- 2004 in Australia
Infobox Australian year
monarch = Elizabeth II
governor-general =Michael Jeffery
pm =John Howard
population = 20,091,504
australian =
elections =Federal, Qld, ACT"See also:"2003 in Australia ,
other events of 2004,2005 in Australia Incumbents
*Monarch - Queen Elizabeth II
*Governor General -Michael Jeffery
*Prime Minister -John Howard
*Premier of New South Wales - Bob Carr
*Premier of South Australia -Mike Rann
*Premier of Queensland -Peter Beattie
*Premier of Tasmania -Jim Bacon , thenPaul Lennon
*Premier of Western Australia -Geoffrey Gallop
*Premier of Victoria -Steve Bracks
*Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory -Jon Stanhope
*Chief Minister of the Northern Territory -Clare Martin
*Chief Minister of Norfolk Island -Geoffrey Robert Gardner Events
*
January 13 - The "Spirit of Tasmania III" makes its inaugural trip fromSydney to Devonport. It ceased in 2006
*February 1 - The first Ghan passenger train across Australia fromAdelaide to Darwin sets off on its three-day journey.
*February 6 - TheMusic Industry Piracy Investigations organization uses anAnton Piller order to raid offices of P2P companiesSharman Networks andBrilliant Digital Entertainment , the homes of their key executives, as well as severalinternet service provider s and universities.
*February 8 -Peter Beattie 'sAustralian Labor Party Queensland state government is re-elected in a landslide.
*February 11 - A Black Hawk helicopter reportedly crashed nearAmberley air force base ,Mount Walker with at least five seriously injured.
*February 14 - Riots break out between police and Aboriginal residents ofSydney suburb Redfern
*February 15 - Violent riots ensue in theSydney suburb of Redfern after an Aboriginal boy dies while allegedly fleeing police.
*February 23 - Tasmanian PremierJim Bacon resigns after being diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, handing power to his deputy,Paul Lennon .
*February 25 -Qantas launches its discount domestic airline, Jetstar.
*February 29 -Malcolm Turnbull controversially wins Liberal pre-selection for the federal seat of Wentworth, displacing sitting member Peter King.
*March 11 - A Senate report onpoverty is immediately dismissed by Prime MinisterJohn Howard . The report shows between 2 and 3.5 millionAustralia ns, or up to 19 per cent of the population, are living in poverty.
*April 5 - Australia's biggest supplier of the potentialexplosive ammonium nitrate decides to pull the product from its stores in response to concerns it could be used by terrorists.
*April 14 - The Family Court allows a thirteen year old child, born female, to start preliminary hormone treatment: the child identifies as being male and has been suffering fromgender identity disorder .
*April 24 -John Howard joinsAustralia n troops inBaghdad for ceremonies honouring the country's war dead.
*May 14 -Hobart woman Mary Donaldson marries Frederick, Crown Prince of Denmark inCopenhagen to becomeMary, Crown Princess of Denmark
*May 25 -Jetstar Airways commences operations with a maiden flight from Newcastle to Launceston via Melbourne.
*June 1 - AustralianJennifer Hawkins wins theMiss Universe contest, held inQuito ,Ecuador .
*June 3 -United States PresidentGeorge W. Bush publicly supports Prime MinisterJohn Howard and criticises Opposition LeaderMark Latham , sparking criticism from the Opposition for intervening in Australian domestic politics.
*July 5 - Australia andThailand sign afree trade agreement.
*August 9 - Richard Butler, the controversial governor ofTasmania , resigns.
*August 29 -John Howard announces that the 2004 federal election will take place onOctober 9
*September 9 - A bomb blast outside the Australian embassy inJakarta ,Indonesia , kills eleven people and injures up to 100 people.
*October 9 - TheLiberal Party of Australia government ofJohn Howard is returned for a fourth term at the 2004 federal election.
*October 12 -Simon Crean resigns from the position of Shadow Treasurer, requesting a lesser portfolio, andJohn Faulkner resigns as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate in the aftermath of theAustralian Labor Party 's election loss.
* October 12 - Numerous Australians visitKuta ,Bali , to commemorate the second anniversary of the Bali bombing, with services being held across the nation.
*October 14 -Annette Ellis stands down as Shadow Minister for Ageing, Seniors and Disabilities.
* October 14 - The successful tenderer forMelbourne 'sMitcham-Frankston Freeway is announced, with tolls due to be set at $4.43 for a one way trip.
*November 26 - a riot occurred on Palm Island leading to a complete break down of law and order with the 18 members of theQueensland Police barricading themselves in the local hospital.Arts and literature
*
ARIA Music Awards of 2004
*Shirley Hazzard 's novel "The Great Fire" wins theMiles Franklin Award Film
*
February 28 - Central City Studios, a five-studio film production complex, opens in theMelbourne Docklands .
*February 29 -Adam Elliot 's short animated film "Harvie Krumpet " wins the 2003 Academy Award for Animated Short Film.Television
*
January 1 - Australia's first Digital commercial free-to-air channel,Tasmanian Digital Television begins broadcasting in Hobart as a supplementary broadcaster to existing broadcastersSouthern Cross Tasmania & WIN Television. On the same day, WIN TEN goes on air in theMount Gambier & Riverland regions ofSouth Australia as a supplementary broadcaster to existing solus broadcasterWIN Television .
*February - "Deal or No Deal" debuts its 5.30pm timeslot on Seven.
*February - Top-rating game show "Wheel Of Fortune" makes a super international revamp and a super new-look over to continue its long-run on "Seven Local TV".
*March 15 -Foxtel launches its new digital service, Foxtel Digital.
*April - After 18 years at SBS,Margaret Pomeranz &David Stratton announce their resignation from the station to move to the ABC to present a new program, "At The Movies ". Four younger presenters replace them on "The Movie Show " -Megan Spencer ,Fenella Kernebone &Jaimie Leonarder withMarc Fennell presenting a segment on newly releasedDVD s.
*July 26 - Broken Hill residentTrevor Butler proposes to his girlfriend immediately after winning $A1,000,000 on "Big Brother"
*November 21 - 17 year old Casey Donovan wins the second series of "Australian Idol " defeating 21 year old favourite,Anthony Callea
*December 11 - TheNetwork Ten is the nextAustralian television network to introduce a watermark on its programs, although the watermark was broadcast on Ten News. It was located on the bottom left of the screens byTEN-10 Sydney before switching to bottom right in 2006.Ending this year:
*November - "Burke's Backyard " (1987 -2004)
*November - "Australia's Funniest Home Video Show " (1990 -1999,2000 -2004) (program comes back as "Australia's Funniest Home Videos" and revamps a new-look and new theme in2005 .)port
*
January 6 – Australian captainSteve Waugh retires fromTest cricket , playing his last match againstIndia at theSydney Cricket Ground
*February 26 – First day of the Australian Track & Field Championships for the 2003-2004 season, which are held at theSydney Olympic Park inHomebush .
*March 24 –Sydney Kings defeatWest Sydney Razorbacks 90-79 in Game 5 of the best-of-five NBL Grand Final series, becoming champions for the second time.
*April 4 – Minor PremiersPerth Glory defeatParramatta Power 1-0 atParramatta Stadium in the last everNSL Grand Final, becoming National Champions for the second year in succession.
*At theOlympic Games inAthens ,Greece , rowerSally Robbins collapses as the team is set to win bronze, relegating them out of the medals. She is mocked by the press & her teammates afterwards.
*August – Australia brings home 49 medals, including a record 17gold medal s, from the2004 Summer Olympics .
*August 28 – TheSydney Swifts defeat theMelbourne Phoenix 52-51 in theCommonwealth Bank Trophy netball grand final.
*September 12 –Daniel Green wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:23:06 inSydney , whileJenny Wickman claims the women's title in 2:55:09.
*September 25 – ThePort Adelaide Power (17.11.113) defeat theBrisbane Lions (10.13.73) to win the 108th VFL/AFL premiership. It is the first AFL premiership for Port Adelaide & the first grand final loss for Brisbane.
*October 3 - TheCanterbury Bulldogs defeat theSydney Roosters 16-13 to win the 97thNSWRL /ARL/NRL premiership. It marks a successful end to a controversial season for the Bulldogs, in which they were accused of sexual assault while in Coffs Harbour. The behaviour from some of their fans at times also put the club in hot water.
*October 10 -Greg Murphy andRick Kelly take back-to-back victories by winning the Bob Jane T-marts Bathurst 1000 for the K-mart Racing Team. It was the sixth consecutive win forHolden , extending the longest winning streak for a manufacturer in the races history.
*October 29 -Test cricket : Australia wins the third test against India, winning theBorder-Gavaskar Trophy , and winning the first away test series against India since1969 .
*November 2 -Makybe Diva wins theMelbourne Cup horse racing event. It is the second consecutiveMelbourne Cup win for the mare.Births
Deaths
*
January 19 -David Hookes , 48,cricket er
*February 16 -Shirley Strickland , 78, athlete, three-time Olympic champion
*March 24 -Rupert Hamer , 87, former Premier of Victoria
*April 19 -Tim Burstall , 76, film director and producer
*May 26 -Gatjil Djerrkura , 54, indigenous leader, Chairman ofATSIC
*June 20 -Jim Bacon , 54, former Premier ofTasmania
*July 7 -Xiaokai Yang , 55, economist
*July 12 - George Mallaby, 64, actor
*August 17 -Thea Astley , 78, novelist
*August 22 -Marcel Caux , 105, First World War veteran, last known survivor of theBattle of Pozières
*September 4 -Walter Campbell , 83,Governor of Queensland
*October 11 -Keith Miller , 84,cricket er,Australian rules football er, fighter pilot and journalist
*November 1 -Marie Tehan , 64, Victorian health minister
*November 6 -Johnny Warren , 61,football (soccer) player, coach and ethnic community advocate
*November 8 -Eddie Charlton , 78,snooker player
*November 19 -Mulrunji , 36,Indigenous Australian resident of Palm Island who controversially died in custody.
*November 20 -Janine Haines , 59,Australian Democrats senator
*December 4 –June Maston , 76, sprinter and athletics coach
*December 26 -Troy Broadbridge , 24,Australian rules football er, killed in the Indian Ocean Tsunami
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