2000 in Australian literature

Events

Major publications

Literary fiction

• Peter Carey — True History of the Kelly Gang
• Arabella Edge — The Company: The Story of a Murderer
• Rodney Hall — The Day We Had Hitler Home
• Rosalie Ham — The Dressmaker
• Thomas Keneally
• * An Angel in Australia
• * Bettany's Book
• Colleen McCullough — Morgan's Run
• Alex Miller — Conditions of Faith
• Frank Moorhouse — Dark Palace
• Morris West — ''The Last Confession''

Crime and mystery

• Jon Cleary — Bear Pit
• Catherine Jinks — The Notary
• Dorothy Johnston — The Trojan Dog
• Andrew McGahan — Last Drinks
• Barry Maitland — Silvermeadow
• Shane Maloney — The Big Ask
• Andrew Masterson — The Second Coming
• Caroline Shaw — Eye to Eye
• Peter Temple — Dead Point
• Meredith Webber — ''Trust Me''

Science fiction and fantasy

• Sara Douglass — The Nameless Day
• Michel Faber — Under the Skin
• Jennifer Fallon — Medalon
• Kate Forsyth — The Forbidden Land
• Ian Irvine — The Last Albatross
• Juliet Marillier — Son of the Shadows
• Sean McMullen — The Miocene Arrow
• Garth Nix
• * Castle
• * The Fall
• Emily Rodda — The Forests of Silence
• Kim Wilkins — The Resurrectionists
• Sean Williams and Shane Dix — ''The Dying Light''

Children's and young adult fiction

• Jaclyn Moriarty — Feeling Sorry for Celia
• Sonya Hartnett — Thursday's Child
• James Moloney — Touch Me
• John Marsden — Winter
• Shaun Tan — The Lost Thing
• Markus Zusak — ''Fighting Ruben Wolfe''

Short story anthologies

• Carmel Bird — ''The Penguin Century of Australian Stories''

Poetry

• Rosemary Dobson – Untold Lives and Later Poems
• Brook Emery — and dug my fingers in the sand
• Dorothy Hewett and John Kinsela — Wheatlands
• John Mateer – Barefoot Speech
• Mark Reid – Parochial
• Arthur M. Spyrou – ''The Garden of Delights''

Plays

• Hannie Rayson — Life After George
• David Williamson
• *Face to Face
• *''The Great Man''

Non-fiction

• Bill Bryson — Down Under
• Brian Matthews — A Fine and Private Place
• Wendy McCarthy — Don't Fence Me In
• Margaret Scott — ''Changing Countries: On moving from one island to another''

Awards and honours

• Ray Parkin,, "for service to Australian war literature through autobiographical works, and to historical research as author of ''HM Bark Endeavour''

Fiction

International

Poetry

Drama

Non-fiction

Deaths

• 5 March – Michael Noonan, novelist and radio scriptwriter
• 11 March – Gerald Glaskin, writer
• 17 March – Jack Davis, playwright, poet and Indigenous rights campaigner
• 6 May – Elizabeth O'Conner, novelist
• 25 May – Elizabeth Durack, artist and writer
• 16 June — Colin Roderick, editor and critic
• 25 June – Judith Wright, poet, environmentalist and campaigner for Aboriginal land rights
• 3 July – Nancy Cato, historical novelist, biographer and poet
• 13 July – A. D. Hope, poet and essayist
• August – John Joseph Jones, poet, folk singer, musician, playwright and theatre director
• 10 August – Clement Semmler, author, literary critic, broadcaster and radio and television executive
• 17 August – Leslie Rees, children's writer and dramatist
• 1 November – Ian Moffitt, journalist and novelist