1999 in Australia

See also:

1999 Australian incumbents

Incumbents

Events

March 27 - The ALP government of Bob Carr is re-elected comfortably in New South Wales.
April 15 - A massive hailstorm hits Sydney, with most of the damage being centred on the Eastern Suburbs. One person is killed, several others are injured, 15,000 homes lose power & the damage bill tops $190 million.
May 11 - The biotechnology industry receives a record $800 million in the federal budget.
May 21 - Eight decaying bodies are found in barrels in a disused bank vault north of Adelaide, marking the beginning of the Snowtown murders case, which were Australia's worst ever serial killings. More bodies were found underneath a house in Adelaide on May 26.
June 27 - The GST bill is passed through the Senate, with the help of most of the Australian Democrats, in exchange for exemptions on fresh food.
June 30 - Tim Fischer retires as federal leader of the National Party & is replaced by John Anderson the next day.
August 26 - The Prime Minister creates a controversy when he avoids the use of the word 'sorry' when a motion was tabled in Parliament expressing 'deep & sincere regret that indigenous Australians suffered injustices under the practises of past generations'.
August 30 - East Timor votes for independence from Indonesia. In the violence that follows, Australia is a major contributor of peacekeeping forces.
September 18 - In a shock result, Steve Bracks & the Labor Party form a minority government with three rural independents to oust the ruling Liberal/National coalition governemnt of Jeff Kennett in Victoria.
November 3 - The Reserve Bank announce an interest rate increase of 0.25%, the first since 1994.
November 6 - A referendum is held to determine whether or not Australia should become a republic & whether or not a preamble is inserted into the constitution recognising the Aborigines as Australia's first people. The 'no' vote scores 54% on the republic question & 60% on the preamble question. The 'no' vote on the republic question is blamed on the attention surrounding how a President would be chosen, not on the actual issue of Australia becoming a republic & almost no attention whatsoever on the preamble question.
November 14 - In response to the growing number of illegal immigrants, most of whom arrived by boat, the government allows police to board vessels in international waters. On November 23, refugees were barred from seeking asylum in they had lived somewhere else for more than seven days or had the right to live somewhere else.

Arts & Literature

Film

Television

February 1 - QSTV becomes an affiliate of the Seven Network, becoming known as Seven Central.
March - WIN Television commences broadcasting to regional & remote Western Australia, ending the long-time monopoly held by Golden West Network.
The Seven Network becomes the first Australian television network to introduce a watermark on its programs, although the watermark was not broadcast on news or current affairs programs.

Sport

February 14 - Stadium Australia (now Telstra Stadium) is opened to the public for the first time.
March 6 - A world record crowd of 104,583 attend the first rugby league matches held at Stadium Australia (now Telstra Stadium). The Newcastle Knights defeat the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 41-10 & the Parramatta Eels defeat the St. George-Illawarra Dragons 20-10 in what is also the joint venture team's first match.
June 6 - Tony Lockett becomes the greatest goalscorer in VFL/AFL history by overtaking Gordon Coventry's long held record of 1299 career goals when he scores career goal number 1300 against the Collingwood Magpies at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Tony Lockett announces his retirement on August 14.
July 27 - Foundation clubs the Balmain Tigers & Western Suburbs Magpies vote to form the game's second joint venture team, the Wests Tigers. The team start playing as a joint venture in 2000.
September 18 - In one of the classic matches of Australian Rules Football, the Carlton Blues (16.8.104) defeat the Essendon Bombers (14.19.103).
September 25 - The Kangaroos (19.10.124) defeat the Carlton Blues (12.17.89) to win the 103rd VFL/AFL premiership. It is the first all-Victorian grand final since 1995 & the first time the trophy has been won by a Victorian team since 1996.
September 26 - A new world record crown for rugby league is set when 107,961 people attend the first National Rugby League grand final held at Staium Australia. In one of the most memorable & controversial grand finals in history, the Melbourne Storm, in just their second season of existence, defeat the St. George-Illawarra Dragons 20-18. The final outcome is determined when a penalty try is given to Melbourne's Craig Smith. Melbourne's win means that both the AFL trophy & NRL trophy have been won by teams from the same city for the first time.
October 9 - The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles vote to form the game's third joint venture with insolvent local rivals the North Sydney Bears. The new joint venture, the Northern Eagles, is a failure & the team becomes known as Manly again in 2003.
October 10 - South Sydney supporters rally through the streets of Sydney to protest against the rationalisation of the NRL to 14 teams for 2000.
October 15 - The South Sydney Rabbitohs are axed from the NRL for 2000,

Births

Deaths

June 6 - Anne Haddy, actress (b. 1930)
September 23 - Ivan Goff, creenwriter (b. 1910)