2024 in Australia

The following is a list of events including expected and scheduled events for the year 2024 in Australia.

2024 in Australia
Monarch	Charles III
Governor-General	David Hurley
Prime minister	Anthony Albanese
Population	26,473,055 people at 31 March 2023.
Australian of the Year	Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer
Elections	Tasmania, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory, Queensland

← 2023 2022 2021 2024 in Australia → 2025 2026 2027
Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s
See also:	Other events of 2024 Timeline of Australian history

Incumbents

Further information: Table of precedence for the Commonwealth of Australia

Monarch

• 
  Charles III

Governor-General

• 
  David Hurley

Prime Minister

• 
  Anthony Albanese

Deputy Prime Minister

• 
  Richard Marles

Opposition Leader

• 
  Peter Dutton

Chief Justice

• 
  Stephen Gageler

State and territory leaders

• Premier of New South Wales – Chris Minns
  • Opposition Leader – Mark Speakman
• Premier of Queensland – Steven Miles
  • Opposition Leader – David Crisafulli
• Premier of South Australia – Peter Malinauskas
  • Opposition Leader – David Speirs
• Premier of Tasmania – Jeremy Rockliff
  • Opposition Leader – Rebecca White (until 10 April) Dean Winter (from 10 April)
• Premier of Victoria – Jacinta Allan
  • Opposition Leader – John Pesutto
• Premier of Western Australia – Roger Cook
  • Opposition Leader – Shane Love
• Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory – Andrew Barr
  • Opposition Leader – Elizabeth Lee
• Chief Minister of the Northern Territory – Eva Lawler
  • Opposition Leader – Lia Finocchiaro

Governors and administrators

• Governor of New South Wales – Margaret Beazley
• Governor of Queensland – Jeannette Young
• Governor of South Australia – Frances Adamson
• Governor of Tasmania – Barbara Baker
• Governor of Victoria – Margaret Gardner
• Governor of Western Australia – Chris Dawson
• Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories – Farzian Zainal
• Administrator of Norfolk Island – George Plant
• Administrator of the Northern Territory – Hugh Heggie

Events

January

• 1 January –
  • It becomes illegal to import disposable vapes into Australia.
  • As Victoria transitions to clean energy, the state imposes a ban on natural gas connections for new dwellings, apartment buildings and residential subdivisions.
  • Fortnightly Centrelink payments for welfare recipients increases by approximately 6%.
  • Federal Cabinet documents from 2003 are made public for the first time. Controversy arises when its discovered the Morrison Government failed to hand over some documents relating to Australia's involvement in the 2003 invasion of Iraq to the National Archives in 2020 for public release. Anthony Albanese announces an inquiry will be held to find out whether or not the documents were withheld intentionally.
  • A 76-year-old woman is allegedly sexually assaulted by a 29-year-old intruder at an aged care facility in Coffs Harbour. A 29-year-old man is subsequently arrested and appears in Port Macquarie Local Court on 5 January 2024 charged with aggravated sexual assault and breaking and entering with intent.
• 2 January –
  • An interim ATSB report into the 2023 Sea World helicopter crash on the Gold Coast reveals a toxicology report for the pilot killed in the crash returned a positive result low levels of cocaine metabolites but that it was unlikely to have impaired his psychomotor skills and the exposure was not likely to have occurred in the 24 hours before the accident.
  • Twelve Australians are among the 379 people aboard Japan Airlines Flight 516 to survive after the Airbus 350-900 collides with a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 operated by the Japan Coast Guard while landing at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
• 3 January – A 24-year-old man is arrested by New South Wales Police Force Taskforce Magnus detectives and charged with the murder of major Sydney gangland figure Alen Moradian in an underground carpark on 27 June 2023.
• 4 January – ADF personnel arrive in South East Queensland after being deployed to help the region in the aftermath of severe weather over the Christmas/New Year period. In Far North Queensland, there are also calls for ADF assistance to help with the clean-up following severe weather caused by Cyclone Jasper.
• 5 January – Queensland premier Steven Miles announces a $5 million funding agreement between the state and federal government which would see discounted flights and accommodation being offered to tourists to entice them back to Far North Queensland following Cyclone Jasper.
• 6 January – Eight attendees of the Hardmission Festival at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse are hospitalised in a critical condition after suspected MDMA overdoses. Seven of those patients are placed in induced comas.
• 7 January – A 31-year-old man is arrested after allegedly stabbing four strangers at random in Melbourne throughout the previous night. He is charged with 14 assault offences and one of possessing a controlled weapon.
• 8 January –
  • A light aircraft with ten people onboard flips and crashes on Lizard Island while attempting to land on the island's runway. Despite some of those onboard sustaining injuries, the nine adults and one child survive.
  • The New South Wales Police Force claim to have dismantled a criminal syndicate allegedly attempting to export more than a million dollars of Australian reptiles, including 257 lizards, to Hong Kong.
• 9 January – Prime minister Anthony Albanese warns Australian supermarkets to pass on savings to consumers stating: "It's not acceptable to see record profits at a time when people are doing it so tough." He announces former Labor minister Craig Emerson will lead a review of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct while Queensland premier Steven Miles writes to the CEOs of Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and IGA expressing concern about the disparity between retail prices and the amount farmers are paid. The Coalition also call for an ACCC inquiry, accusing the supermarkets of imposing excessive retail markups.
• 10 January –
  • Woolworths Group confirms that Woolworths Supermarkets and Big W will no longer be stocking Australia Day-themed merchandise citing declining sales and the broader discussion about the national holiday. Liberal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton calls for a boycott on Woolworths for its decision.
  • An armed 34-year-old man is shot dead by police after a two-hour siege outside a medical centre in Nowra, New South Wales.
  • Prime minister Anthony Albanese announces financial support for flood victims in Victoria as Murchison experiences moderate flooding with the Goulburn River peaking at 10.47 metres, with an expected peak of 10.4 metres at Shepparton on 13 January.
  • Transport for NSW confirms a park built above the Sydney's Rozelle Interchange has been closed to the public just three weeks after it opened due to the discovery of asbestos in mulch around a children's playground. The discovery prompts an urgent audit to determine the number of other sites which could be affected.
• 14 January – Mary Donaldson becomes the first Australian-born queen consort of a European monarchy when she is proclaimed Queen of Denmark when her husband Frederik X ascends the throne following the abdication of his mother Margrethe II. The decision to mark the occasion by temporarily replacing the Aboriginal flag with the Danish flag at Parliament House in Hobart sparks criticism from some in Tasmania's Aboriginal community.
• 15 January –
  • Foreign minister Penny Wong travels to the Middle East to renew calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.
  • A legal challenge by a group of Tiwi Islanders in an attempt to stop the construction of the Santos gas pipeline in the Timor Sea is dismissed by Justice Natalie Charlesworth who lifts a temporary injunction allowing Santos to begin construction work.
• 16 January – A 27-year-old mine worker is killed at BMA's Saraji coal mine near Dysart after he is crushed between a B-double and a utility while working in the fuel-bay area of the mine.
• 17 January –
  • Severe storm activity in the south-western region of Western Australia causes widespread and lengthy power outages.
  • A 33-year-old man and a 26 year-old-man are both charged with murder after the fatal shooting of a 34-year-old man whose body was found by a passing motorist on Yeppoon Road near Rockhampton in the early hours of 17 November 2023.
• 18 January –
  • Workplace Relations minister Tony Burke meets with the Australian Maritime Officers Union and DP World amid an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions which is causing major disruptions at port terminals. Burke refuses to use his ministerial powers to intervene but criticised DP World and accuses the company of acting in bad faith.
  • Two 16-year-old boys are charged with murder following the death of a 33-year-old doctor in the Melbourne suburb of Doncaster after an alleged aggravate burglary on 13 January 2024.
• 19 January – Queensland premier Steven Miles officially announces a state parliamentary inquiry into grocery prices at the major supermarkets after meeting with executives from Woolworths, Coles and Aldi.
• 20 January – The MV Bahijah, a live export ship carrying sheep and cattle which departed Fremantle, Western Australia on 5 January is ordered by the Department of Agriculture to return to Australia due to threats against commercial vessels in the Red Sea amid a deteriorating security situation.
• 23 January – Former prime minister Scott Morrison announces his intention to formally resign from parliament, ending his 16-year tenure as the federal Member for Cook. Morrison's departure will trigger a by-election in the safely held Liberal seat of Cook.
• 24 January –
  • Former premier of South Australia Steven Marshall announces his intention to resign from state politics after more than ten years in parliament.
  • The Bureau of Statistics' population clock ticks over to estimate Australia's population has reached 27 million.
  • Victoria's worst beach drowning event in twenty years occurs near Forrest Caves on Phillip Island when a total of four people from Melbourne's Indian community drown at an unpatrolled beach.
• 25 January –
  • The statues of Captain James Cook and Queen Victoria in Melbourne are vandalised on the eve of Australia Day. The statue of Cook is cut down and its plinth defaced with the words “The colony will fall”.
  • Researchers Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer are named as 2024 Australians of the Year.
  • Cyclone Kirrily crosses the North Queensland coast at Townsville as a category 3 system before weakening.
• 27 January – Queensland state Labor MP Jim Madden resigns from parliament to vie for a position as a local councillor with Ipswich City Council in the 2024 Queensland local elections on 16 March. Madden's resignation triggers the 2024 Ipswich West state by-election which premier Steven Miles recommends to be held on 16 March - the same day as the local elections and the 2024 Inala state by-election.
• 28 January – Another monument for Captain James Cook is vandalised in Fitzroy North’s Edinburgh Gardens in Melbourne. The stone monument is severely damaged, with vandals cutting through the base, disfiguring the bronze effigy, and spraying “Cook the Colony” on the toppled pillar.
• 29 January – A 29-year-old woman survives an attack by a bull shark in Sydney Harbour.
• 30 January – Australian retailer Godfreys enters voluntary administration with the company's 54 stores expected to close as a result.
• 31 January – A 62-year-old Coen man is charged with murder following the disappearance of a Kowanyama woman, who was last seen in February 2013 aged 23. After the man appears in court via videolink, he is remanded in custody due to appear in court again in April 2024.

February

• 1 February –
  • Western Australia barrister Varun Ghosh is confirmed as the person who will fill the casual vacancy in the Australian Senate caused by the retirement of Pat Dodson.
  • Former New South Wales police officer Daniel Keneally, the son of former premier and senator Kristina Keneally, receives a 15-month intensive corrective services order after having been found guilty in November 2023 of fabricating evidence.
• 3 February –
  • The bodies of a mother and son, a 76-year-old woman and a 55-year-old man, are discovered after they were allegedly murdered in the Adelaide suburb of Rosewater. A 43-year-old man is subsequently charged with two counts of murder.
  • A 70-year-old woman dies after being allegedly stabbed in the chest in front of her six-year-old granddaughter during an alleged robbery at a shopping centre in the Ipswich suburb of Redbank Plains. A 16-year-old boy is subsequently charged with murder.
• 4 February –
  • 51-year-old Samantha Murphy disappears after leaving her home in Ballarat to go for her regular morning run. Her disappearance triggers a widespread search and appeal from police for CCTV or dashcam vision from the day she disappeared.
  • The body of a 74-year-old man is found in a backyard near Wollongong. The man's 48-year-old son is subsequently arrested and charged with murder.
• 5 February – Australian writer Yang Hengjun receives a suspended death sentence in Beijing, five years after being charged with spying and imprisoned in China.
• 6 February – The Australian Parliament returns for the first sitting day of 2024.
• 7 February – Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce is filmed late at night engaged in a conversation on his phone while lying on his back on a footpath in the Canberra suburb of Braddon. Joyce said he had fallen to the ground from a plant box he had been sitting on while talking to his wife on the phone while on his way back to his accommodation.
• 8 February – Labor's Right to Disconnect bill passes the Senate but they are forced into an attempt to introduce additional legislation to reverse an amendment which allows for criminal penalties for employers who breach a Fair Work Commission order to stop contacting workers.
• 9 February – Reserve Bank of Australia governor Michele Bullock appears before a parliamentary hearing for the first time where she says she doesn't agree with the International Monetary Fund that Australia should be lifting interest rates higher.
• 12 February –
  • Liverpool West Public School in Sydney is closed after the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority confirms bonded asbestos has been discovered in garden mulch at the school. Students and staff at the school are subsequently relocated to Gulyangarri Public School for the foreseeable future. Contaminated mulch is also discovered at Campbelltown Hospital, prompting part of the hospital to be closed off to the public.
  • Queensland Greens MP Amy MacMahon is seriously injured in a two-vehicle car accident at Kangaroo Point.
• 14 February –
  • Premier of Tasmania Jeremy Rockliff calls an early election in Tasmania after becoming a minority government.
  • It is announced that Sydney's annual Mardi Gras Fair Day scheduled for 18 February is cancelled due to the discovery of asbestos in Victoria Park amid Sydney's asbestos contamination crisis.
  • Anthony Albanese becomes the first serving Australian prime minister to become engaged when he proposes marriage to his partner Jodie Haydon during a Valentine's Day dinner which she accepts.
• 15 February – Anthony Albanese releases a joint statement with Candian prime minister Justin Trudeau and New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon to express their concerns over Israel's plan for a ground offensive in Rafah. The joint statement is issued after Australian foreign minister Penny Wong expresses her own concerns, describing any ground invasion of Rafah as "unjustifiable".
• 16 February –
  • The Sydney asbestos crisis worsens as the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority confirms bonded asbestos has been discovered in mulch at a Woolworths supermarket in Kellyville, the St John of God Hospital in North Richmond and a park in Wiley Park. The list of contaminated sites now totals more than twenty sites. In each case, the contaminated mulch is traced back to a waste facility in Bringelly.
  • Tropical Cyclone Lincoln crosses the Northern Territory coast between Port McArthur and the Queensland border as a category 1 system, bringing heavy rain to communities near the Gulf of Carpentaria.
  • Two groups of approximately 25 foreign nationals are discovered in Beagle Bay, Western Australia after they are believed to have travelled from Indonesia by boat, prompting Australian Border Force officials to travel to the coastal town to question the men. The arrival of the men prompts federal opposition leader Peter Dutton to accuse Anthony Albanese's government of weakening Australia's border protection arrangements. In turn, Albanese accused Dutton of politicising the incident and undermining the country's border protection regime. Another group of foreign nationals are discovered at a remote campsite north of Beagle Bay the following day.
  • 42-year-old mother of five Rebecca Young is allegedly stabbed to death by her husband who then kills himself in an apparent murder-suicide in the Ballarat suburb of Sebastopol.
• 19 February –
  • Northern Territory Country Liberal MP Joshua Burgoyne is charged by NT Police with careless driving causing serious harm after a two-vehicle accident in Alice Springs on 26 August 2023, and will face court for the first mention of the alleged offence on 4 March 2024.
  • Former Australian Greens leader Bob Brown is arrested for trespassing at a anti-logging protest in Tasmania.
  • Asbestos-contaminated mulch is found at another seven locations in Sydney, bringing the total to 41 separate sites.
• 20 February –
  • The bodies of a 39-year-old man, his 41-year-old wife and their 7-year-old son are discovered in two separate locations in Sydney. A 49-year-old taekwondo instructor is subsequently charged with murder.
  • Queensland Police Service commissioner Katarina Carroll announces she is stepping down from her position on 1 March 2024, five months before her contract expires.
  • Virgin Australia chief executive officer Jayne Hrdlicka announces she is leaving the company but will continue to serve as CEO until a replacement is appointed.
• 21 February –
  • Woolworths chief executive officer Brad Banducci announces his intention to retire in September 2024, with Amanda Bardwell to succeed him in the role.
  • Qantas appoints John Mullen as chairman to succeed Richard Goyder from July 2024.
  • Christopher Saunders, the former Catholic Bishop of Broome, is arrested in Broome by the WA Police Child Abuse Squad and taken into custody. He is subsequently charged with 19 offences dating back to 2008. Saunders' arrest comes after police raided a Broome property on 15 January 2024.
• 26 February –
  • Vandals saw through the ankles of a statue of Captain Cook in East Melbourne, toppling it.
  • The Board of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras withdraws their invitation to the NSW Police Force to march in the 2024 Mardi Gras amid the investigation into the alleged murders of television presenter Jesse Baird and his partner Luke Davies. The Australian Federal Police confirm the following day that they have made the decision to also withdraw from marching in the Mardi Gras parade.
• 27 February –
  • Two bodies are found at Bungonia, near Goulburn, New South Wales, likely to be those of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. The bodies are discovered four days after a New South Wales police officer was charged with their murders.
  • More than 30,000 residents in Victoria receive text messages strongly encouraging them to leave their homes due to extreme bushfire risk.
  • Former prime minister Scott Morrison delivers his final speech as a member of the Australian Parliament.
  • The Albanese government's legislation for modifying the stage three tax cuts passes the Senate in an evening sitting.
  • Justice Glenn Martin rules that COVID-19 vaccination mandates for some Queensland frontline workers breached section 58 of the Human Rights Act and declared directives given to Queensland Police Service staff were unlawful. Queensland premier Steven Miles responds by saying the state government was seeking crown law advice but that he stands by the actions taken by the government during the COVID-19 pandemic in Queensland.
• 28 February – An agreement is reached between the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Board and the NSW Police Force, which sees gay and lesbian liaison police officers permitted to march in the annual parade, but without their uniforms or weapons.
• 29 February –
  • Cumberland City Council votes to ban drag queen storytime from council events.
  • Australian Greens senator Janet Rice is censured after holding a placard denouncing human rights abuses in the Philippines while President Bongbong Marcos was addressing Parliament.

March

• 1 March – An outage occurs at the national Triple Zero centre which is believed to have contributed to the death of a person who suffered a cardiac arrest after their emergency call was unable to be forwarded to paramedics, prompting Telstra to issue an apology. An investigation concludes the incident was caused by a technical fault, a failure in the backup process and a communication error.
• 2 March –
  • A by-election is held in the federal seat of Dunkley which is won by Jodie Belyea who retains the seat for the Australian Labor Party following the death of Peta Murphy in December 2023.
  • The 46th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras street parade is held, which begins with a moment of silence to commemorate the lives of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
• 4 March – Simon Kennedy is selected by the Liberal Party to run as their candidate in the 2024 Cook by-election following the resignation of Scott Morrison.
• 5 March – A large fire occurs on Jemena's gas pipeline near Bauhinia in Central Queensland which impacts gas supplies to the city of Gladstone.
  • It is reported in the media that soccer player Sam Kerr was charged with "racially aggravated harassment" of a police officer, which allegedly took place in Twickenham on 30 January 2023. She pleads not guilty to the charge. The case is due for trial in February 2025. It is later reported that Kerr is alleged to have called the police officer a "stupid white bastard".
• 6 March –
  • Qantas is convicted and fined $250,000 for illegally standing down an employee during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The Queensland Parliament passes an omnibus bill which will see coercive control become a criminal offence with stealthing also to be criminalised in Queensland.
  • Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon, the son of former Minister for Defence Joel Fitzgibbon, is seriously injured in a parachuting training accident at RAAF Base Richmond. He subsequently dies from his injuries the following day.
• 7 March –
  • A 22-year-old man is arrested in connection to the disappearance of Samantha Murphy and is subsequently charged with murder.
  • Virgin Australia announces plans to become Australia's first airline to allow pets to ride in the cabin on some domestic flights, with the service expected to launch within a year subject to regulatory approval.
  • Katter's Australian Party leader Robbie Katter and deputy leader Nick Dametto are referred to the Queensland Government's Ethics Committee after confronting pro-Palestinian protestors outside Parliament House in Brisbane.
• 11 March – Fifty people are injured aboard LATAM Airlines Flight 800 after the aircraft suddenly dropped altitude after departing Sydney causing passengers and crew to be thrown to the roof in what LATAM Airlines described as a "technical fault'.
• 13 March:
  • Seven people are found alive in Western Australia after a three-day search, after they became stranded in the outback due to widespread flooding caused by a stationery trough. Police had previously stated they had urgent welfare concerns for the family members when they failed to arrive home in the remote community of Tjuntjuntjara, having departed Kalgoorlie-Boulder on 10 March.
  • A 37-year-old miner is killed while another is critically injured following a rockfall inside the Ballarat Gold Mine in Victoria.
• 14 March – An Australian woman is one of two foreign tourists killed in Bali when a landslide sweeps away the villa they were staying in.
• 16 March –
  • The 2024 Queensland local elections are held which sees Adrian Schrinner re-elected as the Lord Mayor of Brisbane.
  • The 2024 Inala state by-election is held which sees Labor retain the seat. Despite a significant swing against the government being recorded, Labor's candidate Margie Nightingale defeats LNP candidate Trang Yen.
  • The 2024 Ipswich West state by-election is held which sees Labor lose the seat, with LNP candidate Darren Zanow defeating Labor's Wendy Bourne after a significant swing against the government is recorded.
• 18 March –
  • A man dies after falling from a hot air balloon in Melbourne.
  • Pro-Palestinian protestors disrupt Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra.
  • Severe Tropical Cyclone Megan makes landfall on the south-western coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria near the community of Borroloola, Northern Territory.
• 19 March – Ahead of the 2024 Tasmanian state election, American actor Leonardo DiCaprio makes an appeal on Instagram for logging in Tasmania to come to an end.
• 20 March –
  • In an interview with Nigel Farage on GB News, former United States president Donald Trump threatens to oust Australian ambassador Kevin Rudd from his position if he shows any hostility should Trump again become president.
  • Foreign minister Penny Wong meets her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Canberra for the Australia-China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue. Prior to Wang's meeting with former prime minister Paul Keating the following day, Wong warns that Keating is "entitled to his views" but that "he does not speak for the government nor the country."
• 21 March – Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi hosts former Australian prime minister Paul Keating at the China consulate in Sydney.
• 23 March –
  • The 2024 Tasmanian state election is held. Neither major party achieves an outright majority, resulting in a hung parliament.
  • The 2024 Dunstan state by-election is held in South Australia which is triggered by the resignation of Steven Marshall. The result sees Labor candidate Cressida O'Hanlon become the new member, defeating Liberal candidate Anna Finizio.
  • Former NSW state transport minister Andrew Constance wins pre-selection to contest the seat of Gilmore at the next federal election.
• 25 March – A British national dies after jumping from the Noosa Sound Bridge in Queensland in an apparent accident.
• 26 March –
  • Violence and unrest breaks out in Alice Springs which leads to Northern Territory chief minister Eva Lawler declaring a state of emergency and the introduction of a two-week curfew for under 18's. There are also calls for federal intervention.
  • It is revealed a wild magpie which had been visiting a Gold Coast couple and bonding with their English staffy since they rescued it as a chick in 2020 had been "voluntarily surrendered" to DESI who accused the couple of taking the magpie from the wild and keeping it unlawfully. The magpie's seizure draws widespread condemnation with Queensland premier Steven Miles stating that common sense needed to prevail in this instance and that he would support the authorities to work with the couple so they could obtain the appropriate permits.
• 28 March –
  • Australian Defence Force chief Angus Campbell issues an unreserved apology on the final day of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide for deficiencies in the way the service provided support for veterans during and after their service.
  • Sally Capp announces she will stand down as the Lord Mayor of Melbourne in June, ahead of the 2024 Victorian local elections in October.
  • Prime minister Anthony Albanese, energy minister Chris Bowen, and industry minister Ed Husic travel to the former Liddell Power Station in the Hunter Valley to announce a $1 billion solar panel program. However, it is later revealed they travelled into the area on two separate private jets which landed at Scone Airport which is met with criticism and accusations of hypocrisy. When questioned about the issue, Bowen said the decision was made by the RAAF.
• 30 March –
  • Australian businessman John Singleton takes out a full page advertisement in The Weekend Australian praising Ben Roberts-Smith who in a civil defamation trial in 2023 was found by Justice Anthony Besanko to have murdered four unarmed prisoners in Afghanistan - a finding that Roberts-Smith has appealed in the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia.
  • An Australian UN UNIFIL observer is among those injured in an Israeli drone strike while patrolling Lebanon's southern border.
• 31 March –
  • Five people are rescued in a major operation after 26 people became stranded by rapidly rising flooding at a campground at East Leichhardt Dam near Mount Isa.
  • A 38-year-old man and a 65-year-old man drown in a hotel pool on the Gold Coast after going to the aid of their two-year-old daughter and granddaughter who had slipped into the pool.

April

• 2 April – Foreign minister Penny Wong confirms an Australian World Central Kitchen aid worker has been killed in an apparent Israeli air strike in Gaza.
• 3 April – Sam Mostyn is announced as Australia's next Governor-General, succeeding David Hurley. Some right-wing commentators such as Sky News Australia host Chris Kenny and former executive director of the libertarian think tank Institute of Public Affairs, John Roskam, politician Pauline Hanson, and conservative lobby group Advance Australia, criticised the appointment owing to her past activism, which included having referred to Australia Day as "Invasion Day" and support for Australia to become a republic.
• 4 April – The state member of the Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall announces he will leave the New South Wales Parliament in May to pursue employment in the private sector. Marshall's impending resignation will trigger the 2024 Northern Tablelands state by-election.
• 4–6 April – Intense torrential rainfall affects parts of New South Wales and Queensland, with the Greater Sydney region, the Mid North Coast and the Illawarra being among the areas worst affected. More than 150 flood rescues are carried out, and two bodies are found in floodwaters in Brisbane and Sydney respectively. The Warragamba Dam spills over with authorities also expecting the Woronora Dam, Cataract Dam and Nepean Dam to overflow.
• 9 April –
  • A 21-year-old man appears in the Magistrates Court in Ballarat, Victoria charged with the murder of his 23-year-old ex-partner Hannah McGuire whose body was found in a burnt out car in Scarsdale on 5 April. McGuire's death is the third such death in the Ballarat area allegedly caused by a male perpetrator following the alleged murders of Rebecca Young and Samantha Murphy, which sparks a national conversation about the prevention of violence against women, and the organisation of a snap rally to protest against men's violence.
  • Foreign minister Penny Wong uses a speech at the Australian National University in Canberra to announce that the Australian Government is considering recognising Palestinian statehood, and repeats that the international recognition of Palestine as a state could assist in building momentum towards a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. Her comments provoke widespread debate and criticism.
  • The Tasmania Civil and Administrative Tribunal finds the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart had engaged in direct discrimination after refusing a man entry into the "Ladies Lounge" exhibit during his visit in April 2023. The museum is ordered to stop refusing entry to people who do not identify as "ladies" within 28 days.
• 13 April –
  • Six people are killed in a mass stabbing at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre in Sydney. The offender is shot dead by police inspector Amy Scott who is praised for her actions. John Singleton's daughter Dawn and Kerry Good's daughter Ashlee are among the victims who were fatally stabbed.
  • The 2024 Cook by-election is held, which is easily won by Liberal candidate Simon Kennedy who achieves 62.61% of the first preference vote, defeating his nearest rival Greens candidate Martin Moore who attracts 16.68% of the first preference vote.
• 15 April –
  • Bruce Lehrmann loses the civil defamation case he brought against Network 10 and Lisa Wilkinson in the Federal Court, with Justice Michael Lee finding on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins.
  • 2024 Wakeley stabbing: Four people, including Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, are injured in a mass stabbing inside the Christ The Good Shepherd Church operated by the Assyrian Church of the East in Wakeley, New South Wales. A suspect is arrested. Police declare the incident a "terrorist attack", and that there are "elements that are satisfied in terms of religious motivated extremism."
• 16 April –
  • Australia's e-safety commissioner Julie Inman Grant orders X and Meta to remove footage of the stabbing of Mar Mari Emmanuel. The order is met with resistance from Elon Musk and prompts a protracted debate about free speech, with Musk refusing to delete the videos although it had blocked the content in Australia. A two-day injunction to compel X to hide posts that include the footage of the attack was later extended to 10 May 2024.
  • Outgoing Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci is threatened with jail time after failing to answer a question put to him by Greens senator Nick McKim during a Senate inquiry into supermarket pricing.
  • Authorities report the worst mass coral bleaching incident on the Great Barrier Reef on record.
• 17 April – New research released by The Australia Institute finds that red imported fire ants will likely cost Australians more than $22 billion by the 2040's if eradications efforts are unsuccessful.
• 22 April –
  • 28-year-old Molly Ticehurst is found dead at a property in Forbes, New South Wales. A 28-year-old man is subsequently charged with her alleged murder.
  • Steve Gollschewski is named as Queensland's new police commissioner, succeeding Katarina Carroll.
• 23 April – 49-year-old Emma Bates is found dead at a property in Cobram, Victoria. A 39-year-old man is subsequently charged with her alleged murder.
• 25 April –
  • Annual ANZAC Day commemorations are held throughout Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attends the dawn service at Isurava in Papua New Guinea after completing the Kokoda Track with James Marape.
  • Australian journalist Dylan Howard is named as a co-conspirator by prosecutors in the criminal trial of former American president Donald Trump who faces charges relating to falsyfying business records.
• 26 April –
  • 30-year-old Erica Hay is found dead in a fire-damaged property in Perth. A 35-year-old man is subsequently charged with her alleged murder.
  • Weekend rallies against gender-based violence commence being held across Australia organised by advocacy group What Were You Wearing, as part of a nationwide campaign to end violence against women. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's appearance at the rally in Canberra on 28 April ends in controversy when his claims that his requests to speak at the rally had been declined were described by organiser Sarah Williams as a "full out lie" who then breaks down in tears.
• 29 April – A 10-year-old girl is allegedly stabbed to death by her 17-year-old sister in Boolaroo, New South Wales. The older sibling is subsequently arrested and charged with murder.
• 30 April –
  • Its reported in the media that in 2020, Australia removed Indian spies from the country.
  • Australian airline Bonza enters voluntary administration after having its fleet of aircraft repossessed by creditors prompting the sudden cancellation of all flights.
  • The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal clears the former mayor of Rockhampton and current 2024 state election independent candidate Margaret Strelow of allegations of misconduct which prompted her resignation as mayor in 2020, triggering the controversial 2021 Rockhampton Region mayoral by-election.

May

• 1 May – Qantas issues an apology after a data breach allowed customers using the app to see information of other passengers including their names and their upcoming flights.
• 2 May – A jury takes just 30 minutes to find 36-year-old Portmorseby Cecil guilty of the violent murder of his 71-year-old mother-in-law Sue Duffy, whom he stabbed 15 times with a hunting knife during a fit of rage in Rockhampton on 21 August 2022.
• 3 May – Mexican authorities in Ensenada, Baja California confirm three bodies have been discovered near where Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend went missing on 27 April.
• 4 May –
  • Queensland's assistant minister for health Brittany Lauga alleges she was drugged and then sexually assaulted on 28 April 2024 during a night out in Yeppoon, with the alleged incident filmed by bystanders who then post the video on Snapchat.
  • A 16-year-old boy armed with a knife is shot dead by Western Australia Police with a single shot in a Bunnings carpark in the Perth suburb of Willetton after two tasers "didn't have the full desired effect". He was subsequently found to have stabbed another man a short time earlier nearby. Premier Roger Cook later described the boy as having been radicalised online.
• 5 May – The triennial week-long Beef Australia expo gets underway in Queensland.
• 6 May –
  • The body of a man is discovered off the coast of Sydney after he is earlier reported missing when he goes overboard on the P&O Cruises ship Pacific Adventure.
  • In a settlement with the ACCC, Qantas agrees to pay a $100 million fine and to repay $20 million in compensation to customers after allegedly selling tickets for more than 8,000 flights which had already been cancelled.
  • Queensland premier Steven Miles uses Labour Day to announce that the state's public servants will soon be entitled to ten days paid leave to access reproductive health care at a cost of $80 million each year. A pro-Palestine protestor is later arrested for allegedly throwing eggs at Miles during the annual Labour Day March in Brisbane.
• 7 May –
  • Melbourne school Yarra Valley Grammar confirms two of its male students have been expelled following the discovery of an offensive spreadsheet in which female students were ranked on their appearance. A number of other students are also suspensded over the dossier which included references to sexual violence and used the term "unrapeable". Victorian premier Jacinta Allan describes the behaviour of the students as "misogynist, disgraceful, disgusting and utterly unacceptable".
  • The Reserve Bank of Australia announces it will leave the interest rate steady at 4.35%.
• 8 May –
  • Police in Indonesia intercept a boat at Kupang, suspecting it was being used by people smugglers allegedly attempting to transport six Chinese men to Australia.
  • Cumberland City Council votes to ban books depicting same-sex relationships from their libraries, citing "sexualisation" concerns. The ban receives condemnation from a number of Labor public figures and organisations, such as environment minister Tanya Plibersek, several ministers in the NSW government, the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, independent federal MP Allegra Spender, and Equality Australia.
• 9 May – Hunter Valley Grammar School attracts criticism and prompts a national debate after their decision to rename their annual Mother's Day stall to "Family Gift Stall".
• 10 May –
  • Bruce Lehrmann is ordered by the Federal Court of Australia to pay most of Network 10's legal fees following his failed defamation case against the network and journalist Lisa Wilkinson.
  • A tornado hits the Western Australian city of Bunbury causing extensive damage, and causing at least two people to be admitted to hospital.
  • Norio Nagata, the vice-speaker of Minokama city assembly in Gifu Prefecture in central Japan resigns after an alleged incident involving the daughter of Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson in which Nagata allegedly sexually harassed her at a karaoke afterparty following a welcome reception on 3 April. Minokamo's mayor Hiroto Fujii had earlier issued an apology to its sister city, which Dickerson accepted.
• 11 May –
  • A geomagnetic solar storm causes Aurora Australis to be clearly visible in many parts of Australia.
  • Federal agricultural minister Murray Watt announces that Western Australia's live sheep export trade will end from 1 May 2028. While the RSPCA welcomes the move, the announcement is condemned by Nationals leader David Littleproud, Western Australian opposition leader Shane Love, National Farmers' Federation CEO Tony Maher and WA Livestock president Geoff Pearson. Western Australian premier Roger Cook also criticises the support package announced for farmers to transition away from live exports.
• 13 May –
  • A 19-year-old man is sentenced to 14 years in jail after pleading guilty to the murder of 41-year-old Emma Lovell during a break-in at her Brisbane home on 26 December 2022, where the man fatally stabbed Lovell.
  • A 53-year-old pilot successfully completes a belly landing at Newcastle Airport after his plane's landing gear fails.
  • An autonomous driverless train loaded with iron ore derails after the train, operated by Rio Tinto, collides with a set of stationery wagons near Karratha prompting the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator to investigate.
• 14 May –
  • David McBride is sentenced to five years and eight months jail after pleading guilty to stealing and sharing classified military documents, which were then used by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for the program The Afghan Files, to broadcast allegations of Australian soldiers being involved in illegal killings.
  • Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivers the 2024 Australian federal budget.
• 15 May –
  • The Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal dismisses an appeal against Hobart City Council's decision to remove a statue of Tasmanian premier William Crowther. However before the decision was delivered, vandals had cut the statue down and sprayed graffiti on the plinth.
  • Labor senator Fatima Payman accuses Israel of genocide and calls on her own party to cease trade with Israel. Her comments, particularly her use of the controversial phrase "From the river to the sea" draws widespread condemnation.
• 16 May –
  • The Federal Court of Australia rules that federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek does not need to consider environmental impacts of emissions when she gives approvals for gas or coal projects.
  • Australians are urged to reconsider their need to travel to New Caledonia after violent riots break out in the French territory. Foreign minister Penny Wong later states that Australia is working with authorities to assess options to ensure the safe return of Australians who are stranded in New Caledonia.
• 18 May –
  • A Victorian Labor Party conference at Moonee Valley Racecourse attended by Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese is stormed by pro-Palestinian protestors prompting a major security alert.
  • DFAT confirms it is providing consular assistance to an Australian who was injured in a shooting in Afghanistan.
• 19 May –
  • It's revealed that six soldiers serving at RAAF Base Richmond tested positive to illicit drugs just days before special forces soldier Jack Fitzgibbon was killed during parachute training on 6 March 2024.
  • A New South Wales police officer on traffic duty near Sydney's Hyde Park is allegedly stabbed in the head by a 34-year-old man. The officer is treated for non-life threatening injuries at the scene before being taken to St Vincent's Hospital.
  • Six people are arrested in Melbourne after pro-Palestinian protestors descend on the pro-Israel "Stop the Hate, Mate" rally held on the steps of Parliament House and organised by a Christian group called Never Again is Now.
  • The bodies of a 38-year-old man and a two-year-old boy are discovered in Lismore, New South Wales after a suspected murder-suicide.

Future and scheduled events

• 24 August – 2024 Northern Territory general election
• 14 September – 2024 New South Wales local elections
• 19 October – 2024 Australian Capital Territory general election
• 26 October – 2024 Queensland state election
• October – 2024 Victorian local elections

Sport

January

• 1 January – David Warner announces his retirement from One Day International cricket.
• 3 January –
  • Jarome Luai confirms he will be leaving the Penrith Panthers after the 2024 NRL season to join the Wests Tigers.
  • The third cricket test between Pakistan and Australia commences at the Sydney Cricket Ground with Pakistan winning the toss and electing the bat. It's David Warner's final test, and also the 16th time the January test at the SCG has been dubbed "The Pink Test".
• 6 January – Australia win the third cricket test against Pakistan by eight wickets, winning the series 3-0.
• 7 January –
  • Elena Rybakina wins the women's singles title at the 2024 Brisbane International, defeating Aryna Sabalenka, 6-0, 6-3.
  • Grigor Dimitrov wins the men's singles title at the 2024 Brisbane International, defeating Holger Rune, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
• 8 January – Germany wins the 2024 United Cup tennis tournament.
• 13 January –
  • The Socceroos win their first match in the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, defeating India, 2-0.
  • Storm Boy, ridden by Adam Hyeronimus and trained by Gai Waterhouse, wins the Magic Millions Classic at the Gold Coast.
• 14 January – The 2024 Australian Open gets underway in Melbourne.
• 17 January – The first cricket test between Australia and the West Indies commences at the Adelaide Oval with Australia winning the toss and electing to bowl first. Notably, West Indian bowler Shamar Joseph on debut collects the wicket of Steve Smith with his first delivery in test cricket.
• 19 January –
  • Joe Schmidt is officially announced as the new coach of The Wallabies.
  • Australia defeat the West Indies by ten wickets on the third day of the first test at the Adelaide Oval, with Travis Head named as the player of the match.
• 21 January – Olympic swimmer Mack Horton announces his retirement, deciding not to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
• 24 January – The final of the 2023–24 Big Bash League season is played at the Sydney Cricket Ground where the Brisbane Heat win against the Sydney Sixers by 54 runs.
• 27 January – Aryna Sabalenka wins the women's singles final at the 2024 Australian Open, defeating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2.
• 28 January –
  • The West Indies defeat Australia by eight runs in the second cricket test at The Gabba.
  • Jannik Sinner wins the men's singles final at the 2024 Australian Open, defeating Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
• 31 January – The Australian Cricket Awards are held in Melbourne where Mitchell Marsh wins the Allan Border Medal and Ash Gardner wins the Belinda Clark Award.

February

• 2 February –
  • The Socceroos are defeated by South Korea 2-1 in the AFC Asian Cup quarterfinal at Al Janoub Stadium in Qatar.
  • Australia defeat the West Indies by eight wickets at the MCG in the first One Day International of a three-match series.
  • Alysha Koloi wins Australia's first gold medal at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, winning gold in the 1-metre springboard event.
• 3 February – The Australia women's national cricket team defeat South Africa by 8 wickets at the Adelaide Oval in the first of three Women's One Day Internationals.
• 4 February – Australia defeat the West Indies by 83 runs at the SCG, in the second One Day International of the three-match series.
• 6 February – Australia defeat the West Indies by eight wickets in the third and final One Day International at Canberra's Manuka Oval after what becomes Australia's fastest ODI run chase in history, reaching a target of 87 in just 6.5 overs and winning the series 3-0.
• 7 February – The South Africa women's cricket team defeat Australia by 84 runs (DLS) at North Sydney Oval in the second of three WODIs.
• 8 February – The Australian open water swimming team of Moesha Johnson, Chelsea Gubecka, Nicholas Sloman and Kyle Lee win gold at the 2024 World Aquatic Championships in Doha.
• 9 February –
  • Former Australian rugby union player Kurtley Beale is acquitted of sexually assaulting a woman at a pub in Sydney in December 2022 when a jury finds Beale not guilty of one count of sexual intercourse without consent and two counts of sexual touching.
  • Australia beat the West Indies by 11 runs at Hobart's Bellerive Oval in the first of three Twenty20 Internationals.
• 10 February –
  • The Australia women's national cricket team defeat South Africa at North Sydney Oval in the third and final WODI by 110 runs (DLS), claiming a series win 2-1.
  • Australia's Domonic Bedggood and Maddison Keeney win gold in the mixed synchronised three metre springboard diving at the 2024 World Aquatic Championships in Doha.
  • A group of Australian Women's Ice Hockey League players as well as spectators are admitted to hospital for suspected carbon monoxide poisoning following a match between Melbourne Ice Hockey team and the Adelaide Rush at Ice Arena in Adelaide.
• 11 February –
  • A man is killed in a serious accident at the annual Southern 80 water skiing event on the Murray River at Moama/Echuca.
  • Australia beat the West Indies by 34 runs at the Adelaide Oval in the second of three Twenty20 Internationals, during which Glenn Maxwell scores the fastest T20 International century in Australia.
  • Mitch Wishnowsky becomes the first Australian to actually play in the United States of America's NFL Super Bowl when he represents the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
  • Brisbane Broncos players Patrick Carrigan and Adam Reynolds are filmed engaged in a drunken scuffle in Brisbane after the team's annual fan day.
• 14 February – Australia's Rhiannan Iffland wins gold in the women's high diving event at the 2024 World Aquatic Championships, while Samuel Williamson wins gold in the men's 50 metre breaststroke, setting a new Australian record.
• 16 February – The annual All Stars rugby league match is held at North Queensland Stadium, where the Indigenous All Stars defeat the Māori team 22-14 with Braydon Trindall winning man of the match. The Indigenous women's team also defeat the Māori women's team 26-4 with Kirra Dibb winning player of the match.
• 17 February – The Australia women's cricket team defeat South Africa by an innings and 284 runs in a standalone test at the WACA in Perth.
• 18 February –
  • Olympic equestrian Shane Rose is stood down from competition by Equestrian Australia while it conducts a review after receiving complaints after Rose wore a mankini during the Wallaby Hill Extravaganza in Robertson on 11 February. Equestrian Australia subsequently clears Rose of any wrongdoing, finding that he did not breach the code of conduct.
  • Australia's Isaac Cooper wins gold in the men's 50 metre backstroke at the 2024 World Aquatic Championships in Doha, while the Australian women's 4 x 100 metre medley relay team (Shayna Jack, Brianna Throssell, Abbey Harkin and Iona Anderson) also win gold.
• 20 February – The Australian cricket team win the first match of the T20I series in New Zealand, with Tim David hitting a boundary off the last ball of the game to secure victory against New Zealand.
• 21 February –
  • Melbourne AFL player Angus Brayshaw announces his retirement after receiving medical advice following a collision with Brayden Maynard in the 2023 qualifying final against Collingwood.
  • Veteran sports broadcaster Karen Tighe announces her departure from the ABC after 35 years of covering sport on both television and radio.
• 28 February – The Matildas defeat Uzbekistan 10-0 at Docklands Stadium to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

March

• 1 March – Roger Kerr confirms his daughter Sam Kerr is ruled out of playing for The Matildas in the 2024 Summer Olympics due to her knee injury.
• 3 March –
  • The 2024 NRL season commences in Las Vegas, with the first two games of Round 1 played Allegiant Stadium.
  • Australia defeat New Zealand by 172 runs in the first match of the 2024 Trans-Tasman test series in Wellington.
  • Hannah Green wins the LPGA Women's World Championship in Singapore.
• 4 March – Matildas captain Sam Kerr pleads not guilty in Kingston upon Thames Crown Court after being charged on 21 January 2024 with racially aggravated harassment of a police officer following an alleged incident on 30 January 2023. Kerr is due to face trial at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on 1 February 2025.
• 7 March –
  • The Australian Olympic Team's uniform for the 2024 Summer Olympics is unveiled in Sydney.
  • The 2024 AFL season gets underway at the SCG with the Sydney Swans defeating the Melbourne Demons by 22 points.
• 8 March –
  • North Melbourne coach Alistair Clarkson is fined $20,000 and issued with a suspended two-match ban after allegedly using a homophobic slur while addressing players Jimmy Webster and Dougal Howard during a pre-season match on 3 March.
  • In what is described as an "all time thriller", the Carlton Blues beat the Brisbane Lions by just 1 point in a 46-point comeback in their Opening Round match at The Gabba.
• 11 March –
  • Australia defeats New Zealand by three wickets in the second test match at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
  • Spencer Leniu from the Sydney Roosters receives an eight-week suspension from the NRL Judiciary after pleading guilty to contrary conduct for a racial slur directed towards Brisbane Broncos player Ezra Mam during the round one match in Las Vegas on 3 March.
• 14 March – South Sydney Rabbitohs player Latrell Mitchell swears multiple times in a live post-match interview with Triple M's Ben Dobbin. The incident prompts several rugby league commentators and former players to criticise Mitchell with some also accusing the NRL failing to sanction Mitchell for his conduct. The controversy also prompts complaints from Nine Entertainment and the Rabbitohs about Dobbin's interview being filmed and shared to social media despite Triple M having audio-only rights at NRL games.
• 17 March – Australian short track speed skater Brendan Corey wins bronze in the Men's 1500m event at the 2024 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Rotterdam.
• 18 March –
  • Queensland premier Steven Miles announces the state government is rejecting an independent review led by Graham Quirk which proposes a new stadium be built in Victoria Park at a cost of $3.4 billion for the 2032 Summer Olympics and Paralympics and says the government is instead considering an upgrade to both Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre and Lang Park. Miles' announcement triggers much public debate.
  • Tasmania's new AFL and AFLW club, the Tasmania Devils is officially launched in Hobart.
• 21 March – Former Perth Wildcats NBL basketball player Kendal Pinder is sentenced in the Downing Centre District Court in Sydney to eight years imprisonment (with a five-year non-parole period) after being convicted of two violent sexual assaults in 2009 and 2021.
• 22 March – A 22-year-old man is arrested and charged with entering an oval during a scheduled event and banned from the Adelaide Oval at least for three years after allegedly invading the pitch during the AFL match between the Adelaide Crows and the Geelong Cats. The man's alleged behaviour is widely condemned.
• 23 March – The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Lady of Camelot, ridden by Blake Shinn, wins the 2024 Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse.
• 24 March – The 2024 Australian Grand Prix is won by Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr.
• 25 March – Western Australia win the Sheffield Shield for the third consecutive year, defeating Tasmania by 377 runs at the WACA.
• 26 March – Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie uses parliamentary privilege to raise allegations of misconduct within the Australian Football League pertaining to secret "off the books" drug testing of AFL players, claiming players who test positive are asked to fake injuries to avoid detection on game day. The allegations prompt Sport Integrity Australia to assess the allegations.
• 28 March – Former AFL player Eddie Betts posts CCTV vision from his home on social media appearing to show his children being racially abused by a passing motorist as they played basketball in their backyard. The alleged actions of the driver attracts widespread condemnation, with Victoria Police confirming they were investigating the incident.
• 30 March – Tim Tszyu is defeated by Sebastian Fundora in Las Vegas losing his WBC super welterweight belt, in his first defeat in 25 fights.
• 31 March – The Tasmania JackJumpers win their first NBL title, defeating Melbourne United 83-81 at John Cain Arena in the 2024 NBL Finals.

April

• 1 April – The Stawell Gift is held, despite being delayed more than two hours due to storms in western Victoria.The men's final is won by Jack Lacey while the women's final is won by Chloe Mannix-Power.
• 5 April – Former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper makes his rugby sevens debut in Hong Kong in his first World Rugby Sevens Series match, where Australia defeats Fiji 12-0.
• 6 April – Chain of Lightning, Riff Rocket and Celestial Legend are the respective winning horses in the TJ Smith Stakes, the Australian Derby and the Doncaster Handicap at Royal Randwick Racecourse.
• 8 April – NRL player Latrell Mitchell from the South Sydney Rabbitohs is suspended for three weeks after pleading guilty to a dangerous conduct charge after hitting New Zealand Warriors player Shaun Johnson with his elbow during the match on 6 April.
• 10 April – AFL player Jeremy Finlayson from the Port Adelaide Power is suspended for three matches for using a homophobic slur against an Essendon Bombers player during the match on 5 April. He will also be required to attend Pride in Sport training.
• 11 April – The Sydney Roosters allow Michael Jennings to lead them out onto the field in Newcastle to mark his 300th game, after the NRL decides not to celebrate the milestone with the usual fanfare due to Jennings' past conduct.
• 17 April – Boxing Australia's national coach Jamie Pittman withdraws from the 2024 Olympic Games after being found by the National Sports Tribunal to have committed sexual misconduct.
• 21 April – Australian surfer Jack Robinson wins the Margaret River Pro, defeating Hawaii's John John Florence.
• 22 April – Skateboarder Arisa Trew receives the Laureus World Sports Award for Action Sportsperson of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards.
• 24 April – Racehorse trainer Darren Weir is cleared by the Victorian Racing Tribunal of allegations he used a jigger on horses with the intention of corrupting the outcome of the 2018 Melbourne Cup.
• 26 April – The LIV Golf Adelaide tournament commences at The Grange Golf Club, which is ultimately won by American golfer Brendan Steele.
• 30 April – Jason Demetriou is sacked as the head coach of the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

May

• 1 May –
  • Mitchell Marsh is appointed as captain of the Australian men's cricket team for the T20 World Cup.
  • Rugby league journalist Paul Kent is arrested and charged with affray after an alleged incident at a restaurant in Sydney, with Fox Sports and News Corp earlier issuing a statement on 28 April revealing Kent had been stood down from his duties pending an investigation into the incident. Kent was replaced on Fox Sport's NRL 360 by James Graham. It had been reported on 30 April that Kent was being treated in hospital with a suspected collapsed lung and approximately five broken ribs.
• 2 May – Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould is issued with a $20,000 fine by the National Rugby League after comments he made on the Nine Network's 100% Footy, where he took issue with various rules of the game.
• 9 May – NRL player David Fifita agrees to a four-year deal with the Sydney Roosters, confirming he will leave the Gold Coast Titans at the end of the 2024 NRL season. However, he later backflips on the decision deciding to re-sign with the Titans.
• 11 May –
  • Ben O'Connor finishes third in the eighth stage of the 2024 Giro d'Italia cycling race in Italy.
  • The Wallaroos are defeated by Canada 33-14 at Sydney Football Stadium in their first game of the 2024 Pacific Four Series.
• 13 May –
  • The NRL confirms it is investigating allegations of a fan racially abusing Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker during the South Sydney Rabbitohs' Round 10 game against the St. George Illawarra Dragons at Kogarah Oval on 11 May.
  • Football Australia issues a Western Sydney Wanderers fan with a two-year ban effectively immediately after they were captured during a television broadcast performing the Nazi salute after an A-League game at Sydney Football Stadium. New South Wales Police also confirm they are continuing to investigate the incident but are yet to make any arrests.
  • The Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre is evacuated during the New South Wales Combined High School Swimming Carnvial after solar panels on the roof catch fire.
• 14 May – The U.S. Center for SafeSport rules that Australian figure skater Brendan Kerry is banned for sexual misconduct with a minor, preventing him from competing in any events controlled by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Kerry denies any wrongdoing and intends to appeal the decision.
• 15 May – In a surprising backflip, David Fifita announces he has decided against joining the Sydney Roosters, instead deciding to re-sign with the Gold Coast Titans.
• 16 May –
  • Former Olympic basketballer and Australian Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Danny Morseu is found guilty of one count of bodily harm after punching a woman in the head eight times, and is sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended after four months.
  • New South Wales defeats Queensland 22-12 in the first game of the Women's State of Origin series in Brisbane.
• 18 May – Football Australia issues no-fault suspensions to MacArthur FC A-League players Ulises Davila, Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus after they were arrested and charged by the NSW Police Organised Crime Squad Gaming Unit for allegedly being involved in betting corruption.
• 20 May –
  • Widespread job cuts are announced at Greyhound Racing NSW in an attempt to cut costs.
  • Brad Arthur is sacked as the coach of the Parramatta Eels.
• 21 May – Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett confirms he is returning to the South Sydney Rabbitohs from 2025 after signing a three-year contract.

Holidays

Further information: Public holidays in Australia

Australian Capital Territory

Source:

• Monday 1 January - New Year's Day
• Friday 26 January - Australia Day
• Monday 11 March - Canberra Day
• Friday 29 March - Good Friday
• Saturday 30 March - Easter Saturday
• Sunday 31 March - Easter Sunday
• Monday 1 April - Easter Monday
• Thursday 25 April - Anzac Day
• Monday 27 May - Reconciliation Day
• Monday 10 June - Sovereign's Birthday
• Monday 7 October - Labour Day
• Wednesday 25 December - Christmas Day
• Thursday 26 December - Boxing Day

Art and entertainment

January

• 8 January – At the 81st Golden Globe Awards, Sarah Snook wins the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama and Elizabeth Debicki wins the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.
• 14 January – At the 29th Critics' Choice Awards, Sarah Snook wins the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series and Elizabeth Debicki wins the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
• 15 January – At the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, Sarah Snook wins the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
• 27 January –
  • American rapper Doja Cat wins the annual Triple J Hottest 100 countdown with her song "Paint the Town Red".
  • The Country Music Awards of Australia are held in Tamworth where The Wolfe Brothers win the Golden Guitar for Album of the Year for Livin' The Dream, while Felicity Urquhart and Josh Cunningham win Golden Guitars for Song of the Year and Single of the Year for their song "Size Up".

February

• 1 February – Grace Yee wins the Victorian Prize for Literature at the 2024 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards.
• 4 February – Kylie Minogue wins the Grammy Award for Best Pop Dance Recording at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for "Padam Padam".
• 9 February – Pink commences the Australian leg of her Summer Carnival tour at the Sydney Football Stadium, ahead of her concerts in Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
• 10 February – The 13th AACTA Awards are held on the Gold Coast. Talk to Me wins Best Film, with Aswan Reid and Sophie Wilde winning Best Lead Actor and Best Lead Actress respectively. The Newsreader wins Best Television Drama with Hugo Weaving and Anna Torv winning Best Lead Actor and Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama Series respectively. Margot Robbie receives the Trailblazer Award.
• 14 February –
  • Peter Helliar and Emma Watkins are crowned this year's monarchs of Melbourne's Moomba Festival.
  • Regional music festival Groovin' the Moo is cancelled due to poor ticket sales.
• 16 February – Taylor Swift commences the Australian leg of The Eras Tour with three concerts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground ahead of her four shows at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
• 24 February – Elizabeth Debicki wins the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series at the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

March

• 6 March – It's announced Electric Fields will represent Australia at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden with their song "One Milkali (One Blood)".
• 9 March – Due to extreme heat, the 2024 Moomba Parade in Melbourne (scheduled for 11 March) is cancelled.
• 12 March – Kylie Minogue and Arcade Fire are announced as the headliners at this year's Splendour in the Grass music festival near the Byron Bay.
• 15 March – John Ferguson from The Australian wins the Gold Quill at the Quill Awards for his story about the 2023 Leongatha mushroom poisoning.
• 21 March – Veteran ABC broadcaster James Valentine announces he has been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and will undergo surgery to remove his oesophagus. He is to be temporarily replaced on ABC Radio Sydney's Afternoons program by Tim Webster.
• 25 March – Despite having announced the line-up of artists two weeks prior, organisers of the Splendour in the Grass music festival near Byron Bay suddenly announce the cancellation of the festival for 2024 due to unexpected events.

April

• 14 April – Sarah Snook wins the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress at the 2024 Laurence Olivier Awards.
• 17 April – The annual Queensland Music Awards are held in Brisbane. Jem Cassar-Daley wins Song of the Year with "King of Disappointment", Cub Sport wins Album of the Year for Jesus at the Gay Bar and James Blundell is recognised with the Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award.
• 20 April – During his performance at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, comedian Arj Barker asks a breastfeeding mother in the audience to leave, claiming her seven-month-old baby was disrupting his show. The incident prompts much discussion and public debate.
• 21 April – Archie Moore wins the Golden Lion award at the 2024 Venice Biennale for his installation "kith and kin", Australia's representative exhibition which was housed in the Australian pavilion.
• 27 April – Nicole Kidman is awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award.
• 29 April – The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's national sports reporter David Mark is recognised at the International Sports Press Association's Sports Media Awards in Spain for his exposé into rock climbing coach Stephen Mitchell who was convicted in 2023 of sexually assaulting six young girls between 1994 and 2008.

May

• 1 May – Troye Sivan's "Rush" wins Song of the Year at the APRA Music Awards of 2024 in Sydney.
• 2 May – Alexis Wright becomes the first person to win the Stella Prize twice, when she wins the 2024 Stella Prize for her novel Praiseworthy.
• 6 May – ABC Radio Sydney officially commences broadcasting from the ABC's new broadcasting facility at 6 & 8 Parramatta Square in Parramatta, with Mornings hosted by Sarah Macdonald becoming the first program to air from the site. The facility was officially opened by ABC chair Kim Williams, ABC managing director David Anderson and Member for Parramatta Andrew Charlton.
• 8 May – Australia's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, Electric Fields are knocked out in the first semi-final.
• 12 May – Following Macklemore's performance in Sydney of his pro-Palestine university protests song "Hind's Hall", co-chief executive officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alexander Ryvchin describes the song as "hateful" and says it "whitewashes the racism (and) violence... that has come out of the (university) encampments."
• 20 May – Kylie Kwong announces she is ending her 30-year career as a professional chef.

• List of Australian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
• List of Australian films of 2024
• List of 2024 box office number-one films in Australia

Television

Main article: 2024 in Australian television

January

• 14 January –
  • Alicia Loxley and Tom Steinfort begin their tenure as co-anchors of Nine News Melbourne, following veteran anchor Peter Hitchener's move to weekend bulletins.
  • The second series of the ABC TV series Muster Dogs premieres, which is again narrated by Lisa Millar.
  • It's announced Colin Fassnidge will be joining the Seven Network's Better Homes and Gardens for the 2024 season following the departure of Fast Ed.
• 15 January – Network 10's rebooted Gladiators hosted by Beau Ryan and Liz Ellis premieres.
• 19 January - The Nine Network announces former A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw will co-host medical documentary series Do You Want To Live Forever? Nine also reveals Nine News reporters Dimity Clancy and Adam Hegarty are joining 60 Minutes.
• 24 January – Andrew O'Keefe, the former host of Deal or No Deal, The Chase Australia and Weekend Sunrise, is found guilty of common assault, common assault occasioning actual bodily harm, breaching an AVO and drug possession after assaulting his former partner during an argument in 2021.
• 28 January – After succeeding Kay McGrath in January 2020, Katrina Blowers anchors her final weekend edition of Seven News Brisbane and is succeeded by Samantha Heathwood. Blowers and Heathwood both succeed Kendall Gilding as anchors of the 4pm weekday edition.
• 29 January –
  • The first edition of 10 News First: Afternoon goes to air on Network 10 presented by Narelda Jacobs.
  • The Australian version of Tipping Point hosted by Todd Woodbridge debuts on the Nine Network.
  • Seven's game show The Chase Australia hosted by Larry Emdur introduces a "Double Trouble" format.
  • Deal or No Deal is revived by Network 10, hosted by Grant Denyer.
  • The ninth season of Australian Idol debuts on the Seven Network.
  • Australian Survivor: Titans V Rebels hosted by Jonathan LaPaglia debuts on Network 10.
  • The eleventh season of Married at First Sight debuts on the Nine Network.
  • Nine News Melbourne airs an photoshopped image of Victorian state MP Georgie Purcell which appears to enlarge her breasts and expose her midriff. After Purcell accuses Nine of sexism, they issues an apology blaming automation from Photoshop during resizing.

February

• 2 February –
  • A collaboration between BBC Studios/Ludo Studio and Australian hardware chain Bunnings is officially launched, which sees six Bunnings stores temporarily rebranded to Hammerbarn, in homage to a 2020 Bluey episode, "Hammerbarn".
  • Better Homes and Gardens returns to the Seven Network for its 30th season.
• 4 February – Insiders returns to ABC TV with the first guest for 2024 being the Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese.
• 16 February – The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's ombudsman clears Indigenous Affairs editor Bridget Brennan of breaching impartiality standards during a live cross to News Breakfast on Australia Day in which she used the phrase "always was and always will be Aboriginal land", which prompted 25 complaints.
• 18 February – Former Totally Wild and Studio 10 reporter and Gamify host Jesse Baird and his partner Luke Davies disappear. A 28-year-old New South Wales police officer, who Baird previously dated, is subsequently charged with their murders.
• 19 February – An episode of ABC TV's Four Corners attracts attention after Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci attempts to have comments he made about former ACCC chair Rod Sims edited out, before momentarily walking away when Grigg refused.

March

• 2 March – The Seven Network announces Simon Cohen, Rosie Morley and Lana Taylor as the judges on its upcoming home renovation reality program Dream Home hosted by Chris Brown.
• 8 March – Network 10 reboots Ready Steady Cook as a weekly Friday night program hosted by Miguel Maestre.
• 15 March – The Nine Network's director of news and current affairs Darren Wick officially announces he is leaving the network after 29 years, stating "I'm tired and need a rest."
• 19 March – Feras Basal becomes the first Arab Australian to win Australian Survivor, winning the eleventh season Titans Vs Rebels.
• 22 March –
  • The Seven Network's Early News presenter Jodie Speers leaves the network after 15 years. She is succeeded by Edwina Bartholomew.
  • Brooke Boney announces she is to leave her role on the Nine Network's breakfast program Today after the 2024 Summer Olympics to study at the University of Oxford.
• 24 March –
  • The tenth season of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! premieres on Network 10, hosted by Julia Morris and new co-host Robert Irwin.
  • Australian Idol judge Marcia Hines is taken to hospital after collapsing in her dressing room prior to the show going to air.
• 25 March – The finale of Australian Idol's ninth season airs on the Seven Network, which is won by Dylan Wright who beats out Amy Reeves and Denvah Baker-Moller.

April

• 2 April – Pizza creator Paul Fenech responds to accusations of fatphobia by Rebel Wilson who recalls her time playing the character of Toula in her new memoir, with Fenech describing Wilson's claims as "hurtful" and "disgusting" while describing her as "ungrateful".
• 5 April – Emma Watkins is announced as the host of the upcoming third series of ABC TV's Teenage Boss, succeeding Eddie Woo.
• 9 April – Virginia Trioli returns to television, hosting the first episode of new arts series Creative Types with Virginia Trioli on ABC TV.
• 12 April – It's announced that former ABC and Nine political editor Chris Uhlmann is joining Sky News Australia as a political contributor.
• 19 April – Neighbours is nominated for Best Daytime Drama Series at the 51st Daytime Emmy Awards while Guy Pearce is nominated for Best Guest Performance In A Daytime Drama Series for his portrayal of Mike Young.
• 20 April – Filmed in London and hosted by Stephen Fry, a new version of Jeopardy! Australia premieres on the Nine Network.
• 21 April – Skye Wheatley wins the tenth season of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
• 22 April – The sixteenth season of MasterChef Australia premieres on Network 10, with new judges Sofia Levin, Jean-Christophe Novelli and Poh Ling Yeow joining current judge Andy Allen for the new series.
• 26 April – A Sydney university student reaches a confidential settlement with the Seven Network after he was wrongly named as the Bondi Junction stabbing attacker by presenter Matt Shirvington on Weekend Sunrise the morning after the attacks.
• 29 April – The life's work of Mr. Squiggle creator Norman Hetherington is entrusted to the National Museum of Australia.

May

• 1 May – Southern Cross Television in Tasmania is issued with a breach notice by the Australian Communications and Media Authority after a viewer complained about poor closed captioning for the hearing impaired while watching the 9 November 2023 edition of Nightly News 7 Tasmania.
• 7 May – Network 10 confirms The Bachelor Australia and The Masked Singer Australia won't be airing in 2024.
• 9 May – The Australian Broadcasting Corporation announces that the ABC TV Plus and ABC Me digital multi-channels will be rebranded to ABC Family and ABC Entertains from June. ABC Kids programming will continue to air on Channel 22 throughout the day before ABC Family commences airing family-friendly content from 7:30pm each night.
• 10 May – Network 10 announces the celebrity contestants which will make up the cast for the next The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition series. Among the cast are Tai Tuivasa, Billy Brownless, Brooke McClymont, Adam Eckersley, Chloe Logarzo, Emily Gielnik, Havana Brown, Jett Kenny, Luke McGregor, Natalie Bassingthwaite, Peter Hellier and Ian Thorpe.

Deaths

January

Stephen Laybutt

• 3 January – Lillian Crombie, actress (The Place at the Coast, Deadly, Jindalee Lady) and dancer (b. 1958)
• 11 January – Mike Taylor, record company executive (Universal Music Australia) (b. 1967).
• 12 January – David Lumsdaine, composer (b. 1931)
• 13 January – Stephen Laybutt, footballer (Gent, Newcastle Jets, national team) (b. 1977)
• 14 January –
  • John Bingley, Australian rules football player (b. 1941)
  • Joan Coxsedge, politician and activist (b. 1931)
• 17 January – Anthony Gobert, motorcycle road racer (b. 1975)
• 18 January – Ted Allsopp, racewalker (b. 1926)
• 19 January – Raymond Apple, rabbi (b. 1935)
• 21 January –
  • Roger Rogerson, police officer and convicted murderer (b. 1941)
  • Dick O'Bree, Australian rules footballer (b. 1936)
• 22 January – John McMahon, cricketer (b. 1932)
• 24 January – Troy Beckwith, actor (b.1975 or 1976)
• 31 January – Michael Egan, politician (b. 1948)

February

Lowitja O'Donoghue

• 1 February – Garth Manton, rower (b. 1929)
• 2 February – Gregory Charles Rivers, actor (b. 1965) (died in China)
• 4 February –
  • Lowitja O'Donoghue, public administrator and activist (b. 1932)
  • Andrew Rogers – judge (b. 1933)
• 5 February –
  • Joan Montgomery, teacher (b. 1925)
  • Ernie O'Rourke, Australian rules footballer (b. 1926)
• 9 February – Frank Howson, theatre and film director (b. 1952)
• 10 February – Harold Mitchell, businessman (b. 1942)
• 17 February – Geoffrey Michaels, violinist (b. 1944) (died in the United States)
• 19 February –
  • Jesse Baird, television presenter and AFL goal umpire (b. c. 1998)
  • Marion Halligan, writer (b. 1940)
• 21 February – Jayo Archer, motocross rider (b. 1996)
• 27 February –
  • Darryl van de Velde, rugby league player, coach and administrator (b. 1951)
  • John Flynn, politician (b. 1953)
• 29 February – Linda White, politician

March

Ian Heads

• 4 March – Michael Jenkins, writer, producer and director (b. 1946)
• 5 March –
  • Guy Griffiths, naval officer (b. 1923)
  • Steve Marsh, Australian rules footballer (b. 1924)
• 7 March – David Granger, Australian rules footballer (b. 1955)
• 10 March – Steve Maxwell, footballer (b. 1965)
• 11 March – Mike McColl-Jones, comedy writer (b. 1937)
• 14 March –
  • Grant Page, stuntman (b. 1939)
  • Francis Carroll, archbishop (b. 1930)
  • Tom Gilmore Jr., politician (b. 1946)
• 24 March – Andrew Plympton, Australian rules football administrator (b. 1949)
• 25 March – Ian Heads, rugby league journalist and historian (b. 1943)
• 30 March – Les Twentyman, youth outreach worker (b. 1948)
• 31 March –
  • Michael McMartin, music manager (b. 1945)
  • John Turtle, academic and endocrinologist (b. 1937)

April

Noel Ratcliffe

• 3 April – Stefano Cherchi, Italian jockey (b. 2001)
• 4 April – Bob Lanigan, rugby league player (b. 1942 or 1943)
• 8 April –
  • Keith Barnes, rugby league player (b. 1934) (death announced on this date)
  • Ron Lord, soccer player (b. 1929)
• 9 April – Nathan Templeton, television journalist (b. 1979)
• 13 April – Ian Parmenter, chef and television presenter (b. 1945)
• 15 April – Noel Ratcliffe, golfer (b. 1945) (death announced on this date)
• 16 April –
  • Peter Davidson, Australian rules footballer (b. 1963)
  • Gavin Webb, musician (b. 1946)
• 17 April – Neil Rogers, swimmer (b. 1953) (death announced on this date)
• 22 April – Brian Tobin, tennis player and executive (b. 1930)
• 24 April – Terry Hill, rugby league player (b. 1972)
• 25 April –
  • John Mildren politician (b. 1932)
  • Ross Thornton, Australian rules footballer (b. 1956)
• 26 April –
  • Peter Ingham, Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1941)
  • Graham Webb, radio and television presenter (b. 1936)
• 30 April – Lyndall Ryan, historian (b. 1943)

May

• 2 May – Ian Hayden, Australian rules footballer and barrister (b. 1941)
• 3 May – Tony Bleasdale, politician (b. 1946) (died on flight between China and Australia)
• 6 May –
  • Johnny Walker, racing car driver (b. 1944)
  • Brian Wenzel, actor (b. 1929) (death announced on this date)
• 7 May – Ignatius Jones, singer and producer (b. 1957) (born and died in the Philippines)
• 9 May – Cam McCarthy, Australian rules footballer (Greater Western Sydney, Fremantle) (b. 1995)
• 10 May – Patrick Nilan, field hockey player (b. 1941)
• 12 May –
  • Hugh Edwards, journalist (b. 1933)
  • Ron Lynch, rugby league player (b. 1939)
• 13 May – Berkley Cox, Australian rules footballer (b. 1934)
• 18 May – Frank Ifield, yodeller and country music singer (b. 1937 in England)

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
• 2024 in Australian literature
• 2024 in Australian music
• 2024 in Australian television
• List of Australian films of 2024

External links

• Online calendar