Records 1990

20 February – Northern Territory Legislative Assembly sittings begin in a temporary chamber in the Chan Building.

30 March – ABC radio station Triple J goes to air in Darwin.

2 June – Darwin Aviation Museum opens on a site near Darwin Airport. Displays include a US Air Force B-52 Bomber.

25 August – Darwin Symphony Orchestra stages a concert afloat in Katherine Gorge [Nitmiluk].

3 September – Mr Alec Fong Lim, former Lord Mayor of Darwin, dies.

1 October – Elsey National Park declared.

27 October – Northern Territory General Election for the Sixth Legislative Assembly is held. CLP retains government with 14 seats. ALP wins 9 Seats and Independents 2 seats.

9 November – Malaysian Airlines commences operation in Darwin.

13 November – Fourth Perron Ministry of 9 appointed. Shane Stone and Max Ortmann replace Tom Harris and Terry McCarthy.

13 November – Mrs Sarah Henderson of Bulloo Station wins the Bulletin/Qantas Business Woman of the Year.

4 February – Australia finishes the Commonwealth Games in Auckland with a total of 162 medals, including 52 gold.

5 February – Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Commission [ATSIC] is established as a mechanism for expression of Aboriginal self-determination within the Australian Government.

12 February – Carmen Lawrence becomes the Premier of Western Australia and Australia’s first female premier after Peter Dowding resigns.

24 March – A federal election is held. The government of Prime Minister Bob Hawke is re-elected for a fourth term with its lowest primary vote ever – 39.4%, and the loss of 8 seats. The number of Australian Democrats’ Senators increases to 8. Treasurer Paul Keating replaces the retired Lionel Bowen as Deputy Prime Minister.

3 April – Following the federal election, Dr John Hewson is elected as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, and Peter Reith as Deputy Leader.

May – The 80 Series Toyota Land Cruiser goes on sale in Australia for the first time. Dubbed the breadbox by some because of its rounded edges, the coil-sprung 80 Series was a huge leap forward in both design and technology.

10 August – Prime Minister Bob Hawke announces that Australia will send 2 guided missile frigates, HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Darwin, and the replenishment tanker, HMAS Success, to join the naval blockade of Iraq in the Gulf War which followed Iraq’s annexation of Kuwait. Protests ensue.

2 September – South African-born Australian entrepreneur Robert Holmes á Court, Australia’s first billionaire, dies suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 53.

9 September – Australian author, and winner of the 1973 Nobel Prize in Literature, Patrick White, dies.

24 September – Special Australian Labor Party conference endorses the privatisation of Qantas and Australian Airlines, the merger of OTC (Overseas Telecommunications Corporation Ltd) and Telecom, and the sale of AUSSAT Pty Ltd.

2 October – Opera singer Dame Joan Sutherland announces her retirement and makes her last performance at the Sydney Opera House.

1 November – The Australian domestic aviation market is deregulated.

12 November – Prime Minister Bob Hawke announces that the risk of war in the Persian Gulf is increased as 2 more Australian guided missile vessels leave for the Gulf.

29 November – Federal Treasurer Paul Keating announces that Australia is experiencing an economic recession. “The first thing to say is, the accounts do show that Australia is in a recession. The most important thing about that is that this is a recession that Australia had to have,” he said.

11 December – Media Company Fairfax is placed into receivership.

1 January – The first Internet companies catering to commercial users, PSINet and EUnet begin selling Internet access to commercial customers in the United States and Netherlands.

3 January – The United States invades Panama. General Noriega is deposed as leader and surrenders to American forces.

31 January – The first McDonald’s restaurant in Moscow opens.

11 February – Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison near Cape Town, South Africa, after 27 years behind bars.

15 March – Mikhail Gorbachev takes office as the President of the Soviet Union.

20 March – Imelda Marcos, widow of the former President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos, goes on trial for bribery, embezzlement and racketeering.

24 April – STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched aboard Space Shuttle Discovery.

June – Joanne Rowling gets the idea for ‘Harry Potter’ while on a train from Manchester to London’s Euston railway station. She begins writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone which will be completed in 1995 and published in 1997.

13 June – The demolition of the Berlin Wall by East Germany officially begins, 7 months after the Wall was opened.

30 July – British politician and former Member of Parliament, Ian Gow, is assassinated by a Provisional Irish Republican Army car bomb outside his home in England.

2 August – Iraq invades Kuwait, which eventually leads to the Gulf War.

6 August – The South African Government and African National Congress (ANC) begin talks on ending Apartheid in South Africa.

12 August – “Sue”, the best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever found, is discovered near Faith, South Dakota by Sue Hendrickson.

9 September – US President George Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev meet in Helsinki to discuss the Persian Gulf crisis.

12 September – A judge in Australia orders the arrest of media tycoon Christopher Skase, former owner of the Seven Network, after he fails to give evidence in a liquidator’s examination of failed shipbuilding company Lloyds Ships Holdings, an associate of Skase’s Qintex Australia Ltd.

1 November – Mary Robinson defeats Brian Lenihan and becomes the first female President of Ireland.

1 December – Channel Tunnel workers from the United Kingdom and France meet 40 metres beneath the English Channel seabed, establishing the first land connection between Great Britain and the mainland of Europe for around 8,000 years.

20 December – Tim Berners-Lee completes the test for the first webpage on the World Wide Web (www) at the CERN facility (the European laboratory for particle physics) in Switzerland.

In 1990 the estimated resident population of the Northern Territory is 75,200 people and the population of Australia is over 17 million people.

The Nintendo Gameboy is the must-have gadget for Australian children, having been released to the market the year before.

Arnott’s Tiny Teddy biscuits hit the market, becoming the most successful product launch in the company’s history.

In 1990 the first electronic barcode scanners at checkouts are introduced at the grocery store Franklins.

New South Wales Rugby League team the Canberra Raiders defeat the Penrith Panthers 18–14 to win the 83rd NSWRL premiership.

Australian Football League (AFL) premiership is won by the Collingwood Magpies, (13.11.89) defeating the Essendon Bombers (5.11.41). It is the first premiership won under the AFL banner, since being renamed from the Victorian Football League (VFL) on 1 January 1990, as well as Collingwood’s first premiership since 1958.

On Australian television Graham Kennedy’s Funniest Home Video Show begins, being renamed as Australia’s Funniest Home Videos after one season. ABC TV’s Lateline begins, and US series Baywatch is popular viewing, after premiering in the US the year before.

Actors Russell Crowe and Jason Donovan make their film debuts in the Australian drama Blood Oath. The film starring Bryan Brown and Ray Barrett wins the AFI Awards for “Best Achievement in Sound” and “Best Achievement in Costume Design”. Australian movie, The Big Steal, is released. Directed by Nadia Tass, the film is later nominated for 9 AFI awards, of which it won 3.

International feature film releases include Goodfellas, starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci; Edward Scissorhands directed by Tim Burton; Home Alone starring Macaulay Culkin and Joe Pesci; Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere; Total Recall, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; Ghost starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore; Dances with Wolves, starring Kevin Costner; and Misery starring James Caan and Kathy Bates.

Topping the Australian Recording Industry Association Singles (ARIAS) Chart is Sinéad O’Connor’s cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U, MC Hammer’s U Can’t Touch This, and Madonna’s Vogue. Australian artists’ songs include Midnight Oil’s Blue Sky Mine, Jimmy Barnes’ Lay Down Your Guns, ACDC’s Thunderstruck, and Absent Friends’ I Don’t Want To Be With Nobody But You.

Big-act live music tours include Mötley Crüe on the Dr Feelgood Tour playing in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney between 27 April and 4 May. US band Aerosmith performed concerts in all capital cities, except Darwin, between 29 September and 15 October and Jimmy Barnes was joined by Stray Cats on his Make It Last All Night Tour, playing concerts across multiple towns and cities on Australia’s east and west coasts in November and December 1990.

https://www.abc.net.au/archives/timeline/1990s.htm

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6780306/its-been-30-years-since-the-last-recession-heres-what-life-in-1990-looked-like/

https://australianfoodtimeline.com.au/tag/1990s/

https://www.theage.com.au/world/middle-east/from-the-archives-1990-australia-to-join-the-naval-blockade-of-iraq-20200807-p55ji7.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_in_Australia

https://www.whichcar.com.au/reviews/custom-4x4s/toyota-landcruiser-80-series-custom-4x4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Top_25_singles_for_1990_in_Australia

https://www.frontiertouring.com/pasttours/1990

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_Civil_War

The Northern Territory Government approved in-principle the establishment of a new national park centred on the Davenport and Murchison Ranges near Tennant Creek.

Following an instruction by the Minister for Conservation in 1983, the Conservation Commission of the NT investigated the establishment of a significant national park in the Tennant Creek district. The area including the Davenport and Murchison Ranges, adjacent to the existing Devil’s Marbles Conservation Reserve, proved to be a prime candidate, as it was rich with Northern Territory history and boasted numerous gorges and waterholes.

The Submission noted the economic benefits the new park would bring to the Northern Territory, as well as its alignment with local and regional developmental aspirations. The NT Government accepted the Submission’s recommendations and supported the establishment of the park, directing a further Submission be prepared following investigations into the acquisition of the land.

The Iytwelepenty / Davenport Ranges National Park is a Schedule 1 joint managed park.

Read the Cabinet decision - Submission No. 5435 / Decision No. 6325 of 9 January 1990  PDF (6.4 MB).

Aligning with Australia’s national and international agreements to phase out the use of ozone-depleting substances, the Northern Territory Government approved the introduction of the Ozone Protection Bill to the Legislative Assembly.

As global scientific evidence mounted that a range of substances commonly used in aerosols, refrigerants and firefighting foams were increasing the rate of decay of ozone in the Earth’s stratosphere, the Commonwealth Government, along with all States and Territories, agreed to implement coordinated legislation to regulate and control their use.

The Submission stressed the importance of ozone in screening carcinogenic ultra-violet radiation and noted the NT Government’s previous commitment to the Australia and New Zealand Environment Council’s nationally endorsed National Strategy for Ozone Protection.

The Ozone Protection Bill submitted to Cabinet provided for extensive regulation-making powers after consultation with industry and government stakeholders to carry out the Northern Territory’s obligations under the Strategy and to phase out the use of  ozone depleting substances.

The NT Government approved the Ozone Protection Bill, along with the accompanying second reading speech and committee notes, and endorsed the release of an advertisement to the local press informing of the new legislation.

NB: This Ozone Protection Act was repealed in 2009. Ozone depleting substances are managed by the Commonwealth under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989 and related Acts. Relevant offences under that legislation commenced in 2009, enabling the repeal of the NT legislation.

Read the Cabinet decision - Submission No. 5482 / Decision No. 6381 of 23 February 1990 PDF (7.0 MB).

In May 1984 the Northern Territory Government approved in-principle the establishment of a national park in the Victoria River  District, and directed the Department of Mines and Energy and the Conservation Commission of the NT to prepare a joint submission regarding legislative and regulatory changes to permit and regulate exploration activities on Parks and Reserves.

Following agreement between the Department of Mines and Energy and the Conservation Commission about reserving some  parcels of land for mineral exploration and that a list of general conditions would apply, the NT Government agreed that the declaration of Gregory National Park may proceed.

The Judbarra / Gregory National Park is a Schedule 1 joint managed park.

Read the Cabinet decision - Submission No. 5488 / Decision No. 6392 of 2 March 1990 PDF (3.1 MB).

Following the findings of an interdepartmental committee on privacy legislation, the Northern Territory Government approved a range of administrative measures aimed at increasing the strength of personal information protections within Government.

With increasing global concern around the protection of personal information, the NT Government established a committee to report on the strength of data protections in NT Government systems. The Submission noted the rapid advancements in information technology and the challenges it presented for the effective protection of personal data. It looked at measures other Australian jurisdictions had taken, and presented options ranging from a do nothing extreme, to the immediate introduction of wide-ranging privacy legislation.

The NT Government approved the phased approach to strengthening personal information protections, beginning with a Government-wide audit of existing practices, the preparation of new Administrative Instructions to all agencies and the establishment of a new committee for the Protection of Personal Information.

Read the Cabinet decision - Submission No. 5601 / Decision No. 6535 of 5 July 1990 PDF (3.3 MB).

With high growth in airline and passenger traffic, the Northern Territory Government considered adding to the 1990-91 Design List the redevelopment of Connellan Airport to extend the landside and airside facilities.

Connellan Airport first opened in 1980-81 as a standard regional airport to service the Yulara Resort. Over the next decade, the number of passengers passing through the Airport began to climb and the Airport’s airline traffic quadrupled. The Submission includes the number of tourists taking scenic flights from Connellan Airport, the number of scenic flights by Connellan-based light aircraft and the percentage of scenic flight passengers who are international tourists.

The Submission noted interest by airlines to operate larger Boeing 737-300 services to Connellan Airport which would require an extension to the terminal and upgrades to roads and associated services. Pending finalisation of the Civil Aviation Authority’s exact airside requirements for B737 operations, the Submission recommended upgrading the landside facilities to ease congestion and to cater for the inevitable operation of B737 flights.

The NT Government approved the addition to the design list of the $3.5 million redevelopment, noting that a separate submission addressing cost recovery for the redevelopment would be put to Cabinet prior to the 1991-92 Budget process.

Read the Cabinet decision - Submission No. 5607 / Decision No. 6541 of 5 July 1990 PDF (3.3 MB).

The Northern Territory Government formally adopted the National Health Policy on Alcohol and endorsed the strategies for implementation of the Policy in Australia.

The National Health Policy on Alcohol was drafted by the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy, a joint body created by the National Standing Committee of Health Ministers. The Submission recognised the importance of a strategic health policy on alcohol, especially given the prevalence of alcohol-related issues in the Northern Territory.

Government adopted the revised National Health Policy on Alcohol and endorsed the strategies for its implementation across Australia.

Read the Cabinet decision - Submission No. 5644 / Decision No. 6586 of 17 August 1990 PDF (10.0 MB).

Following approval by Cabinet in 1989 that all existing and future Northern Territory University (NTU) operations would be relocated to the Casuarina campus, Cabinet noted the NTU Master Plan and endorsed the proposed cost sharing arrangements between the NT and Commonwealth Governments to facilitate the relocation and further development.

The Submission pointed to the requirement to vacate the existing NTU campus at Myilly Point by 1996, and explained the implementation stages and cash flows required to achieve this. It noted that further development would also be required on the Casuarina campus to accommodate for strong enrolment growth.

With concerns that the Commonwealth Government could withhold its share of funding for the relocation should an arrangement fail to be reached with the Territory soon, the Submission accordingly emphasised the urgency of finalising an agreement.

Although the Submission provided a range of other options - including keeping the campus at Myilly Point - the NT Government endorsed the proposed cost-sharing formulae to ensure an agreement was reached with the Commonwealth Government and that the development moved ahead.

Read the Cabinet decision - Submission No. 5665 / Decision No. 6610 of 28 August 1990  PDF (3.6 MB).