Editing 2003 in Australia

{{short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title alone is adequate; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=February 2012}}
The following lists events that happened during '''2003 in Australia'''.

{{Infobox Australian year
| monarch = [[Elizabeth II]]
| governor-general = [[Peter Hollingworth]], then [[Guy Green (judge)|Sir Guy Green]], then [[Michael Jeffery (Australian Army officer)|Michael Jeffery]]
| pm = [[John Howard]]
| population = 19,872,646
| australian = 
| elections = [[2003 New South Wales state election|NSW]]
}}
{{Year in Australia|2003}}

==Incumbents==
{{multiple image
| direction=horizontal
| align=right
| caption_align=center
| total_width=280
| image1=Dr Peter Hollingworth.jpg
| caption1=[[Peter Hollingworth]]
| image2=Jeffery Michael 030238DI-002.jpg
| caption2=[[Michael Jeffery (Australian Army officer)|Michael Jeffery]]
}}
[[File:Howard John BANNER.jpg|thumb|upright|140px|[[John Howard]]]]
*[[Monarchy of Australia|Monarch]] – [[Elizabeth II]]
*[[Governor-General of Australia|Governor-General]] – [[Peter Hollingworth]] (until 28 May), then [[Michael Jeffery (Australian Army officer)|Michael Jeffery]] (from 11 August)
**[[Administrator (Australia)|Administrator of the Commonwealth]] – [[Guy Green (judge)|Sir Guy Green]] (from 28 May to 11 August)
*[[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] – [[John Howard]]
**[[Deputy Prime Minister of Australia|Deputy Prime Minister]] – [[John Anderson (Australian politician)|John Anderson]]
**[[List of Australian Leaders of the Opposition|Opposition Leader]] – [[Simon Crean]] (until 2 December), then [[Mark Latham]]
*[[Chief Justice of Australia|Chief Justice]] – [[Murray Gleeson]]

===State and territory leaders===
*[[Premier of New South Wales]] – [[Bob Carr]]
**[[Leader of the Opposition (New South Wales)|Opposition Leader]] – [[John Brogden (politician)|John Brogden]]
*[[Premier of Queensland]] – [[Peter Beattie]]
**[[Leader of the Opposition (Queensland)|Opposition Leader]] – [[Mike Horan (politician)|Mike Horan]] (until 4 February), then [[Lawrence Springborg]]
*[[Premier of South Australia]] – [[Mike Rann]]
**[[Leader of the Opposition (South Australia)|Opposition Leader]] – [[Rob Kerin]]
*[[Premier of Tasmania]] – [[Jim Bacon (politician)|Jim Bacon]]
**[[Leader of the Opposition (Tasmania)|Opposition Leader]] – [[Rene Hidding]]
*[[Premier of Victoria]] – [[Steve Bracks]]
**[[Leader of the Opposition (Victoria)|Opposition Leader]] – [[Robert Doyle]]
*[[Premier of Western Australia]] – [[Geoff Gallop]]
**[[Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)|Opposition Leader]] – [[Colin Barnett]]
*[[Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory]] – [[Jon Stanhope]]
**[[Leader of the Opposition (Australian Capital Territory)|Opposition Leader]] – [[Brendan Smyth (politician)|Brendan Smyth]]
*[[Chief Minister of the Northern Territory]] – [[Clare Martin]]
**[[Leader of the Opposition (Northern Territory)|Opposition Leader]] – [[Denis Burke (Australian politician)|Denis Burke]] (until 14 November), then [[Terry Mills (Australian politician)|Terry Mills]]
*[[List of heads of government of Norfolk Island|Chief Minister of Norfolk Island]] – [[Geoffrey Robert Gardner|Geoffrey Gardner]]

===Governors and administrators===
*[[Governor of New South Wales]] – [[Marie Bashir]]
*[[Governor of Queensland]] – [[Peter Arnison]] (until 29 July), then [[Quentin Bryce]]
*[[Governor of South Australia]] – [[Marjorie Jackson-Nelson]]
*[[Governor of Tasmania]] – [[Guy Green (judge)|Sir Guy Green]] (until 3 October), then [[Richard Butler (diplomat)|Richard Butler]]
*[[Governor of Victoria]] – [[John Landy]]
*[[Governor of Western Australia]] – [[John Sanderson]]
*[[Australian Indian Ocean Territories|Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories]] – [[Bill Taylor (naval officer)|Bill Taylor]] (until 30 July), then [[Evan Williams (diplomat)|Evan Williams]] (from 1 November)
*[[List of administrative heads of Norfolk Island|Administrator of Norfolk Island]] – [[Tony Messner]] (until 30 July), then Michael Stephens (until 1 November), then [[Grant Tambling]]
*[[Administrator of the Northern Territory]] – [[John Anictomatis]] (until 30 October), then [[Ted Egan]]

==Events==

===January===
*9 January - Convicted child sex offender [[Dennis Ferguson]] is released from jail amid public outcry in Queensland after serving a 14-year sentence.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--not stated-->|date=10 January 2003|title=Ferguson released from jail|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/ferguson-released-from-jail-20030110-gdg2zv.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|location=|access-date=16 May 2023|archive-date=16 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516091543/https://www.smh.com.au/national/ferguson-released-from-jail-20030110-gdg2zv.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*17 January - Batsman [[Darren Lehmann]] made a racist outburst during Australia's four-wicket victory at the Gabba.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hoult|first=Nick|date=17 January 2003|title=Lehmann faces long suspension for abuse|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph-lehmann-faces-long-s/124788661|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=|access-date=16 May 2023|archive-date=16 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516163139/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph-lehmann-faces-long-s/124788661/|url-status=live}}</ref> Lehmann shouted "black c-" while entering the dressing room after being run out.
*18 January – Four people die in the [[Canberra bushfires of 2003]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Burnside|first=Nick|last2=Allen|first2=Craig|last3=Larkins|first3=Natalie|date=18 January 2023|title=The bushfire that changed Canberra forever|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-18/act-2003-canberra-fires-20-year-anniversary/101865824|work=ABC News|location=|access-date=16 May 2023|archive-date=16 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516091546/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-18/act-2003-canberra-fires-20-year-anniversary/101865824|url-status=live}}</ref>
*31 January – Seven people die in the [[Waterfall train disaster]], which happened due to the driver having a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] at the controls of the train & losing control of the train.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Sullivan|first=Matt|date=31 January 2023|title=Two decades after Waterfall crash, train safety system yet to be completed |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/two-decades-after-waterfall-crash-train-safety-system-yet-to-be-completed-20230127-p5cfwn.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|location= |access-date=16 May 2023}}</ref>

===February===
*2–6 February - [[Cyclone Beni]] causes widespread flooding and damage in south-east Queensland, but also easing the drought in rural areas.<ref name=beni>{{cite news|author=<!--not stated-->|date=8 February 2003|title=Qld flood damage revealed|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/qld-flood-damage-revealed-20030208-gdg8fs.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|location=|access-date=16 May 2023|archive-date=16 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516094617/https://www.smh.com.au/national/qld-flood-damage-revealed-20030208-gdg8fs.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Floodwaters claimed the life of a 67-year-old man on 5 February as he attempted to rescue a horse trapped in floodwaters near Rockhampton.<ref name=beni/>
*4 February - [[Mike Horan (politician)|Mike Horan]] is voted out by the National Party as Leader of the Opposition in Queensland and is replaced by [[Lawrence Springborg]].<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--not stated-->|date=5 February 2003|title=Springborg wins Qld Nats vote|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/springborg-wins-qld-nats-vote-20030205-gdg7vn.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|location=|access-date=16 May 2023|archive-date=16 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516094615/https://www.smh.com.au/national/springborg-wins-qld-nats-vote-20030205-gdg7vn.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*11 February - Justice John [[Dyson Heydon]] is sworn in as judge of the High Court of Australia, replacing Justice [[Mary Gaudron]].<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--not stated-->|date=12 February 2003|title=Justice Heydon inducted|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/justice-heydon-inducted-20030212-gdg977.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|location=|access-date=16 May 2023|archive-date=16 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516094615/https://www.smh.com.au/national/justice-heydon-inducted-20030212-gdg977.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*16 February – Tens of thousands of Australian protestors join millions more in other cities around the world in the [[15_February_2003_anti-war_protests|2003 anti-war protests]] demonstrating against the [[Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--not stated-->|date=17 February 2003|title=With one voice, the world says no|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/with-one-voice-the-world-says-no-20030217-gdv8oh.html|work=The Age|location=|access-date=16 May 2023|archive-date=16 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516094616/https://www.theage.com.au/national/with-one-voice-the-world-says-no-20030217-gdv8oh.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=launches>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=14 February 2003|title=Australia launches anti-war protests|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2761437.stm|work=BBC News|location= |access-date=16 May 2023}}</ref> These are the biggest street protests seen since the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name=launches/>
*22 February - Cricketer [[Shane Warne]] is suspended from cricket for one year from 10 February 2003.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--not stated-->|date=22 February 2022|title=On this day in 2003: Shane Warne handed 12-month ban after taking diuretic|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/shane-warne-australia-the-oval-queensland-victoria-b2020183.html|work=Independent|location=|access-date=16 May 2023|archive-date=16 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516100118/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/shane-warne-australia-the-oval-queensland-victoria-b2020183.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*26 February - Victorian MP and former Olympic skier, [[Kirstie Marshall]], is ejected from her first question time when she breastfed her newborn baby in Victoria's Parliament, the first woman to do so.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--not stated-->|date=26 February 2003|title=Breastfeeding MP causes stir|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/breastfeeding-mp-causes-stir-20030226-gdgc56.html|work=The Age|location=|access-date=16 May 2023|archive-date=14 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240714072808/https://www.smh.com.au/national/breastfeeding-mp-causes-stir-20030226-gdgc56.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===March===
*10 March - Quentin Bryce is announced as the next Governor of Queensland.
*20 March – The [[Iraq]] war begins. [[Military of Australia|Australia]] sends 2000 [[military]] personnel to the conflict.
*22 March – Bob Carr's [[Australian Labor Party|ALP]] government is re-elected for a third term in [[New South Wales]]

===April===
*April – The [[North Korea]]n freighter [[Pong Su]] is stormed by [[Special Operations Command (Australia)|Special Operations Command]] troops carrying almost 125&nbsp;kg (300&nbsp;lb) of [[heroin]].
*11 April - [[Natasha Ryan]] is found hiding in a wardrobe at her 26-year-old boyfriend's home near Rockhampton.  [[Leonard Fraser|Leonard John Fraser]] was acquitted of her murder.
*22 April - Max Sica reports finding the bodies of the three Singh children in the spa of their family home at Bridgeman Downs.  He was later convicted of their murders on 3 July 2012.
*28 April – All [[Pan Pharmaceuticals]] products are recalled by the [[Therapeutic Goods Administration]] after a number of safety problems were found at its manufacturing plant, in what was one of Australia's biggest ever recalls.

===May===
*14 May - Shirley and Vijay Singh ask police to remove Max Sica from their children's funeral service.
*25 May - Peter Hollingworth bows to pressure and quits as Governor-General following Anglican church child sex scandal.
*29 May – An attempted [[Aircraft hijacking|hijacking]] of [[Qantas Flight 1737]] between Melbourne and Launceston is thwarted when a flight attendant and passengers subdue and disarm the culprit.
*30 May - [[Finding Nemo]] was released and it takes place in [[Great Barrier Reef]] and [[Sydney]] [[Australia]] 
**Stockbroker Rene Rivkin is fined $30,000 and sentenced to nine months of periodic detention for insider trading. A jury found that he had acted improperly in buying 50,000 Qantas shares in April 2001 just hours after hearing of a potential merger between the company and the struggling Impulse Airlines.

===June===
*4 June - Queensland Chief Magistrate [[Di Fingleton]] is sent to jail for six months after a Supreme Court jury found that she has unlawfully retaliated against a witness.
*5 June - The [[Federal Court of Australia|Federal Court]] rules in ''[[Commissioner of Taxation v La Rosa]]'' that a convicted heroin dealer is entitled to a tax deduction of $220,000 for money stolen from him during a drug deal.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Deductions arising from illegal activities|first=Siska|last=Lund|url=http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/RevenueLawJl/2003/7.pdf|journal=Revenue Law Journal|year=2003|volume=13|pages=115–127|doi=10.53300/001c.6667|access-date=18 December 2018|archive-date=16 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516133013/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/RevenueLawJl/2003/7.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
*22 June – [[Major-General]] Michael Jeffrey becomes Australia's Governor-General after the resignation of Dr Peter Hollingworth due to his handling of a child sex case while he was [[Anglican]] [[Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane|Archbishop of Brisbane]].

===July===
*3 July - Australian film critic, Margaret Pomeranz, attempted in Sydney to screen the controversial movie ''Ken Park'', which had been refused classification and banned by the Classification Review Board on the grounds that the film depicted actual child sex abuse.
*10 July - News South Wales' Independent Commission Against Corruption issued findings against a member of the Legislative Council, Malcolm Jones, of the Outdoor Recreation Party.  The ICAC found Mr Jones had misused taxpayer dollars, by falsely claiming an allowance for living in the country, as well as using entitlements to prop up other political parties. 
*11 July - Pop singer Delta Goodrem announces that she has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, a rare form of cancer.
*19 July - The Australian Government committed 2,500 troops to the Solomon Islands for a Regional Assistance Mission in an effort to help the government re-establish law and order.  The troops arrived on 24 July.

===August===
*10 August - Brisbane's Festival Hall closes its doors for the last time.
*11 August - Major-General Michael Jeffrey is sworn in as Australia's Governor-General.
*20 August - 
**Former One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, and David Ettridge are sentenced to three years jail for electoral fraud.
**Saudi Arabia rejects a shipment of 58,000 sheep from the MV Cormo Express on alleged disease grounds and refuses to unload them. The live trade to Saudi Arabia is suspended in light of the rejection.
*23 August - Prime Minister, John Howard, commits an extra $125 million to help save the Murray Darling River System.
*25 August - Prime Minister, John Howard, receives a hero's welcome from Solomon Islanders when he visits Honiara.
*29 August - Ali Abdulrazak was shot 10 times after prayers at the Lakemba Mosque in Sydney, New South Wales.

===September===
*1 September - Former One Nation leader, [[Pauline Hanson]], and [[David Ettridge]] are refused bail.
*3 September - Radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir sentenced to four years jail after being found guilty of participating in a campaign of treason against Indonesia. He was also convicted for his involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings.
*10 September - Imam Samudra is found guilty for his involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings.
*25 September - [[Gina Rinehart]], daughter of mining magnate Lang Hancock, and [[Rose Porteous]], his widow, decide to end their long-running legal battle.
*29 September - Prime Minister John Howard announces a major ministerial reshuffle.  Philip Ruddock becomes Attorney-General, Amanda Vanstone became Immigration Minister and Tony Abbott became Health Minister.
*30 September - The body of 69-year-old former charity shop worker [[Murder of Marea Yann|Marea Yann]] is discovered at her home in [[Healesville, Victoria]].<ref name=good>{{cite news|author=<!--not stated-->|date=2 October 2003|title=Good Samaritan's trust ends in death|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/good-samaritans-trust-ends-in-death-20031002-gdwgpf.html|work=[[The Age]]|location=|access-date=16 May 2023|archive-date=16 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516034946/https://www.theage.com.au/national/good-samaritans-trust-ends-in-death-20031002-gdwgpf.html|url-status=live}}</ref> An extensive murder investigation ensues but the case remains unsolved.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kaila|first=Jon|date=15 May 2023|title=Victoria Police hope $1m reward could be the tipping point in helping solve the Marea Yann case|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-victoria/victoria-police-hope-1m-reward-could-be-the-tipping-point-in-helping-solve-the-marea-yann-case/news-story/1970301f57a4573fc9d6d0c58ecb8232|work=[[Herald Sun]]|location=|access-date=16 May 2023|archive-date=16 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516034947/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-victoria/victoria-police-hope-1m-reward-could-be-the-tipping-point-in-helping-solve-the-marea-yann-case/news-story/1970301f57a4573fc9d6d0c58ecb8232|url-status=live}}</ref>

===October===
* 3 October - Pop starlet and Neighbours actress [[Holly Valance]] loses a NSW Supreme Court legal battle with her former manager, Scott Michaelson, who had sued Valance for dumping him as manager last year.  Mr. Justice Clifford Einstein awards more than $330,000 plus legal costs to Michaelson on 6 October.
*12 October - Australia commemorates the first anniversary of the [[2002 Bali bombings]].
*14 October - Three gunmen, one using an automatic weapon, fired indiscriminately into 5 Lawford Street, Greenacre, Sydney, killing 22-year-old Mervat Hanka, asleep in her bed, and 24-year-old Ziad Abdulrazak, who'd been to jail for drug offences.
*22 October – [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[George W. Bush]] & [[President of the People's Republic of China|Chinese President]] [[Hu Jintao]] visits Australia simultaneously. U.S. President Bush gives his address to [[Parliament of Australia|Australian Parliament]] on 22 October, while the [[People's Republic of China|PRC]] leader gives his address on 23 October.
*24 October - Agriculture Minister, Warren Truss, announced that the 50,000 sheep from the Cormo Express, stranded in the Persian Gulf 79 days after leaving Australia, have been accepted by the Government of Eritrea.
*26 October - ASIO raids the Sydney homes of six suspected terror suspects, including that of 35-year-old Frenchman Willie Brigitte.
*30 October - 
**Ahmad Fahda, 25, was executed in a hail of gunfire in front of horrified onlookers at the service station on the corner of Punchbowl Road and Dudley Street, Punchbowl, Sydney, New South Wales.
**The Federal Government's Telstra privatisation bill fails to pass the Senate.

===November===
*6 November - The Queensland Court of Appeal sets aside the convictions of [[Pauline Hanson]] and [[David Ettridge]].
*11 November - Turkish Kurd asylum seekers who landed on Melville Island last week are sent to Indonesia amid a cloud of political controversy.
*14 November - The Queensland Crime and Misconduct Committee resolved that it would investigate the imprisonment of Pauline Hanson and David Ettridge.
*20 November - A shipment of 70,000 sheep bound for the Middle East was delayed when Victorian authorities found shredded ham placed into the sheep's feed.  Activists declared they'd put pig meat into the feed in an attempt to stop the live sheep from meeting the criteria for Muslim markets. 
*28 November – [[Simon Crean]] resigns as [[List of Australian Opposition Leaders|Opposition Leader]]. [[Mark Latham]] defeats [[Kim Beazley]] by two votes in a party room ballot on 2 December.

===December===
*3 December - Former Queensland Chief Magistrate [[Di Fingleton]] walks free from jail after six months.
*8 December - The Federal Government announces a budget surplus.
*16 December - The Federal Government made its long-awaited announcement on the excise rate for fuel alternatives after their final Cabinet meeting for the year.  LPG for cars, previously free of excise, will be taxed by 2.5 cents per litre from mid-2008.
*17 December - Health Minister, Tony Abbott, unveils the Government's [[medical indemnity]] insurance package.
*18 December - The Productivity Commission's draft report on housing affordability for first homebuyers is released and puts forward measures including the scrapping of stamp duties, as well as the means testing of the $7,000 First Home Owners Grant. The Productivity Commission concedes there's no quick fix for the big jump in house prices over the last few years.

==Arts and literature==
{{main|2003 in Australian literature}}
* [[ARIA Music Awards of 2003]]
* [[Alex Miller (writer)|Alex Miller]]'s novel ''[[Journey to the Stone Country]]'' wins the [[Miles Franklin Award]]

==Film==
* 30 June – ''[[Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith]]'' begins principal photography at [[Fox Studios Australia]] in [[Sydney]].
* [[Kangaroo Jack]]
* [[Ned Kelly (2003 film)|Ned Kelly]]

==Television==
*October – After protests from the [[Vietnam]]ese community, [[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]] decides to cancel its broadcasts of the state-run news service from Vietnam.
*31 December – [[Southern Cross Ten]] goes on air as a supplementary broadcaster to existing [[Regional television in Australia|solus]] broadcaster [[Central GTS/BKN]] in the [[Spencer Gulf]] region of [[South Australia]] and the [[Broken Hill, New South Wales|Broken Hill]] area of New South Wales.

==Sport==
*11 February - Australian cricketer Shane Warne tested positive to a banned substance and the Australian Cricket Board announced that it had referred the matter to the Anti-Doping Policy Committee.  Warne announced that he was standing down from Australia's World Cup campaign.
*12 February – Australia beat England 3–1 in a friendly upset at [[Boleyn Ground]], [[London]].
*3 April – First day of the Australian Track & Field Championships for the 2002–2003 season, which are held at the [[Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre|ANZ Stadium]] in [[Brisbane, Queensland]]. The 5,000 metres were conducted at the Melbourne Track Classic, Victoria on Saturday 1 March 2003. The 10,000 metres (men and women) were conducted at the Runaway Bay Grand Prix in Queensland on Saturday 12 April 2003.
*6 April – [[Sydney Kings]] win their first championship by defeating [[Perth Wildcats]] 117–101 in Game 2 of the last best-of-three [[National Basketball League (Australia)|NBL]] Grand Final series.
*7 April – The [[2003 Report of the Independent Soccer Review Committee|Crawford Report]] delivers recommendations to the Federal Government regarding the Structure, Governance and Management of [[Soccer]] in Australia.
*1 June – [[Perth Glory]] avenge their defeat in the 2001–2002 [[National Soccer League|NSL]] Grand Final by beating [[Olympic Sharks]] 2–0 in the Final at [[Subiaco Oval]] to become Champions for the first time in their history.
*10 August: On a rainswept [[Arena Joondalup]], [[East Perth Football Club|East Perth]] score only 0.9 (9) against deadly rivals [[West Perth Football Club|West Perth]], the first goalless score in WAFL/WANFL/Westar Rules football since West Perth themselves kicked 0.10 (10) against soon-to-be-defunct [[Midland Junction Football Club|Midland Junction]] in May 1916.<ref>See [http://footystats.freeservers.com/Archive/D-03-R19.html AFL: Round 19, 2003] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019132332/http://footystats.freeservers.com/Archive/D-03-R19.html |date=19 October 2013 }}</ref>
*7 September – Following the conclusion of the final main round of the [[2003 NRL season]], the [[Penrith Panthers]] win the [[minor premiership]], while the [[South Sydney Rabbitohs]] finish in last position, claiming the [[wooden spoon (award)|wooden spoon]].
*12 September – The [[Melbourne Phoenix]] defeat the [[Sydney Swifts]] 47–44 in the [[Commonwealth Bank Trophy]] [[netball]] grand final.
*14 September – [[Paul Arthur]] wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:31:28 in [[Sydney]], while [[Helen Tolhurst]] claims the women's title in 2:58:58.
*27 September – The [[Brisbane Lions]] (20.14.134) defeat the [[Collingwood Magpies]] (12.12.84) to win the 107th [[Australian Football League|VFL/AFL]] premiership. It is the third consecutive grand final win for [[Brisbane]] and the second consecutive year that they and [[Collingwood, Victoria|Collingwood]] have met in the grand final.
*5 October – The [[2003 NRL grand final]] is won by the [[Penrith Panthers]], who defeated the [[Sydney Roosters]] 18-6 to win their second premiership and their first since 1991. 
*10 October – 22 November – Australia hosts the [[2003 Rugby World Cup]]. In the final held at [[Telstra Stadium]] in [[Sydney]], [[England national rugby union team|England]] defeats [[Australia national rugby union team|Australia]] 20-17 after a last-minute field goal from [[Jonny Wilkinson]] in extra time.
*12 October – New Zealander [[Greg Murphy]] and [[Rick Kelly]] dominate the [[2003 Bob Jane T-Marts 1000|Bob Jane T-marts Bathurst 1000]] for the [[HSV Dealer Team|K-mart Racing Team]]. It was Murphy's third win, each for different teams, while at just 20 years of age, Kelly becomes the youngest winner in the races history. It was the fifth consecutive win for [[Holden]], a new record.
*4 November – [[Makybe Diva]] wins the [[Melbourne Cup]] horse racing event. It is the first of three [[Melbourne]] Cup wins for the mare.

==Births==
* [[1 December]] – [[Robert Irwin (television personality)|Robert Irwin]], television personality and wildlife photographer

==Deaths==
[[File:Slim Dusty with Golden Guitar.jpeg|100px|thumb|[[Slim Dusty]]]]
* [[12 January]] – [[Maurice Gibb]], musician (born in the [[United Kingdom]] and died in the [[United States]]) (b. [[1949]])
* [[20 January]] – [[John Halfpenny]], trade unionist (b. [[1935]])
* [[29 January]] – [[Alan Walker (theologian)|Sir Alan Walker]], theologian (b. [[1911]])
* [[2 March]] – [[Malcolm Williamson]], composer (died in the [[United Kingdom]]) (b. [[1931]])
* [[3 March]] – [[Dick Garrard]], Olympic wrestler (b. [[1911]])
* [[7 August]] – [[Charles Jones (Australian politician)|Charlie Jones]], New South Wales politician (b. [[1917]])
* [[23 August]] – [[Jack Dyer]], Australian rules footballer ([[Richmond Football Club|Richmond]]) (b. [[1913]])
* [[24 August]] – [[Mal Colston]], Queensland politician (b. [[1938]])
* [[9 September]] – [[Don Willesee]], Western Australian politician (b. [[1916]])
* [[19 September]] – [[Slim Dusty]], country singer (b. [[1927]])
* [[September 22|22 September]] – [[Bethany Lee]], actress (b. 1952)
* [[27 September]] – [[Olive Cotton]], photographer (b. [[1911]])
* [[12 October]] – [[Jim Cairns]], 4th [[Deputy Prime Minister of Australia]] (b. [[1914]])
* [[17 December]] – [[Ed Devereaux]], actor (died in the [[United Kingdom]]) (b. [[1925]])
* [[30 December]] – [[Nora Heysen]], artist (b. [[1911]])

==See also==
* [[2003 in Australian television]]
* [[List of Australian films of 2003]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Years in Australia}}
{{Oceania topic|2003 in|countries_only=yes}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2003 in Australia}}
[[Category:2003 in Australia| ]]
[[Category:Years of the 21st century in Australia]]
[[Category:2003 in Oceania|Australia]]