2001 in Australia

2001 in Australia
Monarchy	Elizabeth II
Governor-General	William Deane, then Peter Hollingworth
Prime minister	John Howard
Population	19,413,240
Elections	Federal, WA, Qld, NT, ACT

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2001
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Decades:

1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s

Incumbents

Monarch – Elizabeth II
Governor General – Sir William Deane, then Peter Hollingworth
Prime Minister – John Howard
Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr
Premier of South Australia – John Olsen, then Rob Kerin
Premier of Queensland – Peter Beattie
Premier of Tasmania – Jim Bacon
Premier of Western Australia – Richard Court, then Geoffrey Gallop
Premier of Victoria – Steve Bracks
Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory – Gary Humphries, then Jon Stanhope
Chief Minister of the Northern Territory – Denis Burke, then Clare Martin
Chief Minister of Norfolk Island – Ronald Coane Nobbs (until 5 December), Geoffrey Robert Gardner

Events

1 January – A ceremony at Uluru (Ayers Rock) and a parade in Sydney kick off a year of celebrations to mark the centenary of federation.
8 January - Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock explains on Iranian television the hazards of illegal migration to Australia.
17 January - Employment Minister Tony Abbott advocates Work for the Dole for all persons unemployed for more than six months.
30 January - Queensland Premier Peter Beattie demands that Prime Minister John Howard halt the Federal Parliamentary inquiry investigating electoral rorts.
10 February – In Western Australia, the Liberal Party/National Party coalition government of Richard Court is voted out and replaced by the Australian Labor Party (ALP), led by Geoff Gallop
27 February – The Labor government of Peter Beattie is comfortably re-elected for a second term in Queensland, despite a scandal that broke out weeks before the election that involved breaches of the Electoral Act by several MPs, including the Deputy Premier.
1 March - West Australian Premier Geoff Gallop ends all old growth logging in the state.
2 March - Victorian Premier Steve Bracks pleads for Transurban to drop its $36 million compensation claim against the State.
16 March - HIH Insurance goes into provisional liquidation, but claims it can cover all household and third party policies.
17 March - Labor candidate Leonie Short wins the Ryan by-election, 2001 in Queensland, defeating Liberal candidate, Bob Tucker.
8 April - Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock refers to the Curtin Immigration Reception and Processing Centre rioters as "publicity seekers".
7 May - Queensland Premier Peter Beattie orders a dingo cull on Fraser Island after 9-year-old Clinton Gage is mauled to death by a dingo on 30 April.
21 May - The Federal Government announces a commission into the HIH insurance disaster with $500 million allocated to victims.
24 May - Former HIH Insurance director, Rodney Adler fights an attempt to freeze his assets.
7 June - Prime Minister John Howard rejects the suggestion by the new Anglican Archbishop of Sydney that he is out of step with God regarding his views on reconciliation.
10 June - Seven detainees of Middle Eastern origin escape from the Woomera Detention Centre, South Australia, on the same day that Australian and international media are allowed to tour the Curtin Immigration Reception and Processing Centre in Western Australia.
21 June - Prime Minister John Howard rejects renewed Opposition demands to sack Aged Care Minister Bronwyn Bishop following the painful death of an elderly woman in aged care.
27 June - The New South Wales Government agrees to support South Australia's bid to build an electricity riverlink interconnector between the two states, giving access to cheaper power from the east.
29 June – Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane Dr Peter Hollingworth is sworn in as Governor-General of Australia. He would later resign amidst controversy over his handling of child sex cases during his time as Archbishop.
10 July - West Australian Premier Geoff Gallop announces that State Government-AMA talks will be halted until doctors end their industrial action.
14 July - Liberal candidate Chris Pearce wins the Aston by-election, 2001 in Victoria.
20 July – Australian citizen Vivian Solon is unlawfully deported to the Philippines by the Department of Immigration.
8 August - Prime Minister John Howard says he will block any attempts of a heroin trial in the Australian Capital Territory. However, the ACT Government pushes ahead with the drug referendum.
14 August - The Australian Catholic University announces that its new General Staff Enterprise Bargaining Agreement includes a provision for one year's paid maternity leave, 12 weeks on full pay and a further 40 weeks on 60% pay.
15 August - Long-time South Australian MP and Party Whip, Murray DeLaine, quits Labor and announces that he is running as an independent at the next state election.
18 August – For the first time since self-government was granted to the Northern Territory in 1978, the Country Liberal Party is voted out of office and replaced by the ALP
24 August – The Tampa affair begins when the MV Tampa tries to help a boatload of refugees, mainly from Afghanistan. The crisis is resolved when New Zealand agrees to take some of the refugees and countries such as Nauru and Papua New Guinea agree to take the rest. This was known as the Pacific Solution.
30 August - Prime Minister John Howard urges Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri to accept asylum seekers currently on board the MV Tampa.
10 September - Prime Minister John Howard starts his United States tour in Washington DC.
12 September – Ansett Australia, one of the oldest airlines in the world and the second-largest in Australia goes under administration with KordaMentha due to major financial struggles. Despite this administrators assure the public that flights will continue as normal.
14 September- Just two days after going into administration, Ansett Australia ceases operations resulting in a redundancy of 15,000 staff and tens of thousands of stranded passengers. This occurs despite former assurance by the administrators that no such thing would happen.
24 September - Prime Minister John Howard urges Qantas to reach a quick agreement to put some Ansett Airlines planes back in the air as soon as possible following the company's collapse.
26 September - Prime Minister John Howard dedicates the Magna Carta monument near Old Parliament house as part of a Centenary of Federation project.
27 September - The Federal Government passes legislation with amendments to the Commonwealth Migration Act (1958) aimed at implementing the Government's Pacific Solution. By redefining the area of Australian territory that could be landed upon and then legitimately used for claims of asylum (the migration zone), and by removing any intercepted people to third countries for processing, the aim was to deter future asylum seekers from making the dangerous journey by boat, once they knew that their trip would probably not end with a legitimate claim for asylum in Australia.
6 October – SIEV-4 reached Christmas Island with 223 passengers. It was alleged by several in the government that asylum seekers aboard this vessel threw their children overboard in order to attract the attention of Australian authorities. This later became known as the 'Children Overboard Affair'
12 October – SIEV-5 reaches Ashmore Reef with 242 passengers.
14 October -
- Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock claims that boat people now in Nauru attacked sailors and caused damage to HMAS Manoora.
- Federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley is declared the winner of a televised debate with Prime Minister John Howard in the lead-up to the Federal Election.
16 October - Prime Minister John Howard pledges, if re-elected, to introduce retrospective legislation imposing ten years in jail for anyone found guilty of sending hoax threats of biological or chemical material through the mail. The announcement follows 24 hours of hoax anthrax threats throughout the nation, which had resulted in offices being evacuated, airports cleared, and post offices coming to a sudden halt.
18 October – SIEV-6 reaches Christmas Island with 227 passengers.
19 October –
- SIEV-X, an Indonesian fishing boat en route to Christmas Island, carrying over 400 asylum seekers, sank in international waters with the loss of 353 people.
- South Australian Premier John Olsen resigns in tears after an inquiry finds that he has been dishonest to an investigation into how Motorola set up operations in South Australia.
20 October –
- The Legislative Assembly election in the Australian Capital Territory results in the Labor Party coming to power for the first time since 1995.
- Prime Minister John Howard attends the APEC Summit in China.
22 October –
- Rob Kerin is voted by 22 MPs as South Australia's 43rd Premier.
- SIEV-7 reached Ashmore Reef with 233 passengers.
October – Australia agrees to provide 1550 troops to the US operation in Afghanistan.
28 October - Prime Minister John Howard makes a speech at his 2001 election campaign policy launch in Sydney, declaring that "we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come" in an effort to build support for the Government's Pacific Solution policy.
10 November – In the wake of the 11 September attacks and the Tampa crisis, the Liberal/National coalition government of John Howard is re-elected for a third term in office. Kim Beazley resigns as opposition leader and is replaced by Simon Crean.
26 November - Former director of collapsed HIH Insurance giant, Rodney Adler faces court on charges involving a $7 million loss.
28 November - West Australian Premier Geoff Gallop announces that an inquiry will be held into child abuse in Aboriginal communities.
12 December - South Australian Premier Rob Kerin pledges $25 million to improve industrial infrastructure in the Upper Spencer Gulf.
18 December - Fires at Woomera Detention Centre are lit by detainees in protest.
25 December–6 January – Bushfires rage across New South Wales. No-one is killed.
26 December —
- The south coast tornado occurs during the 2001 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.
- A campaign run by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the Equal Opportunity Commission attempts to secure 14 weeks' paid maternity leave for working mothers.

Arts and literature

Main article: 2001 in Australian literature

ARIA Music Awards of 2001
Frank Moorhouse's novel Dark Palace wins the Miles Franklin Award

Film

4 October – The Australian film Lantana debuts.

Television

1 January – Digital Television arrives in the major state capitals of Australia, with the ABC and SBS permitted to operate multi-channel services.
24 April – The Australian version of Big Brother premieres on Network Ten.
11 September – Television networks relay coverage from CNN, NBC, ABC America and the BBC for up to 48 hours in the wake of the 11 September attacks.
November – After Prime Television axes Regional television news bulletins in Newcastle, Wollongong and Canberra, and Southern Cross Ten axes regional bulletins in Canberra and North Queensland, the ABA holds an inquiry into the adequacy of regional news services. Bulletins eventually return to those areas in 2004, albeit in the form of two-minute updates during weekdays in the ratings season.
December – After 21 years, Sale of the Century is "rested". It later returns to the Nine Network as Temptation in 2005.

Sport

23 March – First day of the Australian Track & Field Championships for the 2000–2001 season, which are held at the ANZ Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland. The 5,000 metres (men and women) were conducted at the Hobart Grand Prix, Tasmania on Sunday 11 March 2001. The 10,000 metres (men and women) were conducted at the Zatopek Classic, Melbourne on Monday 4 December 2000.
1 June – Australia shock reigning world champions France 1-0 in a group stage game in the Confederations Cup. The Socceroos later go on to claim 3rd place in the tournament, by beating superpower Brazil 1-0.
3 June – Wollongong Wolves defeat Minor Premiers South Melbourne 2-1 in the National Soccer League Grand Final at Parramatta Stadium, becoming Champions for the second season in succession.
1 July – Allan Langer makes a spectacular comeback to Australian rugby league to lead the Queensland team to a 40–14 victory over their New South Wales counterparts in the third and deciding game of the 2001 State of Origin series at ANZ Stadium.
22 July - Essendon produces the greatest comeback in VFL/AFL history to defeat North Melbourne by 12 points after being 69 points down during the second quarter.
31 August – The Sydney Swifts defeat the Adelaide Thunderbirds 57-32 in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy netball grand final.
29 September – The Brisbane Lions (15.18.108) defeat the Essendon (12.10.82) to win the 105th VFL/AFL premiership. It is the first of three consecutive premierships for Brisbane & until March 2007, the last ever game of Australian rules football broadcast on the Seven Network until 2008.
30 September – The 2001 NRL season culminates in the Newcastle Knights defeating the Parramatta Eels 30-24 in the 2001 NRL grand final.
7 October – Mark Skaife and Tony Longhurst survive a late race challenge from Brad Jones and John Bowe to win the V8Supercar Bathurst 1000 for the Holden Racing Team.
28 October – Borislav Devic wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:29:11 in Sydney, while Krishna Wood claims the women's title in 2:38:11.
6 November – Sheila Laxon becomes the first female trainer to win the Melbourne Cup when Ethereal wins.
25 November – The Socceroos lose 0–3 to Uruguay in the 2nd leg of the CONMEBOL-OFC playoff & fail to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup on aggregate.

Births

3 April - Sophie Delezio
27 November - Morgana Davies, actress

Deaths

26 January - Jessica Michalik, (born 1985), teenage girl
25 February – Donald Bradman (born 1908), cricketer and businessman
10 May – Arthur Tange (born 1914), public servant
5 August – Christopher Skase (born 1948), businessman and fugitive
29 August – Graham "Shirley" Strachan (born 1952), singer & television presenter
1 September – Foster Neil Williams (born 1922), Australian Rules footballer and coach

Years in Australia (1788–present)

1788 1789 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800

1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900

1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Timeline of Australian history

2001 in Oceania

Sovereign states	Australia Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Indonesia Kiribati Marshall Islands Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu

Associated states of New Zealand	Cook Islands Niue

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