Crisis Chronology | Australia

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AUSTRALIA

10/14/2023

Voters reject a referendum proposition that would allow indigenous peoples to create an Indigenous advisory body for parliament, to be called the “Indigenous Voice to Parliament” and recognized indigenous peoples, 60% opposed. Some say a misinformation campaign that said the Voice would become a third chamber of parliament skewed the vote.

04/04/2023

Australia bans Tik Tok.

03/19/2023

Millions of dead fish found in a river, dying due to lack of oxygen in the water, at least partially due climate change in the form of a heat wave in the area.

03/13/2023

US and Australia complete agreement for Australia to buy 3 nuclear submarines from the US. A previous agreement with France is superseded, causing anger there.

12/21/2022

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong visits China in an attempt to repair relations between the two countries.

11/15/2022

Yet another period of severe flooding in the southeast.

10/26/2022

Inflation reaches a 32-year high.

10/18/2022

Australia rescinds decision to recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel until peace negotiations are finalized.

07/03/2022

Evacuations ordered for Sydney, since heavy rains and widespread flooding is expected.

06/11/2022

Australia agrees to pay French contractor that it pulled out of to contract with the US for nuclear submarines (9/15/21). France says it wishes to rebuild its relationship with Australia.

05/21/2022

Labour Party wins election

General election. Though most Australians are concerned about climate change, the two major parties have not addressed the issue. Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese, leads the Liberal-National coalition 75 seats to 56, with 25% of the votes still to be counted in the 151-seat House of Representatives. In the Senate, the Liberal-National coalition retains a plurality with 29 seats, though Labor with 21 and the Greens with 9 would have an advantage. Morrison concedes the election to Albanese, who is sworn into office in order to attend a Quad meeting.

04/10/2022

PM Morrison calls federal election for 5/21. He is the first prime minister to serve a full term since 2007. The leader of the opposition Labour Party is Anthony Albanese. Although polls give Morrison a lead in general approval, the Labour Party could win enough seats to gain a majority in parliament. Morrison's Liberal-National coalition has only a one-seat majority, though seven seats are held by smaller parties. The election will focus on climate change issues and the economy.

04/07/2022

Sydney is hit by torrential rain. It has received its average annual rainfall in the first three months of 2021.

03/25/2022

Great Barrier Reef suffers its fourth bleaching event since 2016.

03/25/2022

Australia criticizes a proposed agreement between China and the Solomon Islands that would allow China to place a military base on the islands. The agreement must be approved by the Solomon Islands government cabinet.

12/13/2021

Australia increases purchases of weapons from South Korea as it builds up to counter Chinese threat.

10/27/2021

France insists to Australia that it will be responsible for restoring good relations between the two countries.

09/18/2021

France recalls its ambassadors to the US and Australia.

09/15/2021

Australia, the UK, and the US announce a new strategic defense pact that will give Australia nuclear submarines. China denounces the pact. New Zealand says it will not allow the submarines in its territorial waters. France feels betrayed, having been negotiating a submarine deal with Australia, which Australia has now cancelled.

08/06/2021

Pacific Island Forum (Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Tonga and Samoa attending, with Australia and New Zealand sitting in. Other members include Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Niue, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) opens with an address by US Pres Joe Biden, who urges the Federated States of Micronesia to rejoin the group, which boycotted over disagreement with the election of the Cook Islands’ Henry Puna as Secretary General, in contravention of traditional order. Fiji president Frank Bainimarama, attempted to make amends, with little success. Kausea Natano, prime minister of Tuvalu and departing chair of the PIF, points to the climate crisis as the greatest threat to the islands. It is a contentious issue for Australia, which has refused to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050. Biden commits US to net-zero emissions. Japan’s emission of polluted water from the Fukushima plant is also a concern.

06/27/2021

Sydney and Darwin lock down as delta variant of COVID-19 cases rise.

06/21/2021

Australian National Party replaces Michael McCormack as head with Barnaby Joyce, who had replaced McCormack due to sexual harassment allegations. The allegations were not substantiated by an investigation that has remained sealed. Joyce will become Deputy Prime Minister and is expected to fight against the Morrison government’s efforts at carbon neutrality.

05/05/2021

In a further deterioration of relations, China cuts off economic discussions with Australia. Australia banned Chinese tech company Huawei from its 5g network in 2018 and called for investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 virus in China.

03/29/2021

Morrison demotes two cabinet ministers, one man and one woman who have been accused of either rape or denying existence of a rape.

03/23/2021

Media reports of videos of sex acts in the parliament building. Prostitutes were brought in for the male legislators.

03/22/2021

Thousands being evacuated from Sydney after torrential rains cause the worst floods in sixty years.

03/22/2021

Thousands being evacuated from Sydney after torrential rains cause the worst floods in sixty years.

11/27/2020

Amid an ongoing trade war with Australia, China increases wine tariff by 200%.

11/24/2020

Japan and Australia sign mutual defense agreement, partly in response to Chinese expansion in eastern Pacific.

11/15/2020

Fifteen Asia-Pacific nations sign the world's largest free-trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in Vietnam. It replaces the Trans-Pacific Partnership, from which the US withdrew the United States in early 2017. The countries are: Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.

10/18/2020

Government lifts some restrictions in some areas after three months of stay-at-home mandate.

06/18/2020

Government says it is the target of sophisticated cyber-attack by a state or state-backed attacker.

06/04/2020

India and Australia sign military agreements in response to Chinese expansion in the South China Sea.

05/18/2020

Government reacted quickly and in a non-partisan way to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and has mitigated the consequences. Its overall approval is quite high. Australia has about 7000 cases and 100 deaths.

05/04/2020

Widespread anger at China in the wake of its actions on COVID-19. US, Australia calling for an investigation of how the virus originated. Germany and the UK now rethinking use of Huawei electronics.

03/24/2020

Government orders strict stay-at-home measures, outlawing all travel and closing its borders. One person per household may visit grocery stores once every three days.

03/19/2020

Australia closes its borders due to COVID-19.

02/20/2020

It is reported that the Australian ambassador met with the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar armed forces. Some criticize the meeting as legitimizing the oppression of the Rohingya.

02/11/2020

All fires in southeast said to be under control.

01/31/2020

Canberra declares a state of emergency due to approaching bushfires, but they later move past the city.

01/17/2020

Heavy rains provide some relief to the east.

01/17/2020

Heavy rains provide some relief to the east.

01/08/2020

Anger at Morrison increasing over his handling of bushfires and lack of action on climate change.

01/05/2020

Some rain in the southwest moderates fires there.

12/31/2019

Bushfires continue.

12/19/2019

New South Wales declares a state of emergency due to fires, the second such act in two months.

12/16/2019

Provinces Tasmania and Queensland enacting stronger laws against protestors, mainly now climate demonstrations in which protestors endanger themselves.

12/04/2019

New South Wales declares a state of emergency due to fires, the second such act in two months.

11/24/2019

Report that China attempted to plant a spy in Australian parliament. China denies it.

09/25/2019

President Taneti Maamau criticizes Australia for ignoring the effects of climate change on Pacific islands.

09/03/2019

Economy slowed to 0.5% growth in recent quarter.

05/19/2019

Liberals win re-election

In a surprise, Liberal Party wins election, assuring PM Scott Morrison of another term. Bill Shorten, leader of the Labour Party was not popular and Morrison portrayed Labour as a tax-and-spend party that would not be as strong on limiting immigration.

04/11/2019

Morrison calls elections for 5/18/19.

03/04/2019

Indonesia signs free trade agreement with Australia.

12/13/2018

Government establishes an anti-corruption commission to investigate the public sector and law enforcement agencies. Opposition parties have criticized the government for ignoring questionable practices in banking.

11/21/2018

Australia rejects UN immigration agreement.

10/20/2018

In a by-election to replace ousted prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, independent candidate Kerryn Phelps wins, so the Liberal Party/National Party coalition loses its majority in the House of Representatives, having 74 seats of 150. A member of the National Party, Kevin Hogan, has said he would become a crossbencher (not adhering to any party), but would support the coalition on major votes. Two other MPs are independents.

10/12/2018

ANZ bank fires 200 employees for questionable practices.

09/06/2018

Nauru demands that China apologize for the behavior of its senior diplomat at the Pacific Island Forum. The diplomat left the meeting after Nauru President Baron Waqa prevented him from presenting a speech on climate change. China is competing with Taiwan and Australia for influence with Nauru, which is one Taiwan’s last allies. All three countries have pledged billions of dollars of assistance for the island nation.

09/06/2018

At Pacific Island Forum, Tuvalu Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga suggests that Australian moderated concluding statement. Australia remains a stable partner for the island nations, but New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was more warmly welcomed than the Australian foreign minister Marise Payne, PM Morrison having declined to attend.

09/01/2018

Australia hosts largest naval exercise and China takes part for the first time.

08/31/2018

Turnbull resigns his seat in parliament, leaving the Australian government without a majority, at least until a by-election.

08/28/2018

Commonwealth Bank’s accounting practices will be investigated

08/26/2018

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who also sought Liberal Party leadership, resigns.

08/25/2018

Scott Morrison, a very conservative law-and-order politician and Pentecostal pastor, is elected head of the Liberal Party and therefore prime minister. He defeats Peter Dutton, who urged severe anti-immigrant policies, among other conservative positions.

08/21/2018

Liberal Party leader and PM Malcolm Turnbull survives challenge within the party from Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. Dutton and two other ministers resign. The Liberal Party is doing poorly in the polls and Turnbull recently reduced climate response goals, in the midst of the drought crisis.

08/01/2018

Continuing, years-long drought in southeastern Australia threatens massive crop failures and reduction of stock due to a lack of feed. The government is making some efforts to support farmers, who say it is woefully ineffective.

06/28/2018

Law regulating foreign interference, aimed at China, passes. China condemns the law and may be limiting trade.

06/04/2018

Australia’s largest bank, Commonwealth Bank, to pay €450 million for money laundering.

02/23/2018

Barnaby Joyce resigns effective 2/26.

12/05/2017

China protests Australian proposal for new legislation restricting foreign influence in elections, though China would not be singled out in the proposed law.

11/14/2017

Eleven nations sign the Asia-Americas trade agreement now called the “Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership” (CPTPP). Canada bowed out at the last minute. Canada did not make its objections explicit, but they may relate to internal politics. The signatories are Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.

11/11/2017

Liberal MP John Alexander resigns due to dual citizenship, depriving government of its majority.

11/01/2017

Stephen Parry, president of the Australian Senate resigns because he holds dual Australian/UK citizenship.

10/27/2017

Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce is declared ineligible due to dual citizenship, erasing the governing coalition’s one-seat majority. A special by-election, which Joyce will likely win, will be held in a few weeks and several independent MPs have said they would support the government in a no-confidence vote.