The following lists events that happened during 2021 in Australia.
Incumbents
Monarch – Elizabeth II Governor-General – David Hurley Prime Minister – Scott Morrison Deputy Prime Minister – Michael McCormack (until 22 June), then Barnaby Joyce Opposition Leader – Anthony Albanese Chief Justice – Susan Kiefel
State and territory leaders Premier of New South Wales – Gladys Berejiklian (until 5 October), then Dominic Perrottet Opposition Leader – Jodi McKay (until 28 May), then Chris Minns (from 4 June) Premier of Queensland – Annastacia Palaszczuk Opposition Leader – David Crisafulli Premier of South Australia – Steven Marshall Opposition Leader – Peter Malinauskas Premier of Tasmania – Peter Gutwein Opposition Leader – Rebecca White (until 15 May), then David O'Byrne (from 15 June until 7 July), then Rebecca White Premier of Victoria – Daniel Andrews Opposition Leader – Michael O'Brien (until 7 September), then Matthew Guy Premier of Western Australia – Mark McGowan Opposition Leader – Zak Kirkup (until 14 April), then Mia Davies Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory – Andrew Barr Opposition Leader – Elizabeth Lee Chief Minister of the Northern Territory – Michael Gunner Opposition Leader – Lia Finocchiaro
Governors and administrators Governor of New South Wales – Margaret Beazley Governor of Queensland – Paul de Jersey (until 1 November), then Jeannette Young Governor of South Australia – Hieu Van Le (until 31 August), then Frances Adamson (from 7 October) Governor of Tasmania – Kate Warner (until 9 June), then Barbara Baker (from 16 June) Governor of Victoria – Linda Dessau Governor of Western Australia – Kim Beazley Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories – Natasha Griggs Administrator of Norfolk Island – Eric Hutchinson Administrator of the Northern Territory – Vicki O'Halloran
Events January 1 January – The words of the Australian national anthem, "Advance Australia Fair", are changed for the first time since 1984, amending the line "For we are young and free" to "For we are one and free". 2 January – Two women drown during a guided canyoning tour at Mount Wilson in the Blue Mountains 8 January – A three-day lockdown is imposed on the Greater Brisbane area to stop the spread of a UK COVID-19 variant after a hotel quarantine worker unknowingly contracted the virus and spread it out into the community. 22 January − An ongoing plague of mice continued to cause problems and began to cause concerns for crops in areas of New South Wales and Queensland. By March the mice were stripping food and other items from the shelves of a supermarket in Gulargambone. In June 2021 the plague caused the complete evacuation of the Wellington Correctional Centre as dead mice and damage to infrastructure led to concern for the health and safety of inmates and staff. 25 January – Israel extradites Malka Leifer to Australia, after a six-year battle to extradite her in the light of the Adass Israel School sex abuse scandal. 26 January – On Australia Day the National Socialist Network, a new Far Right group created by members of the Antipodean Resistance and the Lads Society under Lads leader Thomas Sewell, were observed parading Nazi paraphernalia at several locations around the Grampians in Victoria. One Halls Gap resident said: "There were 40 white males, many with skinheads, some chanting 'white power'". They were reported to have chanted "sieg heil" and "white power", burnt a cross, and posted stickers saying "Australia For The White Man". 31 January – A snap five-day lockdown is imposed on the city of Perth and the Peel region, after a hotel quarantine worker tests positive for the virulent Variant of Concern 202012/01 of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
February 11 February – A tsunami warning is issued and later retracted after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake just off the coast of New Caledonia brought fears of a possible tsunami impacting Lord Howe Island. 15 February – 2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations 15 February – 142,000 doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Australia. 18 February – Facebook blocks all Australian news websites from sharing news content on its social media platform, preventing any Facebook user from sharing news content from any Australian-based news websites, and preventing Australian users from accessing news content from overseas media outlets on Facebook. 20 February – The Indigenous and Māori All Stars draw 10–10 in the 2021 All Stars match, held at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. Māori prop James Fisher-Harris, of Penrith Panthers, wins the Preston Campbell medal for Man of the Match. The Māori Women's All Stars defeat the Indigenous Women's All Stars 24–0 in the 2021 Women's All Stars match. Raecene McGregor is named Player of the Match. 22 February – The first doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are administered.
March 1 March – The Final Report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety is tabled. 11 March – The 2021 NRL season commences, with 2020 premiers Melbourne Storm defeating South Sydney Rabbitohs 26–18 at AAMI Park. 13 March – The 2021 Western Australian state election is held with the incumbent McGowan Labor government winning with an increased majority. 15 March – Tens of thousands of people attend March 4 Justice rallies across Australia calling for an end to gender-based violence and workplace harassment. 18 March – The 2021 AFL season commences, with 2019/20 two-time premiers Richmond Tigers defeating Carlton Blues at the MCG. 19 March – A significant weather event impacts the New South Wales Mid North Coast and Western Sydney, causing major flooding and evacuations. Low-lying parts of Port Macquarie, Bulahdelah, City of Penrith, City of Hawkesbury, Dunbogan and the Laurieton foreshore are evacuated as a precaution. 20 March – Due to intense rainfall in the previous days, Cundletown and the Taree CBD are evacuated as the Manning River swells to a peak of 5.65 metres. Intense rainfall also impacts Greater Sydney, New South Wales and Warragamba Dam in Western Sydney overflows for the first time since 2012. Evacuation orders are put in place for suburbs and localities located close to the Nepean and Hawksbury rivers. 28 March – The JobKeeper wage subsidy ends, with the government implementing targeted relief packages for industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic such as tourism. 29 March – Prime Minister Morrison reshuffled his cabinet: The new 'Minister for Women's Safety' portfolio was created in cabinet. The Minister for Families and Social Services, Anne Ruston, will add that role to her current duties. Michaelia Cash replaces Christian Porter as the Attorney-General and Industrial Relations Minister. Karen Andrews replaces Peter Dutton as Home Affairs Minister as he moves to the Defence Ministry. Linda Reynolds replaces Stuart Robert as Government Services and National Disability Insurance Scheme minister. Robert's takes on Cash's former employment roles. Jane Hume, moves from Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy to the new post of Minister for Women's Economic security Amanda Stoker, Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General, will also be the Assistant Minister for Women, and Assistant Minister for Industrial Relations. 29 March – A three-day lockdown is imposed on the Brisbane, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich and Redlands to stop the spread of a UK COVID-19 variant. 31 March – New Queen's Colour is presented to the Royal Australian Air Force to mark its Centenary during the parade and an inspection by the Governor-General David Hurley in Canberra.
April 15 April – The first Australian died from thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), after vaccination with the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. 21 April – The Australian Government announces it will be pulling Victoria out of the Chinese "Belt and Road Initiative" completely.
May 1 May – The 2021 Tasmanian state election is held. Peter Gutwein's Liberal government is returned for a third term. 4 May – Seven waterspouts form just off the coast of Old Bar unexpectedly. At one point, 5 of them are on the ground at the same time. 25 May – An explosion at the Callide Power Station near Biloela in Central Queensland triggers widespread power outages across the state. 27 May – 52 finalists for the Archibald Prize and the Packing Room Prize winner, Kathrin Longhurst for her portrait of Kate Ceberano, are announced.
June 4 June – Peter Wegner wins the 2021 Archibald Prize for Portrait of Guy Warren at 100 9 June – The first State of Origin series rugby league match to ever be held outside a capital city is played at North Queensland Stadium in Townsville, Queensland following a COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne where the game was scheduled to be played. New South Wales defeat Queensland 50–6, while NSW centre Tom Trbojevic is awarded man of the match. The pre-game entertainment is headlined by The Veronicas. 11 June – Floods in Eastern Victoria claim the lives of two residents as the Traralgon Creek bursts its banks, inundating properties. 12 June – Extremely low rates of influenza and no reported deaths from it. 2019 had 800 flu deaths, 2020 was below 40. 21 June – Barnaby Joyce defeats Michael McCormack in a leadership spill of the Nationals and regains the position of deputy Prime Minister. 25 June – Queensland defeat New South Wales 8–6 in the 2021 Women's State of Origin match at Sunshine Coast Stadium. Queensland second-rower Tazmin Gray is awarded the Nellie Doherty medal for player of the match. 26 June – Greater Sydney, Wollongong, Blue Mountains and the Central Coast are placed into lockdown as the Delta variant of COVID-19 spreads. 27 June – New South Wales defeat Queensland 26–0 at Suncorp Stadium in the second match of the 2021 State of Origin series, effectively sealing a series win, while Queensland suffered their first loss in Brisbane since 2017. NSW fullback and captain James Tedesco is awarded man of the match. The pre-game entertainment is headlined by Sheppard. 27 June – Melbourne City FC defeat Sydney FC 3–1 in the 2021 A-League Grand Final at AAMI Park in Melbourne, in Melbourne City's first Grand Final win.
July 6 July – St. George Illawarra Dragons prop Paul Vaughan's club contract is terminated following his hosting of a Shellharbour team house party in breach of both the NRL's biosecurity protocols and Sydney's lockdown orders. On the preceding day, twelve other Dragons players present at the event were charged with fines of varying severity and handed one-week suspensions. Vaughan was initially banned for eight weeks and had previously breached protocol in August 2020. 8 July – Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide established. 10 July – World No. 1 women's tennis player Ash Barty wins her first Wimbledon ladies' singles title, 41 years after Evonne Goolagong Cawley's win. 11 July – Australia records its first death from the COVID-19 pandemic for 2021, as Sydney records 77 cases of community transmission. 14 July – Following a relocation from Sydney, then Newcastle, Queensland defeat New South Wales 20–18 at Cbus Super Stadium in the third match of the 2021 State of Origin series, though NSW still win the series overall from their two prior victories. Queensland hooker Ben Hunt is awarded man of the match, while NSW centre Tom Trbojevic is awarded player of the series. Pre-game entertainment is headlined by Lime Cordiale and JK-47. 15 July – Amanda Lohrey wins the 2021 Miles Franklin Award for The Labyrinth. 16 July – Melbourne enters snap lockdown with 18 cases of COVID-19. 20 July – Australia's then oldest verified man to have ever lived, Dexter Kruger, dies at the age of 111 years and 188 days. 21 July – Brisbane is announced as the host city for the 2032 Summer Olympics and the 2032 Summer Paralympics.
August