The following is a list of events that occurred in the year 2024 in Australia.
Incumbents
Monarch
Governor-General
Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
Opposition Leader
Chief Justice
State and territory leaders Premier of New South Wales – Chris Minns Opposition Leader – Mark Speakman Premier of Queensland – Steven Miles (until 28 October), then David Crisafulli Opposition Leader – David Crisafulli (until 28 October), then Steven Miles Premier of South Australia – Peter Malinauskas Opposition Leader – David Speirs (until 8 August), then Vincent Tarzia Premier of Tasmania – Jeremy Rockliff Opposition Leader – Rebecca White (until 10 April), then Dean Winter Premier of Victoria – Jacinta Allan Opposition Leader – John Pesutto (until 27 December), then Brad Battin Premier of Western Australia – Roger Cook Opposition Leader – Shane Love Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory – Andrew Barr Opposition Leader – Elizabeth Lee (until 31 October), then Leanne Castley Chief Minister of the Northern Territory – Eva Lawler (until 28 August), then Lia Finocchiaro Opposition Leader – Lia Finocchiaro (until 28 August), then Selena Uibo (from 3 September)
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 – Margaret Gardner Governor of Western Australia – Chris Dawson Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories – Farzian Zainal Administrator of Norfolk Island – George Plant Administrator of the Northern Territory – Hugh Heggie
Events January 1 January – It becomes illegal to import disposable vapes into Australia. As Victoria transitions to clean energy, the state imposes a ban on natural gas connections for new dwellings, apartment buildings and residential subdivisions. Federal Cabinet documents from 2003 are made public for the first time. Controversy arises when it's discovered the Morrison Government failed to hand over some documents relating to Australia's involvement in the 2003 invasion of Iraq to the National Archives in 2020 for public release. Anthony Albanese announces an inquiry will be held to find out whether or not the documents were withheld intentionally. 4 January – Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel arrive in South East Queensland after being deployed to help the region in the aftermath of severe weather over the Christmas/New Year period. In Far North Queensland, there are also calls for ADF assistance to help with the clean-up following severe weather caused by Cyclone Jasper. 5 January – Queensland premier Steven Miles announces a $5 million funding agreement between the state and federal government which would see discounted flights and accommodation being offered to tourists to entice them back to Far North Queensland following Cyclone Jasper. 8 January – The New South Wales Police Force claim to have dismantled a criminal syndicate allegedly attempting to export more than a million dollars of Australian reptiles, including 257 lizards, to Hong Kong. 9 January – Prime minister Anthony Albanese warns Australian supermarkets to pass on savings to consumers stating: "It's not acceptable to see record profits at a time when people are doing it so tough." He announces former Labor minister Craig Emerson will lead a review of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct while Queensland premier Steven Miles writes to the CEOs of Woolworths, Coles, Aldi Süd, and IGA expressing concern about the disparity between retail prices and the amount farmers are paid. The Coalition also call for an Australian Competition & Consumer Commission inquiry, accusing the supermarkets of imposing excessive retail markups. 10 January – Prime minister Anthony Albanese announces financial support for flood victims in Victoria as Murchison experiences moderate flooding with the Goulburn River peaking at 10.47 metres, with an expected peak of 10.4 metres at Shepparton on 13 January. Transport for NSW confirms a park built above the Sydney's Rozelle Interchange has been closed to the public just three weeks after it opened due to the discovery of asbestos in mulch around a children's playground. The discovery prompts an urgent audit to determine the number of other sites which could be affected. Woolworths Group confirms that Woolworths and Big W will no longer be stocking Australia Day-themed merchandise citing declining sales and the broader discussion about the national holiday. Liberal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton calls for a boycott on Woolworths for its decision. 14 January – Mary Donaldson becomes the first Australian-born queen consort of a European monarchy when she is proclaimed Queen of Denmark when her husband Frederik X ascends the throne following the abdication of his mother Margrethe II. The decision to mark the occasion by temporarily replacing the Aboriginal flag with the Danish flag at Parliament House in Hobart sparks criticism from some in Tasmania's Aboriginal community. 15 January – Foreign minister Penny Wong travels to the Middle East to renew calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war. A legal challenge by a group of Tiwi Islanders in an attempt to stop the construction of the Santos gas pipeline in the Timor Sea is dismissed by Justice Natalie Charlesworth who lifts a temporary injunction allowing Santos to begin construction work. 21 January – The Victorian Liberal and National opposition announced that they would be withdrawing its support for a state treaty, reversing their previous support for the proposal. This follows the Queensland opposition reversing their support in October 2023. 24 January – The Bureau of Statistics' population clock ticks over to estimate Australia's population has reached 27 million. 25 January – Cyclone Kirrily crosses the North Queensland coast at Townsville as a Category 3 system before weakening. 27 January – Queensland state Labor MP Jim Madden resigns from parliament to vie for a position as a local councillor with Ipswich City Council in the 2024 Queensland local elections on 16 March. Madden's resignation triggers the 2024 Ipswich West state by-election which premier Steven Miles recommends to be held on 16 March - the same day as the local elections and the 2024 Inala state by-election.
February 1 February – Former New South Wales police officer Daniel Keneally, the son of former premier and senator Kristina Keneally, receives a 15-month intensive corrective services order after having been found guilty in November 2023 of fabricating evidence. 4 February – 51-year-old Samantha Murphy disappears after leaving her home in Ballarat to go for her regular morning run. Her disappearance triggers a widespread search and appeal from police for CCTV or dashcam vision from the day she disappeared. 5 February – Australian writer Yang Hengjun receives a suspended death sentence in Beijing, five years after being charged with spying and imprisoned in China. 6 February – The Australian Parliament returns for the first sitting day of 2024. 8 February – Labor's Right to Disconnect bill passes the Senate but they are forced into an attempt to introduce additional legislation to reverse an amendment which allows for criminal penalties for employers who breach a Fair Work Commission order to stop contacting workers. 9 February – Reserve Bank of Australia governor Michele Bullock appears before a parliamentary hearing for the first time where she says she doesn't agree with the International Monetary Fund that Australia should be lifting interest rates higher. 10 February – Sitting Liberal MP David Honey loses preselection for the next Australian federal election, being defeated by Sandra Brewer. 12 February – Liverpool West Public School in Sydney is closed after the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority confirms bonded asbestos has been discovered in garden mulch at the school. Students and staff at the school are subsequently relocated to Gulyangarri Public School for the foreseeable future. Contaminated mulch is also discovered at Campbelltown Hospital, prompting part of the hospital to be closed off to the public. Queensland Greens MP Amy MacMahon is seriously injured in a two-vehicle car accident at Kangaroo Point. 14 February – Premier of Tasmania Jeremy Rockliff calls an early election in Tasmania after becoming a minority government. It is announced that Sydney's annual Mardi Gras Fair Day scheduled for 18 February is cancelled due to the discovery of asbestos in Victoria Park amid Sydney's asbestos contamination crisis. 15 February – Anthony Albanese releases a joint statement with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon to express their concerns over Israel's plan for a ground offensive in Rafah. The joint statement is issued after Australian foreign minister Penny Wong expresses her own concerns, describing any ground invasion of Rafah as "unjustifiable". 16 February – The Sydney asbestos crisis worsens as the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority confirms bonded asbestos has been discovered in mulch at a Woolworths supermarket in Kellyville, the St John of God Hospital in North Richmond and a park in Wiley Park. The list of contaminated sites now totals more than twenty sites. In each case, the contaminated mulch is traced back to a waste facility in Bringelly. Two groups of approximately 25 foreign nationals are discovered in Beagle Bay, Western Australia after they are believed to have travelled from Indonesia by boat, prompting Australian Border Force officials to travel to the coastal town to question the men. The arrival of the men prompts federal opposition leader Peter Dutton to accuse Anthony Albanese's government of weakening Australia's border protection arrangements. In turn, Albanese accused Dutton of politicising the incident and undermining the country's border protection regime. Another group of foreign nationals are discovered at a remote campsite north of Beagle Bay the following day. 17 February – Sitting Liberal MP Ian Goodenough loses preselection for the next Australian federal election, being defeated by Vince Connelly. 19 February – Northern Territory Country Liberal MP Joshua Burgoyne is charged by NT Police with careless driving causing serious harm after a two-vehicle accident in Alice Springs on 26 August 2023, and will face court for the first mention of the alleged offence on 4 March 2024. Former Australian Greens leader Bob Brown is arrested for trespassing at an anti-logging protest in Tasmania. Asbestos-contaminated mulch is found at another seven locations in Sydney, bringing the total to 41 separate sites. 20 February – Queensland Police Service commissioner Katarina Carroll announces she is stepping down from her position on 1 March 2024, five months before her contract expires. Labor senator for Western Australia Louise Pratt announces she will step down at the 2025 Australian federal election citing health reasons. 21 February – Christopher Saunders, the former Catholic Bishop of Broome, is arrested in Broome by the Western Australia Police Force Child Abuse Squad and taken into custody. He is subsequently charged with 19 offences dating back to 2008. Saunders' arrest comes after police raided a Broome property on 15 January 2024. 26 February – The Board of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras withdraws their invitation to the NSW Police Force to march in the 2024 Mardi Gras amid the investigation into the alleged murders of television presenter Jesse Baird and his partner Luke Davies. The Australian Federal Police confirm the following day that they have made the decision to also withdraw from marching in the Mardi Gras parade. 27 February –