2020 in Australia


The following lists events that happened during 2020 in Australia.

Incumbents

January

  • 1 January – The death toll from the bushfire season in the South Coast of New South Wales rises to seven.
  • 2 January – Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews declares a state of disaster for six local government areas and three alpine resorts in Victoria, due to unprecedented risk from bushfires. Two people are confirmed to have died in eastern Victoria from the fires, with 17 people missing.
  • 5 January – The New South Wales town of Eden is evacuated due to the bushfires.
  • 17 January – The Wiggles singer Greg Page suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on stage at the Wiggles reunion show.
  • 20 January – A hail storm sweeps through Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory and surrounding parts of New South Wales, including areas affected by fire storms earlier in the year. The storm with winds recorded up to 177 km pelted hail stones the size of golf balls, big enough to smash car windows and injure birds. The hail caused significant damage to thousands of cars and homes, tore branches off trees, and caused localised flooding. This was less than 24 hours after the region was hit by massive dust storms blanketing entire towns and blacking out the sun.
  • 20 January – Will Hodgman resigns as Premier of Tasmania, and is replaced by Peter Gutwein.
  • 20 January – 2 February – Novak Djokovic won the Men's Singles and Sofia Kenin the Women's Singles at the 2020 Australian Open.
  • 25 January – Australia confirms its first COVID-19 case in Melbourne.

    February

  • 3 February – Richard Di Natale resigns as leader of the Australian Greens.
  • 4 February – Adam Bandt is elected unopposed as leader of the Australian Greens, with Larissa Waters and Nick McKim as co-deputy leaders.
  • 16 February – A fundraising concert Fire Fight Australia is held at Stadium Australia in Sydney following the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season.
  • 17 February – General Motors announces it is pulling its Holden brand from Australia.
  • 19 February – A mother and her three children, aged 6, 4 and 3 years are killed in a car fire after their father, Rowan Baxter, doused the car in petrol and set it alight in the Brisbane suburb of Camp Hill. Baxter also died from a self-inflicted stab wound near the crime scene.
  • 20 February –
  • *Wallan rail derailment, two people are killed and several passengers are injured when a NSW TrainLink XPT train traveling from Sydney to Melbourne derails just north of Melbourne at Wallan.
  • *Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements to look into the fires that devastated the country over summer. 18 million hectares burned, 28 people died, and 3,000 homes were destroyed.
  • 21 February – 8 March – Australia won the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup, defeating India by 85 runs.
  • 22 February –
  • * 2019 NRL premiers Sydney Roosters defeat Super League XXIV champions St. Helens R.F.C. 20–12 in the 2020 World Club Challenge, held at Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens.
  • * The Māori All Stars defeat the Indigenous All Stars 30–16 in the 2020 All Stars match. Māori hooker Brandon Smith, of Melbourne Storm, wins the Preston Campbell award for Man of the Match.
  • * The Indigenous Women's All Stars defeat the Māori Women's All Stars 10–4 in the 2020 Women's All Stars match. Nakia Davis-Welsh is named Player of the Match.
  • 24 February – The head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Mike Burgess, says there is rising foreign and far-right interference in Australia, and that violent Islamist fundamentalism remains ASIO's primary concern.
  • 26 February – Down to Earth bushfire relief benefit concert held at Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne.
  • 29 February – Former AFL footballer Joel Bowden wins the 2020 Johnston by-election, representing the Labor Party.

    March

  • 1 March – Australia records its first death from the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 3 March –
  • *Australian Associated Press announces it will close its newswire service in June, after 85 years in operation.
  • *Major supermarket chains begin to ration toilet paper sales, after the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia triggers cases of panic buying across the country.
  • 11 March – Two people are killed and two others are injured following a series of stabbings in Melbourne, with the offender shot dead by police.
  • 13 March
  • *Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces the formation of the National Cabinet, made up of the prime minister, premiers and chief ministers, to manage the lasting impacts of the pandemic.
  • *The 2020 Australian Grand Prix is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • *The first NRL game to be played at North Queensland Stadium is held in Townsville when more than 22,000 spectators watch the Brisbane Broncos beat the North Queensland Cowboys.
  • 15 March – Morrison announces that all travellers arriving in or returning to Australia from overseas must self-isolate for 14 days, mirroring a similar requirement imposed by New Zealand. Cruise ships will also be barred from docking in the country for 30 days.
  • 18 March – Scott Morrison announces that all non-essential indoor gatherings of a hundred people or more will be banned. Schools, universities, workplaces and essential services such as retail stores will be exempt from the new measures.
  • 19 March –
  • *Premier of Tasmania Peter Gutwein announces that non-essential travellers arriving in Tasmania from must self-isolate for 14 days.
  • *Scott Morrison announces that from 20 March all non-residents will be forbidden from entering the country.
  • *The 2020 AFL season commences with Richmond taking on Carlton at the MCG.
  • 21 March – Chief minister of the Northern Territory, Michael Gunner announces the Northern Territory will introduce strict border controls from 4:00 pm on 24 March. Anyone arriving from interstate or overseas will have to self-isolate for 14 days.
  • 22 March –
  • *South Australia and Western Australia also follow suit of the Northern Territory and Tasmania to close off their borders starting from Tuesday 24 March. Anyone arriving from interstate and overseas will also have to self isolate for 14 days.
  • *Scott Morrison announces that from midday Monday 23 March all pubs, clubs, restaurants, cinemas and indoor sporting venues across the country will shut down indefinitely in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
  • * The cruise ship disembarked passengers in Sydney despite several of them, and some crew, showing symptoms of coronavirus. As of 6 April 2020 at least 12 deaths and more than 700 cases of coronavirus in Australia in Australia are now linked to this incident.
  • * The 2020 AFL season and 2020 AFL Women's season are suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 AFL season has been scheduled to resume on 11 June 2020.
  • 23 March –
  • *As a result of the indefinite closure of venues within the hospitality, tourism, leisure, fitness and entertainment industries, the Centrelink and myGov websites crashed when too many people simultaneously try to apply online for unemployment benefits. Huge lines of newly unemployed people are seen outside Centrelink offices across the country.
  • *The Australian Parliament sits to debate and pass an economic stimulus package to attempt to mitigate the economic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, then adjourns until August 2020.
  • *The 2020 NRL season is suspended until 28 May due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Queensland has closed its borders, it has made an exemption for players and officials traveling to and from interstate for football. As a biosecurity measure, all players must also be vaccinated against influenza.
  • 25 March –
  • *From 12pm, Australia required that Australian citizens and permanent residents seek exemptions to leave the country.
  • 26 March –
  • *From midnight further measures and restrictions on social gatherings and certain businesses are put in place. Weddings will be limited to 5 people including the bride, groom and celebrant. Funerals will be limited to 10 people. All food court seating areas are to be closed. Social gatherings of more than 10 people are discouraged as well as house parties with police to enforce these new restrictions. Auctions that require persons to be present are now banned. Open houses within the property market are now banned. Beauty Parlours, tattoo Parlours and other businesses with the health and beauty industry that require close physical contact between individuals and are not deemed essential are now banned. Hairdressers are exempt from these new measures.
  • *Queensland follows other states and territories and closes its borders from midnight. Only those who work in essential services are permitted to enter. Exceptions are made for those who commute to work across the state border, such as residents of Tweed Heads.
  • 28 March –
  • *2020 Bundamba state by-election
  • *2020 Currumbin state by-election
  • 31 March –
  • *From midnight 31 March 2020 new national restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus are put in place through the Public Health Act 2010, via Sect 7 of the Act, where a Ministerial Order was signed by the Minister for Health, however, as it is only an order and not law it is up to the states and territories as to whether these are enforceable. The new measures include a two-person limit on public gatherings, the banning of all indoor gatherings in households and the closure of playgrounds, skate parks and outdoor gyms.