History of Australia in Timeline

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, encompasses the Australian mainland, Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest country globally and the largest in Oceania, covering 7,688,287 km2. Noted for being the flattest and driest inhabited continent, Australia boasts a diverse range of landscapes and climates, from interior deserts to coastal tropical rainforests, reflecting its megadiverse environment.

1901: Strengthening White Australia Policy

Following Federation in 1901, the white Australia policy was strengthened, restricting further migration from certain areas.

1906: The Story of the Kelly Gang Film

In 1906, The Story of the Kelly Gang, the world's first feature-length narrative film, was released, spurring a boom in Australian cinema.

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1938: Commonwealth Games

Australia hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1938.

1945: Post-1945 History

Contemporary Australian culture reflects its post-1945 history of multicultural immigration.

1956: Melbourne Olympics

In 1956, the Summer Olympics were held in Melbourne, Australia.

1962: Commonwealth Games

Australia hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1962.

1971: First One Day International

In 1971, the Australian national cricket team competed against England in the first One Day International, winning the game.

1973: Nobel Prize in Literature

In 1973, Patrick White won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

1973: End of Racial Discrimination

In 1973, all overt racial discrimination ended in Australia, and multiculturalism became official policy.

1975: Racial Discrimination Act

In 1975, Australia enacted the Racial Discrimination Act to protect human rights.

1975: National Insurance Scheme Introduction

In 1975, Australia introduced a national insurance scheme.

1981: Medicare Scheme

In 1981, the national insurance scheme was made universal again under the name Medicare.

1982: Commonwealth Games

Australia hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1982.

1984: Sex Discrimination Act

In 1984, Australia enacted the Sex Discrimination Act to protect human rights.

1992: Disability Discrimination Act

In 1992, Australia enacted the Disability Discrimination Act to protect human rights.

2000: Sydney Olympics

In 2000, the Summer Olympics were held in Sydney, Australia.

2001: Religious Affiliation

In 2001, 15.5% of the Australian population identified as having no religion. By the 2021 census, this number had increased to 38.9%.

2003: Adult Literacy Rate

In 2003, Australia's adult literacy rate was estimated to be 99%.

2003: Invasion of Iraq Decision

In 2003, Australia's decision to join the invasion of Iraq was made by the prime minister and the national security committee without prior Cabinet approval.

2004: Age Discrimination Act

In 2004, Australia enacted the Age Discrimination Act to protect human rights.

2004: First Twenty20 International

In 2004, the Australian national cricket team competed against New Zealand in the first Twenty20 International, winning the game.

2006: Commonwealth Games

Australia hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2006.

2009: Commonwealth Government Renewable Energy Target

In 2009, the Commonwealth government set a target of 20% renewable energy by 2020.

2011: Literacy and Numeracy Competence Report

A 2011 report for the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that 44% of the population did not have high literary and numeracy competence levels.

2012: Renewable Energy Increase

From 2012 to 2022, the energy sourced from renewables has increased 5.7%, while energy sourced from coal has decreased 2.6%.

2012: Obesity Ranking

In 2012, Australia was ranked 35th worldwide regarding the proportion of obese women, being near the top of developed nations for obese adults, with 63% being overweight or obese.

2012: Literacy and Numeracy Competence Report

In 2012, a report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 44% of the population lacks high literary and numeracy competence.

2014: National Curriculum Implementation

Since 2014, the states and territories have been implementing a national curriculum developed by the Commonwealth.

2015: Australian Films Market Share

In 2015, Australian films had a 7.7% share of the local box office.

2016: Education Export Economy

In 2016, Education was Australia's third-largest export.

2017: Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage

In 2017, same-sex marriage was legalized in Australia.

2018: Commonwealth Games

Australia hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2018.

2018: Urbanization

In 2018, 67% of Australia's population lived in the Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, which are the metropolitan areas of the state and mainland territorial capital cities.

2018: National Indigenous Languages Survey

The National Indigenous Languages Survey (NILS) for 2018–19 found that more than 120 Indigenous language varieties were in use or being revived, although 70 of those in use were endangered.

2019: International Tourists

In 2019, Australia attracted 9.5 million international tourists.

2019: International Students Enrolled

In 2019, Australia had 812,000 international students enrolled in universities and vocational institutions, representing 26.7% of the student bodies of Australian universities.

2019: Expenditure on Research and Development

In 2019, Australia spent $35.6 billion on research and development, allocating about 1.79% of GDP.

2020: Research Contribution

In 2020, Australia contributed over 4% of the world's published research, making it one of the top 10 research contributors globally, despite having only 0.3% of the world's population.

2020: Household Debt

In 2020, Australia had the second-highest level of household debt in the world, after Switzerland.

2020: Renewable Energy Production

In 2020, Australia produced 27.7% of its electricity from renewable sources.

2021: Wealth per Adult

As of 2021, Australia had the second-highest amount of wealth per adult globally, after Luxembourg.

2021: Indigenous Population

At the 2021 census, 3.8% of the Australian population identified as being Indigenous—Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders.

2021: Languages Spoken at Home

At the 2021 census, English was the only language spoken in the home for 72% of the population. The next most common languages spoken at home were Mandarin (2.7%), Arabic (1.4%), Vietnamese (1.3%), Cantonese (1.2%) and Punjabi (0.9%).

2021: Ancestry Groups

At the 2021 census, the most commonly nominated ancestry groups as a proportion of the total population were: 57.2% European (including 46% North-West European and 11.2% Southern and Eastern European), 33.8% Oceanian, 17.4% Asian (including 6.5% Southern and Central Asian, 6.4% North-East Asian, and 4.5% South-East Asian), 3.2% North African and Middle Eastern, 1.4% Peoples of the Americas, and 1.3% Sub-Saharan African.

2021: International Relations and Aid

In 2021, Australia maintained a close relationship with New Zealand, including free movement of citizens and free trade. The most favorably viewed countries by the Australian people included New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and South Korea. Australia also operated an international aid program assisting approximately 75 countries and ranked fourth in the Center for Global Development's Commitment to Development Index.

2021: Net Zero Emissions Target Set

In 2021, a target for net zero emissions by 2050 was set.

2021: Aboriginal Religions Affiliation

In 2021, almost 8,000 people reported a connection to traditional Aboriginal religions.

2021: Australian Defence Force Personnel

In 2021, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) had 84,865 serving personnel, including 60,286 regulars and 24,581 reservists.

2021: Electricity Generation Sources

In 2021-22, Australia's electricity generation was sourced from black coal (37.2%), brown coal (12%), natural gas (18.8%), hydro (6.5%), wind (11.1%), solar (13.3%), bio-energy (1.2%) and others (1.7%).

2021: Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report Ranking

The 2021 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranked Australia seventh-highest in the world out of 117 countries.

June 2022: Unemployment Rate

As of June 2022, Australia had an unemployment rate of 3.5% with a labour force of some 13.5 million.

2022: Tech Sector Contribution to Economy

A 2022 study by Accenture for the Tech Council shows that the Australian tech sector combined contributes $167 billion a year to the economy and employs 861,000 people.

2022: PISA Evaluations

According to the 2022 PISA evaluations, Australian 15-year-olds ranked ninth in the OECD for reading and science and tenth for maths.

2022: Changes in Energy Sourcing

From 2012 to 2022, the energy sourced from renewables has increased 5.7%, while energy sourced from coal has decreased 2.6%. The use of gas also increased by 1.5% and the use of oil stayed relatively stable with a reduction of only 0.2%.

2022: Human Development Index Ranking

In 2022, Australia was ranked tenth in the Human Development Index.

2022: Defence Spending

In 2022, Australia's defence spending was 1.9% of GDP, which represented the world's 13th-largest defence budget.

2022: Renewable Energy Target Set

In 2022, a new target of 82% per cent renewable energy by 2030 was set.

2022: Permanent Migrants Admitted

In 2022–23, 212,789 permanent migrants were admitted to Australia, with a net migration population gain of 518,000 people inclusive of non-permanent residents.

2024: Australian Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize

As of 2024, 13 Australian scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize in physics, chemistry, or medicine, and two have been awarded the Fields Medal.

2024: Global Innovation Index Ranking

Australia ranked 23rd in the Global Innovation Index in 2024.

2024: Press Freedom Ranking

In 2024, Reporters Without Borders ranked Australia 39th in press freedom out of 180 countries.

2024: ADF Active Operations

In 2024, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) was actively involved in operations in the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, providing security and aid. They were also contributing to UN forces in South Sudan, Syria-Israel peacekeeping, and North Korea. Domestically, the ADF assisted in preventing asylum seekers from entering the country and provided natural disaster relief.