See also: 1989 in Australia, other events of 1990, 1991 in Australia
[edit] Incumbents [edit] Events - February 12 - Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female premier of Western Australia and indeed Australia's first female premier after the resignation of Peter Dowding.
- March 20 - Serial killer John Wayne Glover is arrested for a series of "Granny Murders" on Sydney's North Shore.
- March 24 - The government of Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke is re-elected for a 4th term.
- May 6 - Steam locomotive 3801 was part of the Cowan rail disaster with a CityRail Interurban passenger train as it collided with the special heritage train due to wheel slips on the Cowan Bank, Hawkesbury River. Six people have lost their lives, including the driver of the electric Gordon Hill.
- August 7 - John Cain resigns as Victorian Premier over a series of financial scandals and is replaced by the first female premier of Victoria, Joan Kirner.
- October 1 - The Tasmanian Greens terminate the Labor-Green Accord after Tasmania adopts the federal government's Forests and Forest Industry Strategy.
- October 2 - Australian opera singer Dame Joan Sutherland announces her retirement.
- October 5 - After one hundred and fifty years, ten months and two days (Friday, January 3, 1840 - Friday, October 5, 1990), The Herald broadsheet newspaper in Melbourne is published for the last time as a separate newspaper. Founded in 1840 as The Port Phillip Herald, it is merged with its morning tabloid sister paper The Sun News-Pictorial and the first issue of the new Herald Sun, described by owner Rupert Murdoch as "The world's first 24-hour newspaper", with morning and afternoon editions, is published on the 8th.
- October 5 - On the same day, the forty nine year old afternoon tabloid The Daily Mirror in Sydney is published for the last time as a separate newspaper. The first edition of The Daily Telegraph-Mirror appears on the 8th.
- October 27 - Northern Territory elections return Country Liberal Party government of Marshall Perron to power.
- November 1 - The Australian domestic aviation market is deregulated.
- November 29 - Treasurer Paul Keating announces that Australia is experiencing an economic recession.
- December 11 - Fairfax is placed in receivership.
[edit] Unknown Dates [edit] Arts and literature [edit] Television [edit] Births [edit] Deaths - January 4 – Henry Bolte (b. 1908), Premier of Victoria
- January 9 – Sir Edward McTiernan (b. 1892), High Court judge and politician
- January 15 – Dame Peggy van Praagh (b. 1910), ballet dancer
- February 8 – Sir Ernie Titterton (b. 1916), nuclear physicist
- February 14 – Graeme Hole (b. 1931), cricketer
- March 10 – Pat McDonald (b. 1922), actress (Number 96, Sons & Daughters)
- March 10 – Sir Reginald Wright (b. 1905), Tasmanian Liberal senator
- April 15 – William Hart-Smith (b. 1911), poet
- May 5 – Gordon Mackie (b. 1912), NSW politician
- June 8 – Herbie Matthews (b. 1913), Australian Rules football player and coach for the South Melbourne Swans
- June 21 – Martin Johnston (b. 1947), poet
- June 25 – Peggy Glanville-Hicks (b. 1912), composer
- July 1 – Albert Field (b. 1910), Queensland senator
- August 15 – Jimmy Carruthers (b. 1929), boxer
- August 17 – Sir David Martin (b. 1933), Governor of New South Wales
- September 2 – Robert Holmes à Court (b. 1937), businessman
- September 26 – Sir James Forrest (b. 1905), lawyer
- September 30 – Patrick White (b. 1912), author
- October 14 – Clifton Pugh (b. 1924), artist
- December 25 – John Stuart Anderson (b. 1908), chemist
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