2023 in Australia

The following is a list of events including expected and scheduled events for the year 2023 in Australia.

2023 in Australia
Monarch	Charles III
Governor-General	David Hurley
Prime minister	Anthony Albanese
Australian of the Year	Taryn Brumfitt
Elections	New South Wales

← 2022 2021 2020 2023 in Australia → 2024 2025 2026
Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s
See also:	Other events of 2023 Timeline of Australian history

Incumbents

David Hurley

Anthony Albanese

• Monarch – Charles III
• Governor-General – David Hurley
• Prime Minister – Anthony Albanese
  • Deputy Prime Minister – Richard Marles
  • Opposition Leader – Peter Dutton
• Chief Justice – Susan Kiefel

State and territory leaders

• Premier of New South Wales – Dominic Perrottet (until 28 March), then Chris Minns
  • Opposition Leader – Chris Minns (until 28 March), then Mark Speakman (from 21 April)
• Premier of Queensland – Annastacia Palaszczuk
  • Opposition Leader – David Crisafulli
• Premier of South Australia – Peter Malinauskas
  • Opposition Leader – David Speirs
• Premier of Tasmania – Jeremy Rockliff
  • Opposition Leader – Rebecca White
• Premier of Victoria – Daniel Andrews (until 27 September), then Jacinta Allan
  • Opposition Leader – John Pesutto
• Premier of Western Australia – Mark McGowan (until 8 June), then Roger Cook
  • Opposition Leader – Mia Davies (until 30 January), then Shane Love
• Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory – Andrew Barr
  • Opposition Leader – Elizabeth Lee
• Chief Minister of the Northern Territory – Natasha Fyles
  • Opposition Leader – Lia Finocchiaro

Governors and administrators

• Governor of New South Wales – Margaret Beazley
• Governor of Queensland – Jeannette Young
• Governor of South Australia – Frances Adamson
• Governor of Tasmania – Barbara Baker
• Governor of Victoria – Linda Dessau
• Governor of Western Australia – Chris Dawson
• Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories – Natasha Griggs
• Administrator of Norfolk Island – Eric Hutchinson
• Administrator of the Northern Territory – Vicki O'Halloran (until 2 February), then Hugh Heggie

Events

January

• 1–10 January – The Kimberley and northern parts of Western Australia are severely affected by flooding caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie. The Fitzroy River at Fitzroy Crossing peaks at a record 15.81 metres on 4 January, with the bridge which carries the Great Northern Highway across the river damaged beyond repair. Over 200 people evacuated from several communities with authorities declaring it the worst flooding the state has ever seen prompting prime minister Anthony Albanese and state premier Mark McGowan to visit the flood affected areas to inspect the damage. The system eventually dissipates on 8 January and the Australian Defence Force is deployed to the area to help with the recovery efforts.
• 1 January – Residents in Menindee, New South Wales are warned to prepare for the highest flood levels in fifty years with the Darling River expected to peak at 10.7 metres.
• 2 January – 2023 Gold Coast helicopter crash: A mid-air collision between two helicopters in Gold Coast, Queensland near Sea World kills four and injures nine.
• 3 January – A Tasmanian prisoner who absconded from custody while receiving treatment at the Royal Hobart Hospital just before 11pm the previous evening is found shot dead at Granton at approximately 1:30am. Three men are subsequently charged with his murder and an investigation into how he escaped from custody is launched.
• 10–16 January – Western Australian radioactive capsule incident: A tiny radioactive capsule goes missing along a 1,400-kilometre stretch of the Great Northern Highway in Western Australia.
• 10 January – Residents across Northern Australia report shaking when the 7.6 magnitude undersea earthquake strikes near the Tanimbar Islands at 3:17am ACST.
• 12–17 January – Heavy rainfall causes widespread flooding across large parts of North Queensland.
• 12 January –
  • Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese becomes the first foreign leader to address the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea. Albanese and Papua New Guinea prime minister James Marape also sign a joint statement pledging that the two countries will reach a new security deal by the end of April.
  • Thomas Sewell is sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order with 150 hours of community for affray and recklessly causing injury.
  • Liberal Premier of New South Wales Dominic Perrottet reveals that he wore a Nazi uniform as fancy dress at his 21st birthday, apologising at a media conference after a cabinet minister was made aware of the incident.
• 15 January – A 29-year-old Sydney teacher is one of 72 passengers and crew killed when Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashes near Pokhara International Airport just prior to its schedule landing after arriving from Kathmandu.
• 18 January – An engine fails on a Qantas twin-jet Boeing 737 aircraft enroute from New Zealand to Australia prompting the pilot of flight QF144 to declare a mayday before it arrives safely in Sydney.
• 22 January – Two West Australian women are killed when a boat crashes into a channel marker in the Mandurah estuary including the mother of West Coast Eagles player Rhett Bazzo. The skipper of the boat is later charged with two counts of manslaughter.
• 24 January – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits Alice Springs amid the town's youth crime crisis but is criticised for only spending four hours in the community. Restrictions on the sale of alcohol in Alice Springs are introduced by the Northern Territory government in an attempt to combat the amount of crime. The restrictions are put in place following calls from mayor Matt Paterson for the Australian Federal Police to be deployed to the town.
• 25 January – An arrest warrant is issued for pro-Russian YouTuber Simeon Boikov after failing to appear in court accused of assaulting a 76-year-old man at a pro-Ukraine rally at Sydney Town Hall in December 2022, prompting Boikov to take refuge in the Russian consulate.
• 26 January – A 10-year old boy survives being struck by lightning while swimming at Warilla Beach in the Illawarra. He receives CPR and is then taken to the Children's Hospital at Westmead under police escort where he is admitted in a critical but stable condition prior to making a full recovery.
• 30 January –
  • Victoria coroner Simon McGregor hands down his findings into the death in custody of Veronica Nelson at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre on 2 January 2020 four days after her arrest on suspicious of shoplifting on 30 December 2019. He criticises the state government for failing to implement recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and finds the state's bail act discriminatory towards First Nations people, incompatible with the Charter of Human Rights and that the changes to the act in 2018 were a "complete, unmitigated disaster".
  • Thousands of people at the Alice Springs Convention Centre for a "Save Alice Springs" town meeting organised by local business owner Garth Thompson to discuss the crime issues affecting the town. Residents discuss the possibility of launching a $1.5 billion compensation claim against the Northern Territory Government for negligence. The one-hour meeting ends after just 20 minutes after attendees shouted down Thompson for suggesting truant school children be reported to police for a welfare check.

February

• 1 February – Western Australian radioactive capsule incident: A search team from Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services finds the missing caesium-137 capsule 74 km (46 mi) south of Newman.
• 2 February –
  • The Reserve Bank of Australia announced that King Charles III will not appear on the new five-dollar banknote, a design celebrating First Nations peoples to appear instead.
  • Hundreds of protesters march outside St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney during the funeral service for George Pell.
• 3 February – Despite pleading guilty one count of common assault, Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has the charge dismissed by ACT magistrate Beth Campbell who decides no conviction should be recorded against Kyrgios.
• 4 February – A 16-year-old girl is killed in a shark attack while swimming in the Swan River at Fremantle, Western Australia.
• 6 February – 2023 Coulson Aviation crash: A Boeing 737-300 serving as a firefighting air tanker crashes in the Fitzgerald River National Park in southern Western Australia.
• 9 February – Former Liberal Minister for Education and Youth Alan Tudge announced his resignation in parliament, effective from the end of the following week.
• 12–15 February – At least 21 structures including homes are destroyed in several bushfires burning on Queensland's Western Downs. The separate fires near Tara, Miles and Jandowae burn a combined total of 150,000 hectares of land.
• 16 February – Katter's Australian Party announced on Facebook that its MPs will not support the Voice.
• 17 February – New South Wales finance minister Damien Tudehope resigns from state cabinet after it's discovered he failed to disclose he has shares in Transurban.
• 18 February – At a Country Liberal Party meeting, party members vote to oppose the Voice to Parliament.
• 23 February – The national campaign in favour of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum officially begins at the Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute in Adelaide.
• 26 February – Papua New Guinea prime minister James Marape announces that University of Southern Queensland professor Bryce Barker and two of his colleagues have been released from captivity more than a week after they were kidnapped by a criminal gang while doing archaeological fieldwork in Papua New Guinea.

March

• 1–15 March – Major flooding in the upper Victoria River affects remote Northern Territory communities prompting the evacuation of residents to Darwin. The flooding also severs road and rail links between the Northern Territory and Western Australia impacting the supply of fresh food and essential supplies.
• 5 March – 50,000 people march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the Pride March on the final day of WorldPride.
• 6 March – The historic Pride of the Murray paddle wheeler sinks in the Thomson River at Longreach in Central West Queensland with police treating the incident as suspicious. The vessel, which had been trucked to Longreach from Victoria in 2022, is raised from the riverbed in September 2023 with the owner hopeful of it being restored in time for its 100th anniversary in 2024.
• 8 March – Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese commences a four-day bilateral visit to India at the invitation of Indian prime minister Shri Narendra Modi. During the visit, both prime ministers ride in a chariot in a lap of honour at the fourth cricket test at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
• 15 March – Former Labor prime minister Paul Keating uses a National Press Club address to criticise the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine deal the federal Labor government had reached with the United Kingdom and the United States, describing it as the worst international decision made by an Australian government since conscription in World War I. Keating also criticises Joe Biden, Boris Johnson, Anthony Albanese, Richard Marles, Penny Wong, Peter Hartcher, Matthew Knott, Olivia Caisley and Australian security agencies. However, Keating defends China and claims the country doesn't pose a threat. Keating is criticised for his behaviour towards journalists at the press club.
• 18 March – Approximately 30 members of the National Socialist Network, including Thomas Sewell, attended a rally in Melbourne in support of British anti-transgender activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, who spoke at the rally while visiting the city on her Australian tour. Members of the NSN marched down Spring Street, displayed a banner that read "DESTROY PAEDO FREAKS", performed Nazi salutes on the stairs of Victorian Parliament House. A counterprotest in support of transgender rights, attended by many students, transgender activists, and socialists, clashed with the group. While the police, including several mounted officers, attempted to separate the two groups. The events were condemned by the Labor Party, the Liberal Party and the Greens.
• 19 March – Victorian Liberal leader of the opposition, John Pesutto announced, that he would move to have Moira Deeming expelled from the parliamentary Liberal Party after she spoke at an anti-trans rally outside the Victorian Parliament. In the end, a compromise was made with Deeming accepting a nine-month suspension from the party instead of expulsion from the party.
• 22 March – Ten Australian Defence Force personnel survive after the MRH-90 Taipan army helicopter they were on ditches into the sea at Jervis Bay during counterterrorism exercises.
• 25 March – New South Wales State election elected the 58th Parliament. Chris Minns won after 12 years in opposition for Labor.
• 26 March - Former US president Barack Obama arrives in Australia for several public speaking engagements. Controversy arises when organisers of the event in Melbourne prevent 78-year-old Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy Murphy from delivering the Welcome to Country and is allegedly told she was being "too difficult" for requesting a support person and the opportunity to present Obama with a gift as per cultural practice.
• 30 March – Following the 2023 New South Wales state election, Mark Latham NSW One Nation leader published a tweet in response to comments by gay politician Alex Greenwich. Latham's tweet included an explicit and derogatory description of anal sex: "Disgusting? How does that compare with sticking your dick up a bloke's arse and covering it with shit?". The comments were deemed to be homophobic by Alex Greenwich and other politicians, Conservative commentator Andrew Bolt and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson criticised Latham and called for him to apologise.

April

• 1 April – in a by-election in the Division of Aston caused by the resignation of Liberal member Alan Tudge, the Labor candidate, Mary Doyle, won with a swing of 7%. The result marked the first time since 1920 that an Australian government had won a by-election from the opposition.
• 3 April – After a six-week trial during the Adass Israel School sex abuse scandal, former principal Malka Leifer is found guilty by a jury in the County Court of Victoria of 18 sexual offences against two former students and not guilty of 9 charges against a third.
• 4 April –
  • After more than four years and three trials, former NRL player Jarryd Hayne is found guilty by a jury in the District Court of New South Wales of sexually assaulting a woman in Newcastle in 2018.
  • TikTok is banned on all government devices, including the mobile phones of politicians.
• 5 April –
  • Terence Darrell Kelly, the man who kidnapped 4-year-old Cleo Smith from her family's tent during a camping trip in Western Australia and held her captive for more than two weeks, is sentenced to 13 years and six months in jail.
  • After a party room meeting, it was announced that the Liberal Party of Australia will oppose the Voice citing constitutional risks. All members of the shadow ministry are bound by this decision but a conscience vote is allowed for backbencher members.
• 13 April – Cyclone Ilsa crosses the Western Australia coast between Port Hedland and Bidyadanga as a category 5 system just before midnight local time.
• 18 April – Liberal party leader Peter Dutton following a shadow cabinet reshuffle announced that Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price will be appointed as the shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians.
• 20 April – Large crowds gather in Exmouth, Western Australia to experience a rare total solar eclipse.
• 22 April – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles announce that the wreck of Japanese transport ship Montevideo Maru had been discovered in the South China Sea. An estimated total of 979 Australian prisoners of war and civilians were on board when it was sunk by American submarine USS Sturgeon in 1942 during World War II making it the worst maritime disaster in Australia's history.
• 27 April – In what is her first official Australian engagement in ten years, Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark arrives in Sydney for a 24-hour visit, leading a Danish delegation to discuss Australia's sustainability and its transition to green energy.

May

• 2 May – Vanessa Hudson is announced as the new Chief Executive Officer of Qantas to succeed Alan Joyce when he officially retires in November.
• 5 May – A penumbral lunar eclipse is visible in the evening and the following morning in Africa, Asia and Australia, and is the 24th lunar eclipse of Lunar Saros 141.
• 6 May – Coronation of Charles III as King of Australia and the other Commonwealth realms. Governor-General David Hurley and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attend the ceremony in London. In Australia, a salvo of cannon fire also takes place.
• 10 May – The ACT Government announced it planned to force an acquisition on the Christian Calvary Hospital, Canberra hospital land and assets. Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher condemned the proposal as an abuse of property rights and religious freedom, acquiring the hospital to force an "anti-life agenda" by performing abortions and assisted suicide. The Opposition Canberra Liberals also oppose the acquisition.
• 12 May – Lara Alexander, alongside fellow Tasmanian Liberal John Tucker state MP, quits the Liberal Party to sit as an independent, in part due to concerns related to the proposed Macquarie Point Stadium project. This leaves the Liberal Party in minority government and requiring seven seats to reach a majority in the next state election.
• 11–13 May – Progressive metal band Voyager represents Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with the track "Promise", finishing in 9th place.
• 16 May – A school bus crashes west of Melbourne with 45 children on board.
• 17 May – A 95-year-old woman with dementia is tasered by a New South Wales police officer at an aged care facility in Cooma, New South Wales and sustains serious injuries after falling and fracturing her skull. The officer is charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault. The woman later dies in hospital from her injuries.
• 21 May – Northern Territory chief minister Natasha Fyles is allegedly accosted and harassed by anti-fracking protestors while running the final five kilometres of the West Macs Monster - an annual 25km running event along the Larapinta Trail.
• 22 May – Indian prime minister Shri Narendra Modi arrives in Australia for a two-day visit to Australia during which he meets business and political leaders including prime minister Anthony Albanese.
• 24 May – A heritage-listed former hat factory in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills, designed by Thomas Pollard Sampson and built in 1912, is destroyed by fire.
• 29 May –
  • Western Australia premier Mark McGowan announces his intention to resign, citing exhaustion as his reason for stepping down.
  • 22-year-old Queensland sailor Xavier Doerr departs the Gold Coast on his attempt to break the records for the fastest solo and fastest non-stop circumnavigation of Australia.
• 31 May – The Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 passes the House of Representatives, paving the way for the Indigenous Voice referendum to take place later in the year.

June

• 1 June – Former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith loses a civil defamation trial in which he attempted to sue newspapers the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Canberra Times and journalists Chris Masters, Nick McKenzie and David Wroe. Roberts-Smith is found to have committed war crimes in Afghanistan with Justice Anthony Besanko ruling that the newspapers and journalists had established substantial or contextual truth regarding alleged unlawful killings and bullying.
• 5 June – New South Wales Attorney-General Michael Daley announces Kathleen Folbigg had been pardoned and would be released from the Clarence Correctional Centre in Grafton, New South Wales where she had been imprisoned for 20 years. When making the announcement, Daley releases the summary findings prepared by an inquiry led by Justice Thomas Bathurst into Folbigg's 2003 convictions of killing her four children.
• 6 June – As it attempts to curb inflation, the Reserve Bank of Australia again lifts the official cash rate by 0.25%. Now at 4.1% - it's the highest it's been for eleven years.
• 7 June – Fraser Island is officially renamed K'gari.
• 8 June –
  • Justice Robert Beech-Jones sentences Scott White to nine years imprisonment for the 1988 manslaughter of American mathematician Scott Johnson.
  • Roger Cook is officially sworn in as the new premier of Western Australia following the resignation of Mark McGowan.
• 11 June – Multiple people are killed in a major late night bus crash near the town of Greta in the New South Wales Hunter Valley as it was returning to Singleton after a wedding at a local vineyard.
• 14 June – Independent senator Lidia Thorpe uses parliamentary privilege in The Senate to accuse Liberal Party senator David Van of inappropriate behaviour. Although Thorpe later returns to withdraw the remarks citing standing orders, her accusations prompt more women including former Liberal senator Amanda Stoker to come forward to raise further allegations against Van, all of which he strongly denies. After he is removed from the Liberal Party's party room by Peter Dutton following the allegations, Van resigns from the Liberal Party and moves to the crossbench, although Dutton encourages Van to resign from parliament altogether. In his resignation letter to the Victorian branch president Greg Mirabella, Van complains about not being afforded procedural fairness.
• 19 June – The Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 bill passes The Senate, enabling Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to set a date for the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum.
• 22 June – Queensland's oldest winery, the heritage-listed Romavilla Winery at Roma is destroyed by fire.
• 29 June – Former New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian and former state MP Daryl Maguire are found to have engaged in serious corrupt conduct while in office, according to findings handed down by the Independent Commission Against Corruption stemming from Operation Keppel.

July

• 1 July – The country's first Indigenous Australian surgeon Kelvin Kong is named as NAIDOC Person of the Year at the 2023 NAIDOC Awards in Brisbane.
• 3 July – Indonesian president Joko Widodo arrives in Sydney for a 36-hour visit to Australia during which he meets with business and political leaders including prime minister Anthony Albanese.
• 7 July – The findings from the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme are released to the public. The report includes 57 recommendations with Commissioner Catherine Holmes describing the unlawful robodebt scheme as "an ill-conceived, embryonic idea" with a number of individuals being referred to the Australian Federal Police, the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Australian Law Society and the Australian Public Service Commission for criminal and civil prosecution.
• 8 July – 22-year-old Queensland sailor Xavier Doerr is rescued in the Great Australian Bight by the bulk carrier Theodore JR after activating his emergency beacon at 5pm the previous afternoon after his 6.4-metre Mini Transat yacht Waterline struck severe weather. Doerr was attempting to break the records for the fastest solo and fastest non-stop circumnavigation of Australia.
• 9 July – Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese arrives in Germany ahead of his attendance at the NATO summit in Lithuania. Ahead of a scheduled meeting with German chancellor Olaf Scholz, Albanese confirms a deal to sell Australian-made armoured vehicles to Germany.
• 10 July – Federal transport minister Catherine King denies an application by Qatar Airways to add more flights to Australia which would have likely reduced the cost of international airfares due to increased competition.
• 12 July – Neurosurgeon Charlie Teo is found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct by the Health Care Complaints Commission.
• 14 July – Michele Bullock is announced as Philip Lowe's successor as the Reserve Bank of Australia governor when his term expires in September.
• 15 July – The 2023 Fadden by-election is held with the LNP retaining the Gold Coast-based federal seat after Cameron Caldwell is elected to succeed Stuart Robert.
• 17 July – A 23-year-old woman is mauled by a pack of dingoes while jogging on K'gari. The latest dingo attack prompts a debate about how to manage the issues surrounding K'gari's dingo population including the behaviour of tourists.
• 18 July – Victorian premier Daniel Andrews announces the state can no longer host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, citing costs.
• 21 July – Three people are killed in a three-vehicle car crash at Federal on the Sunshine Coast which police allege to be a domestic violence-related homicide.
• 22 July – The biennial joint Exercise Talisman Sabre military exercise between Australia and the United States commences in Queensland. As the exercise gets underway, a People's Liberation Army Navy Dongdiao Class Auxiliary General Intelligence vessel is identified, with authorities expecting it to anchor off the Central Queensland coast in an attempt to collect sensitive military information.
• 26 July – The prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand, Anthony Albanese and Chris Hipkins, hold talks in Wellington as part of the annual Australia-New Zealand leader's meeting.
• 28 July – A MRH-90 Taipan army helicopter carrying four Australian Defence Force personnel from the 6th Aviation Regiment crashes into the ocean near Hamilton Island while taking part in a two-helicopter training mission during Exercise Talisman Sabre. It's the second incident involving a Taipan army helicopter in four months, which raises more concerns regarding the safety of the fleet.
• 29 July –
  • The 2023 Rockingham state by-election is held in Western Australia following the resignation of state premier Mark McGowan. Despite a considerable swing against Labor, the election is won by party's candidate Magenta Marshall.
  • Four people eat a beef wellington pie with poisonous mushrooms, three of whom die a few days later.
• 30 July – Indonesia suspends imports of live Australian cattle from several export facilities after LSD is detected in livestock shipped from Australia.

August

• 2 August –
  • New South Wales premier Chris Minns stands down Member for Hunter Tim Crakanthorp from state cabinet and refers him to the Independent Commission Against Corruption after he fails to declare significant family holdings.
  • The Australian War Memorial in Canberra unveils a statue of nurse Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkle - the first statue to be installed at the memorial to depict a woman.
• 4 August –
  • After a long-running trade war, China announces it would be dropping the 80% on Australian barley which had been introduced in May 2020, widely considered as retaliation against Australia's calls for an enquiry into the origins of COVID-19.
  • The annual Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures begins in Arnhem Land with the theme of "Djambatj (Yolngu excellence)".
• 6 August – A 34-year-old man and his five children, aged between 3 and 11, are killed in a house fire on Russell Island, near Brisbane.
• 8 August –
  • The Australian Federal Police reveal that 13 Australian children have been removed from danger while 19 men have been charged with child abuse offences in Operation Bakis, which was set up after an elaborate international child abuse network was uncovered on the dark web following the 2021 murder of two FBI agents in Florida who were killed while serving a search warrant on the home of pedophile David Lee Huber.
  • The Roger Cook Labor Government of Western Australia announces the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021 would be repealed and the 1972 act reinstated.
• 11 August –
  • The Australian Federal Police seizes 560 kilograms of cocaine worth approximately $224 million after a raid on a house in Kalbarri, Western Australia.
  • Queensland's Department of Environment and Science advises that a number of camping areas on K'gari would be temporarily closed to reduce the interaction between dingoes and humans after two women were attacked in separate incidents on 10 August.
• 10 August - A Southern Cross Austereo television sales executive is charged with two counts of murder (domestic violence) after the bodies of his wife and 11-week old daughter are discovered at a property in the Rockhampton suburb of Park Avenue two days after their deaths.
• 14 August – One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson intervenes in the New South Wales state branch of the party, and removes Mark Latham as leader of the party in New South Wales.
• 15 August –
  • A grave is exhumed at the cemetery in Doomadgee, Queensland after the body of a respected Gangalidda elder who was thought to have been buried on 9 August was discovered to be still in the morgue at Doomadgee Hospital. It's discovered an empty coffin had been buried during the funeral instead, which leads to much criticism of the hospital.
  • Four Australian surfers and two Indonesian crew members are rescued after spending 36 hours at sea off the coast of Indoensia's Aceh province after their boat sunk during bad weather.
• 17 August –
  • The 49th Australian Labor Party national conference gets underway in Brisbane.
  • A magistrate finds Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston not guilty of concealing a serious indictable offence, concluding he had a reasonable excuse for not reporting his father Frank Houston's sexual abuse of a child as he reasonably believed the victim, by then aged in his 30's, didn't want the matter reported to police.
• 18 August –
  • Ceremonies are held throughout Australia to mark 50 years since the end of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War.
  • The 2023 Queensland Bush Summit is held in Rockhampton and is attended by Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and mining magnate Gina Rinehart. In her speech, Palaszczuk says her government would be introducing legislation to guarantee the future of Glenden, a town which was destined to be demolished. Local rural landholders also gather at the event, protesting the construction of a number of renewable energy projects.
• 19 August – The Victorian Government agrees to pay $280 million in compensation to Commonwealth Games bodies after withdrawing from hosting the games in 2026.
• 22 August –
  • Almost thirty years after AC/DC's manager Crispin Dye was attacked and killed in Sydney, a new person of interest is identified during the special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes, after DNA found on Dye's jeans matches DNA collected from another crime scene.
  • Mark Latham quits One Nation to sit as an independent in the New South Wales upper house, and accuses the party's head office of misusing taxpayer funds which Pauline Hanson denies.
• 23 August –
  • The Australasian Fire Authorities Council releases its seasonal outlook which identifies large parts of Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory as well as parts of South Australia and Victoria as being at an increased risk of a "significant bushfire".
  • The 2023 NAPLAN results are released. Assessed under a stricter criteria, the results indicate 10% of Australian school students aren't meeting minimum numeracy and literacy expectations.
  • Gold Coast City Council councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden is charged with the murder of his step-father, LNP identity Robert Lumsden whose body was discovered at a property in Arundel. Bayldon-Lumsden is released on bail on 31 August with a $250,000 surety.
• 24 August –
  • Former school principal Malka Leifer is sentenced in Melbourne to 15 years in prison with a non-parole period of 11 years and six months for sexually abusing two sisters at the Adass Israel School from 2004 to 2007, after having been found guilty in the County Court in April 2023 of 18 charges of sexual assault.
  • 21 people are arrested when Victoria Police raid an illegal casino operating out of a factory in the Melbourne suburb of Truganina.
• 25 August – A 44-year-old surfer suffers serious injuries after being attacked by a shark at Port Macquarie on the Mid North Coast.
• 26 August – Nicole Werner wins the 2023 Warrandyte state by-election increasing the Liberals' primary vote by 10%, while runner-up Tomas Lightbody increases the Greens' primary vote by 6.8%. With the Labor choosing not to field a candidate, Werner picks up a +16.8 swing on a two-candidate preferred vote with 71.1% of the vote, while Lightbody picks up a +28.9 swing for the Greens with 28.9% of the vote.
• 27 August –
  • Three United States Marines are killed in the Tiwi Islands when an MV-22B Osprey carrying 23 personnel crashes on Melville Island.
  • A 33-year-old man from Gympie is charged with one count of arson after a church in Rockhampton is completely destroyed by fire.
• 28 August –
  • Assistant federal treasurer Stephen Jones claims Catherine King's decision to block an application by Qatar Airways for additional flights to Australia was to protect the sustainability of Qantas. However, King insists that no individual factor that influenced her decision.
  • Outgoing Qantas CEO Alan Joyce faces a senate select committee where he faces hostile questioning relating to the airline's credibility.
• 30 August – Prime minister Anthony Albanese officially announces 14 October 2023 as the date of the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum at a Yes rally in the Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth where he appeared alongside South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas.
• 31 August – The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission launches legal action against Qantas for allegedly selling airline tickets for thousands of cancelled flights within a three month period in 2022.

September

• 3 September – In an interview on Sky News Australia, federal opposition leader Peter Dutton vows that if elected at the next election he would seek to hold a second referendum if the Yes campaign loses the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum - but it would be a vote on constitutional rights rather than a voice to parliament. His comments prompt much criticism.
• 4 September – After a two-day trial in the ACT Supreme Court, two men are found guilty by a jury of deliberately lighting the fire which caused extensive damage to the front of Old Parliament House on 30 December 2021.
• 6 September –
  • An emergency signal is detected off the Far North Queensland coast, originating from a inflatable 9-metre catamaran which had sustained damage from attacks by cookiecutter sharks. The vessel belonging to the Russian Geographical Society was carrying two Russians and a Frenchman attempting to circumnavigate the world. They were rescued by a nearby cargo ship.
  • Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attends the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta.
  • Alan Joyce steps down from his role as chief executive officer of Qantas two months early, citing recent controversies surrounding the airline, stating: "The best thing I can do under these circumstances is to bring forward my retirement and hand over to Vanessa and the new management team now, knowing they will do an excellent job."
• 7 September – After being continually pressed on her decision to reject an application by Qatar Airways to add additional flights to Australia, federal transport minister Catherine King admits the invasive searches of Australian women in Doha in 2020 was "a factor" in her decision, but insists it wasn't the only factor.
• 8 September –
  • Australia's longest serving female senator Marise Payne announces her retirement from politics after being in the Australian Senate since replacing Bob Woods in 1997.
  • Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets with Philippines president Bongbong Marcos in Manila during the first bilateral visit by an Australian prime minister in two decades.
  • One person is killed and five are injured when a car ploughs through pedestrians and two other vehicles in Melbourne. The driver is arrested at the scene.
• 13 September – Qantas loses its challenge to a court ruling that it had illegally outsourced 1,700 jobs at ten Australian airports during the COVID-19 pandemic, with seven High Court judges rejecting the company's appeal against a Federal Court ruling in 2021.
• 14 September – Macquarie Bank announces it will commence phasing out over-the-counter cash and cheque transactions as well as its telephone banking service in 2024.
• 18 September – Three people are taken to hospital after a mass stabbing at Australian National University in Canberra. The attacker has been detained.
• 21 September – Anthony Albanese announces an independent inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, led by former public servant Robyn Kruk, infectious diseases expert Catherine Bennett and economist Angela Jackson. However, the exclusion of state and territory governments from the scope of the inquiry draws much criticism.

• 24 September – Chief Minister of the Northern Territory Natasha Fyles was allegedly assaulted with a cream-covered pancake by a member of the public at the Sunday markets at Nightcliff.
• 27 September – Jacinta Allan becomes the Premier of Victoria after Daniel Andrews retires.
• 28 September –
  • Federal defence minister Richard Marles announces that 500 Australian troops would be relocated to Townsville over the course of six years from 2025 to ensure the Australian Army is more focused on conducting missions in the Pacific. However, the move is criticised by the city's mayor Jenny Hill who claims her council was not consulted about where the soldiers would be housed.
  • The Queensland Police Service indicates that inquiries will be made into whether a serving police officer breached social media guidelines after he posted a photo to Instagram of himself, Ben Roberts-Smith and Zachary Rolfe spending time together in Bali.
• 29 September –
  • Federal defence minister Richard Marles announces Australia's fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters will not be returning to flying operations and would be retired more than a year early, following the fatal crash during Exercise Talisman Sabre in July which killed four Australian Defence Force personnel.
  • The final report by the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability is tabled in federal parliament with 222 recommendations made for change. One of the key recommendations is to phase out all Australian special schools by 2051 with no new enrolments accepted after 2032 with all commissioners agreeing segregation of students with disabilities should end.
  • Attorney-General of Tasmania Elise Archer resigns from parliament and the Tasmanian Liberal Party after premier Jeremy Rockliff asks for and receives her resignation when allegations emerged of Archer being involved in bullying and inappropriate behaviour.
• 30 September – A man is killed when the boat he was in collided with a whale near Cape Banks at La Perouse.

October

• 2 October –
  • A woman receives serious leg injuries after being bitten by a shark while swimming at Beachport, South Australia.
  • Early voting begins for the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum.
• 3 October – At least three homes are destroyed when a bushfire burns more than 5,000 hectares of land at Coolagolite in the Bega Valley.
• 4 October – Flood warnings are issues for several communities in Victoria's Gippsland region after heavy rain causes major flooding in the Macalister River.
• 5 October – The Royal Australian Mint officially unveils new $1 coins featuring an effigy of Charles III, to replace those with the effigy of Elizabeth II.
• 6 October – A 65-year old pilot and his three grandchildren, aged between 6 and 11, are killed when their light plane crashes near Gundaroo in New South Wales' Southern Tablelands enroute from Canberra to Armidale.
• 7 October – A week before the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum is held, prime minister Anthony Albanese casts his vote early at a pre-poll booth at Marrickville Town Hall.
• 8 October – Following the Re'im music festival massacre by Hamas in Israel as part of the October 2023 Gaza–Israel conflict, a pro-Palestinian rally takes place in Lakemba in south-west Sydney during which Sheikh Ibrahim Dadoun described attacks on Israel by Hamas as an act of resistance. The comments earn a rebuke from prime minister Anthony Albanese, foreign minister Penny Wong, opposition leader Peter Dutton and co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry Alexander Ryvchin who all condemned the rally and the comments made.
• 9 October –
  • Various Australian landmarks, including the Sydney Opera House, Parliament House in Canberra and Brisbane's Story Bridge, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and the Adelaide Oval, are illuminated with blue and white colours to show support to Australia's Jewish community and to the people of Israel following an attack by militant group Hamas.
  • After a march through the streets of Sydney, a pro-Palestinian rally is held at the Sydney Opera House during which flares were thrown and anti-Jewish phrases were chanted.
• 11 October –
  • Journalist Cheng Lei returns to Australia after being detained in China for three years since being arrested in August 2020 while working for CGTN, accused of supplying state secrets.
  • A 66-year-old Sydney-born grandmother is confirmed as the first known Australian to be killed in the attacks in Israel by terrorist group Hamas.
• 13 October –
  • 238 Australians are successfully evacuated from Israel on a Qantas mercy flight from Tel Aviv to London after the attacks by Hamas in Israel.
  • The New South Wales government announces it will implement all five recommendations made in the Bus Industry Taskforce's initial safety report following the Hunter Valley bus crash in June, which killed ten people.
• 14 October – Australians vote in the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, where the majority voted against establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the constitution, with the proposal failing to garner sufficient support to pass.
• 18 October – Glencore announces it will close all copper mining at Mount Isa in 2025.
• 19 October –
  • Following the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, Queensland's LNP opposition leader David Crisafulli announces his party will be dropping its support for a state-based Treaty, despite having earlier supported a Treaty in early 2023.
  • Tim Mathieson, former partner of Julia Gillard, is convicted of sexual assault and fined $7000 in Melbourne Magistrates Court.
• 21 October –
  • Thousands of pro-Palestine protestors attend rallies throughout Australia to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza.
  • Wollongong mayor Gordon Bradbery is condemned by Jewish groups for comments he made at a local pro-Palestine rally. The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies accuse Bradbery of seeking to justify the October 7 attack and describe his comments as "reprehensible and irresponsible in the extreme" which caused some local residents to be "disturbed and appalled".
  • Western Australia local government elections are held with Basil Zempilas re-elected as Lord Mayor of Perth.
• 22 October – An open letter purportedly written by Indigenous leaders, describes the result of 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum as "appalling and mean-spirited" and attributes the loss to a lack of bipartisanship, racism and lies in political advertising.
• 23 October – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives in Washington, D.C. for a four-day visit and prepares to meet with members of congress and president of the United States Joe Biden.
• 25 October – Two people were killed, and more than five buildings were destroyed in more than forty out-of-control bushfires across the Darling Downs, Queensland.

Music, arts and literature

• 11 January – Cate Blanchett wins Best Actress at the 80th Golden Globe Awards for her role in Tár.
• 15 January – Cate Blanchett wins Best Actress at the 28th Critics' Choice Awards for her role in Tár, but uses her acceptance speech to criticise the award, describing it as a "poor second" to a bottle of mouthwash Julie Roberts had given her, and accuses the film and television industry or promoting a "televised horse race".
• 21 January – The 51st Golden Guitar Awards are held in Tamworth. Casey Barnes wins Album of the Year and Top Selling Album of the Year for Light It Up. 10-year-old Tiggy Heart Eckersley becomes the youngest Golden Guitar winner, awarded for the Song of the Year "Star of the Show" which she co-wrote with her parents Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley and their friend Dan Biederman. Andrew Swift is named Male Artist of the Year while Amber Lawrence is named Female Artist of the Year.
• 22 January – The Sydney Harbour Bridge and Cahill Expressway are closed to allow filming of The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt.
• 28 January – Flume tops the annual Triple J Hottest 100 with the song "Say Nothing" featuring Maya.
• 19 February – Cate Blanchett wins Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 76th BAFTAS for her role in Tár.
• 24 February – The winners of the 12th AACTA International Awards are announced. Among the Australian winners are Baz Luhrmann (Best Direction), Cate Blanchett (Best Actress), Mark Coles Smith (Best Actor in a Series) and Mystery Road: Origin (Best Drama Series).
• 26 February – A state memorial service is held in Melbourne for Olivia Newton-John who died in August 2022.
• 5 May – Julia Gutman is announced as the winner of the Archibald Prize for her portrait of Montaigne called Head in the sky, feet on the ground.
• 25 July – Shankari Chandran wins the Miles Franklin Award for Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens
• 3 September – John Farnham agrees to allow his 1986 hit "You're the Voice" to be used as the soundtrack for the Yes campaign in the lead up to the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum.

Television

Main article: 2023 in Australian television

January

• 16 January – Sarah Abo begins co-hosting the Nine Network's breakfast program Today, succeeding Allison Langdon.
• 28 January – Veteran Seven Network sports presenter Pat Welsh signs off after 47 years based at the network's Brisbane studio.
• 30 January –
  • Allison Langdon begins her tenure as the host of Nine's A Current Affair, succeeding Tracy Grimshaw who departed at the end of 2022.
  • Sam Mac is announced as the new host of Sydney Weekender, replacing Matt Shirvington.

February

• 27 February – After stepping down as the host of 7.30 in 2022, Leigh Sales returns to ABC TV as the new host of Australian Story which had been without a host since Caroline Jones left in 2016.
• 28 February – New sketch show We Interrupt This Broadcast premieres on the Seven Network.

March

• 19 March – Indira Naidoo begins hosting the long-running Compass program on ABC TV, succeeding Geraldine Doogue.
• 26 March – Royston Sagigi-Baira wins the eighth season of Australian Idol with Phoebe Stewart the runner-up.
• 27 March – Olympic pole vaulter Liz Parnov wins Australian Survivor: Heroes V Villains.

April

• 12 April – The final edition of Spencer Gulf Nightly News goes to air prior to its axing by Southern Cross Austereo, leaving South Australians with no regional television news service.
• 30 April – Former netballer Liz Ellis wins the ninth season of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! while boxer Harry Garside is runner-up. After flying back to Australia on 2 May, Garside is arrested by police at Sydney Airport and charged with assaulting his former partner on 1 March. The charges were withdrawn by police on 7 June.

May

• 1 May – The premiere of the fifteenth series of MasterChef Australia is pulled from the schedule by Network 10 just hours before it is due to air due to the sudden death of judge Jock Zonfrillo. After consultation with Zonfrillo's family, the series commences on 7 May 2023.
• 6 May – The ABC is heavily criticised for their coverage of the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla on ABC TV, during which they held a panel discussion featuring three anti-monarchists including Q+A host Stan Grant, Australian Republican Movement chair Craig Foster and Indigenous writer and lawyer Teela Reid, and one monarchist Julian Leeser. The panel discussion prompted more than 1,800 complaints from viewers and an ombudsman's investigation, which found no breach of impartiality standards during the coverage. Grant also received racial abuse after his appearance on the panel which prompted him to step back from hosting Q+A.

June

• 2 June – After losing his civil defamation trial, Ben Roberts-Smith resigns from Seven West Media. He had been the general manager of regional network Seven Queensland since July 2015 before also being appointed as general manager of Seven Brisbane in 2016.
• 9 June – After 21 years, David Koch co-hosts Seven Network breakfast program Sunrise for the final time. Koch is succeeded by Matt Shirvington.
• 17 June – The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's managing director David Anderson announces a major restructure of the organisation in the new financial year, resulting in the loss of 120 jobs, the Sunday evening state-based ABC News bulletins on ABC TV being replaced with a single national bulletin and the abolition of the ABC's arts team. Among those to lose their jobs was national political editor Andrew Probyn whose position is made redundant. The ABC is widely condemned for the decisions.
• 25 June – ABC TV's Sunday morning public affairs show Insiders signs off from the ABC's Melbourne studio for the final time, ahead of its relocation to the ABC's studio in Canberra.

July

• 10 July – The Seven Network announces they have signed a two-year deal with Hockey Australia to broadcast all internationally-sanctioned games played by the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos as well as all matches of the Hockey One league throughout 2023 and 2024.
• 16 July – Brent Draper wins the 15th season of Masterchef Australia.
• 23 July –
  • Weekend Sunrise becomes the final live television program to broadcast from the Seven Network's Martin Place studios as the network completes its relocation to its Eveleigh headquarters. The final editions of Sunrise and The Morning Show from Martin Place aired on 21 July while the final Seven News Sydney bulletin from Martin Place aired on 25 June.
  • Phil Burton and dance partner Ash-Leigh Hunter win the twentieth series of Dancing with the Stars.
• 24 July – The ABC announces that Stan Grant will not be returning to host Q+A with Patricia Karvelas confirmed as the program's host for the remainder of the year. It is also announced Dan Bourchier would soon be hosting a special edition of Q+A from the Garma Festival.
• 30 July – Seven Network personality Sonia Kruger wins the Gold Logie at the 2023 Logie Awards held in Sydney. Kruger's win is criticised by several media commentators and Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi. All referred to Kruger's controversial remarks on the Nine Network's Today program in 2016 regarding immigration which the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled as having vilified Muslims.

August

• 2 August –
  • After receiving much criticism, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation announces it has reversed its earlier decision, deciding to retain the Sunday evening editions of the state-based ABC News bulletins on ABC TV.
  • After last airing in 2009, improvised comedy show Thank God You're Here returns to Network 10 with new host Celia Pacquola.
• 4 August – Eddie McGuire announces that Millionaire Hot Seat, the afternoon game show he has hosted since its debut in 2009, will be going into hiatus in January 2024, to be replaced with a new program produced in Melbourne.
• 7 August – Australian animated children's program Bluey wins the TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming at the 39th TCA Awards.
• 15 August – After last airing in 2016, Kitchen Cabinet hosted by Annabel Crabb returns to ABC TV.
• 16 August – The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup semi-final between the Matildas and the Lionesses becomes the most watched television program since the OzTAM audience measuring commenced in 2001, with preliminary data showing a national average audience of 7.13 million watched the game.
• 23 August – The 2023 reimagining of ABC TV's sitcom Mother and Son debuts, attracting a national metro audience of 441,000 viewers.
• 24 August – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese officially opens the Seven Sydney's new newsroom and studio facility at the network's head office in South Eveleigh.
• 29 August – After having last aired in 2018, Network 10 reboots Shark Tank with a completely new cast of "sharks", consisting of Sabri Suby, Catriona Wallace, Davie Fogarty, Jane Lu, and Robert Herjavec.

September

• 6 September – Nine Entertainment holds their Upfronts in Sydney where they officially reveal the commentary teams for their Olympics and Paralympics coverage. The network also confirms a local version of Tipping Point hosted by Todd Woodbridge will air on Nine in 2024 as will a reboot of an Australian version of Jeopardy! Nine also confirms the return of former A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw in an undisclosed project.
• 7 September – The Australian Broadcasting Corporation admits it breached its own policies pertaining to the licensing of its archival television footage for political purposes after it's discovered the ABC's commercial arm licensed footage from the 1967 referendum to be used in Uluru Dialogue's advertisement for the 2023 referendum featuring John Farnham's hit song You're the Voice. That same footage was also inexplicably watermarked with a logo belonging to private company Australian Television Archive despite owner James Paterson stating that he had "nothing to do with the campaign, the agency or have any connection whatsoever to the footage our logo was placed on”.
• 10 September – Juanita Phillips reads her final ABC News New South Wales bulletin on ABC TV in Sydney after 21 years. She is succeeded by Jeremy Fernandez.
• 18 September – Neighbours returns after more than a year off the air.

October

• 3 October – Identical twins Radha and Prabha win the thirteenth series of My Kitchen Rules.
• 8 October – Tarryn Stokes wins the twelfth season of The Voice.
• 24 October – Network 10 / Paramount ANZ hold their 2024 upfronts in Sydney where they reveal: Ready Steady Cook will be rebooted with Miguel Maestre as host; Deal of No Deal will be revived with Grant Denyer as host; new episodes of Wheel of Fortune will be filmed in the UK with Graham Norton as host; and Robert Irwin will co-host I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! They also announce a new judging line up for MasterChef Australia with Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli joining returning judge Andy Allen. It's also announced Top Gear Australia will be rebooted to stream on Paramount+, hosted by Blair Joscelyne, Beau Ryan and Jonathan LaPaglia.

Sport

January

• 5 January – The world's first statue of a female cricketer is erected at the Sydney Cricket Ground with a bronze sculpture of Belinda Clark officially unveiled.
• 7 January – A professional drag racing competitor is killed at the New Year Nitro event at the Willowbank Raceway in Ipswich, Queensland when his car crashes into a camera tower.
• 8 January –
  • The third cricket test between Australia and South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground ends in a draw, but Australia win the series 2-0.
  • Novak Djokovic wins the Men's singles final at the 2023 Adelaide International 1 tournament while Aryna Sabalenka wins the Women's singles final.
  • The United States win the inaugural United Cup tennis competition which concludes at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney.
• 10 January – Football Australia rules that Melbourne Victory FC brought the game into disrepute, penalising the club with a $550,000 fine and a suspended 10-point deduction for the violent A-League pitch invasion which occurred at AAMI Park on 17 December 2022 which saw fans run onto the field and assault referee Alex King and player Tom Glover.
• 12 January – Cricket Australia announces that they are withdrawing the Australian team from a three-match One Day International series that they were due to play against Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates due to the treatment of women by the Taliban.
• 14 January – Kwon Soon-woo becomes the Men's singles champion at the 2023 Adelaide International 2 tournament while Belinda Bencic wins the Women's singles title.
• 17 January –
  • Grace Brown wins the Women's Tour Down Under.
  • Play is suspended on all outside courts at the Australian Open just after 2pm AEDST when Tennis Australia's extreme heat policy is enacted due to high temperatures. Play resumes at 5pm AEDST but is again interrupted due to rain.
• 18 January – Daisy Pearce announces her retirement from Women's Australian rules football.
• 28 January – Aryna Sabalenka becomes Australian Open women's singles champion.
• 30 January – Novak Djokovic becomes Australian Open men's singles champion for the tenth time.

February

• 4 February – The Perth Scorchers win the 2022–23 Big Bash League season defeating the Brisbane Heat in the final at Perth Stadium.
• 7 February –
  • Aaron Finch announces his retirement from international cricket.
  • 12-year-old Chloe Covell wins silver at the 2023 World Skateboarding Championships in Sharjah.
• 18 February – The World Club Challenge takes place with the Penrith Panthers losing by one point.
• 22 February – The Matildas claim victory in the 2023 Cup of Nations with a 3-0 victory over Spain in the final match in Newcastle.
• 26 February – Australia wins the 2023 ICC Women's T20 World Cup, defeating South Africa by 19 runs.

March

• 2 March – The 2023 NRL season commences, with Melbourne Storm defeating Parramatta Eels 16–12 at CommBank Stadium.
• 5 March – The Dolphins play their inaugural NRL match, defeating Sydney Roosters 28–18.
• 24 March – A power outage occurs at The Gabba during the Friday night AFL game between the Brisbane Lions and the Melbourne Demons with 12 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, stopping play for 38 minutes.

April

• 2 April – Max Verstappen wins the 2023 Australian Grand Prix.

May

• 2 May – The Australian Football League (AFL) give its 19th AFL license to Tasmania after decades of campaigning.
• 31 May – Queensland defeat New South Wales 26–18 in the first match of the 2023 State of Origin series, held at Adelaide Oval. Queensland prop Reuben Cotter is named player of the match.

June

• 1 June – Queensland defeat New South Wales 18–10 in the first match of the 2023 Women's State of Origin series, held at CommBank Stadium. Queensland prop Keilee Joseph is awarded the Nellie Doherty Medal for player of the match.
• 20 June – Australia win the first Ashes test beating England by two wickets at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, securing a 1-0 lead in the five test series.
• 21 June – Queensland defeat New South Wales 32–6 in the second match of the 2023 State of Origin series, held at Suncorp Stadium, sealing a series victory. Queensland prop Lindsay Collins is named player of the match.
• 22 June – New South Wales defeat Queensland 18–14 in the second match of the 2023 Women's State of Origin series, held at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, though Queensland win the series overall based on points difference. Queensland second rower Tazmin Gray is named player of the match and is awarded the Nellie Doherty medal for player of the series.
• 27 June – Sam Mitchell, Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright, Michael Aish, Tom Leahy, Mark Williams and Bruce McAvaney are all inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. Barry Cable is removed from the Hall of Fame after being found to have repeatedly sexually abused a Perth girl during his playing career.

July

• 2 July –
  • Boxer Jeff Horn announces his retirement.
  • Australia wins the second Ashes test, beating England by 43 runs at Lord's, taking a 2-0 nil lead in the five-match series. However, a controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow by Alex Carey prompts some members of the Marylebone Cricket Club to allegedly verbally abuse and physically contact the Australian players as they return to their dressing rooms at lunch, while accusing the players of cheating. This prompts reactions from Usman Khawaja and David Warner before stewards usher them away. Three MCC members are suspended as a result.
• 4 July – The Australian Sports Brain Bank publish findings which reveal Heather Anderson, a former AFLW player who died at the age of 28 in 2022, is the first female athlete to be diagnosed with the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is caused by repetitive head injuries.
• 5 July – An ongoing pay dispute with the National Rugby League escalates when the Rugby League Players Association announces it has instructed NRL and NRLW players not to partake in any media interviews during Round 19 or the third State of Origin after a breakdown in protracted negotiations over the collective bargaining agreement. NRL CEO Andrew Abdo describes the action taken as disappointing.
• 8 July – Alexander Volkanovski wins the UFC 290 bout against Yair Rodríguez at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
• 9 July – England win the third Ashes test, beating Australia by three wickets at Headingley Cricket Ground and with the series now 2-1 keep themselves in contention in the five-test series.
• 10 July – The Gold Coast Suns sack senior coach Stuart Dew.
• 12 July – New South Wales win the final State of Origin game but the 24-10 victory over Queensland isn't enough to win the series with Queensland winning the series 2-1. Cody Walker is named Player of the Match.
• 14 July –
  • Australian swimmers begin competing at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka.
  • More than 50,000 spectators at Docklands Stadium watch a friendly women's soccer game between the Matildas and France, with the Matildas winning the match 1-0 after a Mary Fowler goal.
• 20 July – The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup commences which is jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The Matildas win their opening match against the Republic of Ireland 1-0 despite captain Sam Kerr being unable to play due to a calf injury.
• 22 July – The 2023 NRL Women's season gets underway with the first of Round 1 between the Gold Coast Titans and the North Queensland Cowboys at Robina Stadium.
• 23 July –
  • Ariarne Titmus breaks the 400 metre women's freestyle world record at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka.
  • Australia retains The Ashes after rain washes out the last day of play of the fourth Ashes test at Old Trafford which ends in a draw. Australia takes a 2-1 lead before the final test at The Oval.
• 26 July – Mollie O'Callaghan breaks the 200 metre women's freestyle world record at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka.
• 27 July – Australia breaks the 4 x 200 metre women's freestyle relay world record at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka.
• 29 July –
  • Australia breaks the 4 x 100 metre mixed freestyle relay world record at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka.
  • Geelong Cats footballer Jeremy Cameron is allegedly assaulted when he was headbutted in an unprovoked attack while watching the cricket at a pub in South Geelong.
• 31 July –
  • Australian rules footballer Buddy Franklin announces his retirement.
  • The Matildas win their match against Canada at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup to advance to the knockout stage.
  • England win the fifth Ashes test bowling Australia out and winning by 49 runs to draw the series 2-2, but with Australia retaining the urn.

August

• 1 August – Australian runner Peter Bol is cleared of doping following a Sport Integrity Australia investigation. The World Anti-Doping Agency says it will review its testing processes after notifying Bol of a positive test result for synthetic EPO in January despite subsequent analysis of a B-sample returning an "atypical" finding.
• 5 August – The Wallabies narrowly lose the final Bledisloe Cup match of 2023 to the All Blacks in Dunedin, 23-20.
• 6 August – The Diamonds win the 2023 Netball World Cup, beating England 61-45 in Cape Town in what was Ash Brazill's final game.
• 7 August – The Matildas progress through to the quarter-finals of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup after defeating Denmark 2-0 at Brisbane Stadium with Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso scoring a goal each.
• 12 August – The Matildas progress through to the semi-finals of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup after defeating France in a penalty shootout at Brisbane Stadium, with Cortnee Vine kicking the winning penalty.
• 13 August – Ed Goddard and Niamh Allen are the respective men's and women's winners of Sydney's 14km City2Surf.
• 16 August – The England Lionesses beat the Matildas 3-1 in a semi-final of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup at Stadium Australia.
• 19 August –
  • A goal umpire denies the Adelaide Crows a match-winning goal kicked by Ben Keays in the final 90 seconds of their Round 23 match against the Sydney Swans at Adelaide Oval, mistakenly believing the ball had hit the post, which results in the Crows missing out a place in the finals. The goal umpire is subsequently stood down and the AFL's CEO Gillon McLachlan apologises for the mistake.
  • Jack Ziebell plays his final game for the North Melbourne Football Club.
• 20 August –
  • Just hours after playing his final game, footballer Jack Ziebell is allegedly assaulted in an unprovoked at a bar in South Yarra at approximately 1am while celebrating his retirement. Two men were subsequently arrested for the alleged assault.
  • The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup final is played at Stadium Australia in Sydney, where Spain defeats England 1-0.
  • The Matildas are presented with the keys to the city at a public reception held at Brisbane's Riverstage where premier Annastacia Palaszczuk promised to triple investment into improving women's facilities at local sports clubs. Australian singer Nikki Webster also surprises the team with a performance of "Strawberry Kisses".
• 23 August – Nina Kennedy wins gold in the women's pole vault event at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, sharing it with American Katie Moon.
• 25 August – Collingwood claims the AFL's minor premiership for the first time since 2011 after defeating Essendon by 70 points at the MCG.
• 27 August – Matt Smith and Sinead Noonan are the respective men's and women's winners of Perth's 12km City to Surf.

September

• 1 September – The 2023 AFL Women's season gets underway with the first game of Round 1 between Melbourne and Collingwood at Princes Park.
• 2 September – The Penrith Panthers win the NRL minor premiership and are awarded the J. J. Giltinan Shield for the third time in four years after defeating the North Queensland Cowboys 44-12 at Penrith Stadium. Wests Tigers finish in last position, claiming their second straight wooden spoon.
• 9 September – The Australian Wallabies beat Georgia 35-15 in their opening match at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France - their first win under coach Eddie Jones.
• 15 September – A stand at Stadium Australia is named the Cathy Freeman Stand in honour of Cathy Freeman, the first Aboriginal athlete to win an individual Olympic gold medal for Australia.
• 17 September – In their first win against Australia since 1954, Fiji defeats the Wallabies 22-15 in a 2023 Rugby World Cup pool match.
• 24 September – The Wallabies are defeated by Wales by 40-6 and are likely to be knocked out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup without progressing past the pool stages for the first time in history. Coach Eddie Jones and captain David Porecki both apologise to Australia for their team's poor performance.
• 25 September – Lachie Neale wins the 2023 Brownlow Medal.
• 27 September – Kalyn Ponga and Tamika Upton are awarded the Dally M Medals at the 2023 Dally M Awards.
• 28 September – After a four day trial in the District Court of New South Wales, Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka is found not guilty of raping a woman in Sydney after having been accused of stealthing in Sydney in November 2022, while in Australia for the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
• 30 September – The Collingwood Magpies defeat the Brisbane Lions in the 2023 AFL Grand Final.

October

• 1 October –
  • The Penrith Panthers defeat the Brisbane Broncos in the 2023 NRL Grand Final.
  • The Newcastle Knights defeat the Gold Coast Titans in the 2023 NRLW Grand Final.
• 8 October –
  • Shane van Gisbergen wins the Bathurst 1000 for the third time.
  • Australia is defeated by six wickets in their World Cup match against India at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium.
• 12 October – Australia is defeated by 134 runs in their World Cup match against South Africa at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
• 14 October –
  • The Socceroos are defeated by England 1-0 in an international friendly at Wembley Stadium in London.
  • The Joseph Pride-trained Think About It jockeyed by Sam Clipperton wins The Everest at Randwick Racecourse.
• 15 October –
  • Tim Vincent and Eloise Wellings are the respective men's and women's winners in the 10km Bridge to Brisbane.
  • Reece Edwards and Gemma Maini are the respective men's and women's winners in the 42km Melbourne Marathon.
  • Ali Day and Lana Rogers are the respective men's and women's winners of the Coolangatta Gold.
• 21 October –
  • The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Without a Fight, jockeyed by Mark Zahra, wins the Caulfield Cup at Caulfield Racecourse.
  • Australian cricketer Alyssa Healy is taken to hospital and undergoes surgery on her hand after sustaining a dog bite at home forcing her to temporarily withdraw from the 2023–24 Women's Big Bash League season.
• 23 October – The Australian Diamonds win the 2023 Constellation Cup.

Deaths

Main article: Deaths in 2023

Further information: Category:2023 deaths

January

Renée Geyer

Alan Mackay-Sim

• 4 January – Alan Mackay-Sim, biomedical scientist (b. 1951)
• 6 January – David Penington, doctor and academic (b. 1930)
• 7 January – Rob Heming, rugby union player (b. 1932)
• 8 January – Slim Newton, country singer (b. 1932)
• 10 January – George Pell, Catholic cardinal (b. 1941) (died in Italy)
• 16 January – Jim Molan, New South Wales politician and military general (b. 1950)
• 17 January – Renée Geyer, singer (b. 1953)
• 21 January –
  • Simon Dunn, bobsledder (b. 1987)
  • Gabrielle Williams, author of young adult fiction (b. 1963)
• 22 January –
  • David Hains, businessman and horse breeder (b. 1931)
  • Vaughan Johnson, Queensland politician (b. 1947)
• 25 January – Duncan Pugh, bobsledder (born in United Kingdom) (b. 1974)
• 26 January – Diana Fisher, media identity (b. 1931)
• 28 January – Phil Coles, Olympic canoeist (b. 1931)
• 29 January – John Devine, football player and coach (Geelong, North Hobart) (b. 1940)
• 30 January –
  • Andrew Grimwade, businessman and philanthropist (b. 1930)
  • Ann Harding, economist (b. 1958)

Syd Fischer

February

• 2 February – Richard Woolcott, diplomat (b. 1927)
• 3 February – Portia Robinson, historian (b. 1926)
• 5 February – Geoff Heskett, Olympic basketball player (1956) (b. 1929)
• 9 February – Wesley Stacey, photographer (b. 1941)
• 17 February –
  • George T. Miller, film director (b. 1943, Scotland)
  • Peter Muller, architect (b. 1927)
• 20 February – Ken Warby, motorboat racer and holder of water speed record (b. 1939) (died in United States)
• 22 February – Jeff Watson, journalist and documentary maker (b. 1942)
• 23 February – Syd Fischer, property developer and sailor (b. 1927)

March

John Kerin

• 1 March – Warren Saunders, cricketer (b. 1934)
• 16 March –
  • Stephen Bromhead, New South Wales politician (b. 1957)
  • Ron Elstob, politician (b. 1924)
  • Peter Hardy, actor (b. 1957)
  • Brian Walsh, television executive (b. c. 1954)
• 17 March – James Goldrick, naval historian and officer (b. 1958)
• 20 March –
  • Bob Johnston, economist and governor of the Reserve Bank (b. 1924)
  • Terry Norris, actor and politician (b. 1930)
  • John Sattler, rugby league player (b. 1942)
• 21 March – Hugh Hiscutt, Tasmanian politician (b. 1926)
• 29 March –
  • John Kerin, politician and economist (b. 1937)
  • Stewart West, politician (b. 1934)
• 30 March – Doug Mulray, radio and television personality (b. 1951)

April

John Olsen

Barry Humphries

• 1 April – Fay Miller, Northern Territory politician (b. 1947)
• 3 April – Galarrwuy Yunupingu, Aboriginal leader (b. 1948)
• 6 April – Bruce Petty, political satirist (b. 1929)
• 7 April – Bruce Haigh, political commentator (b. 1945)
• 9 April – Max Hazelton, co-founder of Hazelton Airlines (b. 1927)
• 11 April – John Olsen, artist (b. 1928)
• 15 April – Faith Thomas, cricketer (b. 1933)
• 17 April – Maxine Klibingaitis, actress (b. 1964)
• 19 April – Father Bob Maguire, Catholic priest and community worker (b. 1934)
• 21 April – John Tranter, poet (b. 1943)
• 22 April – Barry Humphries, comedian, author, actor and satirist (b. 1934)
• 27 April – Francis Macnab, Uniting Church minister and psychologist (b. 1931)
• 30 April –
  • Broderick Smith, musician (b. 1948)
  • Jock Zonfrillo, chef (MasterChef Australia) (b. 1976)

May

Rolf Harris

Ella Stack

• 2 May –
  • Gabrielle Carey, novelist (b. 1959)
  • Frank Phillips, golfer (b. 1932)
• 3 May – Tony Staley, politician (b. 1939)
• 4 May – Bruce Childs, politician (b. 1934)
• 5 May – Terry Lewis, police officer (b. 1928)
• 10 May –
  • Rosemary Crossley, author and disability rights advocate (b. 1945)
  • Rolf Harris, entertainer, musician and sex offender (b. 1930) (died in the United Kingdom)
• 12 May – Owen Davidson, tennis player (b. 1943)
• 13 May – Mary Parker, television presenter and actress (born in the United Kingdom) (b.1930)
• 18 May – Ray Wilkie, meteorologist (b. 1925)
• 19 May – Ella Stack, mayor of Darwin (b. 1929)
• 23 May –
  • Andrew Burke, poet (b. 1944)
  • Neil Dansie, cricketer (b.1928)
• 25 May –
  • Joy McKean, musician (b. 1930)
  • Mac Gudgeon, screenwriter (b. 1949)
• 26 May – Andrew Evans, pastor and co-founder of the Family First Party (b.1935)

June

Simon Crean

• 6 June –
  • Tom Herzfeld, politician (b.1936)
  • Jim May, chemical engineer (b. 1934)
• 8 June –
  • Rale Rasic, Australian association football player and coach (born in Bosnia) (b. 1935)
  • Craig Stewart, Australian rules footballer (b. 1956)
• 9 June – Camilla Ah Kin, actress
• 13 June – Dennis Argall, diplomat (born 1943)
• 14 June – James Hardy, winemaker, businessman and Olympic and America's Cup yachtsman (b. 1932)
• 17 June – Siobhan O'Sullivan, political scientist (b. 1974)
• 19 June – Bernie Massey, Australian rules footballer (b. 1939)
• 20 June – Ray Wheatley, boxer (b. 1948)
• 21 June – Tom Roper, politician (b. 1945)
• 22 June – Peter Allan, cricketer (b. 1935)
• 23 June – Rocky Gattellari, boxer (born in Italy) (b. 1941)
• 25 June – Simon Crean, politician (died in Germany) (b. 1949)
• 27 June – Graeme John, Australian rules footballer (b. 1943)
• 28 June – Matt Rendell, Australian rules footballer (b. 1959)
• 29 June – Judi Farr, actress (b. 1938)
• 30 June – Ron Pretty, poet (b. 1940)

July

Michael Baden-Powell

• 2 July – Margaret Nisbett, soprano (b. 1929)
• 3 July – Michael Baden-Powell, scout leader (b. 1940)
• 6 July – Attila Abonyi, soccer player and manager (born in Hungary) (b. 1946)
• 10 July – Alan Wilkie, meteorologist and weather presenter
• 11 July – Dale Brede, racing driver (b. 1974)
• 13 July –
  • Ewen Jones, politician (b. 1960)
  • Alan Morrow, Australian rules footballer (b. 1936)
• 21 July – Brian Taber, cricketer (b. 1940)
• 26 July – Arthur Blanch, country singer (b. 1928)
• 27 July – Gordon Dean, politician and magistrate (b. 1942)
• 28 July – Justin Yerbury, molecular biologist (b. 1974)
• 31 July – Bob Dawson, Australian rules footballer (b. 1921)

August

Kyle Turner

• 1 August –
  • Phillip Bennett, Governor of Tasmania (b. 1928)
  • Richard Face, politician (b. 1942)
• 6 August – Elizabeth Webby, scholar of Australian literature (born 1942)
• 11 August –
  • Mike Ahern, 32nd Premier of Queensland (b. 1942)
  • John Barrett, Australian rules footballer (b. 1928)
  • Jeff Hilton, Australian rules footballer (b. 1972)
  • Shane McNally, rugby league player (b. 1954)
  • Ron Peno, singer-songwriter (Died Pretty) (b. 1955)
• 12 August – Mary-Louise McLaws, epidemiologist (b. 1953)
• 13 August – Wolfgang Kasper, economist (b. 1939)
• 17 August – John Devitt, swimmer (b. 1937)
• 18 August – Kyle Turner, rugby league player (b. 1992)
• 20 August – Harry Smith, soldier (b. 1933)
• 25 August – Merv Cross, orthopaedic surgeon and rugby league player (b. 1941)
• 29 August – Dorothy Isaksen, politician (b. 1930)

September

• 1 September – Ken Bennett, Australian rules footballer (b. 1940)
• 12 September – Damian Evans, archaeologist
• 13 September – John McDonald, rugby league player and coach (b. 1944)
• 14 September – Rob Langer, cricketer (b. 1948)
• 16 September –
  • Ron Barassi, Australian rules footballer (b. 1936)
  • Joy Chambers, actress (b. 1946)
  • Lionel Morgan, rugby league player (b. 1938)
  • Kevin Neale, Australian rules footballer (b. 1945)
  • Paul Woseen, musician (b. 1967)
• 20 September – Graeme Page, politician (b. 1943)
• 21 September – Kevin Byrne, politician (b. 1949)
• 26 September – Geof Motley, Australian rules footballer (b. 1935)
• 29 September – Neville Harper, politician (b. 1926)

October

Eric Tweedale

• 3 October – Jacqueline Dark, opera singer (b. 1967/68)
• 6 October – Esme Timbery, shellworker (b. 1931)
• 11 October – Cal Wilson, comedian (born in New Zealand) (b. 1970)
• 16 October – Eric Tweedale, rugby union player (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1921)
• 17 October – Brian Langton, NSW politician (b. 1948)
• 21 October – Max Corden, economist (b. 1927)

See also

Country overviews

• 2020s in Australia political history
• History of Australia
• History of modern Australia
• Outline of Australia
• Government of Australia
• Politics of Australia
• Years in Australia
• Timeline of Australia history
• 2023 in Australian literature
• 2023 in Australian television
• List of Australian films of 2023

External links

• Online calendar