2015 in Australia

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Decades:	1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2015 Timeline of Australian history

Incumbents

• Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – Sir Peter Cosgrove
• Prime Minister – Tony Abbott

Premiers and Chief Ministers

• Premier of New South Wales – Mike Baird
• Premier of South Australia – Jay Weatherill
• Premier of Queensland – Campbell Newman (until 14 February), then Annastacia Palaszczuk
• Premier of Tasmania – Will Hodgman
• Premier of Western Australia – Colin Barnett
• Premier of Victoria – Daniel Andrews
• Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory – Andrew Barr
• Chief Minister of the Northern Territory – Adam Giles
• Chief Minister of Norfolk Island – Lisle Snell

Governors and Administrators

• Governor of New South Wales – David Hurley
• Governor of Queensland – Paul de Jersey
• Governor of South Australia – Hieu Van Le
• Governor of Tasmania – Kate Warner
• Governor of Victoria – Alex Chernov
• Governor of Western Australia – Kerry Sanderson
• Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories – Barry Haase
• Administrator of Norfolk Island – Gary Hardgrave
• Administrator of the Northern Territory – John Hardy

Events

January

• 2–9 January – Bushfires in the Adelaide Hills and the outer Adelaide metropolitan area destroy 32 houses;^[1] and 125 outbuildings.^[2]
• 5 January –
  • A 58-year-old grandmother, who is a person of interest in the "Morayfield House of Horrors" murder is granted bail. She is charged with four counts of attempted murder and arson.^[3]
  • Luke Foley is elected unopposed as Leader of the New South Wales Labor Party.^[4]
• 6 January – Queensland Premier, Campbell Newman, catches the state by surprise when he announces a January 31 election date—the shortest campaign period in the state's history.
• 8 January – Prime Minister Tony Abbott, speaking from the Adelaide Hills, outlines plans for Commonwealth recovery payments for victims of the 2015 Adelaide bushfires, amounting to $4 million. ^[5]
• 10 January – A farewell is held at Cairns Convention Centre for the eight Cairns children who were killed in December. Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten are among the mourners.
• 15 January – Federal Health Minister, Sussan Ley, announces that the proposed $20 cut to rebates for short consultations with GPs have been taken "off the table" four days before it was due to take effect.^[6]
• 19 January – Queensland Police confirm that part of a skull found near at McGregor Creek in north Queensland is that of schoolgirl Marilyn Wallman, who vanished at the age of 14 while riding to school from the Mackay suburb of Eimeo in March 1972.^[7]
• 24 January – The families of Bali Nine members Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran make a televised plea for clemency against the death penalty.
• 25 January – Rosie Batty is announced as Australian of the Year.
• 26 January – Angus Houston and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh are made Knights of the Order of Australia in the 2015 Australia Day Honours.
• 31 January – A state election is held in Queensland. The Labor Party led by Annastacia Palaszczuk forms a minority government with the support of an independent MP.

February

• 2 February
  • Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles is replaced in a late night leadership challenge for the Country Liberal Party by Willem Westra van Holthe.^[8]
  • Prime Minister Tony Abbott addresses the National Press Club (Australia) in Canberra, announcing that the Federal Government is abandoning its paid parental leave proposal. The Prime Minister also clarifies that all awards in the Order of Australia, including knighthoods and damehoods will in future be exclusively the province of the Council of the Order of Australia.^[9]
• 3 February
  • Adam Giles refuses to resign as Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, and eventually negotiates to remain as leader, with Willem Westra van Holthe as his deputy.
  • The Reserve Bank of Australia cuts the official cash rate for the first time since August 2013 by one quarter of a per cent to 2.25 per cent—an historic low—in an attempt to stimulate the economy amid concerns over a sharp fall in oil prices, rising unemployment and low consumer confidence.^[10]
• 5 February – Journalist Peter Greste returns to Australia after 400 days in Egyptian detention.^[11]
• 7 February – After a six-year absence, Lawrence Springborg is again elected as Leader of Queensland's Liberal National Party, replacing Campbell Newman (who lost his seat in the 2015 state election). John-Paul Langbroek is elected Deputy Leader, replacing Jeff Seeney.^[12]
• 9 February – A motion to bring about a leadership spill in the Liberal Party of Australia is defeated 61 votes to 39.^[13]
• 11 February – A report by the Australian Human Rights Commission, The Forgotten Children: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014, is released. The report and the AHRC's president, Gillian Triggs, are subsequently criticised by Prime Minister Tony Abbott as "blatantly partisan".^[14]
• 13 February – Patties Foods issues the first of several recalls of Nanna's brand frozen berries, after an outbreak of Hepatitis A caused by contaminated fruit.^[15]
• 14 February – Annastacia Palaszczuk is sworn in as the 39th Premier of Queensland.
• 16 February – The ABC program Four Corners airs allegations that live animals—including rabbits, piglets and possums—have been used as lures, or "live bait", while training dogs in the greyhound racing industry.^[16]
• 20 February – Cyclone Marcia makes landfall in Queensland, damaging the city of Rockhampton and surrounds.^[17]

March

• 3 March – The Victorian CFA Training College, Fiskville is closed indefinitely after traces of PFOS are found in the site's water tanks. The closure follows years of claims that the site is a cancer cluster.^[18]
• 28 March – A state election is held in New South Wales, and is won by the Coalition government led by Mike Baird.

April

• 7 April – The Federal Court upholds a 'discovery application' by rights-holders of the film Dallas Buyers Club to obtain the contact details of ISP customers whose IP addresses were alleged to have downloaded or shared the film.^[19]
• 25 April – The centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign is commemorated on Anzac Day.^[20]
• 29 April – Bali Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are executed by firing squad on the Indonesian island of Nusa Kambangan. Australia recalls its ambassador from Indonesia in protest.^[21]

Future and scheduled events

• 4–11 June – The 14th Dalai Lama is scheduled to visit Australia.^[22]

• 29 June – 4 July – The Asia-Pacific Model United Nations Conference will be held in Perth.^[23]

• 7–16 August – The 2015 World Netball Championships are scheduled to be held in Sydney.

• 14–18 October – The ITU Duathlon World Championships are scheduled to be held in Adelaide.^[24]

Sport

• 9 to 31 January – Soccer: The 2015 AFC Asian Cup is held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle. Host nation Australia wins the cup, defeating South Korea 2–1 in the final.
• 19 January to 1 February – Tennis: The 2015 Australian Open is held in Melbourne. Serbia's Novak Djokovic wins the Men's Singles; the USA's Serena Williams wins the Women's Singles.
• 14 February to 29 March – Cricket: The 2015 Cricket World Cup is held in Australia and New Zealand. The host nations play the 2015 Cricket World Cup Final, with Australia winning by 7 wickets.

Deaths

January

• 2 January –
  • Basil Hansen, 88, Olympic ice hockey player (1960)
  • John McQuilten, 65, politician, member of the Victorian Legislative Council for Ballarat (1999–2006).
• 6 January – Ron Hovey, 82, football player (Geelong)
• 7 January –
  • David Rolfe, 50, Paralympic swimmer
  • Rod Taylor, 84, actor (The Time Machine, The Birds, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Inglourious Basterds; died in Los Angeles)
• 8 January – Kep Enderby, 88, politician and jurist
• 9 January – Sarah Kemp, 69, actress (Sons and Daughters)
• 12 January – Trevor Colbourn, 87, professor and academic administrator (died in Florida)
• 13 January –
  • Mark Juddery, 43, journalist
  • Keith Wright, 73, politician, MP for Capricornia (1984–1993), convicted paedophile (died in Vietnam).
• 14 January – Val Holten, 87, cricketer
• 18 January – Paul O'Grady, 54, New South Wales politician
• 20 January –
  • Graeme Hugo, 68, demographer and geographer.
  • James Walker, 41, television screenwriter
• 21 January – Harry Gordon, 89, Olympic historian, journalist and newspaper editor.
• 22 January – Kel O'Shea, 81, rugby league player (Western Suburbs).
• 23 January – Les McMahon, 84, politician, member of the Australian House of Representatives for Sydney (1975–1983).
• 24 January – Eric Fitzgibbon, 78, politician
• 26 January – Tom Uren, 93, politician
• 27 January – Margot Moir, 55, singer (The Moir Sisters)
• 28 January – Lionel Gilbert, 90, historian
• 29 January –
  • Kel Nagle, 94, golfer
  • Colleen McCullough, 77, author (The Thorn Birds)
• 30 January – Stuart Inder, 88, journalist and editor

February

• 3 February – Hay List, 9, racehorse
• 4 February – Norman Yemm, 81, actor (The Sullivans)
• 7 February –
  • Nita Cunningham, 75, politician, member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland (1998–2006)
  • Gordon Stone, 100, rugby union player
• 10 February –
  • Michael Raupach, 64, climate scientist
  • Pat Rogan, 78, politician.
• 12 February – Anthony Low, 87, historian and academic
• 13 February – Faith Bandler, 96, activist
• 15 February – Barbara Darling, 67, Anglican bishop
• 16 February – Evan Walker, 79, politician, member of the Victorian Legislative Council (1979–1992)
• 19 February – Warren Thomson, 79, pianist
• 20 February – Errold La Frantz, 95, cricket player, administrator and commentator.
• 22 February – Ivan Jones, 72, rugby league player (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
• 24 February – Doug Ralph, 66, environmentalist.
• 25 February – Terry Gill, 75, actor
• 26 February –
  • Jessica Ainscough, 30, alternative therapy campaigner
  • Paul Hutchison, 47, cricketer

March

• 1 March – John Clegg, 80, archaeologist.
• 4 March – Terry Fearnley, 81, rugby league player (Eastern Suburbs) and coach (national team)
• 7 March –
  • Trevor Griffin, 74, politician, Attorney-General of South Australia (1979–1982, 1993–2001).
  • Ross Turnbull, 74, rugby union player
• 10 March – Stuart Wagstaff, 90, entertainer
• 13 March – Daevid Allen, 77, musician
• 16 March – Braydon Smith, 23, boxer
• 17 March –
  • Ashley Adams, 59, Paralympic shooter
  • Alan Richardson, 74, VFL footballer
• 20 March –
  • Eva Burrows, 85, Salvation Army General (1986–1993)
  • Malcolm Fraser, 84, Prime Minister (1975–1983)
• 23 March –
  • Alan Seymour, 87, playwright (The One Day of the Year)
  • Geoff Tunbridge, 82, VFL football player
• 27 March – Sarbi, 12, special forces detection dog, returned from missing in action in Afghanistan
• 29 March – William Delafield Cook, 79, artist
• 31 March – Betty Churcher, 84, director of the National Gallery of Australia (1990–1997)

April

• 5 April – Gordon Moyes, 76, evangelist and politician, member of the New South Wales Legislative Council (2002–2011)
• 6 April – Paul Dearing, 73, Olympic hockey player
• 7 April – Betty Lucas, 90, actress
• 9 April –
  • Bob McLean, 67, winemaker
  • John Toohey, 85, High Court judge
• 10 April –
  • Richie Benaud, 84, cricket captain and television commentator
  • Peter Walsh, 80, Senator for Western Australia (1974–1993), Minister for Finance (1984–1990)
• 13 April –
  • Brice Bosnich, 78, inorganic chemist
  • Thelma Coyne Long, 96, Hall of Fame tennis player
• 23 April – Ray Jackson, 74, Aboriginal activist
• 27 April – Andrew Lesnie, 59, cinematographer and Academy Award winner
• 29 April –
  • Andrew Chan, 31, pastor, convicted drug trafficker, member of the Bali Nine (died in Indonesia)
  • Myuran Sukumaran, 34, artist, convicted drug trafficker, member of the Bali Nine (died in Indonesia)

References