1990 in Australia

See also: 1989 in Australia, other events of 1990, 1991 in Australia

Incumbents

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

Events

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

Unknown Dates

• Homosexual acts between consenting adults decriminalised in Queensland.

Arts and literature

Film

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

Television

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

Sport

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

Births

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

Deaths

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