The following lists events that happened during 2002 in Australia.
Incumbents
Monarch – Elizabeth II
Governor-General – Peter Hollingworth
Prime Minister – John Howard
Deputy Prime Minister – John Anderson
Opposition Leader – Simon Crean
Chief Justice – Murray Gleeson
State and territory leaders
Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr
Opposition Leader – Kerry Chikarovski (until 28 March), then John Brogden
Premier of Queensland – Peter Beattie
Opposition Leader – Mike Horan
Premier of South Australia – Rob Kerin (until 5 March), then Mike Rann
Opposition Leader – Mike Rann (until 5 March), then Rob Kerin
Premier of Tasmania – Jim Bacon
Opposition Leader – Bob Cheek (until 20 July), then Rene Hidding
Premier of Victoria – Steve Bracks
Opposition Leader – Denis Napthine (until 20 August), then Robert Doyle
Premier of Western Australia – Geoff Gallop
Opposition Leader – Colin Barnett
Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory – Jon Stanhope
Opposition Leader – Gary Humphries (until 25 November), then Brendan Smyth
Chief Minister of the Northern Territory – Clare Martin
Opposition Leader – Denis Burke
Chief Minister of Norfolk Island – Geoffrey Gardner
Governors and administrators
Governor of New South Wales – Marie Bashir
Governor of Queensland – Peter Arnison
Governor of South Australia – Marjorie Jackson-Nelson
Governor of Tasmania – Sir Guy Green
Governor of Victoria – John Landy
Governor of Western Australia – John Sanderson
Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories – Bill Taylor
Administrator of Norfolk Island – Tony Messner
Administrator of the Northern Territory – John Anictomatis
Events
January
19 January – 70 asylum seekers at Woomera Detention Centre sew their lips together and hundreds take part in a hunger strike. 20 January – The first of the Ashfield gang rapes takes place. 26 January – The Melbourne inner-city Birrarung Marr park was formally opened to the public. 30 January – Asylum seekers at Woomera Detention Centre end their hunger strike. 31 January – Prime Minister John Howard tours Ground Zero in New York City.
February
6 February – Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II's accession as Queen of Australia
9 February – The last remaining Liberal/National coalition state government is voted out in South Australia and replaced by a Labor one, led by Mike Rann. It would be the last such Coalition state government until September 2008. February onwards – The worst drought in 100 years affects most of Australia, with water restrictions being put in place in Sydney, Melbourne and many other areas, and farmers being devastated by crop failures. 19 February – An independent inquiry is ordered into claims that Governor-General Peter Hollingworth ignored sexual abuse claims. 27 February – Governor-General Peter Hollingworth greets Queen Elizabeth II upon her arrival in South Australia for the Golden Jubilee tour.
March
1 – 5 March – The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2002 takes place in Coolum, Queensland. 4 March – Bankrupt airline Ansett Australia formally ceases all operations, with its final flights that had been operating on a scaled-down version of the once major carrier, flying for the last time. The airline's remaining 3,000 staff members are made redundant and the company falls into the history pages permanently after 66 years of operation. 8 March – Prime Minister John Howard is criticised for entertaining Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Chairman Geoff Clark, who is being investigated on rape allegations. 9 March – Amnesty International's Secretary, Irene Khan, criticised Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock for not allowing access to the Woomera Detention Centre after two detainees are injured in protests. 12 March – Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan alleges that High Court judge Michael Kirby trawled the streets of Sydney looking for underage rent boys. 15 March – Prime Minister John Howard goes to London to meet the Presidents of South Africa and Nigeria, as the Commonwealth decides whether to suspend Zimbabwe. 31 March – Janelle Patton becomes Norfolk Island's first murder victim in 150 years.
April
5 April – At the Council of Australian Governments Meeting in Canberra, Prime Minister John Howard concedes ground to the States on human embryo research. 19 April – New South Wales Premier Bob Carr officially opens the Ridgeway Gold Mine near Orange.