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See also: 1981 in Australia, other events of 1982, 1983 in Australia

Incumbents

• Queen of Australia - HM Queen Elizabeth II
• Governor General - Sir Zelman Cowen, then Sir Ninian Stephen.
• Prime Minister - Malcolm Fraser
• Premier of New South Wales - Neville Wran
• Premier of South Australia - David Tonkin, then John Bannon
• Premier of Queensland - Joh Bjelke-Petersen
• Premier of Tasmania - Harry Holgate, then Robin Gray
• Premier of Western Australia - Sir Charles Court, then Ray O'Connor
• Premier of Victoria - Lindsay Thompson, then John Cain II
• Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory - Post did not exist in 1982.
• Chief Minister of the Northern Territory - Paul Everingham

Events

• April 3 - After almost 27 years in power, the Liberal/National coalition government is voted out in Victoria & is replaced by the ALP
• May 11 - High Court upholds the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 in Koowarta v Bjelke-Petersen, effectively extending Commonwealth power.
• May 15 - In the middle of the Franklin Dam dispute, the Labor government of Harry Holgate is voted out in Tasmania & replaced by the Liberal Party, led by Robin Gray.
• October 12 - Queen Elizabeth II opens the new building of the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.
• November 6 - Elections in South Australia see the voting out of the Liberal/National coalition, led by David Tonkin & the election of the ALP, led by John Bannon
• December 14 - The Tasmanian Wilderness Society, led by Bob Brown, stages a blockade of the Franklin Dam site in Tasmania which continues into 1983. On the same day, UNESCO agrees to list the Tasmanian Wild Rivers as a World Heritage Site.
• One of Australia's worst ever droughts strikes the country.

Arts & Literature

• Rodney Hall's novel Just Relations wins the Miles Franklin Award

Film

Television

• January 18 - Sons and Daughters premieres on the Seven Network.
• June 28 - The Nine Network premieres its new breakfast TV show, National News Today, which is later shortened to Today
• Nine, Seven & the ABC conduct stereo test transmissions

Sport

• The South Melbourne Swans move to Sydney & become the Sydney Swans.
• March 21 – Robert de Castella represents Australia at the tenth IAAF World Cross Country Championships, staged in Rome, Italy. He finished in tenth place (34:20.5) in the race over 11,978 metres.
• March 28 – The Newtown Jets & Canterbury Bulldogs fight out the only (to date) scoreless draw in NSWRL first grade history.
• July 24 – The Sydney Swans (13.12.90) defeat the North Melbourne Kangaroos (8.10.58) to win the VFL night premiership. It is the first major trophy for the Swans sice they moved to Sydney.
• July 25 – Robert Wallace wins the his second men's national marathon title, clocking 2:16:02 in Brisbane, while Barbara McKerrow claims the women's title in 2:50:28.
• September 25 – Carlton Blues (14.19.103) defeat the Richmond Tigers (12.13.83) to win the 86th VFL premiership. It is the second consecutive premiership for Carlton & the last grand final appearance to date for Richmond.
• September 26 – Parramatta Eels defeat the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 21-8^ to win the 75th NSWRL premiership. It is their second consecutive premiership.
• September 30 – October 9 - The 1982 Commonwealth Games are held in Brisbane, Queensland
• December 18 – The Kangaroos complete a tour of Great Britain & France undefeated for the first time.

^-Scored under outdated scoring system.

Births

• March 18 — Andrew Bell, Entrepreneur and Open Source Project Activist
• April 25 — Victoria Mitchell, long-distance runner
• August 25 — Nick Gill, Australian rules footballer
• August 30 — James Foley, actor
• October 13 — Ian Thorpe, swimmer
• December 13 — Anthony Callea, singer-songwriter and runner up of Australian Idol 2

Deaths

• June 14 - Arthur Coles, businessman and philanthropist