1972 in Australia
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| 1972 in Australia | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
|---|---|
| Governor-General | Paul Hasluck |
| Prime Minister | William McMahon, then Gough Whitlam |
| Population | 13,067,265 |
| Elections | Federal, TAS, QLD |
See also: 1971 in Australia, other events of 1972, 1973 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.
Contents |
[edit] Incumbents
- Queen of Australia - Queen Elizabeth II
- Governor General - Sir Paul Hasluck
- Prime Minister - William McMahon, then Gough Whitlam
[edit] State premiers
- Premier of New South Wales - Sir Robert Askin
- Premier of South Australia - Don Dunstan
- Premier of Queensland - Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen
- Premier of Tasmania - Angus Bethune, then Eric Reece
- Premier of Western Australia - John Tonkin
- Premier of Victoria - Sir Henry Bolte, then Rupert Hamer
- Chief Minister of the Northern Territory - Marshall Perron
[edit] Events
- May 10 - Law professor George Duncan is drowned in the Torrens River, Adelaide. Police establish that his death was a homophobic-related murder.[1]
- June 3 - Douglas Nicholls becomes the first Indigenous Australian to be knighted.
- October 6 - Faraday School kidnapping - six pupils and their teacher are kidnapped for $1 million ransom in Victoria.
- November 15 - First aircraft hijacking in Australia. Ansett Airlines flight 232 from Adelaide to Alice Springs with 28 passengers and a crew of 4. Followed by gun battle at Alice Springs Airport.
- December 2 - Gough Whitlam becomes Prime Minister of Australia.
- Shane Gould is announced as Australian of the Year
- The health warning, “Smoking is a Health Hazard” became compulsory on cigarette packets in Australia.
[edit] Arts and Literature
[edit] Film
[edit] Television
- March 13 - Controversial soap opera Number 96 debuts on Network 0-10.
- November 16 - The Aunty Jack Show premieres on ABC-TV in Sydney.
[edit] Sport
- September 16 - Bernard Vine wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:28:21 in Richmond, Australia.
- 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 2-2 with England
[edit] Births
- April 8 – Katrina Powell, field hockey player
- May 30 – Renita Farrell, field hockey player
- June 19 – Poppy Montgomery, actress
- June 24 – Robbie McEwen, cyclist
- June 24 – Ian Rutledge, field hockey coach
- June 30 – Stuart Rendell, hammer thrower
- September 1 – Louise Dobson, field hockey player
- September 20 – Jenny Morris, field hockey player
- October 11 – Claudia Black, actress
- November 1 – Toni Collette, actress
- November 7 – Melissa Bell, actress
- November 13 – Samantha Riley, swimmer
- December 28 – Patrick Rafter, tennis player
[edit] Deaths
- July 7 - Owen Dixon (b.1886), former Chief Justice of Australia
- August 21 - Ernestine Hill (b.1899), author
