The following lists events that happened during 1987 in Australia.

1987 in Australia
MonarchElizabeth II
Governor-GeneralSir Ninian Stephen
Prime ministerBob Hawke
Population16,263,874
ElectionsNT, Federal

1987
in
Australia

Decades:
See also:

Incumbents

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Sir Ninian Stephen
 
Bob Hawke

State and territory leaders

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Governors and administrators

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Events

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January

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February

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March

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April

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  • 28 May – Only 8 weeks after promising no early poll, but unable to resist the opportunity afforded by Coalition disarray, Prime Minister Bob Hawke calls a double dissolution election, the trigger used being the Senate's rejection of the Australia Card legislation. The National Party of Australia's campaign collapses as Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen is out of the country when the election is called.

June

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July

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  • 11 July – With a good deal of help from the Joh for Canberra campaign which splits the conservative vote between his National Party and the Liberal Party's John Howard, Bob Hawke's Australian Labor Party government is re-elected for a third term. Labor wins six Queensland seats from the Coalition. A net gain of four seats despite a 1.7% fall in their primary vote gives the Labor Party 86 seats to the Liberals' 43 and Nationals' 19. In the Senate, seven Australian Democrats senators again hold the balance.
  • 16 JulyJohn Howard retains the Liberal leadership, beating Andrew Peacock in the post-election party room spill 41:28. He is forced to accept his rival as deputy when Andrew Peacock beats Fred Chaney 36:24.
  • 24 July – Prime Minister Bob Hawke undertakes a major reorganisation of the Commonwealth Public Service, reducing the number of departments from 27 to 17, 8 of them "super" departments covering a range of areas. John Dawkins becomes Minister for Employment, Education and Training and Graham Richardson receives the Environment and the Arts portfolio.

August

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September

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  • 23 September – The increasingly unpopular Australia Card is abandoned when retired public servant Ewart Sith points out that although the Bill could be passed at a joint sitting, it could not be put into practice due to poor drafting, which has omitted a starting date – the regulation to set one would have to go to a still hostile Senate.

October

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  • 3 October – Australia finally notes the contribution of the Vietnam War veterans with a Welcome Home parade held in Sydney – 15 years after the last soldiers and national service men have returned.
  • 20 OctoberBlack Monday: After the largest fall in the Dow Jones's history, stock markets nosedive around the world. Australia is no exception as the All Ordinaries falls 25%, making it the biggest one-day drop in the market's history.

November

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  • 13 November – Despite support from Queensland Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, enabling legislation for the construction of the planned 107-storey Minuzzo Tower is deferred. Deferment was called for by National Party backbenchers, so that guidelines could be drawn up for super-high rise structures of more than 60 storeys. The planned tower would have been the world's tallest building.
  • 24 November – Queensland Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen sacks three ministers from his cabinet, accusing them of gross disloyalty.
  • 26 November – The National Party deposes Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen as party leader, but he refuses to resign as premier. He was not present at the caucus meeting.

December

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Arts and literature

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Film

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Television

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Sport

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Births

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Deaths

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  • 3 April – Lynda Heaven (born 1902), first female Labor MHR in Tasmania
  • 14 April – Brian Carlson (born 1933), rugby league player
  • 28 July – Jack Renshaw (born 1909), Premier of New South Wales
  • 17 August – Olga Agnew (born 1899), child actress

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Mobile phone technology in Australia turns 20". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 February 2007. Archived from the original on 23 March 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2007.