Early 80’s
1980
- The 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow were disrupted by a boycott led by the US
- US Basketball player Michael Jordan bursts onto the scene bringing a surge in popularity to the sport
- MTV is launched in US and music videos began to have a huge effect on the record industry. Artists such as Duran Duran, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Queen mastered the format and turned this new product into a profitable business
- Kingswood Country debuts on the Seven Network in Australia
- The first State of Origin match is won by Queensland who defeated NSW 20-10
- Alan Jones becomes the second Australian driver to win the Formula One World Drivers Championship
- Bon Scott, the lead singer of AC/DC dies at the age of 33
- John McEwen, eighteenth Prime Minister of Australia dies at the age of 80
1981
- Puberty Blues comes out in the cinemas
- TV Week Logie Awards airs on Ten for the first time
- A Country Practice debuts on Channel 7
- Trevor Chappell bowls underarm in the final delivery of the game against New Zealand. The delivery leads to the banning of underarm deliveries in cricket
- The ‘Sin Bin’ rule is introduced into rugby league
1982
- One of Australia’s worst ever droughts stikes the country
- Sons and Daughters premiers on the Seven Network
- The Newtown Jets & Canterbury Bulldogs fight out the only scoreless draw in NSWRL first grade history
1983
- The ALP, with Bob Hawke as leader wins with one of the biggest parliamentary majorities in Australian political history
- Ash Wednesday destroyed 520 000 hectares of land and killed 72 people
- The Sydney Entertainment Centre is opened
- Australia II wins the America’s Cup ending the New York Yacht Club’s 132 year domination of the race and Prime Minister Bob Hawke goes on the Today show and declared a public holiday for that day, stating that ‘any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum’
- The last ever episode of The Done Lane Show goes to air on GTV-9
1984
- Medicare comes into effect in Australia
- Advance Australia Fair is proclaimed as Australia’s national anthem, and green and gold as the national colours
- The one dollar coin is introduced
- Australian banks are deregulated
- The Federal budget is televised for the first time
- 7 people are shot dead and 12 are wounded in bikie shootout between rival bikie gangs the Bandidos and Comancheros in the Sydney suburb of Milperra
- Western Australia becomes the last Australian state to abolish capital punishment for ordinary crimes (ie: murder)
- The Hawke Government were re-elected with a reduced majority
- Australia’s first nationally-televised telethon screens on Network Ten to raise money for the Australian Olympic athletes
- The first televised federal election debate takes place
- Canterbury Bulldogs defeat Parramatta Eels 6-4 to win the77th NSWRL premiership
- Essendon defeat Hawthorn to win the 88th VFL/AFL premiership
- Summer Olympics in Los Angeles were boycotted by the Soviet Union and most of the communist world in retaliation for the boycott in 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow
- The 1984 Winter Olympics were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina




