2014 in Australia


The following lists events that happened during 2014 in Australia.

Incumbents

January

  • 1 January – The University of Ballarat merges with the Gippsland campus of Monash University to form, Federation University Australia.
  • 4 January – Stradbroke Island suffers bushfires which burn out over 8,500 hectares of bushland.
  • 12–15 January – Perth Hills Fire; A total of 55 homes were razed, 1 fatality, and a damage bill in excess of $13 million.
  • 15–20 January – Grampians Fire – A fire starts as a result of lightning strikes in the northern Grampians National Park on 15 January. Extreme fire conditions on 17 January saw the fire grow in size to over 50,000 hectares. The fire was brought under control on 18 January. By the time the fire is contained on 20 January, it had burnt out 55,000 hectares hectares. The estimated losses included 90 structures, 32 homes and 3000 sheep.
  • 20 January – New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell uses special legislation to cancel three coal licences worth hundreds of millions of dollars issued by corrupt former Labor minister Ian Macdonald and deny the companies that own them any compensation.
  • 21 January – New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell announces the introduction of laws to prevent "one-hit punches", including mandatory eight-year jail sentences for fatal one-punch attacks fuelled by alcohol, in an effort to curb alcohol-related violence in Sydney. The laws also include expanded Sydney CBD CBD lockouts, a freeze on new liquor licences, and the statewide closure of bottle shops at 10:00pm.
  • 23 January – Prime Minister Tony Abbott addresses the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
  • 26 January – West Australian Premier Colin Barnett defends the government's catch-and-kill policy, which had been announced the previous month, after the first shark under the policy was caught on bailed drum lines off the state's south-west coast the previous day.
  • 28 January – General Peter Cosgrove is announced as the next Governor-General of Australia.
  • 30 January –
  • *Tropical Cyclone Dylan dumps heavy rain on north and central Queensland.
  • *The Federal Government rejects a $25 million assistance request from SPC Ardmona, a fruit processing company which sought help from the Victorian and Federal governments to restructure its operations, arguing the high Australian dollar and cheap imports had made it hard to compete. Prime Minister Tony Abbott says SPC Ardmona's parent company, Coca-Cola Amatil, has the resources to carry out that restructure without the need for government funding.

    February

  • 4 February – Ken Smith resigns as Speaker of the Victorian Parliament after launching an attack on independent MP Geoff Shaw during the first question time of the year, being replaced by deputy speaker Christine Fyffe. Smith told Parliament that Shaw had been "colluding" with Labor to destabilise the state government.
  • 8 February – Terri Butler retains the seat of Griffith over Bill Glasson in the Griffith by-election.
  • 9 February – Bushfires north of Melbourne and in Gippsland destroy over 30 houses.
  • 10 February – Toyota Australia announces it will cease manufacturing vehicles and engines in Australia by the end of 2017.
  • *Convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby is released on parole from Bali's Kerobokan jail.
  • 13 February – Cameron Baird is posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia for his actions in the War in Afghanistan.
  • *Victorian Premier Denis Napthine announces a $22 million assistance package for SPC Ardmona, Australia's largest food processor and packaging company to transform and modernize its operations at the company's Shepparton plant.
  • 18 February – The Australian Federal Police carries out raids on the offices of Channel Seven in Sydney in relation to the network's bid for an interview with convicted drug smuggler, Schapelle Corby.
  • 22 February – Labor candidate Yvette D'Ath wins the 2014 Redcliffe state by-election in Queensland.
  • *Media personality Charlotte Dawson is found dead in her Woolloomooloo apartment after committing suicide.

    March

  • 10 March – West Australian Premier Colin Barnett announces the resignation of the State's Treasurer, Troy Buswell due to an accident involving his ministerial car. Mr. Barnett said that Mr. Buswell has had a breakdown and has been hospitalised over recent weeks.
  • 13 March –
  • *A Royal Commission into trade union governance and corruption begins its inquiry.
  • *Brett Peter Cowan is found guilty of murdering teenager Daniel Morcombe in December 2003. Mr Cowan is sentenced to life in jail with a minimum non-parole period of 20 years on 14 March.
  • 15 March – State elections are held in South Australia and Tasmania. The Liberal Party defeats the Giddings Labor government in Tasmania, after 16 years in opposition. In South Australia, the result is a hung parliament, with Jay Weatherill's Labor government remaining in power after the support of one of the crossbench independents.
  • 25 March – Prime Minister Tony Abbott announces that the titles of knights and dames will be reintroduced into the Order of Australia honours list after being abolished in 1986. The first to receive the award will be the outgoing Governor-General, the Queen's representative in Australia, who will be known as Dame Quentin Bryce. Incoming Governor-General Peter Cosgrove and all future holders of the post will also receive the honour.
  • 27 March – Labor MP Tony Burke attempts, but fails, to pass a motion of no confidence in the Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives, Bronwyn Bishop, accusing her of bias, incompetence and inconsistency during Question time.
  • 30 March – It is announced that former Defence Force Chief Angus Houston will lead the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 by heading a new Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre to be established in Perth, Western Australia.

    April

  • 5 April – A special election is held for six Senate seats from Western Australia, following the voiding of results due to the loss of 1,375 ballot papers in the 2013 federal election.
  • 11 April – Cyclone Ita makes landfall near Cape Flattery north of Cooktown, Queensland.
  • 15 April – The Federal Government designates Badgerys Creek as the site for the Second Sydney Airport, referring to it as the Western Sydney Airport.
  • 16 April –
  • *Barry O'Farrell states his intention to resign as Premier of New South Wales after giving misleading evidence to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
  • *William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales conduct their first official tour of Australia with their son Prince George.
  • 17 April – Mike Baird becomes Premier of New South Wales following the resignation of Barry O'Farrell.

    May

  • 13 May – Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey delivers the 2014 Australian federal budget, the first budget of the Abbott Government. The budget features significant structural reform to redress a growing deficit. This includes a dramatic downsizing of government bureaucracy. It also contained significant changes to welfare, new initiatives for a medical research fund and spending on roads. A budget surplus is not expected until 2023. A controversial measure is the implementation of a $7 co-payment for patients' visits to general practitioners, to take effect from 1 July 2015.
  • 23 May – Queensland MP Dr Chris Davis quits as Member for Stafford after he could not support the Newman government's move that only political donations of more than $12,400 would have to be declared to the Electoral Commission. Dr Davis was sacked Assistant Health Minister a week earlier after he spoke out against doctor contracts and changes to the Crime and Misconduct Commission.
  • 27 May – Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bronwyn Bishop, rejects allegations she breached protocol as Speaker by hosting a Liberal Party fundraiser in the Speaker's suite and says she will not be bound by stricter party political requirements agreed between Labor and the Greens which require the Speaker not to attend Party caucus meetings.