The following lists events that happened during 1972 in Australia.

← 1971 1970 1969 1972 in Australia → 1973 1974 1975
Decades:	1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
See also:	Other events of 1972 Federal election Timeline of Australian history

Incumbents

William McMahon

Gough Whitlam

• Monarch – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – Sir Paul Hasluck
• Prime Minister – William McMahon (until 5 December), then Gough Whitlam
  • Deputy Prime Minister – Doug Anthony (until 5 December), then Lance Barnard
  • Opposition Leader – Gough Whitlam (until 5 December), then Billy Snedden (from 20 December)
• Chief Justice – Sir Garfield Barwick

State and territory leaders

• Premier of New South Wales – (Sir) Robert Askin
  • Opposition Leader – Pat Hills
• Premier of Queensland – Joh Bjelke-Petersen
  • Opposition Leader – Jack Houston
• Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan
  • Opposition Leader – Steele Hall (until 15 March), then Bruce Eastick
• Premier of Tasmania – Angus Bethune (until 3 May), then Eric Reece
  • Opposition Leader – Eric Reece (until 3 May), then Max Bingham
• Premier of Victoria – Sir Henry Bolte (until 23 August), then Rupert Hamer
  • Opposition Leader – Clyde Holding
• Premier of Western Australia – John Tonkin
  • Opposition Leader – Sir David Brand (until 5 June), then Sir Charles Court

Governors and administrators

• Governor of New South Wales – Sir Roden Cutler
• Governor of Queensland – Sir Alan Mansfield (until 21 March), then Sir Colin Hannah
• Governor of South Australia – Sir Mark Oliphant
• Governor of Tasmania – Lieutenant General Sir Edric Bastyan
• Governor of Victoria – Major General Sir Rohan Delacombe
• Governor of Western Australia – Major General Sir Douglas Kendrew
• Administrator of Norfolk Island – Robert Dalkin (until August), then Edward Pickerd
• Administrator of the Northern Territory – Sir Frederick Chaney
• Administrator of Papua and New Guinea – Les Johnson

Events

• 26 January – Aboriginal Tent Embassy was constructed in front of Parliament House (now old Parliament House).
• 10 May – Law professor George Duncan is drowned in the Torrens River, Adelaide. Police establish that his death was a homophobic-related murder.^[1][2]
• 3 June – Douglas Nicholls becomes the first Indigenous Australian to be knighted.
• 29 July – Kerry Anne Wells earned Australia's first Miss Universe crown, in Dorado, Puerto Rico.
• 30 August - Three people are killed in the 1972 Taroom explosion when a burning truck loaded with ammonium nitrate explodes near Taroom, Queensland.
• 6 October – Faraday School kidnapping – six pupils and their teacher are kidnapped for $1 million ransom in Victoria.
• 15 November – First aircraft hijacking in Australia. Ansett Airlines Flight 232 from Adelaide to Alice Springs with 28 passengers and a crew of 4. Followed by gun battle at Alice Springs Airport.
• 1 December – Belinda Green is crowned Miss World in London, becoming the second Australian winner of this pageant. Australia won the two most important beauty contest in this year.
• 2 December – 1972 Australian federal election: The Labor Party led by Gough Whitlam defeats the Liberal/Country Coalition government led by Prime Minister William McMahon. Consequently, Whitlam becomes the first Labor Prime Minister of Australia since the defeat of Ben Chifley in 1949.
• Shane Gould is announced as Australian of the Year
• The health warning, "Smoking is a Health Hazard" becomes compulsory on cigarette packets in Australia.

Arts and literature

• Thea Astley's novel The Acolyte wins the Miles Franklin Award

Film

• The Adventures of Barry McKenzie

Television

• 13 March – Controversial soap opera Number 96 debuts on Network 0–10.
• 16 November – The Aunty Jack Show premieres on ABC-TV in Sydney.

Sport

• 16 September – Bernard Vine wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:28:21 in Richmond, Australia.
• Manly-Warringah defeated Eastern Suburbs 19–14 in the 1972 NSWRFL season Grand Final, claiming the first premiership win in the club's history. Parramatta finish in last position, claiming the wooden spoon.
• In the Bulimba Cup final Brisbane defeat Toowoomba 55–2 at Lang Park
• Piping Lane wins the Melbourne Cup
• Western Australia wins the Sheffield Shield
• American Eagle takes line and handicap honours in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
• Shane Gould wins 3 gold medals for swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich
• Australia draws Ashes Cricket Test Series 2–2 with England

Births

• 2 January – Adam Elliot, animator and screenwriter
• 7 January – Shane Kelly, cyclist
• 16 January
  • Ang Christou, Australian rules footballer
  • Greg Page, former member of The Wiggles
• 21 January – Brett Mullins, rugby league player
• 1 February – Taryn Fiebig, opera and musical theatre soprano (died 2021)
• 5 February
  • Brad Fittler, rugby league footballer and coach
  • Queen Mary of Denmark^[3]
• 6 February – Mark Ladbrook, track and field sprinter
• 7 March – Simon Pryce, current member of The Wiggles
• 9 March – Spencer Howson, radio announcer
• 11 March – Adam Bandt, politician
• 25 March – Nina Bonner, field hockey goalkeeper
• 8 April – Katrina Powell, field hockey player
• 15 April – Glenn Butcher, politician
• 16 May – Adam Crouch, politician
• 20 May – Michael Diamond, professional target shooter
• 30 May - Simon Holmes à Court, entrepreneur and founder of Climate 200
• 30 May – Renita Farrell, field hockey player
• 31 May – Sarah Murdoch, model, actress and television presenter
• 19 June – Poppy Montgomery, actress
• 22 June – Damien Oliver, jockey
• 24 June – Robbie McEwen, cyclist
• 24 June – Ian Rutledge, field hockey coach
• 30 June – Stuart Rendell, hammer thrower
• 6 July – Daniel Andrews, Premier of Victoria
• 14 July – Deborah Mailman, actress and singer
• 26 July – Nathan Buckley, Australian rules footballer
• 12 August – Allison Tranquilli, basketball player
• 1 September – Louise Dobson, field hockey player
• 19 September
  • Matt Cockbain, rugby player and coach
  • Ryan Girdler, rugby league player
• 20 September – Jenn Morris, field hockey player
• 11 October – Claudia Black, actress
• 1 November – Toni Collette, actress^[4]
• 7 November – Melissa Bell, actress
• 8 November – Kylie Shadbolt, artistic gymnast^[5]
• 13 November – Samantha Riley, swimmer
• 9 December – Annalise Braakensiek, model, actress, television presenter, businesswoman and activist (died 2019)
• 11 December – Del Kathryn Barton, artist
• 12 December – Quan Yeomans, musician; lead singer of Regurgitator
• 13 December – Chris Grant, Australian rules footballer
• 22 December – Anthony Edwards, rower
• 28 December – Patrick Rafter, tennis player

Deaths

• 6 January – Olegas Truchanas (born 1923), conservationist and nature photographer
• 22 January – Jack Cummings (born 1901), tennis player
• 2 February – Matt Goggin (born 1936), Australian rules footballer (Geelong)
• 15 February – Sir Kenneth Street (born 1890), Chief Justice of New South Wales
• 29 February – Ernie Barber (born 1895), Australian rules footballer (South Melbourne)
• 9 March – Roy Kendall (born 1899), politician and MI6 officer
• 19 March –
  • George Bassett (born 1888), politician
  • Jack Carington Smith (born 1908), artist
• 16 April – Frank O'Connor (born 1894), public servant
• 2 May – Arthur Trebilcock (born 1907), Tasmanian cricketer
• 7 July – Sir Owen Dixon (born 1886), Chief Justice of Australia
• 21 August – Ernestine Hill (born 1899), author
• 23 September – Peter O'Sullivan (born 1932), Australian rules footballer (Essendon, North Melbourne)
• 4 November – Harry Rigby (born 1896), World War I flying ace
• 24 November – Sir Daniel McVey (born 1892), public servant