April 2005 in Australia and New Zealand

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Deaths in April

• 23 – Joh Bjelke-Petersen

Events in April

Elections in April

Events in Australia and New Zealand

"This page deals with events that take place in or are of interest to Australia, New Zealand, and/or the territories of those countries (such as Norfolk Island and Ross Dependency), and/or current events that involve Australians and/or New Zealanders."

26 April, 2005

* The Civil Unions and Relationships Acts come into force in New Zealand, which allow same-sex and de facto couples to form legal unions similar to marriage. [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10122375 (New Zealand Herald)]

25 April, 2005

* More than 20,000 Australians, New Zealanders, Turks and other nationalities gather at Anzac Cove to mark the 90th anniversary of the failed Gallipoli landings. Thousands more attend ANZAC Day dawn remembrance ceremonies and marches in cities around Australia and New Zealand, 250,000 in Sydney alone. [http://www.optusnet.com.au/news/story/abc/20050425/18/domestic/1352789.inp (Reuters)] [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=773&ObjectID=10122337 Auckland (New Zealand Herald)] [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10122335 Other NZ cities (New Zealand Herald)]
* Announcement made that Australian born Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark is pregnant. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200504/s1353083.htm (ABC News)] .

24 April 2005

* Victoria Police officer shot dead east of Melbourne. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200504/s1352371.htm (ABC News)] .

23 April 2005

* Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, well known former Premier of Queensland, dies in hospital in Kingaroy [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200504/s1352171.htm (ABC News)] .

21 April 2005

* Bus drivers in Auckland working for Stagecoach have voted to strike for six days from May 5 in support of their claim for an extra $2 an hour. [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10121681 New Zealand Herald]
* 700 coal miners strike for the day in the first national coal miners' strike in New Zealand for more than a decade. The miners want a 6% wage increase, but their employer, Solid Energy, is offering 2.8%. [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10121643 New Zealand Herald]

19 April 2005

* The largest moving object on Earth, the iceberg B15A in Antarctica has collided with the Drygalski ice tongue, a feature large enough to be included in Antarctic maps. During the collision, a five-kilometre-long section of the ice tongue was broken off. [http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMEGLW797E_index_0.html (ESA)]

15 April 2005

* Australian police in Melbourne have discovered a large amount of ecstasy hidden in a ship bound from Italy. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4447521.stm (BBC News)] [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000081&sid=ahOufnlDx0YU&refer=australia (Bloomberg News)]