worked as an actor and is now a writer and playwright. She now lives in Melbourne. Awards * ...

wins the 2015

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 (1879–1 ...

for her novel ''

The Eye of the Sheep ''The Eye of the Sheep'' is a 2014 novel by Australian novelist Sofie Laguna which won the 2015 Miles Franklin Award. Notes * Dedication: For TL, in memory. Abstract "Ned was beside me, his messages running easily through him, with space betwe ...

''. *17 July –

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 s ...

wins the 2015

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 of barrister Charles Waterstreet.

Television

Sport

*9 to 31 January – Soccer: The

2015 AFC Asian Cup The 2015 AFC Asian Cup was the 16th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in Australia from 9 to 31 January 201 ...

is held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle. Host nation

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

wins the cup, defeating

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

2–1 in the final. *19 January to 1 February – Tennis: The 2015 Australian Open is held in Melbourne. Serbia's

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. ...

wins the Men's Singles; the USA's

Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) fo ...

wins the Women's Singles. *13 February – Rugby League: After a hiatus through 2014, the

2015 All Stars match The 2015 All Stars Match was the fifth annual representative exhibition match played between the Indigenous All Stars and the NRL All Stars. It was held on 13 February 2015, returning from a one-year hiatus. The Indigenous side was selected t ...

is won by the Indigenous All Stars, who defeated the NRL team 20–6. Indigenous prop George Rose of the

St George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George, Sydney, St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since NR ...

wins the Preston Campbell award for Man of the Match. The Women's All Stars match is held at the same event, won by the NRL team 26–8. *14 February to 29 March – Cricket: The

2015 Cricket World Cup The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 11th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was jointly hosted by A ...

is held in Australia and New Zealand. The host nations play the 2015 Cricket World Cup Final, with

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

winning by 7 wickets. *20–22 February – Rugby league: The

2015 World Club Series The 2015 World Club Series was the inaugural World Club Series and was contested by six clubs (three each from the Super League and National Rugby League), including Super League XIX champions, St Helens R.F.C. and 2014 NRL Premiers, the Sou ...

, a departure from the format of the single-match World Club Challenge, is held in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. Among the teams competing are Super League XIX champions St. Helens R.F.C. and 2014 NRL Premiers 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 ...

, with the latter defeating the former in the final match (still named the World Club Challenge) 39–0. *20 February – Queensland Reds rugby union player

Karmichael Hunt Karmichael Neil Matthew Hunt (born 17 November 1986) is a former multi-code international rugby league footballer who last played for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL. Having played professional rugby league, rugby union and Australian rules ...

is charged by Queensland's Crime and Corruption Commission with four counts of supplying cocaine. *22 February – Gold Coast Titan players Greg Bird, Dave Taylor, Kalifa Faifai Loa are stood down pending their court appearance over allegedly arranging to supply cocaine. *11 to 19 April – Hockey 2015 Under 15 Girl's Australian Championships *19 May – Soccer:

Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory ...

wins the

2015 A-League Grand Final The 2015 A-League Grand Final was the tenth A-League Grand Final, and was played on 17 May 2015, at AAMI Park to determine the 2014–15 A-League Champion. The match was contested by the two winning semi-finalists and Big Blue rivals, Melbourne ...

, defeating

Sydney FC Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was f ...

3–0. *27 May – State of Origin:

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

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 ...

11–10 at ANZ Stadium in the first match of the 2015 State of Origin series. Queensland hooker and captain Cameron Smith is awarded Man of the Match. *17 June – State of Origin:

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 ...

defeat

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 ...

26–18 at

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern ...

in the second match of the 2015 State of Origin series. NSW centre Michael Jennings is awarded Man of the Match. *8 July – State of Origin:

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 ...

win the 2015 State of Origin series, defeating

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 ...

52–6 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. Queensland five-eighth Johnathan Thurston is awarded Man of the Match, while lock Corey Parker is awarded the

Wally Lewis Medal The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons. Referred to as “Australian sport's greatest rivalry”, the ...

for player of the series. *July – August – Cricket: The 2015 Ashes between England and Australia is held in England. England defeat Australia 3-2, regaining the Ashes urn. Not sure how this was missed. *July – Australian rules football: The

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling ...

(AFL) takes steps to stop the continued abuse of

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

player

Adam Goodes Adam Roy Goodes (born 8 January 1980) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). Goodes holds an elite place in VFL/AFL history as a dual Brownlow Medallist, d ...

by crowds at AFL matches. * 16 August – Netball: The

Australian Netball Diamonds The Australia national netball team, also known as the Australian Diamonds, represent Netball Australia in international netball tournaments such as the INF Netball World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the Constellation Cup, the Netball Quad Se ...

win the 2015 Netball World Cup held in Sydney, defeating

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

58–55. * 6 September – Rugby league: The

Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won fifteen Ne ...

claim their third straight minor premiership following the final main round of the

2015 NRL season The 2015 NRL season was the 108th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 18th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, which was followed ...

. The

Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, th ...

finish in last position, claiming the wooden spoon. * 3 October – Australian rules football:

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 ...

wins its third consecutive

AFL Grand Final The AFL Grand Final is an Australian rules football match to determine the premiers for the Australian Football League (AFL) season. From its inception until 1989, it was known as the VFL Grand Final, as the league at that time was the Victori ...

, defeating the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football L ...

16.11 (107) to 8.13 (61). * 4 October – Rugby league: The

North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest town in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL). Sinc ...

win the 2015 NRL Grand Final, defeating the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite c ...

17–16 after a

golden point The golden point, a sudden death overtime system, is used to resolve drawn football matches. The term is borrowed from soccer's now-defunct golden goal. Rugby league Australia The golden point is used to determine a winner (where applicable, see ...

. It is the Cowboys' first-ever premiership win after the club's founding in 1995. Halfback

Jonathan 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 A ...

wins the Clive Churchill Medal for Man of the Match. Pre-match entertainment is headlined by Cold Chisel. *14–18 October – Athletics: The

ITU Duathlon World Championships The World Triathlon Duathlon Championships is a duathlon championship competition organised by World Triathlon. The race has been held annually since 1990. The championships involve a continuous run-cycle-run, with the format since 1994 being a firs ...

are held in Adelaide. *31 October – Rugby union:

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

beats

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

34–17 in the

2015 Rugby World Cup Final The 2015 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match to determine the winner of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, played between reigning champions New Zealand and their rivals Australia on 31 October 2015 at Twickenham Stadium in London. New Zealand b ...

at

Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium () in Twickenham, south-west London, England, is a rugby union stadium owned by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), English rugby union governing body, which has its headquarters there. The England national rugby union team plays ...

, London. * 3 November – Horse racing: Prince of Penzance wins the 2015 Melbourne Cup, ridden by Michelle Payne, the first female jockey to win the cup in the history of the race.

Deaths

January

* 2 January – ** Basil Hansen, 88, Olympic ice hockey player (

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

) ** John McQuilten, 65, politician, member of the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative C ...

for

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vi ...

(1999–2006). * 6 January –

Ron Hovey Ronald Clive Hovey (25 August 1932 – 6 January 2015) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Career Hovey played in the 1947 Shepparton Boys Football Club's Central Goulburn Valley ...

, 82, football player (

Geelong Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon ...

) * 7 January – ** David Rolfe, 50, Paralympic swimmer **

Rod Taylor Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He appeared in more than 50 feature films, including '' The Time Machine'' (1960), '' One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961), '' The Birds'' (1963), and '' ...

, 84, actor ('' The Time Machine'', '' The Birds'', '' One Hundred and One Dalmatians'', ''

Inglourious Basterds ''Inglourious Basterds'' is a 2009 war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger and Mélanie Laurent. The film tells an altern ...

''; died in Los Angeles) * 8 January –

Kep Enderby Keppel Earl Enderby (25 June 1926 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian politician and judge. Enderby was a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Australian Labor Party between 1970 and 1975 and became a senior cabinet minis ...

, 88, politician and jurist * 9 January – Sarah Kemp, 69, actress ('' Sons and Daughters'') * 12 January –

Trevor Colbourn Harold Trevor Colbourn (24 February 1927 – 12 January 2015) was an Australian professor and academic administrator, who served as the second president of the University of Central Florida, previously named Florida Technological University. Ear ...

, 87, professor and academic administrator (died in Florida) * 13 January – ** Mark Juddery, 43, journalist ** Keith Wright, 73, politician, MP for Capricornia (1984–1993), convicted child sex offender (died in Vietnam). * 14 January – Val Holten, 87, cricketer * 18 January – Paul O'Grady, 54, New South Wales politician * 20 January – **

Graeme Hugo Graeme John Hugo (5 December 1946 – 20 January 2015) was an Australian demographer, academic, and geographer. Hugo, a professor of geography at University of Adelaide, was considered one of Australia's leading demographers. He served as the d ...

, 68, demographer and geographer. ** James Walker, 41, television screenwriter * 21 January – Harry Gordon, 89, Olympic historian, journalist and newspaper editor. * 22 January –

Kel O'Shea Kelvin Joseph "Kel" O'Shea (13 July 1933 – 22 January 2015) was an Australian representative rugby league footballer, a second-rower from Queensland whose club career was played with the Western Suburbs Magpies in Sydney. He is rated am ...

, 81, rugby league player ( Western Suburbs). * 23 January –

Les McMahon James Leslie "Les" McMahon (26 February 1930 – 23 January 2015) was an Australian politician. Born in Sydney, he was a plumber, gasfitter and drainer and then an organiser for the Plumbers and Gasfitters Employees Union of Australia (NSW bran ...

, 84, politician, member of the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of ...

for

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

(1975–1983). * 24 January – Eric Fitzgibbon, 78, politician * 26 January – Tom Uren, 93, politician * 27 January – Margot Moir, 55, singer (

The Moir Sisters The Moir Sisters were a Scottish-Australian pop and folk vocal trio which formed in 1970 by the eponymous sisters, Jean, Margot and Lesley. Their debut single, "Good Morning (How Are You?)" (1974), which featured their distinctive high-pitched ...

) * 28 January – Lionel Gilbert, 90, historian * 29 January – **

Kel Nagle Kelvin David George Nagle AM (21 December 1920 – 29 January 2015) was an Australian professional golfer best known for winning The Open Championship in 1960. He won at least one tournament each year from 1949 to 1975. Biography Nagle was bo ...

, 94, golfer **

Colleen McCullough Colleen Margaretta McCullough (; married name Robinson, previously Ion-Robinson; 1 June 193729 January 2015) was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being ''The Thorn Birds'' and '' The Ladies of Missalonghi''. Life ...

, 77, author ('' The Thorn Birds'') * 30 January –

Stuart Inder Stuart Gerald Inder, (7 November 1926 – 30 January 2015) was an Australian journalist, publisher, and editor. He specialized in the news and current events of the Pacific Islands and Papua New Guinea for more than sixty years. Life Stuart ...

, 88, journalist and editor

February

* 3 February –

Hay List Hay List (24 August 2005 – 3 February 2015) was a thoroughbred racehorse trained and bred in Australia. He won Manikato Stakes and All Aged Stakes, two Group one races. He was known as one of the major rivals of undefeated mare Black Caviar. Hay ...

, 9, racehorse * 4 February – Norman Yemm, 81, actor (''

The Sullivans ''The Sullivans'' is an Australian period drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran on the Nine Network from 15 November 1976 until 10 March 1983. The series tells the story of a fictional average middle-cla ...

'') * 7 February – **

Nita Cunningham Junita Irene "Nita" Cunningham (12 February 1939 – 7 February 2015) was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. She was first elected in 1998 as the member for Bundaberg. A former minister for Local Government and Planning, her ...

, 75, politician, member of the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

(1998–2006) ** Gordon Stone, 100, rugby union player * 10 February – **

Michael Raupach Michael Robin Raupach (30 October 1950 – 10 February 2015) was an Australian climate scientist. He is credited with developing the concept of a carbon budget, the amount of that is emitted and absorbed in the global ecosystem in the course of ...

, 64, climate scientist **

Pat Rogan Patrick Allan Rogan (22 September 193610 February 2015) was an Australian politician. He was the Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for East Hills from 1973 to 1999. Rogan was apprenticed in electrical trades and re ...

, 78, politician. * 12 February – Anthony Low, 87, historian and academic * 13 February – Faith Bandler, 96, activist * 15 February –

Barbara Darling Barbara Brinsley Darling (17 October 1947 – 15 February 2015) was an Australian Anglican bishop. She was among the first women to be an ordained deacon in the Anglican Church of Australia. Darling was born in Burwood, Sydney, one of three chi ...

, 67, Anglican bishop * 16 February – Evan Walker, 79, politician, member of the Victorian Legislative Council (1979–1992) * 19 February – Warren Thomson, 79, pianist * 20 February –

Errold La Frantz Errold Campbell La Frantz MBE (25 May 1919 – 20 February 2015) was an Australian cricketer, administrator, and commentator. He played a single first-class match for Queensland during the 1941–42 season. From Brisbane, La Frantz's sole matc ...

, 95, cricket player, administrator and commentator. * 22 February – Ivan Jones, 72, rugby league player (

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 ...

) * 23 February –

James Aldridge Harold Edward James Aldridge (10 July 1918 – 23 February 2015) was an Australian-British writer and journalist. His World War II despatches were published worldwide and he was the author of over 30 books, both fiction and non-fiction works, ...

, 96, writer ('' The Sea Eagle''). * 25 February –

Terry Gill Terry Gill (25 October 1939 – 25 February 2015) was an English Australian actor, theatre owner, producer, director and writer. A character actor, he carved a niche in Australian television playing police officers. He appeared in over 26 Austral ...

, 75, actor * 26 February – ** Jessica Ainscough, 30, alternative therapy campaigner ** Paul Hutchison, 47, cricketer

March

* 1 March – John Clegg, 80, archaeologist. * 4 March –

Terry Fearnley Terence Colin Fearnley (21 July 1933 – 4 March 2015) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. Playing career Fearnley was a long serving member of the NSWRFL's Eastern Suburbs team, playing 144 matches for them at a bleak period ...

, 81, rugby league player ( Eastern Suburbs) and coach ( national team) * 7 March – **

Trevor Griffin Kenneth Trevor Griffin (14 September 1940 – 7 March 2015) was an Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the South Australian Legislative Council from 1978 to 2002, when he retired from politics. He led the Liberal Party in the Coun ...

, 74, politician,

Attorney-General of South Australia The attorney-general of South Australia is the Cabinet minister in the Government of South Australia who is responsible for that state's system of law and justice. The attorney-general must be a qualified legal practitioner, although this wa ...

(1979–1982, 1993–2001). ** Ross Turnbull, 74, rugby union player * 8 March –

Brian Cahill Brian John Cahill MBE (16 February 1931 – 8 March 2015) was an Australian radio and television presenter, newsreader and politician who worked first in radio, and then in television from 1959 until 1982. In 1983, Cahill was elected to the ...

, 84, newsreader and politician * 10 March –

Stuart Wagstaff Stuart Wagstaff (13 February 192510 March 2015) was an English-born Australian entertainer who was active in all genres of the industry including theatre, television and film and music and stage management. Wagstaff was born in Great Durnfor ...

, 90, entertainer * 13 March – Daevid Allen, 77, musician * 16 March – Braydon Smith, 23, boxer * 17 March – **

Ashley Adams Ashley Phillip Adams (12 October 1955 – 17 March 2015) was an Australian Paralympic shooting medallist and cattle grazier. Personal Adams was born on 12 October 1955 in Toowoomba. He became a paraplegic in 1982 at the age of 26 after being i ...

, 59, Paralympic shooter ** Alan Richardson, 74, VFL footballer * 20 March – ** Eva Burrows, 85, Salvation Army General (1986–1993) **

Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983, holding office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Fraser was raised on hi ...

, 84, Prime Minister (1975–1983) * 23 March – **

Michael Laurence Michael Laurence (24 November 1935 – 23 March 2015) was an Australian actor, producer, director and screenwriter best known for creating TV serial ''Return to Eden''. Biography He began his career as a child actor on Sydney radio, before w ...

, 79, actor and television producer ** Alan Seymour, 87, playwright ('' The One Day of the Year'') **

Geoff Tunbridge Geoff R. Tunbridge (7 April 1932 – 23 March 2015) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). At the age of 25, Tunbridge was recruited to Melbourne from Ballarat, whe ...

, 82, VFL football player * 27 March – Sarbi, 12,

special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equi ...

detection dog A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones. The sense most used ...

, returned from missing in action in Afghanistan * 29 March – William Delafield Cook, 79, artist * 31 March –

Betty Churcher Elizabeth Ann Dewar Churcher (''née'' Cameron; 11 January 193131 March 2015) was an Australian arts administrator, best known as director of the National Gallery of Australia from 1990 to 1997. She was also a painter in her own right e ...

, 84, director of the National Gallery of Australia (1990–1997)

April

* 5 April –

Gordon Moyes Gordon Keith Mackenzie Moyes AC (17 November 1938 – 5 April 2015) was an Australian Christian evangelist, broadcaster and politician. From 2002 to 2011, he was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, initially representing the ...

, 76, evangelist and politician, member of the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in t ...

(2002–2011) * 6 April – Paul Dearing, 73, Olympic hockey player * 7 April – Betty Lucas, 90, actress * 9 April – ** Bob McLean, 67, winemaker **

Ron Payne Ronald George Payne (22 October 1925 – 9 April 2015) was an Australian politician who represented the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Mitchell Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Pla ...

, 89, politician, South Australian MP for

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 Territ ...

(1970–1989) ** John Toohey, 85, High Court judge * 10 April – ** Richie Benaud, 84, cricket captain and television commentator ** Peter Walsh, 80,

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for

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

(1974–1993),

Minister for Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

(1984–1990) * 13 April – ** Brice Bosnich, 78, inorganic chemist ** Thelma Coyne Long, 96,

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

tennis player * 23 April – Ray Jackson, 74, Aboriginal activist * 27 April – Andrew Lesnie, 59, cinematographer and Academy Award winner * 29 April – **

Andrew Chan Andrew Chan (; 12 January 1984 – 29 April 2015) was an Australian man who was convicted and executed in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Chan was arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar. ...

, 31, convicted drug trafficker, member of the

Bali Nine The Bali Nine were nine Australians convicted for attempting to smuggle of heroin out of Indonesia in April 2005. The heroin was valued at around 4 million and was bound for Australia. Ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were ...

(died in Indonesia) **

Myuran Sukumaran Myuran Sukumaran (17 April 1981 – 29 April 2015) was an Australian who was convicted in Indonesia of drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Sukumaran was arrested in a room at the Melasti Hotel in Kuta with eight others. Pol ...

, 34, convicted drug trafficker, member of the

Bali Nine The Bali Nine were nine Australians convicted for attempting to smuggle of heroin out of Indonesia in April 2005. The heroin was valued at around 4 million and was bound for Australia. Ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were ...

(died in Indonesia)

May

* 1 May – David Day, 63, radio broadcaster * 7 May – John Dixon, 86, cartoonist * 9 May – Michael MacKellar, 76, politician, MP for Warringah (1969–1994) * 10 May – William T. Cooper, 81, bird illustrator * 11 May – Frank Matich, 80, racing car driver * 12 May – William MacDonald, 90, serial killer * 13 May – Bob Randall, c. 80, Indigenous musician and author * 16 May – Syd Tate, 90, VFL football player * 18 May – Norm Armstrong, 89, VFL football player * 20 May –

J. S. Harry J. S. Harry or Jan Harry (4 January 1939 – 20 May 2015) was an Australian poet described as "one of Australian poetry’s keenest satirists, political and social commentators, and perhaps its most ethical agent and antagonist." J. S. Harry was ...

, 76, poet * 23 May – Trojan Darveniza, 93, VFL football player * 24 May – Sir Kenneth Jacobs, 97, judge * 25 May –

John Stubbs John Stubbs (or Stubbe) (c. 1544 – after 25 September 1589) was an English pamphleteer, political commentator and sketch artist during the Elizabethan era. He was born in the County of Norfolk, and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge ...

, 77, political journalist * 26 May – **

Bob Hornery Robert James Hornery (28 May 1931 – 26 May 2015) was an Australian actor. He won both the Helpmann Awards and the Equity Awards lifetime achievement award, with a career spanning 60 years, in both Britain and Australia. He was well known for ...

, 83, actor **

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 ...

, 90, politician, MP for

Hughes Hughes may refer to: People * Hughes (surname) * Hughes (given name) Places Antarctica * Hughes Range (Antarctica), Ross Dependency * Mount Hughes, Oates Land * Hughes Basin, Oates Land * Hughes Bay, Graham Land * Hughes Bluff, Victoria La ...

(1955–1966, 1969–1983) ** John Pinder, 70, comedy producer

June

* 1 June – Joan Kirner, 76,

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 ...

(1990–1992) * 4 June – Charlie Morris, 88, naval officer and Olympic hammer thrower (

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

) * 5 June – **

Alan Bond Alan Bond (22 April 1938 – 5 June 2015) was an English-born Australian businessman noted for his high-profile and often corrupt business dealings. These included his central role in the WA Inc scandals of the 1980s, and what was at the time ...

, 77, businessman and convicted fraudster ** George Seitz, 73, member of the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presidin ...

for

Keilor Keilor is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Brimbank and Hume local government areas. Keilor recorded a population of 5,906 at the 2021 census. W ...

(1982–2010) * 8 June – Jack Grimsley, 89, musical director and composer * 12 June – Max Spittle, 92, VFL football player * 13 June – **

Allan Browne Allan Vincent Browne (28 July 1944 – 13 June 2015) was an Australian jazz drummer and composer first known for his work in The Red Onion Jazz Band in the 1960s. Browne won the ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album in ARIA Music Awards of 1990 an ...

, 70, jazz drummer **

Phillip Toyne Phillip Toyne (16 November 1947 – 13 June 2015) was an Australian environmental and indigenous rights activist, lawyer, and founder of Landcare Australia. He was the head of the Australian Conservation Foundation from 1986 to 1992. He negotiated ...

, 67, environmental and indigenous affairs activist * 14 June – Richard Cotton, 74, geneticist * 17 June – **

Ron Clarke Ronald William Clarke, AO, MBE (21 February 1937 – 17 June 2015) was an Australian athlete, writer, and the Mayor of the Gold Coast from 2004 to 2012. He was one of the best-known middle- and long-distance runners in the 1960s, notable for ...

, 78, Olympic athlete,

Mayor of the Gold Coast The Mayor of the City of the Gold Coast is presiding officer and public face of City of Gold Coast, the Gold Coast City Council, the local government, local government body of the Gold Coast, Queensland. The current Mayor is Tom Tate. The mayor ...

(2004–2012) ** Bryan Vaughan, 84, politician and lawyer * 19 June – ** Sir Harold Knight, 95, economist, Governor of the Reserve Bank (1975–1982) ** Paul Quinn, 77, rugby league player * 20 June – **

Takeover Target Takeover Target (27 September 1999 – 20 June 2015) was a much-travelled Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who won top sprinting races in each of the five major cities in Australia as well as in the United Kingdom, Japan, and Singapore. He ...

, 15, Thoroughbred racehorse ** Ted Whelan, 85, football player (

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...

) * 24 June – Walter Browne, 66, chess Grandmaster * 25 June – Graham Gilchrist, 82, football player ( Carlton)

July

* 1 July – David P. Craig, 95, chemist * 3 July – Phil Walsh, 55,

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

player and coach (

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

) * 6 July – Victor Warren Fazio, 75, surgeon * 8 July –

Harry Messel Harry Messel, , (3 March 1922 – 8 July 2015) was a Canadian-born Australian physicist and education, educator. Life and work Messel was born in Canada to Ukraine, Ukrainian parents. He was born in Levine, Manitoba, Levine Siding in Manitoba, a ...

, 93, physicist * 14 July – ** Sir Sam Burston, 100, farmer **

Alby Schultz Albert John "Alby" Schultz (29 May 193914 July 2015) was an Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from October 1998 to August 2013, representing the Division of Hume in New South Wales. Biogra ...

, 76, politician, MP for Burrinjuck (19982013) * 15 July –

Phil Cayzer Philip Arthur Cayzer OAM, (13 May 1922 – 15 July 2015) was an Australian national champion rower who won medals in the 1952 Summer Olympics and the 1950 British Empire Games. He coached at state and national representative level taking Austra ...

, 93, national champion and Olympic rower * 18 July – ** Priscilla Kincaid-Smith, 88, nephrologist ** Hugh Stretton, 91, historian * 19 July –

Felicity Wishart Felicity Jane "Flic" Wishart (4 June 1965 – 19 July 2015) was an Australian conservationist and environmental activist. Early life Wishart was born in the Melbourne suburb of Mitcham to parents of Scottish descent from Adelaide, South Australi ...

, 50, environmentalist * 20 July –

Colin Youren Colin George Youren (3 June 1939 – 20 July 2015) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL). His father George Youren played for Collingwood in 1919. A wingman, Youren was a member of H ...

, 76, VFL footballer (

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 ...

) * 21 July – Don Randall, 62, politician, member of the Australian House of Representatives for

Canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container ( jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, althoug ...

(since 2001). * 26 July – ** Lerryn Mutton, 90, 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 Yaralla (1968–1978) ** Richard Smith (diplomat), Richard Smith, 80, diplomat, High Commissioner to the UK (1991–1994) * 28 July – Barry Hunter (bishop), Barry Hunter, 87, Anglican prelate, Bishop of Anglican Diocese of Riverina, Riverina (1971–1992). * 29 July – Peter Sim, 98, politician, Senator for Western Australia (1964–1981) * 30 July – Louise Crossley, 72–73, environmentalist and scientist

August

* 3 August – Kevin O'Leary (judge), Kevin O'Leary, 95, judge, Chief Justice of the Northern Territory (1985–1987) * 7 August – Neville Neville, 65, British league cricketer, football agent and director * 12 August – Frank Scully (politician), Frank Scully, 95, politician, member of the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presidin ...

for Electoral district of Richmond (Victoria), Richmond (1949–1958) * 15 August – Geoff McGivern (footballer), Geoff McGivern, 84, footballer (Melbourne Football Club, Melbourne) * 20 August – **Veronica Brady, 86, religious sister and academic **Frank Wilkes, 93, politician, member of the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presidin ...

for Electoral district of Northcote, Northcote (1957–1988), Leader of the Opposition (Victoria), Leader of the Opposition (1977–1981) * 22 August – Arthur Morris, 93, cricketer * 23 August – Paul Royle, 101, Australian prisoner-of-war who took part in the 1944 "Great Escape" from Stalag Luft III * 28 August – Wally McArthur (rugby league), Wally McArthur, 81, rugby league player * 30 August – Bart Cummings, 87, horse trainer

September

* 2 September – Lindsay Collins (geologist), Lindsay Collins, 71, marine geologist * 3 September – Andrew Sibley, 82, artist * 4 September – Geoffrey Bolton, 83, historian * 7 September – Jane Hill (politician), Jane Hill, 79, politician, member of the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presidin ...

for Electoral district of Frankston, Frankston (1982–1985) and Electoral district of Frankston North, Frankston North (1985–1992) * 13 September – Betty Judge, 94, runner and Olympic coach * 15 September – Davey Browne, 28, boxer * 18 September – Jim Ross (Australian footballer), Jim Ross, 87, footballer (St Kilda Football Club, St Kilda) * 21 September – Yoram Gross, 88, film and television producer * 23 September – Mike Gibson (sports journalist), Mike Gibson, 75, sports broadcaster * 24 September – ** Alan Moore (war artist), Alan Moore, 101, war artist ** Harold Stapleton, 100, cricketer (New South Wales cricket team, New South Wales)

October

* 2 October – Lindsay Kline, 81, cricketer * 4 October – ** Daniel Fletcher, 41, Australian rules footballer ** Bob Whan, 82, MP for Division of Eden-Monaro, Eden-Monaro (1972–1975) * 9 October – Tony Rafty, 99, caricaturist * 11 October – ** John Murphy (musician), John Murphy, 56, musician ** Andrew Sayers, 58, curator and museum director * 12 October – Sam de Brito, 46, author and columnist * 13 October – James Cruthers, Sir James Cruthers, 90, business executive and philanthropist * 15 October – Don Livingstone, 67, politician, member of the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

for Electoral district of Ipswich West, Ipswich West (1989–1998, 2001–2006) * 16 October – William James (Australian general), William "Digger" James, 85, soldier and military physician * 18 October – Robert Dickerson, 91, artist * 20 October – Bill Collier, 94, rugby league player (St. George Dragons) * 29 October – ** Tassie Johnson, 77, Australian rules footballer ** Peter Knott, 59, politician

November

* 3 November – Judy Cassab, 95, painter * 4 November – Steve Hanson, 54, rugby league player * 5 November – James Achurch, 87, Olympic javelin thrower * 7 November – John Davis (filmmaker), John Davis, 71, documentary filmmaker * 16 November – Barbara Thiering, 85, theologian, historian and writer * 20 November – Keith Michell, 88, actor (died in London) * 21 November – Adele Horin, 64, journalist * 25 November – Kerry Casey, 61, actor, writer and director * 29 November – Joe Marston, 89, soccer player

December

*1 December – Trevor Obst, 75, Australian rules footballer *5 December – Ray Crooke, 93, artist *7 December – Jennifer Taylor (architect), Jennifer Taylor, 80, architect and academic *10 December – Maurice Graham, 83, rugby union player *11 December – **Ken Woolley, 82, architect **Harry Butler, 85, naturalist and conservationist **Jake Howard, 70, rugby union player (Australia national rugby union team, national team) *13 December – **John Bannon, 72,

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 ...

(1982–1992) **Peter Ryan (columnist), Peter Ryan, 92, newspaper columnist *14 December – Mick Twomey, 84, Australian rules footballer *20 December – Jim West (boxer), Jim West, 61, boxer *21 December – Carol Burns, 68, actress *24 December – Jim Carlton, 80, MP (1977–1994), Minister for Health (Australia), Minister for Health (1982–1983) *27 December – Stevie Wright (Australian singer), Stevie Wright, 68, musician and songwriter, lead singer of The Easybeats. *28 December – Maggie Deahm, 77, politician, MP for Division of Macquarie, Macquarie (1993–1996)

References

{{Oceania topic, 2015 in 2015 in Australia, Years of the 21st century in Australia 2015 in Oceania, Australia 2015 by country, Australia

Incumbents

State and territory leaders

Governors and administrators

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Arts and literature

Television

Sport

Deaths

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

See also

References