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The following lists events that happened during 2021 in Australia.


Incumbents

*
Monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". 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 ...
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
*
Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
David Hurley David John Hurley (born 26 August 1953) is an Australian former senior officer in the Australian Army who served as the 27th governor-general of Australia from 2019 to 2024. He was previously the 38th governor of New South Wales from 2014 to ...
*
Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (born 13 May 1968) is an Australian former politician who served as the 30th prime minister of Australia from 2018 to 2022. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party and was ...
**
Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...
Michael McCormack (until 22 June), then
Barnaby Joyce Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce (born 17 April 1967) is an Australian politician who was the leader of the National Party of Australia from 2016 to 2018 and again from 2021 to 2022. Joyce was the 17th deputy prime minister of Australia during both ...
**
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 ...
Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been the Leaders of the Australian Labor Party#Leader, leader of the Labor Party si ...
* Chief Justice
Susan Kiefel Susan Mary Kiefel (; born 1954) is an Australian lawyer and barrister who was the 13th Chief Justice of Australia from 2017 to 2023. She concurrently served on the High Court of Australia from 2007 to 2023, previously being a judge of both the ...


State and territory leaders

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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 system, Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales actin ...
Gladys Berejiklian Gladys Berejiklian (; born 22 September 1970) is an Australian businesswoman and former politician who served as the 45th premier of New South Wales and the leader of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party from 2017 to 2021. Berejikl ...
(until 5 October), then
Dominic Perrottet Dominic Francis Perrottet ; (born 21 September 1982) is an Australian politician who served as the 46th premier of New South Wales from 2021 to 2023. He held office as leader of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party of Australia ...
**
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 ...
Jodi McKay Jodi Leyanne McKay (born 16 August 1969) is an Australian former politician who was the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of New South Wales from June 2019 until May 2021. She previously served as a member of the New South Wales Legisla ...
(until 28 May), then
Chris Minns Christopher John Minns (born 17 September 1979) is an Australian politician serving as the 47th and current premier of New South Wales since March 2023. He has been the leader of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) si ...
(from 4 June) *
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 Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is appointed ...
Annastacia Palaszczuk Annastacia Palaszczuk ( , born 25 July 1969) is an Australian politician who served as the 39th premier of Queensland from 2015 to 2023. She held office as the leader of the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2012 unt ...
**
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 ...
David Crisafulli David Frank Crisafulli (; born 14 April 1979) is an Australian politician currently serving as the 41st Premier of Queensland since 28 October 2024 and leader of the Liberal National Party (LNP) since 12 November 2020. He has been the member ...
*
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 i ...
Steven Marshall Steven Spence Marshall (born 21 January 1968) is a former Australian politician who served as the 46th premier of South Australia between 2018 and 2022. He was a member of the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia in the ...
**
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 ...
Peter Malinauskas Peter Bryden Malinauskas (English: ; ; born 14 August 1980) is an Australian politician serving as the 47th and current premier of South Australia since 2022. He has been the leader of the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party ...
*
Premier of Tasmania The premier of Tasmania is the head of the Government of Tasmania, executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the Tasmanian House of Assem ...
Peter Gutwein Peter Carl Gutwein () (born 21 December 1964) is a former Australian politician who was the 46th premier of Tasmania from 2020 to 2022. He was a Liberal Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 2002 to 2022, representing the electora ...
**
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 ...
Rebecca White Rebecca Peta White (born 4 February 1983) is an Australian politician. She was elected to the House of Representatives at the 2025 federal election, representing the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the Tasmanian seat of Lyons. She was previo ...
(until 15 May), then
David O'Byrne David O'Byrne (born 17 March 1969) is an Australian trade unionist and politician. A prominent union leader prior to entering politics and the brother of fellow politician Michelle O'Byrne, he has been an Independent member of the Tasmanian H ...
(from 15 June until 7 July), then
Rebecca White Rebecca Peta White (born 4 February 1983) is an Australian politician. She was elected to the House of Representatives at the 2025 federal election, representing the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the Tasmanian seat of Lyons. She was previo ...
*
Premier of Victoria The premier of Victoria is the head of government of the state of Victoria in Australia. The premier leads the Cabinet of Victoria and selects its ministers. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, must be a member of the Vic ...
Daniel Andrews Daniel Michael Andrews (born 6 July 1972) is an Australian former politician who served as the 48th premier of Victoria from 2014 to 2023. He held office as the leader of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2010 and ...
**
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 ...
Michael O'Brien (until 7 September), then
Matthew Guy Matthew Jason Guy (born 6 March 1974) is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal Party member of the Parliament of Victoria since 2006, representing the Northern Metropolitan Region in the Legislative Council (2006–2014) and Bullee ...
*
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 br ...
Mark McGowan Mark McGowan (born 13 July 1967) is an Australian former politician and naval officer who served as the 30th premier of Western Australia from 2017 until his retirement in 2023. He was the leader of the Western Australian branch of the Austr ...
**
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 ...
Zak Kirkup Zak Richard Francis Kirkup (born 23 February 1987) is an Australian former politician. He was a member of the Western Australian Liberal Party, and served as a member for the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the electoral district of ...
(until 14 April), then Mia Davies *
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 (ACT). The leader of the party with the largest number of seats in the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assemb ...
Andrew Barr Andrew James Barr (born 29 April 1973) is an Australian politician who has been serving as the 7th and current chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory since 2014 and the treasurer of the Australian Capital Territory since 2011. He ...
**
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 ...
Elizabeth Lee *
Chief Minister of the Northern Territory The chief minister of the Northern Territory is the head of government of the Northern Territory. The office is the equivalent of a state premier. When the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly was created in 1974, the head of government w ...
Michael Gunner Michael Patrick Francis Gunner (born 6 January 1976) is an Australian former politician who was the 11th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from 2016 to 2022. He was a Labor member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, holding ...
**
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 ...
Lia Finocchiaro Lia Emele Finocchiaro (; born 20 September 1984) is an Australian politician who has served as the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory since August 2024. A member of the Country Liberal Party (CLP), she has represented the seat of Spillet ...


Governors and administrators

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Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, Governor-General of Australia at the national level, the governor ...
Margaret Beazley Margaret Joan Beazley, , (born 23 July 1951) is an Australian Judge, jurist who is the 39th and current governor of New South Wales, serving since 2 May 2019. She was the president of the New South Wales Court of Appeal, the List of the first wo ...
*
Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the state of Queensland. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, governor-general at the national level, the governor Governors of ...
Paul de Jersey Paul de Jersey, (born 21 September 1948) is an Australian jurist who served as the 26th governor of Queensland, from 29 July 2014 to 1 November 2021. He was Chief Justice of Queensland from 1998 to 2014. Education De Jersey was educated at ...
(until 1 November), then
Jeannette Young Jeannette Rosita Young (born 1963) is an Australian medical doctor and administrator who is currently Governor of Queensland, since 1 November 2021. Before being sworn in as Governor, Young was Chief Health Officer of Queensland from 2005 to 20 ...
*
Governor of South Australia The governor of South Australia is the representative in South Australia of the monarch, currently King Charles III. The governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the governor-general of Aust ...
Hieu Van Le Hieu Van Le, (; born 1 January 1954) was the 35th governor of South Australia, in office from 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2021. He served as the state's lieutenant-governor from 2007 to 2014. He also served as chair of the South Australian Mu ...
(until 31 August), then
Frances Adamson Frances Jennifer Adamson (born 20 April 1961) is an Australian public servant and diplomat who is the 36th Governor of South Australia, in office since 7 October 2021. She previously served as Australian Ambassador to China from 2011 to 2015 a ...
(from 7 October) *
Governor of Tasmania The governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of the monarch, currently King Charles III. The incumbent governor is Barbara Baker, who was appointed in June 2021. The official residence of the governor is Gov ...
Kate Warner Catherine Ann Warner (born 14 July 1948) is an Australian lawyer and legal academic who was the 28th Governor of Tasmania from 2014 to 2021. Early life and education Warner was born Catherine Ann Friend in Hobart, Tasmania, and attended St Mi ...
(until 9 June), then
Barbara Baker Barbara Avalon Baker (born 31 March 1958) is an Australian barrister and former judge, who is the 29th and current governor of Tasmania since 16 June 2021. She served on the Federal Circuit Court of Australia from 2008 to 2021. Early life Bake ...
(from 16 June) *
Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of Monarchy of Australia, the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the premier of V ...
Linda Dessau Linda Marion Dessau (born 8 May 1953) is an Australian jurist and barrister who served as the 29th governor of Victoria from 2015 to 2023. She was the first female and the first Jewish holder of the office. She was previously a judge of the ...
*
Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch, King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutional, ceremonial and commun ...
Kim Beazley Kim Christian Beazley (born 14 December 1948) is an Australian former politician and diplomat. Since 2022 he has served as chairman of the Australian War Memorial. Previously, he was leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and Leader of the ...
* Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories
Natasha Griggs Natasha Louise Griggs (born 24 January 1969) is an Australian former politician and the administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories from 2017 to 2022. Griggs was first elected at the 2010 federal election as a member of the Hous ...
*
Administrator of Norfolk Island The administrator of Norfolk Island acts as a representative both of the Crown and the Government of Australia The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national Exe ...
Eric Hutchinson Eric Hutchinson (born September 8, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter best known for his songs "Rock & Roll", "OK, It's Alright with Me", "Not There Yet", "Watching You Watch Him", and "Tell the World". Hutchinson was named an AOL "About to ...
*
Administrator of the Northern Territory The administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the governor-general of Australia to represent the Crown in right of the Northern Territory. They perform functions similar to those of a state governor. Strictly speaking ...
Vicki O'Halloran Vicki Susan O'Halloran (born 20 June 1964) is an Australian businesswoman and community worker, who was CEO of Somerville Community Services in the Northern Territory from 1998 to 2017. On 31 October 2017, she was sworn in as the 22nd administrat ...


Events


January

* 1 January – The words of the Australian national anthem, "
Advance Australia Fair "Advance Australia Fair" is the national anthem of Australia. Written by Scottish-born Australian composer Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed as a patriotic song in Australia in 1878. It replaced "God Save the King, God Save th ...
", are changed for the first time since 1984, amending the line "For we are young and free" to "For we are one and free". * 2 January – Two women drown during a guided
canyoning Canyoning (canyoneering in the United States, kloofing in South Africa) is a sport that involves traveling through canyons using a variety of techniques, such as walking, scrambling, climbing, jumping, abseiling (rappelling), swimming, and raft ...
tour at Mount Wilson in the Blue Mountains * 8 January – A three-day
lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
is imposed on the Greater Brisbane area to stop the spread of a UK COVID-19 variant after a hotel quarantine worker unknowingly contracted the virus and spread it out into the community. * 22 January − An ongoing plague of mice continued to cause problems and began to cause concerns for crops in areas of New South Wales and Queensland. :* By March the mice were stripping food and other items from the shelves of a supermarket in
Gulargambone Gulargambone is a small town in the central-west plains of New South Wales, Australia, on the banks of the Castlereagh River, in Coonamble Shire. It is 382 km (and 490 km by road) north-west of Sydney. At the 2016 census, Gulargambo ...
. :* In June 2021 the plague caused the complete evacuation of the
Wellington Correctional Centre Wellington Correctional Centre, an Australian Prison, maximum security prison for males and females, is located in Wellington, New South Wales, Wellington, New South Wales, Australia, west of Sydney. The facility is operated by Corrective Servi ...
as dead mice and damage to infrastructure led to concern for the health and safety of inmates and staff. * 25 January –
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
extradites Malka Leifer to Australia, after a six-year battle to extradite her in the light of the
Adass Israel School sex abuse scandal The Malka Leifer affair () is a criminal case regarding incidents of child sex abuse at the Adass Israel School, a Jewish religious school in Melbourne, Australia, and a subsequent extradition case involving Israeli authorities. A former princip ...
. * 26 January – On
Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and raising of the Flag of Great Britain, Union Flag of Great Britain by Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove, a ...
the National Socialist Network, a new Far Right group created by members of the
Antipodean Resistance Antipodean Resistance (AR) is an Australian neo-Nazi hate group. The group, formed in October 2016, uses the slogan "We're the Hitlers you've been waiting for" and makes use of Nazi symbols such as the swastika and the Nazi salute. AR's logo ...
and the Lads Society under Lads leader Thomas Sewell, were observed parading Nazi paraphernalia at several locations around the
Grampians The Grampian Mountains () is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. The Grampian range extends northeast to so ...
in Victoria. One
Halls Gap Halls Gap ( Djab Wurrung/ Jardwadjali: ''Budja Budja'') is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on Grampians Road, adjacent to the Grampians National Park, in the Shire of Northern Grampians local government area. The town is set in ...
resident said: "There were 40 white males, many with skinheads, some chanting 'white power'". They were reported to have chanted "
sieg heil The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened han ...
" and "white power", burnt a cross, and posted stickers saying "Australia For The White Man". * 31 January – A snap five-day lockdown is imposed on the city of Perth and the
Peel Peel or Peeling may refer to: Places Australia * Peel (Western Australia) * Peel, New South Wales * Peel River (New South Wales) Canada * Peel Parish, New Brunswick * Peel, New Brunswick, an unincorporated community in Peel Parish * Pee ...
region, after a hotel quarantine worker tests positive for the virulent
Variant of Concern 202012/01 The Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) was a SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern. It was estimated to be 40–80% more transmissible than the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 (with most estimates occupying the middle to higher end of this range). Scientists more wide ...
of the
SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had the Novel coronavirus, provisional nam ...
virus.


February

* 11 February – A tsunami warning is issued and later retracted after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake just off the coast of New Caledonia brought fears of a possible tsunami impacting Lord Howe Island. * 15 February –
2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations In February and March 2021, a number of allegations involving rape and other sexual misconduct against women involving the Australian Parliament and federal politicians were raised, causing controversy especially for the federal Liberal–Natio ...
* 15 February – 142,000 doses of the
Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, sold under the brand name Comirnaty, is an MRNA vaccine, mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine developed by the German biotechnology company BioNTech. For its development, BioNTech collaborated with the America ...
arrived in Australia. * 18 February –
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
blocks all Australian news websites from sharing news content on its social media platform, preventing any Facebook user from sharing news content from any Australian-based news websites, and preventing Australian users from accessing news content from overseas media outlets on Facebook. * 20 February – The
Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...
and
Māori All Stars Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
draw 10–10 in the 2021 All Stars match, held at
Queensland Country Bank Stadium North Queensland Stadium, currently known as Queensland Country Bank Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a Rugby League stadium located in Railway Estate, a suburb of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It is the home ground of the North Queensl ...
. Māori prop
James Fisher-Harris James Fisher-Harris (born 5 January 1996) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a forward for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL), and New Zealand and the New Zealand Māori at internationa ...
, of
Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based west of the cen ...
, wins the Preston Campbell medal for Man of the Match. ** The Māori Women's All Stars defeat the Indigenous Women's All Stars 24–0 in the 2021 Women's All Stars match. Raecene McGregor is named Player of the Match. * 22 February – The first doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are administered.


March

* 1 March – The Final Report of the
Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was an Australian royal commission investigating the aged care sector following systemic failures and abuse in the sector being exposed by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The com ...
is tabled. * 11 March – The
2021 NRL season The 2021 NRL season was the 114th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 24th season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 15th consecutive year. Regular season Ladd ...
commences, with 2020 premiers
Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm is a rugby league football club based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia that participates in the National Rugby League (NRL). The club plays its home games at AAMI Park, and wears a purple and navy blu ...
defeating
South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra that competes in the Nat ...
26–18 at
AAMI Park The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, currently known as AAMI Park for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in the suburb of East Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victor ...
. * 13 March – The
2021 Western Australian state election The 2021 Western Australian state election was held on Saturday 13 March to elect members to the Parliament of Western Australia, where all 59 seats in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, Legislative Assembly and all 36 seats in the We ...
is held with the incumbent McGowan Labor government winning with an increased majority. * 15 March – Tens of thousands of people attend March 4 Justice rallies across Australia calling for an end to gender-based violence and workplace harassment. * 18 March – The
2021 AFL season The 2021 AFL season was the 125th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest-level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...
commences, with 2019/20 two-time premiers
Richmond Tigers The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers or colloquially the Tiges, is a professional Australian rules football team competing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Founded in 1885 in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond, the club comp ...
defeating
Carlton Blues The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club based at Princes Park in Carlton North, an inner suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League ( ...
at the
MCG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the el ...
. * 19 March – A significant weather event impacts the New South Wales
Mid North Coast The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region, situated 416km north of Sydney, covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens at Hawks Nest to as far ...
and
Western Sydney Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...
, causing major flooding and evacuations. Low-lying parts of
Port Macquarie Port Macquarie, sometimes shortened to Port Mac and commonly locally nicknamed Port, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane, on the Tasman Sea coast at the mouth of the ...
,
Bulahdelah Bulahdelah () is a town and locality in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia in the Mid-Coast Council local government area. Geography The town is situated north of Sydney along the eastern and northern banks of the Myall ...
,
City of Penrith A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
,
City of Hawkesbury The City of Hawkesbury is a Local government in Australia, local government area that is located on the far northwest fringe of the Sydney, Greater Sydney area in New South Wales, Australia. The local government area is located in the Hawkesbury ...
, Dunbogan and the Laurieton foreshore are evacuated as a precaution. * 20 March – Due to intense rainfall in the previous days, Cundletown and the
Taree Taree () is a city on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. It and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then it has grown to a population of 26,381, and commands a significant agricultural district. Situ ...
CBD are evacuated as the Manning River swells to a peak of 5.65 metres. * Intense rainfall also impacts Greater Sydney,
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
and
Warragamba Dam Warragamba Dam is a heritage-listed dam in the outer South Western Sydney suburb of Warragamba, Wollondilly Shire in New South Wales, Australia. It is a concrete gravity dam, which creates Lake Burragorang, the primary reservoir for water supp ...
in Western Sydney overflows for the first time since 2012. Evacuation orders are put in place for suburbs and localities located close to the Nepean and Hawksbury rivers. * 28 March – The
JobKeeper The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia was a part of the worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 January 2020, ...
wage subsidy ends, with the government implementing targeted relief packages for industries affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
such as tourism. * 29 March – Prime Minister Morrison reshuffled his cabinet: ** The new 'Minister for Women's Safety' portfolio was created in cabinet. The
Minister for Families and Social Services The Minister for Social Services is an Australian Government cabinet position which is currently held by Tanya Plibersek following her swearing-in on 13 May 2025 as a result of Anthony Albanese's Labor government being re-elected at the 2025 Aus ...
,
Anne Ruston Anne Sowerby Ruston (born 10 June 1963) is an Australian politician who served as Minister for Families and Social Services in the Morrison government from 2019 to 2022. She has been a Senator for South Australia since 2012. Before entering pol ...
, will add that role to her current duties. **
Michaelia Cash Michaelia Clare Cash (born 19 July 1970) is an Australian politician currently serving as shadow minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. She previously served as the 38th Attorney-General of Australia from 202 ...
replaces
Christian Porter Charles Christian Porter (born 11 July 1970) is an Australian former politician and lawyer who served as the 37th Attorney-General of Australia from 2017 to 2021 in the Turnbull government and the subsequent Morrison government. He was a Mem ...
as the Attorney-General and Industrial Relations Minister. **
Karen Andrews Karen Lesley Andrews (née Weir; born 23 August 1960) is an Australian politician who served in the Morrison government as Minister for Industry, Science and Technology from 2018 to 2021 and as Minister for Home Affairs (Australia), Minister fo ...
replaces
Peter Dutton Peter Craig Dutton (born 18 November 1970) is an Australian former politician who served as the Leader of the Opposition (Australia), Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party from 2 ...
as Home Affairs Minister as he moves to the Defence Ministry. **
Linda Reynolds Linda Karen Reynolds (born 16 May 1965) is an Australian politician. She is a member of the Liberal Party and has served as a Senator for Western Australia since 2014. She held senior ministerial office as a cabinet minister in the Morrison g ...
replaces
Stuart Robert Stuart Rowland Robert (born 11 December 1970) is an Australian former politician who served as Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business from 2021 to 2022, following his appointment as Minister for Government Service ...
as Government Services and
National Disability Insurance Scheme The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a scheme of the Australian Government that funds reasonable and necessary supports associated with significant and permanent disability for people under 65 years old. The scheme was first int ...
minister. Robert's takes on Cash's former employment roles. **
Jane Hume Edwina Jane Hume (; born 30 April 1971) is an Australian politician who has been a senator for Victoria since 2016, representing the Liberal Party. She served as the Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy in the ...
, moves from Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy to the new post of Minister for Women's Economic security **
Amanda Stoker Amanda Jane Stoker ( Fell; born 30 October 1982) is an Australian politician who served as a Australian Senate, Senator for Queensland from 2018 until 2022. She is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) and sat with the Libe ...
, Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General, will also be the Assistant Minister for Women, and Assistant Minister for Industrial Relations. * 29 March – A three-day lockdown is imposed on the
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
,
Logan Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gove ...
,
Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...
,
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
and Redlands to stop the spread of a UK COVID-19 variant. * 31 March – New
Queen's Colour In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 year ...
is presented to the
Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...
to mark its Centenary during the parade and an inspection by the
Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
David Hurley David John Hurley (born 26 August 1953) is an Australian former senior officer in the Australian Army who served as the 27th governor-general of Australia from 2019 to 2024. He was previously the 38th governor of New South Wales from 2014 to ...
in
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
.


April

* 15 April – The first Australian died from
thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome Post-vaccination embolic and thrombotic events, termed vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), vaccine-induced prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia (VIPIT), thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), vaccine-induced im ...
(TTS), after vaccination with the
Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine The Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID19 vaccine, sold under the brand names Covishield and Vaxzevria among others, is a viral vector vaccine COVID-19 vaccine, for the prevention of COVID-19. It was developed in the United Kingdom by University of ...
. * 21 April – The Australian Government announces it will be pulling Victoria out of the Chinese "
Belt and Road Initiative The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI or B&R), known in China as the One Belt One Road and sometimes referred to as the New Silk Road, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the government of China in 2013 to invest in more t ...
" completely.


May

* 1 May – The
2021 Tasmanian state election The 2021 Tasmanian state election was held on 1 May 2021 to elect all 25 members to the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia (Tasmanian Division), Liberal First Gutwein Ministry, government, led by Premier of Tas ...
is held.
Peter Gutwein Peter Carl Gutwein () (born 21 December 1964) is a former Australian politician who was the 46th premier of Tasmania from 2020 to 2022. He was a Liberal Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 2002 to 2022, representing the electora ...
's
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...
government is returned for a third term. * 4 May – Seven waterspouts form just off the coast of
Old Bar Old Bar is a coastal town in New South Wales, Australia in Mid-Coast Council. It lies around east of Taree on the Mid North Coast, and around north of Sydney. Geography Old Bar is on the southern side of the mouth of the Manning River. Demo ...
unexpectedly. At one point, 5 of them are on the ground at the same time. * 25 May – An explosion at the
Callide Power Station Callide Power Station is an electricity generator at Mount Murchison, Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia. It is coal-powered with four steam turbines with a combined generation capacity of 1,544 megawatts (MW) of electricity. Callide A was ...
near
Biloela Biloela ( ) is a rural town and suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Shire of Banana, Central Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the shire. In the , the locality of Biloela had a population of 5,692. The loc ...
in
Central Queensland Central Queensland is an imprecisely-defined geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Cap ...
triggers widespread power outages across the state. * 27 May – 52 finalists for 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, J. F. Archib ...
and the
Packing Room Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor ...
winner, Kathrin Longhurst for her portrait of
Kate Ceberano Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the rock, soul, jazz and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her single " Bedroom Eyes" re ...
, are announced.


June

* 4 June –
Peter Wegner Peter Wegner may refer to: * Peter Wegner (computer scientist) (1932–2017), professor of computer science at Brown University, Rhode Island, United States * Peter Wegner (American artist) (born 1963) * Peter Wegner (Australian artist) See also

wins the 2021
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, J. F. Archib ...
for ''Portrait of
Guy Warren Guy Warren of Ghana, also known as Kofi Ghanaba (4 May 1923 – 22 December 2008), was a Ghanaian musician, most notable as the inventor of Afro-jazz — "the reuniting of African-American jazz with its African roots" — and as a member of The ...
at 100'' * 9 June – The first
State of Origin series The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two States and territories of Australia, Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales Blues and the Queensland ru ...
rugby league match to ever be held outside a capital city is played at
North Queensland Stadium North Queensland Stadium, currently known as Queensland Country Bank Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a Rugby League stadium located in Railway Estate, a suburb of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It is the home ground of the North Queensl ...
in
Townsville, Queensland The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
following a
COVID-19 outbreak The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Soon after, ...
in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
where the game was scheduled to be played.
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
defeat
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
50–6, while NSW centre Tom Trbojevic is awarded man of the match. The pre-game entertainment is headlined by
The Veronicas The Veronicas are an Australian pop music, pop duo from Brisbane. The group was formed in 2004 by identical twin sisters Lisa Origliasso, Lisa and Jessica Origliasso. In 2005, the Veronicas released their debut studio album, titled ''The Secr ...
. * 11 June – Floods in Eastern
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
claim the lives of two residents as the Traralgon Creek bursts its banks, inundating properties. * 12 June – Extremely low rates of
influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...
and no reported deaths from it. 2019 had 800 flu deaths, 2020 was below 40. * 21 June –
Barnaby Joyce Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce (born 17 April 1967) is an Australian politician who was the leader of the National Party of Australia from 2016 to 2018 and again from 2021 to 2022. Joyce was the 17th deputy prime minister of Australia during both ...
defeats Michael McCormack in a leadership spill of the Nationals and regains the position of deputy Prime Minister. * 25 June –
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
defeat
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
8–6 in the 2021 Women's State of Origin match at
Sunshine Coast Stadium Sunshine Coast Stadium is a multi-sport venue located at Bokarina in the Kawana Waters urban centre on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. The stadium is the main venue in a sporting precinct that also includes seven fields. Developmen ...
. Queensland second-rower Tazmin Gray is awarded the Nellie Doherty medal for player of the match. * 26 June –
Greater Sydney Greater Sydney is the most populous metropolitan area in Australia and Oceania. Located in the state of New South Wales, it encompasses the City of Sydney (the state capital), its neighbouring local government areas and surrounding regions. I ...
,
Wollongong Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...
, Blue Mountains and the Central Coast are placed into lockdown as the Delta variant of COVID-19 spreads. * 27 June –
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
defeat
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
26–0 at
Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Queensland, Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rect ...
in the second match of the
2021 State of Origin series The 2021 State of Origin series was the 40th annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Queensland has won 22 times, NSW 15 times, with two series drawn. The venue for Game 1 w ...
, effectively sealing a series win, while Queensland suffered their first loss in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
since 2017. NSW fullback and captain
James Tedesco James Tedesco (born 8 January 1993), nicknamed "Teddy", is a professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League, NRL. A former Australia national rugby league team, Australia a ...
is awarded man of the match. The pre-game entertainment is headlined by
Sheppard Sheppard can refer to: Places * Sheppard, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community, United States * Sheppard Avenue in Toronto, Canada named for Joseph Shepard (1765-1837). Hence: ** Sheppard subway line ** Sheppard West (TTC), formerly Downsvie ...
. * 27 June –
Melbourne City FC Melbourne City Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in the South-Eastern Metropolitan Region, South-Eastern region of Melbourne, Victoria. They compete in the A-League Men, the Australian soccer ...
defeat
Sydney FC Sydney Football Club, commonly known as Sydney FC, is a professional association football, soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They compete in the top-tier men's league in Australia, the A-League Men. Established in 2004, ...
3–1 in the
2021 A-League Grand Final The 2021 A-League Grand Final was the 16th A-League Grand Final, the championship-deciding match of the Australian A-League and the culmination of the 2020–21 A-League, 2020–21 season. The match was played between season premiers Melbourne City ...
at
AAMI Park The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, currently known as AAMI Park for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in the suburb of East Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victor ...
in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, in Melbourne City's first Grand Final win.


July

* 6 July –
St. George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since 1999 after a j ...
prop
Paul Vaughan Paul William Vaughan (24 October 1925 – 14 November 2014) was a British journalist, radio presenter (of art and science programmes) throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and a narrator of many BBC Television science documentaries, among them ...
's club contract is terminated following his hosting of a
Shellharbour Shellharbour (also known as Shellharbour Village) is a suburb located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It also gives its name to the local government area, City of Shellharbour, and its central business district, Shellha ...
team house party in breach of both the NRL's biosecurity protocols and Sydney's lockdown orders. On the preceding day, twelve
other Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), ...
Dragons A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depict ...
players
present The present is the period of time that is occurring now. The present is contrasted with the past, the period of time that has already occurred; and the future, the period of time that has yet to occur. It is sometimes represented as a hyperplan ...
at
the ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...
were ''Were'' and ''wer'' are archaism, archaic terms for adult male humans and were often used for alliteration with wife as "were and wife" in Germanic-speaking cultures (, , , , , , ). In Anglo-Saxon law ''wer'' was the value of a man's life. He ...
charged
with With or WITH may refer to: * With, a preposition in English * Carl Johannes With (1877–1923), Danish doctor and arachnologist * With (character), a character in ''D. N. Angel'' * ''With'' (novel), a novel by Donald Harrington * ''With'' (album ...
fines Fines may refer to: *Fines, Andalusia, Spanish municipality *Fine (penalty) * Fine, a dated term for a Lease#Leases_of_land, premium on a lease of land, a large sum the tenant pays to commute (lessen) the rent throughout the term * Fines, ore or oth ...
of varying severity and handed one-week suspensions. Vaughan was initially banned for eight weeks and had previously breached protocol in August 2020. * 8 July –
Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide is a royal commission established on 8 July 2021 by the Australian government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902. The Governor-General, His Excellency David Hurley, issued thLetters ...
established. * 10 July – World No. 1 women's tennis player
Ash Barty Ashleigh Jacinta Barty (born 24 April 1996) is an Australian former professional tennis player and cricketer. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 121 weeks, and was ranked world No ...
wins her first Wimbledon ladies' singles title, 41 years after
Evonne Goolagong Cawley Evonne Fay Goolagong Cawley (née Goolagong; born 31 July 1951) is an Australian former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis ...
's win. * 11 July – Australia records its first death from the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
for 2021, as Sydney records 77 cases of community transmission. * 14 July – Following a relocation from
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, then
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
,
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
defeat
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
20–18 at Cbus Super Stadium in the third match of the
2021 State of Origin series The 2021 State of Origin series was the 40th annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Queensland has won 22 times, NSW 15 times, with two series drawn. The venue for Game 1 w ...
, though NSW still win the series overall from their two prior victories. Queensland hooker
Ben Hunt Benjamin Hunt (born 27 March 1990) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League and as a for the Queensland Maroons at State of Origin series, State of Origin leve ...
is awarded man of the match, while NSW centre Tom Trbojevic is awarded player of the series. Pre-game entertainment is headlined by
Lime Cordiale Lime Cordiale are an Australian pop rock group formed in 2009. It consists of brothers Oliver and Louis Leimbach, with additional members James Jennings, Felix Bornholt and Luke DiDio. They released their debut studio album '' Permanent Vacatio ...
and
JK-47 Jacob Paulson (born 15 January 1997), known professionally as JK-47, is an Indigenous Australian rapper, musician, and activist from Tweed Heads South, New South Wales. His debut album, ''Made for This'', was released independently on 4 Septe ...
. * 15 July –
Amanda Lohrey Amanda Frances Lillian Lohrey (; born 13 April 1947) is an Australian writer and novelist. Career Lohrey completed her education at the University of Tasmania before taking up a scholarship at the University of Cambridge. From 1988 to 1994 s ...
wins the 2021
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 (law), will of Miles Franklin ...
for ''The Labyrinth''. * 16 July –
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
enters snap lockdown with 18 cases of COVID-19. * 20 July – Australia's oldest verified man to have ever lived, Dexter Kruger, dies at the age of 111 years and 188 days. * 21 July –
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
is announced as the host city for the
2032 Summer Olympics The 2032 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXV Olympiad and also known as Brisbane 2032 or Bris2032, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 23 July to 8 August 2032, with Brisbane, Queensland, ...
and the
2032 Summer Paralympics The 2032 Summer Paralympics, or the Games of the XIX Paralympiad, and also known as the 19th Summer Paralympic Games, and branded as Brisbane 2032, or the abbreviation Bris2032, are an upcoming international multi-sport event parasports event g ...
.


August

* 1 August –
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
bars
Sky News Australia Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs fe ...
from uploading new content onto their channel for a week for breaking YouTube's rules on spreading
COVID-19 misinformation False information, including intentional disinformation and conspiracy theories, about the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic and the origin, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease has been spread through social media, text messagi ...
. * 7 August – The
Armidale Regional Council The Armidale Region is a local government area in the New England and Northern Tablelands regions of New South Wales, Australia. This area was formed in 2016 from the merger of the Armidale Dumaresq Shire with the surrounding Guyra Shire. T ...
local government area in northern New South Wales has a snap week-long lockdown imposed, after two positive cases of COVID-19 are detected in the region. * 10 August – The national
Census of Population and Housing The Census in Australia, officially the Census of Population and Housing, is the national census in Australia that occurs every five years. The census collects key demographic, social and economic data from all people in Australia on census nig ...
is held. * 21 August –
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
records the highest daily COVID-19 case numbers in Australia thus far, recording 825 new cases of
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
. * 25 August – New South Wales records 1,029 new cases of
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
in 24 hours becoming the first state in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
to surpass the 1,000 daily case milestone.


September

* 5 September –
Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm is a rugby league football club based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia that participates in the National Rugby League (NRL). The club plays its home games at AAMI Park, and wears a purple and navy blu ...
win the
minor premiership A minor premiership is the title given to the team which finishes a sporting competition first in the league standings after the regular season but prior to commencement of the finals in several Australian sports leagues. Origins The etymolo ...
(their fifth since 2011) following the final main round of the
2021 NRL season The 2021 NRL season was the 114th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 24th season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 15th consecutive year. Regular season Ladd ...
.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilitated by ...
finish in last position, claiming their first
wooden spoon A wooden spoon is a Kitchen utensil, utensil commonly used in food preparation. In addition to its culinary uses, wooden spoons also feature in folk art and culture. History The word ''spoon'' derives from an ancient word meaning a chip of woo ...
since 2008. * 15 September – Australia cancels its ''Attack''-class submarine submarine construction deal with France, representing $90b, in favour of the
AUKUS AUKUS ( ), also styled as Aukus, is a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States intended to "promote a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable." Initially announced on 15 September ...
security alliance with the United States and United Kingdom, which includes the acquisition of nuclear powered submarines. * 20 September – in Melbourne, there was a protest by hundreds of people against mandatory vaccination for construction workers outside the
Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union The Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) is Australia's largest union in the construction, forestry, maritime, textile, clothing and footwear production industries. The CFMEU has offices in all capital cities in Aust ...
(CFMEU) headquarters. The protest became violent, the union building was damaged, and riot police employed pepper spray and rubber bullets. Combined with an increase in transmission of COVID-19 in the industry, from 11.59pm that night all building and construction industry worksites in Ballarat, Geelong, Metropolitan Melbourne, Mitchell Shire and the Surf Coast were shut down for two weeks. * 21 September – in Melbourne, there was another protest with thousands of people marching against a wide range of pandemic response related issues, including the previous days' construction industry shut down. The "Victorian Workers Rally For Freedom" started near to the CFMEU headquarters at 10am, went through the CBD, past state Parliament, Flinders Street railway station, then onto and blocking the busy
West Gate Freeway The West Gate Freeway is a major freeway in Melbourne, the busiest urban freeway and the busiest road in Australia, carrying upwards of 200,000 vehicles per day. It links Geelong (via the Princes Freeway) and Melbourne's western suburbs to ...
causing "chaos" in peak hour traffic. At least one media reporter was assaulted, and objects, including bottles and flares, were thrown at police. Riot police again used tear gas and rubber bullets and at least 62 arrests were made. Union officials such as
John Setka John Setka (born September 1964) is a former Australian trade unionist. Until 12 July 2024, he was the secretary of the Victorian-Tasmanian division of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, and Energy Union for 12 years. The Victorian-Tasman ...
, CFMEU Victorian state secretary, and
Sally McManus Sally McManus (born 31 July 1971) is an Australian trade unionist, feminist and political activist who has served as the Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) since 2017. She is the first woman to hold the position of Secre ...
,
Australian Council of Trade Unions The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), originally the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated trade union, unions and eight t ...
(ACTU) national secretary, asserted that the protests had been hijacked, McManus saying it was by "... far right groups and anti-vax groups, ...". The construction shutdown has put about 300,000 out of work, and could cost the industry nearly AU$500 million per day. * 22 September – A 5.9 magnitude earthquake is reported, with the epicentre being around the
Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...
area in north-eastern Victoria. The quake's effects were felt as far away as Tasmania and Adelaide. Southern
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
experienced the quake as well. ** in Melbourne city there was yet another protest, with up to 1,000 people converging on the
Shrine of Remembrance The Shrine of Remembrance (commonly referred to as The Shrine) is a war memorial in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road. It was built to honour the men and women of Victoria who served in ...
. After a stand-off for a few hours with police surrounding them, protesters were dispersed at about 5pm. Two police officers were injured by thrown bottles and more than 200 people were arrested. An estimated 300 fines were issued for not complying with stay-at-home directives. One protester there was hospitalised by the next day with COVID-19. * 25 September –
Melbourne Demons The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...
defeat
Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...
21.14 (140) to 10.6 (66) to win the
2021 AFL Grand Final The 2021 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between and the at Perth Stadium, Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, on Saturday 25 September 2021. It was the 126th annual AFL Grand Final, grand final of the ...
at
Optus Stadium Perth Stadium, commercially known as Optus Stadium due to sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Burswood, Western Australia, Burswood suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It was completed during late 2017 and officially opened ...
,
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
. It is the Demons' first premiership victory since 1964. * 30 September – A
tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
touches down in the NSW Central West, demolishing homes in
Peel Peel or Peeling may refer to: Places Australia * Peel (Western Australia) * Peel, New South Wales * Peel River (New South Wales) Canada * Peel Parish, New Brunswick * Peel, New Brunswick, an unincorporated community in Peel Parish * Pee ...
and Meadow Flat. Three people are left injured.


October

* 1 October –
Gladys Berejiklian Gladys Berejiklian (; born 22 September 1970) is an Australian businesswoman and former politician who served as the 45th premier of New South Wales and the leader of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party from 2017 to 2021. Berejikl ...
announces she will resign as
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 system, Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales actin ...
after the Independent Commission Against Corruption commences an investigation into her conduct. * 3 October –
Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based west of the cen ...
defeat
South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra that competes in the Nat ...
14–12 to win the
2021 NRL Grand Final The 2021 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2021 National Rugby League season in Australia. It was contested between the Penrith Panthers and the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Sunday 3 October at Suncorp Stadi ...
at
Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Queensland, Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rect ...
, securing their first premiership since 2003 and their third overall. Panthers halfback
Nathan Cleary Nathan Cleary (born 14 November 1997) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League and plays for New South Wales rugby league team, NSW Blues in State o ...
is awarded the
Clive Churchill medal The Clive Churchill Medal is the award given to the player judged to be man-of-the-match in the National Rugby League's annual Grand Final. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill, one of the greatest rugby league players in Australia ...
for man of the match. Pre-match entertainment is headlined by
Kate Miller-Heidke Kate Melina Miller-Heidke ( ; born 16 November 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Although classically trained, she has generally followed a career in alternative pop music. She signed to Sony Australia, Epic in the US and RCA in t ...
and
Ian Moss Ian Richard Moss (born 20 March 1955) is an Australian rock musician from Alice Springs. He is the founding mainstay guitarist and occasional singer of Cold Chisel. In that group's initial eleven year phase from 1973 to 1984, Moss was recorded ...
, with Miller-Heidke also performing the national anthem. * 5 October –
Gladys Berejiklian Gladys Berejiklian (; born 22 September 1970) is an Australian businesswoman and former politician who served as the 45th premier of New South Wales and the leader of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party from 2017 to 2021. Berejikl ...
resigns as
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 system, Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales actin ...
, and is replaced by
Dominic Perrottet Dominic Francis Perrottet ; (born 21 September 1982) is an Australian politician who served as the 46th premier of New South Wales from 2021 to 2023. He held office as leader of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party of Australia ...
as premier and leader of the Liberal Party. * 14 October – A tornado touches down in the night, moving through the city of
Armidale Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 23,967 as of the 2021 census. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands reg ...
ripping roofs from houses and flipping vehicles. * 18 October -
Emma Watkins Emma Olivia Watkins (born 21 September 1989) is an Australian children's entertainer, dancer, singer, author and television presenter. She is best known as the first female member of the children's group the Wiggles, which she was a member of f ...
announces that she is leaving
The Wiggles The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. As of 2022, the group members are Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce, Tsehay Hawkins, Evie Ferris, John Pearce (entertainer), John Pearce, Caterina Mete ...
at the end of the year to focus on pursuing her PhD. She handed over her yellow skivvy to Tsehay Hawkins. * 22 October – Queensland Police Service employees lose legal bid against mandatory COVID-19 vaccination. * 31 October – Pressed to answer a question on the broken submarine deal, French President Emmanuel Macron says he knows Scott Morrison has lied to him.


November

* 2 November – Verry Elleegant wins the 2021 Melbourne Cup. * 3 November – Four-year-old Cleo Smith, who Disappearance of Cleo Smith, disappeared from the Blowholes campsite on 16 October, is found alive by police at a house in Carnarvon, Western Australia. * 5 November – The stated objective of 80% of Australians aged 16+ receiving two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine is reached * 16 November – anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination protests occurred outside of the Victorian parliament, They had a makeshift Gallows of an effigy of Dan Andrews. This was condemned by many political leaders. * 30 November – The Jenkins Report into the 2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations, Australian Federal Parliament House secual misconduct allegations is released.


December

* 2 December – In
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, the first case of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron variant, a highly mutated Variants of SARS-CoV-2, variant of COVID-19, is reported by the Department of Health and Aged Care in a
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
resident, who had traveled to South Africa. * 3 December – A few months before the elections, Australian Labor Party, Labor announces 43% cut to emissions by 2030 as climate policy goal * 6 December – ** Department of Health and Aged Care, Australian Department of Health and Aged Care reports that Deltacron hybrid variant is now pre-dominant strain in Australia, which is combined with SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, Delta and SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron variants, accounting for three-quarters of cases. ** New COVID-19 lockdowns in Australia has unlikely to returned amid Deltacron hybrid infection surge. * 7 December –
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilitated by ...
announced that John Asiata's contract has been terminated effective immediately. It resulted from Asiata's refusals to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Asiata becomes the first NRL player to suffer this fate. * 16 December – A Inflatable castle, jumping castle and two Zorbing, zorbs were lifted into the air by a gust of a wind at Hillcrest primary school, located in the south-west Devonport, killing six children. * 19 December – A microburst forms in Sydney's Northern Beaches, killing one person and leaving two people critically injured. Power went down for more than 12,000 residents and has not been restored as of 20 December. * 28 December – The Australian cricket team retains the Ashes in the 2021–22 Ashes series, 2021–22 series at the MCG. * 30 December – A fire broke out at the entrance of Old Parliament House, Canberra. Police confirmed the fire had been started by protestors. A spokesperson from Old Parliament House said the heritage doors, the portico and the building's facade all sustained substantial damage from the fire. It was the second incident involving protestors and a fire at Old Parliament House after a fire, lit by protestors, scorched the front doors on 21 December 2021.


Deaths


January

* 2 January – Kerry Vincent, chef and television personality (b. 1945) * 3 January ** Alf Callick (footballer, born 1925), Alf Callick, Australian rules footballer (Sydney Swans, South Melbourne) (b. 1925) ** Alan Daly, Australian rules footballer (Melbourne Football Club, Melbourne) (b. 1929) ** Divinyls, Warren McLean, drummer (Divinyls) (b. unknown) * 5 January – Bob Brett, tennis coach (b. 1953) * 6 January – Jack Lihou, cricketer (b. 1930) * 7 January – Ian Foreman, Australian rules footballer (Western Bulldogs, Footscray) (b. 1930) * 8 January – Colin McDonald (Australian cricketer), Colin McDonald, cricketer (b. 1928) * 10 January – Graham Arthur, Australian rules footballer (Hawthorn Football Club, Hawthorn) (b. 1936) * 12 January – Frank Arok, soccer player and coach (born in Yugoslavia, died in Serbia) (b. 1932) * 14 January ** Cliff Burvill, Olympic cyclist (b. 1937) ** Elijah Moshinsky, opera director (born in China, died in England) (b. 1946) * 15 January – Michael Bryce, 26th Spouse of the Governor-General of Australia, architect and designer (b. 1938) * 16 January – Chris Murphy (manager), Chris Murphy, band manager and music entrepreneur (b. 1954) * 17 January ** David Lea (Australian politician), David Lea, Victorian politician (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1935) ** Jon Sullivan, Queenslander politician (b. 1950) ** Philip Wilson (bishop), Philip Wilson, archbishop (b. 1950) * 21 January – Dave Bolton, rugby league player and coach (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1937) * 22 January – Ron Campbell (animator), Ron Campbell, animator (died in the United States) (b. 1939) * 23 January ** Trisha Noble, singer and actress (b. 1944) ** George Weatherill (politician), George Weatherill, South Australian politician (b. 1936) * 25 January – Masada Iosefa, rugby league player (born in Samoa) (b. 1988) * 26 January ** Virginia Fraser (artist), Virginia Fraser, artist (b. 1947) ** Luc Julian Matthys, bishop (born in Belgium) (b. 1935) * 28 January – Valerie Yule, child psychologist (b. 1929)


February

* 4 February – A. David Buckingham, chemist (died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1930) * 5 February – Sam Gannon, cricketer (b. 1947) * 6 February – Ken McCaffery, rugby league player (b. 1929) * 7 February – Lilliane Brady, Mayor of Cobar, New South Wales, Cobar (b. 1930) * 10 February – Audrey Meaney, archaeologist and historian (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1931) * 13 February – Raymond Specht, plant ecologist (b. 1924) * 16 February – Jason Benjamin, artist (b. 1971) * 17 February ** Frances Harris, historian (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1950) ** Murray Weideman, Australian rules footballer and coach (b. 1936) * 18 February – John Spencer (rugby league, born 1946), John Spencer, rugby league player (b. 1946) * 21 February ** Kevin Dann, rugby league player (b. 1958) ** Shane Lewis (swimmer), Shane Lewis, Olympic swimmer (b. 1973) * 23 February – Deez Nuts (band), Sean Kennedy, bassist (Deez Nuts (band), Deez Nuts) (b. 1985) * 25 February ** Bede Vincent Heather, Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1928) ** Jim Johnson (jockey), Jim Johnson, jockey (b. 1929) * 28 February – Syd Slocomb, Australian rules footballer (St Kilda Football Club, St Kilda) (b. 1930)


March

* 1 March – Michael Gudinski, music entrepreneur (b. 1952) * 3 March – Katharina Gaus, immunologist (born in West Germany) (b. 1972) * 8 March – Alan Marnoch, soccer player (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1945) * 11 March – Donald McDonnell, Olympic boxer (b. 1933) * 12 March – Austen Angell, physical chemist (died in the United States) (b. 1933) * 15 March ** Allan Montgomery, Australian rules footballer (Carlton Football Club, Carlton) (b. 1958) ** Doug Parkinson, singer (b. 1946) ** Chester Porter, barrister (b. 1926) * 16 March – Kevin Bradshaw (cyclist), Kevin Bradshaw, Olympic cyclist (b. 1957) * 17 March – Ian Shelton (footballer), Ian Shelton, Australian rules footballer (Essendon Football Club, Essendon) (b. 1940) * 20 March ** Taryn Fiebig, opera soprano (b. 1972) ** Robert Gard (tenor), Robert Gard, opera tenor (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1927) ** Fred Jones (rugby league), Fred Jones, rugby league player (b. 1942) ** Bruce Wilson (bishop), Bruce Wilson, Anglican bishop (b. 1942) * 23 March – Reg Poole (footballer), Reg Poole, Australian rules footballer (Hawthorn Football Club, Hawthorn) (b. 1942) * 26 March ** John Richard Davey, cricketer (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1957) ** Vili Milisits, pastry chef and businessperson (born in Hungary) (b. 1948) * 27 March – Peter Fox (professor), Peter Fox, computer scientist (died in the United States) (b. 1959) * 31 March – Angelo Bertoni, Queensland politician (b. 1933)


April

* 2 April – Beasts of Bourbon, Tony Pola, drummer (Beasts of Bourbon) (b. 1959) * 3 April – Carla Zampatti, fashion designer (born in Kingdom of Italy, Italy) (b. 1942) * 5 April ** Isabel Joy Bear, chemist (b. 1927) ** Philip K. Chapman, astronaut (died in the United States) (b. 1935) ** Malcolm Kela Smith, Papua New Guinean politician (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1943) * 7 April – Tommy Raudonikis, rugby league player (b. 1950) * 9 April – June Newton, actress, photographer and model (died in Monaco) (b. 1923) * 10 April – Edward Cassidy, Catholic cardinal (b. 1924) * 11 April – Dick Fenton-Smith, Australian rules footballer (Melbourne Football Club, Melbourne) (b. 1931) * 13 April ** Isi Leibler, activist (born in Belgium and died in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
) (b. 1931) ** Peter Warner, sailor (b. 1931) * 14 April ** Trader Faulkner, actor (died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1927) ** Graeme Lee (Australian footballer), Graeme Lee, Australian rules footballer (St Kilda Football Club, St Kilda) (b. 1939) ** Leo Nosworthy, rugby league player (b. 1927) * 15 April – Walter Kaufmann (author), Walter Kaufmann, writer (born and died in Germany) (b. 1924) * 16 April ** Daniel Kane (linguist), Daniel Kane, linguist (b. 1948) ** Andrew Peacock, 22nd Leader of the Opposition (Australia), Federal Leader of the Opposition (died in the United States) (b. 1939) * 17 April – John Brereton (footballer), John Brereton, Australian rules footballer (Western Bulldogs, Footscray) (b. 1934) * 18 April – Ken Greenwood, Australian rules footballer (Carlton Football Club, Carlton, Western Bulldogs, Footscray) (b. 1941) * 20 April ** Rex Aubrey, Olympic swimmer (died in the United States) (b. 1935) ** George Dancis, Olympic basketballer (born in Latvia) (b. 1931) * 21 April – Peter Dimond, rugby league player (b. 1938) * 22 April – Bill Cameron (footballer), Bill Cameron, Australian rules footballer (St Kilda Football Club, St Kilda) (b. 1928) * 25 April ** John Konrads, Olympic swimmer (born in Reichskommissariat Ostland, Ostland) (b. 1942) ** Valerie Parv, author (b. 1951) * 28 April – Anita Lane, singer-songwriter (b. 1959) * 29 April – Terry Groom, Tasmanian politician (b. 1944)


May

* 1 May ** Peter Heerey, Federal Court judge (b. 1939) ** Kate Jennings, poet and writer (died in the United States) (b. 1948) ** Barry Nelson (rugby league), Barry Nelson, rugby league player (b. 1932) * 2 May ** Frank Costa, entrepreneur and philanthropist (b. 1938) ** David Humphreys (cyclist), David Humphreys, Olympic cyclist (b. 1936) * 5 May ** Barry Reilly, rugby league player (b. 1948) ** Frank Sheehan (Australian politician), Frank Sheehan, Victorian politician (b. 1937) * 6 May – Murray Hedgcock, cricket writer and journalist (b. 1931) * 7 May – David McCall (bishop), David McCall, Anglican bishop (b. 1940) * 10 May ** Frank Brazier, Australian Olympic cyclist (b. 1934) ** Brendan Edwards, Australian rules footballer (Hawthorn Football Club, Hawthorn) (b. 1936) * 11 May ** STW, Russell Goodrick, Western Australian newsreader and television producer (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1948) ** Frank Warrick, Queensland newsreader (b. 1944) * 12 May – Fred Buttsworth, Australian rules footballer (Essendon Football Club, Essendon) (b. 1927) * 13 May – Ian Brusasco, businessman and philanthropist (b. 1928) * 14 May – Hartley Joynt, cricketer (b. 1938) * 15 May – Carol Rudyard, visual artist (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1922) * 16 May – Vera Deacon, historian (b. 1926) * 18 May ** Terry O'Dea, darts player (b. 1945) ** Chrissy Sharp, Western Australian politician (b. 1947) * 19 May – Johnny Ashcroft, country musician (b. 1927) * 20 May – Ray Thomas (footballer, born 1940), Ray Thomas, Australian rules footballer (Collingwood Football Club, Collingwood) (b. 1940) * 21 May – Harold Lambert (footballer), Harold Lambert, Australian rules footballer (Essendon Football Club, Essendon) (b. 1922) * 23 May ** Lorrae Desmond, actress, singer and television presenter (b. 1929) ** Bob Fulton, rugby league footballer and coach (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1947) ** Alan Garside, soccer player (b. 1926) ** Douglas Winston, sprinter (b. 1932) * 24 May – Ron Rhodes, Australian rules footballer (Carlton Football Club, Carlton) (b. 1932) * 26 May – Llew Edwards (politician), Sir Llew Edwards, 23rd Deputy Premier of Queensland (b. 1935) * 28 May ** Ian Marsh (footballer), Ian Marsh, Australian rules footballer (Essendon Football Club, Essendon) (b. 1955) ** Ken McElligott, Queensland politician (b. 1940) * 29 May – John Gregg (actor), John Gregg, actor (b. 1939) * 30 May ** Neville Meaney, historian (b. 1932) ** Rick Mitchell, Olympic sprinter (b. 1955) * 31 May ** Dave Barsley, rugby league player (b. 1939) ** James Crawford (jurist), James Crawford, international jurist (b. 1948)


June

* 5 June – Lucette Aldous, ballerina (born in New Zealand) (b. 1938) * 8 June ** Gloria Petyarre, artist (b. 1942) ** Tim Pickup, rugby league player (b. 1948) * 10 June – Duncan Pegg, Queensland politician (b. 1980) * 11 June ** Geoffrey Edelsten, medical entrepreneur (b. 1943) ** Howard Sattler, radio host (b. 1945) * 13 June – David Lightfoot, film producer (b. 1959 or 1960) * 14 June – Dinah Shearing, actress (b. 1926) * 18 June – John Martyr, Western Australian politician (b. 1932) * 20 June ** Mike Bailey (weatherman), Mike Bailey, television presenter (b. 1950) ** Harry Cameron (rugby league), Harry Cameron, rugby league player (b. 1947) ** Neville Sillitoe, athletics coach (b. 1925) * 22 June ** Chloe Munro, public servant (b. unknown) ** Derek Fuller Wrigley, architect (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1924) * 23 June – Barbara Sargeant, Olympic swimmer (b. 1940) * 27 June – Greg Sizer, Australian rules footballer (Melbourne Football Club, Melbourne) (b. 1965)


July

* 3 July – Patrick Murray (sport shooter), Patrick Murray, Olympic sport shooter (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1945) * 4 July ** Laurence Harding-Smith, fencer (b. 1929) ** John McGrath (Victorian politician), John McGrath, Victorian politician (b. 1939) * 6 July ** Mike Delanty, Australian rules footballer (Collingwood Football Club, Collingwood) (b. 1936) ** Colin McKee (politician), Colin McKee, South Australian politician (b. 1949) * 9 July – Jonathan Coleman (presenter), Jonathan Coleman, radio and television presenter (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1956) * 10 July – Mandy Martin, artist (b. 1952) * 12 July – Banduk Marika, Indigenous artist and printmaker (b. 1954) * 15 July ** Harry Gayfer, Western Australian politician (b. 1925) ** Sergio Silvagni, Australian rules footballer (Carlton Football Club, Carlton) (b. 1938) * 16 July – Anthony Adams (optometrist), Anthony Adams, optometrist (b. 1940) * 19 July – Mary Ward (actress), Mary Ward, actress (b. 1915) * 20 July ** David Leckie, media executive (b. 1951) ** Dexter Kruger, Australian Supercentenarian, supercentanarian and oldest verified man in Australian history (b. 1910) ** Brian O'Halloran (Australian footballer), Brian O'Halloran, Australian rules footballer (North Melbourne Football Club, North Melbourne) (b. 1937) * 23 July – John Cornell, film producer, actor, comedian and writer (b. 1941) * 24 July – Dieter Brummer, actor (b. 1976) * 25 July – Phil Lambert, television camera operator and floor manager (b. 1950) * 27 July ** Jack Hedley (Australian footballer), Jack Hedley, Australian rules footballer (North Melbourne Football Club, North Melbourne) (b. 1930) ** Hal Wootten, puisne judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales (b. 1922) * 28 July – Dick Long, Victorian politician (b. 1924) * 30 July – John Lord (footballer, born 1937), John Lord, Australian rules footballer (Melbourne Football Club, Melbourne) (b. 1937)


August

* 3 August – Julian Beale, Victorian politician (b. 1934) * 5 August ** Reg Gorman, actor (b. 1932) ** Brian Henderson (television presenter), Brian Henderson, newsreader and television host (born in New Zealand) (b. 1931) ** Jan Mayman, journalist (b. 1940) ** Graeme Whitnall, Australian rules footballer (Carlton Football Club, Carlton) (b. 1952) * 6 August – Margaret Bourke, bridge player (b. 1945) * 7 August – Brad Allan, martial artist and stunt performer (b. 1973) * 10 August – Michael Gaudion, Australian rules footballer (North Melbourne Football Club, North Melbourne) (b. 1938) * 15 August ** Philip James Ayres, biographer and historian (b. 1944) ** Ernie Sigley, television and radio personality (b. 1938) * 18 August ** Eric Poole (Australian politician), Eric Poole, Northern Territory politician (died in Indonesia) (b. 1942) ** Max Willis, New South Wales politician (b. 1935) * 19 August ** Gary Bouma, sociologist of religion (born in the United States) (b. 1942) ** Bill Sidwell, tennis player (b. 1920) ** Keith Webb, Australian rules footballer (Fitzroy Football Club, Fitzroy) (b. 1933) * 24 August ** Kyle Anderson (darts player), Kyle Anderson, darts player (b. 1987) ** Wynn Roberts (actor), Wynn Roberts, actor (b. 1924) * 25 August – Leo Gately, Queensland politician (b. 1937) * 27 August ** Anne Jolliffe, animator (b. 1933) ** Joan Whalley, actress (b. 1927) * 30 August – Alex Gallacher, South Australian politician (b. 1954) * 31 August – Les Martyn, sports administrator (b. 1932)


September

* 1 September – Margaret Stone (judge), Margaret Stone, Federal Court judge (b. unknown) * 8 September – Neddy Smith, serial criminal and underworld figure (b. 1944) * 12 September – Marc Clark, academic, sculptor and printmaker (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1923) * 13 September – Kathleen Partridge, Olympic field hockey player (b. 1963) * 16 September – Tim Thorne, poet (b. 1944) * 21 September – Dallas Dempster, property developer (b. 1941) * 23 September – John Elliott (businessman), John Elliott, businessman (b. 1941) * 25 September – Greg Parke, Australian rules footballer (Melbourne Football Club, Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Footscray) (b. 1948) * 26 September – Al Mantello, Australian rules footballer (North Melbourne Football Club, North Melbourne) (b. 1934) * 29 September ** Jim Service, company director (b. 1933) ** Angelo Vasta, Supreme Court of Queensland, Queensland Supreme Court judge (b. 1941)


October

* 3 October – Paul Barratt, public servant (b. 1944) * 11 October – Clifford Grant, operatic singer (b. 1930) * 11 October – Kevin Hallett, Olympic swimmer (b. 1929) * 12 October – Eddie Jaku, writer and Holocaust survivor (born in Weimar Republic, Germany) (b. 1920) * 13 October – Norm Provan, rugby league player (b. 1931) * 14 October – Rodney Jory, physicist (b. 1938) * 16 October – Kevin Hevey, Australian rules footballer (Hawthorn Football Club, Hawthorn) (b. 1923) * 20 October – Nyapanyapa Yunupingu, artist (b. 1945) * 22 October – Dave Cuzens, Australian rules footballer (Richmond Football Club, Richmond) (b. 1932) * 26 October – Russell Woolf, radio presenter (b. 1964) * 28 October – Ray Allsopp, Australian rules footballer (Richmond Football Club, Richmond) (b. 1933) * 29 October ** Ashley Mallett, cricketer (b. 1945) ** Jim Small, New South Wales politician (b. 1933) * 30 October ** Alan Davidson (cricketer, born 1929), Alan Davidson, cricketer (b. 1929) ** Bert Newton, media personality (b. 1938) * 31 October – Peter Philpott, cricketer (b. 1934)


November

* 1 November – Bruno Moretti (Paralympian), Bruno Moretti, Paralympic champion (b. 1941) * 5 November ** Bob Dollin, Queensland politician (b. 1928) ** Russell Ebert, Australian rules footballer (Port Adelaide Football Club, Port Adelaide, North Melbourne Football Club, North Melbourne) (b. 1949) * 7 November ** James Gobbo, Sir James Gobbo, 25th
Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of Monarchy of Australia, the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the premier of V ...
(b. 1931) ** Brian Renwood, Australian rules footballer (Collingwood Football Club, Collingwood) (b. 1935) * 8 November – Keith Bradshaw (cricketer), Keith Bradshaw, cricketer (b. 1963) * 9 November – Australian Crawl, Sean Higgins, musician and songwriter (b. 1953) * 10 November – Jun Hong Lu, religious leader (born in China) (b. 1959) * 11 November – Mark Gillespie (Australian musician), Mark Gillespie, musician and songwriter (b. 1950) * 12 November – Jim Fouras, Queensland politician (b. 1938) * 13 November – William Wright (Australian bishop), William Wright, bishop (born in the United States) (b. 1952) * 15 November – Jason Plummer, Olympic swimmer (b. 1969) * 17 November ** Ken Colvin, Australian rules footballer (Sydney Swans, South Melbourne) (b. 1938) ** Max Olding and Pamela Page, Max Olding, pianist (b. 1929) * 18 November – Geoffrey Giudice, judge and president of Fair Work Australia (b. 1947) * 20 November – Don Grimes, Tasmanian politician (b. 1937) * 22 November ** Stuart Macintyre, historian (b. 1947) ** Doug MacLeod (TV writer), Doug MacLeod, children's writer, poet, screenwriter and playwright (b. 1959) ** Babette Smith, historian (b. 1942) * 25 November – Peter Kanis, Australian rules footballer (Hawthorn Football Club, Hawthorn) (b. 1931) * 26 November ** Keith De Lacy, Queensland politician (b. 1940) ** Desmond O'Grady (journalist), Desmond O'Grady, journalist and author (died in Rome) (b. 1929) * 29 November – David Gulpilil, actor and dancer (b. 1953) * 30 November – Max Bingham, Sir Max Bingham, 9th Deputy Premier of Tasmania (b. 1927)


December

* 2 December – Christian Kerr, political commentator and journalist (b. 1965) * 4 December – Percy Johnson, Australian rules footballer (b. 1933) * 5 December – Peter Cundall, horticulturalist and television presenter (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1927) * 7 December – Geoffrey Harcourt, economist (b. 1931) * 11 December – Dennis Ward (rugby league), Dennis Ward, rugby league footballer (b. 1947) * 13 December – Powder Monkeys, John Nolan, guitarist (b. 1966) * 16 December ** Peter Mulholland, rugby league footballer and coach (b. 1953) ** Robie Porter, musician and record producer (b. 1941) * 17 December – The Choirboys (band), Lindsay Tebbutt, drummer and songwriter (b. 1957) * 23 December – Keith Rae (footballer), Keith Rae, Australian rules footballer (Carlton Football Club, Carlton, Richmond Football Club, Richmond) (b. 1917) * 25 December – John Gleeson (rugby league), John Gleeson, rugby league footballer (b. 1938) * 26 December ** Paul B. Kidd, author, journalist, and radio show host (b. 1945) ** Barclay Wade, rower (b. 1944) * 28 December ** Ted Gardner, music manager and entrepreneur (b. 1947) ** Don Whitten, Australian rules footballer (Western Bulldogs, Footscray) (b. 1935) * 30 December – George Brenner (politician), George Brenner, New South Wales politician (born in Hungary) (b. 1929)


See also


Country overviews

* 2020s in Australia political history * History of Australia * History of modern Australia * Outline of Australia * Government of Australia * Politics of Australia * Years in Australia * Timeline of Australia history * 2021 in Australian literature * 2021 in Australian television * List of Australian films of 2021


References


External links

* {{Year in Oceania, 2021 2021 in Australia, Years of the 21st century in Australia 2021 in Oceania, Australia 2021 by country, Australia