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Incumbents
Premiers and Chief Ministers
Governors and Administrators
Events
- 2 January – A state funeral is held for former Governor of Victoria Sir Henry Winneke at St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne.
- 3 January – Federal Opposition Leader John Howard introduces a four-point plan to reduce interest rates.
- 4 January – A tanker driver is killed instantly when his truck overturns in Aspen, New South Wales, releasing clouds of nitrogen gas.
- 5 January – Actress Lauren Bacall arrives in Sydney to star in the play Sweet Bird of Youth.
- 2 February – Nurse Anita Cobby is abducted, robbed, raped and murdered by John Travers, Michael Murdoch, and Leslie, Gary and Michael Murphy at Prospect in Sydney (all five men are sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, June 1987).
- 8 February – Elections in Western Australia and Tasmania see the re-election of the ALP in WA, and the Liberal Party in Tasmania.
- Post-mortem results support the claim of the sister of Sally Anne Huckstep that she was murdered.
- Dire Straits makes history in Tasmania by drawing the state’s biggest audience ever for an open-air concert.
- 9 February – Lindy Chamberlain is released from prison in Darwin.
- 11 February – Joan Child becomes the first female Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives.
- More than 100 bushfires burn across the state of Victoria.
- 3 March – The Australia Act 1986 comes into effect at 1600 AEST, granting Australia legal independence from the United Kingdom by removing the power of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to legislate with effect in Australia and its states and territories.
- 27 March – The Russell Street bombing takes place at the headquarters of Victoria Police in Melbourne. A police constable, Angela Taylor, is killed.
- 4 July – After ten years in power, Neville Wran resigns as Premier of New South Wales, and is replaced by Barrie Unsworth.
- 7 July – Barlow & Chambers are executed at Malaysia’s Pudu Prison for drug trafficking. Prime Minister Hawke condemns the move as “barbaric”.
- 16 July – An explosion at Moura No. 4 mine in Moura, Queensland kills 12 people.
- 25 July – An unusual cold dry change sweeps through south-eastern Australia, causing temperatures to plummet and bringing 8 centimetres (3.15 in) of snow to Hobart, isolating the city until midday. Canberra also receives snow during the early afternoon with reports of snow and sleet also occurring in the suburbs of Melbourne and Sydney.
- 6 August – A low pressure system moving from South Australia and redeveloping off the New South Wales coast dumps a record 327.6 millimetres (12.90 in) of rain in a day on Sydney. Resulting floods kill six people.
- 9 August – Sydney schoolgirl Samantha Knight disappears in Bondi, Sydney.
- 6 October- Rey and the boi's had an awesome party and everyone came, it was wicked. It is believed to have taken place of 12:00 however, whether it was am or pm was never confirmed.
- 1 November – Joh Bjelke-Petersen wins his final election as Premier of Queensland with his party, the National Party gaining 38.6% of the vote and an absolute majority of seats in the Queensland Parliament
Arts and literature
Film
Television
Sport
Births
- 22 February – Joel Brunker, boxer
- 23 February – Kate Keltie, actress
- 8 March – Michelle Steele, athlete
- 20 March – Dean Geyer, actor, singer and Australian Idol (season 4) contestant
- 16 April – Bronwen Knox, water polo player
- 7 May – Mark Furze, actor and singer
- 18 July – James Sorensen, actor
- 11 August – Dean Timmins, figure skater
- 2 September – Darcy Bonser, actor
- 18 September – Eloise Mignon, actress
- 1 October – Prashanth Sellathurai, gymnast
- 16 October – Peter George, cricketer
- 31 October – Christie Hayes, actress
- 2 November – Lara Sacher, actress
- 19 November – Jessicah Schipper, swimmer
- 19 December – Gemma Pranita, actress
- 27 December – Torah Bright, snowboarder
Deaths
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1986 in Oceania
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Associated states
of New Zealand |
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