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See also: 1990 in Australia, other events of 1991, 1992 in Australia

Incumbents

• Queen of Australia - HM Queen Elizabeth II
• Governor General - Bill Hayden
• Prime Minister - Bob Hawke, then Paul Keating
• Premier of New South Wales - Nick Greiner
• Premier of South Australia - John Bannon
• Premier of Queensland - Wayne Goss
• Premier of Tasmania - Michael Field
• Premier of Western Australia - Carmen Lawrence
• Premier of Victoria - Joan Kirner
• Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory - Trevor Kaine, then Rosemary Follett
• Chief Minister of the Northern Territory - Marshall Perron

Events

• January 10 - The State Government of South Australia is forced to bail out the State Bank of South Australia to the tune of $944 million. The bailout is increased to $2.4 billion in August.
• April - 42 people die in a shipwreck when Cyclone Fifi strikes off the coast of Western Australia
• May 9 - Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody is released. No criminal charges were recommended, nor was compensation for victims' families, but changes were recommended to the way that Aboriginal people were dealt with in Police custody.
• May 25 - The state election in New South Wales produces a hung Parliament. The ruling Liberal/National coalition government of Nick Greiner manages to form a minority government with the support of four Independent MPs.
• May 30 - A television report reveals that Bob Hawke made a secret deal to hand over the ALP leadership at a suitable time after the 1990 federal election to Paul Keating in 1988. This was known as the "Kirribilli agreement." Hawke later went back on the deal.
• June 3 - After the secret deal emerged, Paul Keating made his first leadership challenge for the Australian Labor Party. Hawke won 66-44 & Keating resigned as Treasurer the same day.
• August 2 - The Palm Grove Hostel fire kills 12 people in Dungog, New South Wales.
• August 5 - Fmr Qld Police Commissioner Terry Lewis is sentenced to 14 years Gaol for corruption.
• August 17 - Strathfield Massacre: Wade Frankum kills 7 people, mostly women in a killing spree in Strathfield Plaza in Sydney.
• October 19 - The perjury trial of former Queensland Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen ends in a hung jury. Prosecutors decide against a retrial on the basis of Joh's advancing age & divided public opinion.
• October 23 - First general strike in 65 years takes place in New South Wales.
• December 19 - Keating makes his second Labor leadership challenge. This time, he wins 56-51 & becomes Australia's 24th Prime Minister the next day.
• December 20 - Barely a year after starting up, Compass Airlines Mk I is shut down. The shutdown is somewhat controversial, coming shortly before the peak Christmas travelling period & partially coming about as a result of debts owed to a government authority.

Arts and literature

• Cloudstreet adapted for the stage by Nick Enright and Justin Monjo, the theatrical adaptation opened in Sydney under the direction of Neil Armfield. Seasons followed in Perth, Melbourne, London, Dublin, New York and Washington DC, with the Company B cast touring the production until 2001 with minimal recasting. A lengthy adaptation at 5 and a half hours, the play attracted rave reviews around the world. The adaptation is published by Currency Press. There are plans to produce a TV miniseries version of Cloudstreet.
• David Malouf's novel The Great World wins the Miles Franklin Award

Film

Television

• January - Network Ten relaunches with a new logo, which is still in use to this day.
• December 31 - The Northern New South Wales television market is aggregated, with Prime Television taking a Seven Network affiliation, NBN taking a Nine Network affiliation & NRTV (now Southern Cross Ten) taking a Network Ten affiliation.

Sport

• February 22 – First day of the Australian Track & Field Championships for the 1990-1991 season, which are held at the Sydney Athletic Field in Sydney, New South Wales. The combined events were conducted in Perth on March 22 and 23, while the relays were conducted at Hobart on January 6, 1991.
• March 22 – The Adelaide Crows play their first game in the AFL. In front of a sellout crown at Football Park (now AAMI Stadium), they defeat the Hawthorn Hawks 24.11.155 to 9.15.69
• May – South Melbourne, managed by legendary Hungarian Ferenc Puskas, defeat Melbourne Croatia on penalties after a thoroughly entertaining 1-1 draw in the National Soccer League Grand Final at Olympic Park.
• July 21 – Sean Quilty wins the his first men's national marathon title, clocking 2:14:59 in Brisbane, while Karen Gobby claims the women's title in 2:36:42.
• September 22 – The Penrith Panthers defeat the Canberra Raiders 19-12 to win the 84th NSWRL premiership. It is the first premiership for Penrith, who have been trying since 1967 to win one.
• September 28 – The Hawthorn Hawks (20.19.139) defeat the West Coast Eagles (13.8.86) to win the 95th VFL/AFL premiership. It is the most recent grand final that was not played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, it was played at Waverley Park instead as the MCG was being renovated.

Births

• January 21st - Jason Hodzic was born.
• October 17th - Singer Gabriella Cilmi was born.
• May 4th - Ben was born.

Deaths

• March 24 - Sir John Kerr (b.1914) former Governor-General who sacked Gough Whitlam as Prime Minister in 1975.
• April 5 - William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle VC (b. 1909), Governor General of Australia
• May 23 - Manning Clark (b.1915), historian
• June 14 - Vladimir Petrov (b.1907), defected Soviet spy.
• June 29 - Russ Hinze (b.1919), former Sir Joh government minister who was awaiting Fitzgerald Inquiry-related corruption charges.
• July 4 - Victor Chang (b.1936), heart surgeon, gunned down on his way to work.
• October 7 - Darren Millane (b.1965), AFL player, Killed in a car accident.