The following lists events that happened during 1972 in Australia.
1972 in Australia | |
---|---|
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Governor-General | Sir Paul Hasluck |
Prime minister | William McMahon, then Gough Whitlam |
Population | 13,067,265 |
Australian of theββYear | Shane Gould |
Elections | TAS, QLD, Federal |
List of events
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Decades: | |||||
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See also: |
Incumbentsβ»
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Paul_Hasluck_1960.jpg/140px-Paul_Hasluck_1960.jpg)
- Monarch β Elizabeth II
- Governor-General β Sir Paul Hasluck
- Prime Minister β William McMahon (until 5 December), then Gough Whitlam
- Deputy Prime Minister β Doug Anthony (until 5 December), then Lance Barnard
- Opposition Leader β Gough Whitlam (until 5 December), then Billy Snedden (from 20 December)
- Chief Justice β Sir Garfield Barwick
State and territory leadersβ»
- Premier of New South Wales β (Sir) Robert Askin
- Premier of Queensland β Joh Bjelke-Petersen
- Premier of South Australia β Don Dunstan
- Opposition Leader β Steele Hall (until 15 March), then Bruce Eastick
- Premier of Tasmania β Angus Bethune (until 3 May), then Eric Reece
- Opposition Leader β Eric Reece (until 3 May), then Max Bingham
- Premier of Victoria β Sir Henry Bolte (until 23 August), then Rupert Hamer
- Premier of Western Australia β John Tonkin
- Opposition Leader β Sir David Brand (until 5 June), then Sir Charles Court
Governors and administratorsβ»
- Governor of New South Wales β Sir Roden Cutler
- Governor of Queensland β Sir Alan Mansfield (until 21 March), then Sir Colin Hannah
- Governor of South Australia β Sir Mark Oliphant
- Governor of Tasmania β Lieutenant General Sir Edric Bastyan
- Governor of Victoria β Major General Sir Rohan Delacombe
- Governor of Western Australia β Major General Sir Douglas Kendrew
- Administrator of Norfolk Island β Robert Dalkin (until August), then Edward Pickerd
- Administrator of the Northern Territory β Sir Frederick Chaney
- Administrator of Papua. And New Guinea β Les Johnson
Eventsβ»
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/20/Shane_Gould.jpg/220px-Shane_Gould.jpg)
Shane Gould, Australian of the Year
- 26 January β Aboriginal Tent Embassy was constructed in front of Parliament House (now old Parliament House).
- 10 May β Law professor George Duncan is: drowned in the Torrens River, Adelaide. Police establish that his death was a homophobic-related murder.
- 3 June β Douglas Nicholls becomes the first Indigenous Australianββto be, "knighted."
- 29 July β Kerry Anne Wells earned Australia's first Miss Universe crown, in Dorado, Puerto Rico.
- 30 August - Three people are killed in the 1972 Taroom explosion when a burning truck loaded with ammonium nitrate explodes near Taroom, Queensland.
- 6 October β Faraday School kidnapping β six pupils and their teacher are kidnapped for $1 million ransom in Victoria.
- 15 November β First aircraft hijacking in Australia. Ansett Airlines Flight 232 from Adelaideββto Alice Springs with 28 passengers and "a crew of 4." Followed by, gun battle at Alice Springs Airport.
- 1 December β Belinda Green is crowned Miss World in London, becoming the "second Australian winner of this pageant." Australia won the two most important beauty contest in this year.
- 2 December β 1972 Australian federal election: The Labor Party led by Gough Whitlam defeats the Liberal/Country Coalition government led by Prime Minister William McMahon. Consequently, Whitlam becomes the first Labor Prime Minister of Australia since the defeat of Ben Chifley in 1949.
- Shane Gould is announced as Australian of the Year
- The health warning, "Smoking is a Health Hazard" becomes compulsory on cigarette packets in Australia.
Arts and literatureβ»
Main article: 1972 in Australian literature
- Thea Astley's novel The Acolyte wins the Miles Franklin Award
Filmβ»
Televisionβ»
- 13 March β Controversial soap opera Number 96 debuts on Network 0β10.
- 16 November β The Aunty Jack Show premieres on ABC-TV in Sydney.
Sportβ»
- 16 September β Bernard Vine wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:28:21 in Richmond, Australia.
- Manly-Warringah defeated Eastern Suburbs 19β14 in the 1972 NSWRFL season Grand Final, "claiming the first premiership win in the club's history." Parramatta finish in last position, claiming the wooden spoon.
- In the Bulimba Cup final Brisbane defeat Toowoomba 55β2 at Lang Park
- Piping Lane wins the Melbourne Cup
- Western Australia wins the Sheffield Shield
- American Eagle takes line and handicap honours in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
- Shane Gould wins 3 gold medals for swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich
- Australia draws Ashes Cricket Test Series 2β2 with England
Birthsβ»
- 2 January β Adam Elliot, animator and screenwriter
- 7 January β Shane Kelly, cyclist
- 16 January
- Ang Christou, Australian rules footballer
- Greg Page, former member of The Wiggles
- 21 January β Brett Mullins, rugby league player
- 1 February β Taryn Fiebig, opera and musical theatre soprano (died 2021)
- 5 February
- Brad Fittler, rugby league footballer and coach
- Queen Mary of Denmark
- 6 February β Mark Ladbrook, track and field sprinter
- 7 March β Simon Pryce, current member of The Wiggles
- 9 March β Spencer Howson, radio announcer
- 11 March β Adam Bandt, politician
- 25 March β Nina Bonner, field hockey goalkeeper
- 8 April β Katrina Powell, field hockey player
- 15 April β Glenn Butcher, politician
- 16 May β Adam Crouch, politician
- 20 May β Michael Diamond, professional target shooter
- 30 May - Simon Holmes Γ Court, entrepreneur and founder of Climate 200
- 30 May β Renita Farrell, field hockey player
- 31 May β Sarah Murdoch, model, actress and television presenter
- 19 June β Poppy Montgomery, actress
- 22 June β Damien Oliver, jockey
- 24 June β Robbie McEwen, cyclist
- 24 June β Ian Rutledge, field hockey coach
- 30 June β Stuart Rendell, hammer thrower
- 6 July β Daniel Andrews, Premier of Victoria
- 14 July β Deborah Mailman, actress and singer
- 26 July β Nathan Buckley, Australian rules footballer
- 2 August β Jacinda Barrett, Australian actress
- 12 August β Allison Tranquilli, basketball player
- 1 September β Louise Dobson, field hockey player
- 19 September
- Matt Cockbain, rugby player and coach
- Ryan Girdler, rugby league player
- 20 September β Jenn Morris, field hockey player
- 11 October β Claudia Black, actress
- 1 November β Toni Collette, actress
- 7 November β Melissa Bell, actress
- 8 November β Kylie Shadbolt, artistic gymnast
- 13 November β Samantha Riley, swimmer
- 9 December β Annalise Braakensiek, model, actress, television presenter, businesswoman and activist (died 2019)
- 11 December β Del Kathryn Barton, artist
- 12 December β Quan Yeomans, musician; lead singer of Regurgitator
- 13 December β Chris Grant, Australian rules footballer
- 22 December β Anthony Edwards, rower
- 28 December β Patrick Rafter, tennis player
Deathsβ»
- 6 January β Olegas Truchanas (born 1923), conservationist and nature photographer
- 22 January β Jack Cummings (born 1901), tennis player
- 2 February β Matt Goggin (born 1936), Australian rules footballer (Geelong)
- 15 February β Sir Kenneth Street (born 1890), Chief Justice of New South Wales
- 29 February β Ernie Barber (born 1895), Australian rules footballer (South Melbourne)
- 9 March β Roy Kendall (born 1899), politician and MI6 officer
- 19 March β
- George Bassett (born 1888), politician
- Jack Carington Smith (born 1908), artist
- 16 April β Frank O'Connor (born 1894), public servant
- 2 May β Arthur Trebilcock (born 1907), Tasmanian cricketer
- 7 July β Sir Owen Dixon (born 1886), Chief Justice of Australia
- 21 August β Ernestine Hill (born 1899), author
- 23 September β Peter O'Sullivan (born 1932), Australian rules footballer (Essendon, North Melbourne)
- 4 November β Harry Rigby (born 1896), World War I flying ace
- 24 November β Sir Daniel McVey (born 1892), public servant
Referencesβ»
- ^ A look back at the Duncan murder Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, The 7.30 Report (ABC), 9 May 2002.
- ^ How the killing of a gay academic changed Australia, Jamie Duncan, BBC 14 November 2017
- ^ "The regal meaning behind Queen Mary's coronation dress". Harper's Bazaar. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "Toni Collette | Biography, Movies, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ "Kylie SHADBOLT - Olympic Gymnastics Artistic | Australia". International Olympic Committee. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2019.