1989 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1989 in Australia.

Incumbents

Monarch – Elizabeth II

Governor-General – Sir Ninian Stephen (until 16 February), then Bill Hayden

Prime Minister – Bob Hawke

Deputy Prime Minister – Lionel Bowen

Opposition Leader – John Howard (until 9 May), then Andrew Peacock

Chief Justice – Sir Anthony Mason

State and territory leaders

Premier of New South Wales – Nick Greiner

Opposition Leader – Bob Carr

Premier of Queensland – Mike Ahern (until 25 September), then Russell Cooper (until 7 December), then Wayne Goss

Opposition Leader – Wayne Goss (until 7 December), then Russell Cooper

Premier of South Australia – John Bannon

Opposition Leader – John Olsen

Premier of Tasmania – Robin Gray (until 29 June), then Michael Field

Opposition Leader – Michael Field (until 29 June), then Robin Gray

Premier of Victoria – John Cain Jr.

Opposition Leader – Jeff Kennett (until 23 May), then Alan Brown

Premier of Western Australia – Peter Dowding

Opposition Leader – Barry MacKinnon

Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory – Rosemary Follett (from 11 May, until 5 December), then Trevor Kaine

Opposition Leader – Trevor Kaine (from 11 May, until 5 December), then Rosemary Follett

Chief Minister of the Northern Territory – Marshall Perron

Opposition Leader – Terry Smith

President of the Legislative Assembly of Norfolk Island – John Brown (until 22 May), then David Buffett

Governors and administrators

Governor of New South Wales – Sir James Rowland (until 20 January), then Sir David Martin

Governor of Queensland – Sir Walter Campbell

Governor of South Australia – Sir Donald Dunstan

Governor of Tasmania – Sir Phillip Bennett

Governor of Victoria – Davis McCaughey

Governor of Western Australia – Gordon Reid (until 30 September)

Administrator of Norfolk Island – William Campbell (until 12 April), then Herbert MacDonald

Administrator of the Northern Territory – Eric Johnston (until 1 July), then James Muirhead

Events

January

1 January – HECS is introduced with the commencement of the Higher Education Funding Act 1988.

10 January –

Assistant Australian Federal Police commissioner Colin Winchester is shot dead in the driveway of his Canberra home by a sniper, later identified as David Harold Eastman.

The Tasmanian Parliament is recalled to debate guidelines for the Wesley Vale pulp mill.

31 January – Victorian Deputy Premier Robert Fordham resigns under pressure from the factions and Opposition over his handling of the VEDC fiasco. Roger Pescott narrowly defeats Alan Stockdale in the final ballot for the position of deputy.

February

4 February – The 1989 Western Australian state election is held. Peter Dowding returns as Premier when the Labor Party wins 31 seats albeit with a 10% fall in votes.

7 February – Joan Kirner becomes Victoria's (and Australia's) first female deputy premier after the resignation of Robert Fordham over the VEDC (Victorian Economic Development Corporation) crisis.