Incumbents
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Premiers and Chief Ministers
Governors and Administrators
Events
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
- July 9 - Revelations are published in News Limited newspapers that, in 1994, John Howard made a secret deal with Peter Costello to hand over the leadership of the Liberal Party to him after having served two terms in office as Prime Minister.
- July 29 - In the face of a worsening water supply crisis, a referendum is held in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia's second largest inland city, on the issue of using water recycled from the city's sewerage as a source of drinking water. The acrimonious campaign and emotional debate were watched closely nation wide as most other Australian cities raise water restrictions in the face of record low dam and river levels.
August
September
October
November
December
Non-specific Dates
- Investigation into AWB Limited's role in the Oil-for-Food Programme, sometimes referred to as Wheatgate or Oil for wheat. The official inquiry states that AWB directors did know about the kickback payments as early as 2001 & that government ministers did not know about the kickbacks, although this was not in their brief.
Arts and literature
Film
- Ten Canoes, the first full-length feature film made entirely in an Australian Aboriginal language, wins a special jury prize at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
- Happy Feet becomes the country's biggest earning film
Television
- January 1 - Mildura Digital Television, a joint venture between WIN Television Mildura & Prime Television, goes on air in the Mildura area of Victoria as a Network Ten digital-only affiliate.
- January 2 - The Seven and Ten Networks outbid Channel Nine and win the rights to broadcast the AFL from 2007-2011 for a record $780 million.
- January 30 - Channel Nine launches a new logo, dropping the famous dots and replacing it with a stand-alone nine in a blue box.
- February 2006 - Wheel Of Fortune returns and starts in 2006. Larry Emdur & Laura Csortan will definitely host WOF in a partnership instead of one. On the very first episode in 2006, the car was won! The final edition of the version was screened on July 28.
- February 9 - It is announced that Eddie McGuire will become Channel Nine's new CEO.
- February 13 - Network Ten's motto, Seriously... becomes Seriously Ten (this was Network Ten's 2001 motto), and has its new look Ten Watermark on the bottom right of the TV screens
- February 20 - Television Sydney formally launches after three months of testing, giving Sydney community television for the first time in almost two years.
- May 21 - Brant Webb & Todd Russell speak to A Current Affair's new host Tracy Grimshaw about their time underground in Beaconsfield in a 2 hour special called The Great Escape. They are paid a reported $2.6 million by Channel Nine for the right to talk to them.
- June 4 - After 12 years & a record-breaking 510 episodes, the last episode of the Seven Network show Blue Heelers goes to air.
- September 14 - Today Tonight host Naomi Robson is deported from Indonesia after doing a story on a West Papuan boy called Wa Wa who, supposedly, was going to be eaten by cannibals. This sparks a war of words between Seven & Nine, who ran the original story on Wa Wa in May on 60 Minutes. Naomi presents her final edition of Today Tonight on December 1.
- September 16 - Television in Australia turns 50. The next day, this is commemorated with a live TV special from Star City, Sydney on the Seven Network.
- September 29 - Backyard Blitz finishes its 6 year run on the Nine Network. Jamie Durie leaves Nine and signs up with the Seven Network, the next year, he dances his way on Dancing With The Stars.
- September 30 - The Fox Footy Channel ceases broadcasting. It is replaced by Fox Sports 3 & Fox Sports News on October 1.
- October 18 - PBL announces the sale of 50% of the Nine Network, including its 50% stake in ninemsn & ACP to CVC Asia Pacific for $4.5 billion.
- November 26 - Irishman Damien Leith defeats 17 year old Jessica Mauboy to be based only on Sony BMG after being crowned the title of Australian Idol 2006 at the Sydney Opera House.
- November 27 - The last ever episode of The Glass House goes to air on ABC TV.
Sport
- January 1 – The Football Federation of Australia officially becomes a member of the Asian Football Confederation.
- February 2 – First day of the Australian Track & Field Championships for the 2005-2006 season, which are held at the Sydney Olympic Park in Homebush. The relays were conducted at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 19, 2006.
- February 16 – Dale Begg-Smith wins Winter Olympic gold in the men's moguls at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
- February 23 – Alisa Camplin adds to her gold in Salt Lake City with a bronze in the women's aerials.
- February 28 – Melbourne Tigers defeat Sydney Kings 88-83 in Game 3 of a series sweep in the NBL Grand Final series.
- March 5 – Sydney FC defeats the Central Coast Mariners 1-0 to win the inaugural A-League championship.
- March 5 – Australians Troy Corser and eventual World Champion Troy Bayliss win the two races making up the Australian Superbike Grand Prix at Phillip Island.
- March 15-March 26 – The 2006 Commonwealth Games take place in Melbourne. Australia finishes on top of the medal tally for the fifth consecutive time & wins a record 221 medals-84 gold, 69 silver & 68 bronze.
- March 28 – Queensland defeats Victoria to win the Pura Cup.
- April 2 – Eventual 2006 World Champion, Fernando Alonso takes victory for Renault F1 in the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne.
- April 30 – St Kilda players & umpires fail to hear the final siren. St Kilda scores behind after siren has gone, resulting in the match being a draw. This is later overturned on an appeal to the AFL commission & Fremantle is awarded the four points.
- May 17 - At Aussie Stadium, Anthony Mundine defeats Danny Green in their long awaited bout.
- June 9-July 9 - The Socceroos participate in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany for the first time since 1974. They are drawn in Group F along with Brazil, Croatia & Japan. They come second in their group & face off against Italy. They lose to them 1-0 as a result of a controversial penalty awarded in the dying seconds of the match.
- July 2 – Lee Troop wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:14:13 in Brisbane, while Jennifer Gillard claims the women's title in 2:41:06.
- July 5 - Queensland defeats New South Wales 16-14 in the dying stages of the match to take out the State of Origin series for the first time since 2002. It is also the first State of Origin match played in Melbourne since 1997.
- September 8 – Peter Brock dies in a smash while driving in the Targa West rally
- September 17 – Marco Melandri wins the 2006 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Australian Chris Vermeulen was second.
- September 30 - In a rematch of the previous year's AFL Grand Final, the West Coast Eagles (12.13.85) defeat the Sydney Swans (12.12.84) to take out the 110th VFL/AFL premiership. It is the first time since 1966 that the Grand Final has been decided by a margin of one point.
- October 1 - The Brisbane Broncos defeat the Melbourne Storm 15-8 to take out the 99th NSWRL/ARL/NRL premiership. It is the first time that the grand final has not involved any teams from New South Wales & the first time since 2000 - the last time the Broncos won - that a non-NSW team has taken out the premiership.
- October 8 – Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup win the V8 Supercars Bathurst 1000 race for Team Betta Electrical, Ford's first win since 1998. They are the inaugral winners of the Peter Brock Trophy.
- October 28 – Fields Of Omagh wins the Cox Plate for the second time.
- October 29 – Mikko Hirvonen, and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen, driving a Ford Focus win the last Rally Australia to be held in Western Australia after 19 years of the rally.
- November 7 - Delta Blues wins the 2006 Melbourne Cup.
- November 21 - Ian Thorpe announces his retirement from competitive swimming.
- December 18 - Australia wins the Third Ashes Test by 206 runs at the WACA Ground in Perth, Western Australia, claiming The Ashes.
- December 21 - Shane Warne announces that he will retire from cricket after the Fifth Ashes Test. Glenn McGrath announces he will do likewise after the 2007 Cricket World Cup on December 23.
Deaths
- January 1 - Dawn Lake, 78, entertainer and widow of Bobby Limb
- January 3 - Steve Rogers, 51, Cronulla rugby league great
- January 5 - Sophie Heathcote, 33, actress
- January 9 - Andy Caldecott, 41, motorcyclist
- March 9 - Harry Seidler, 82, architect
- March 28 - Pro Hart, 77, artist
- April 24 - Jimmy Sharman jnr, 94, boxing troupe impresario
- May 6 - Grant McLennan, 48, musician
- May 7 - Richard Carleton, 62, journalist
- August 28 - Don Chipp, 81, politician
- September 4 - "The Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, 44, environmentalist & documentarian
- September 4 - Colin Thiele, 85, author
- September 8 - Peter Brock, 61, motor racing driver
- September 15 - Abe Saffron, 86, notorious Sydney nightclub owner and suspected underworld figure
- October 3 - Peter Norman, 64, athlete
- November 2 - Wally Foreman, 58, sports commentator
- November 11 - Belinda Emmett, 32, actress
- November 27 - Alan "Fluff" Freeman, 79, Australian-born UK radio personality
- December 25 - Sir Robert Cotton, 91, politician
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