March 2006 in Australia and New Zealand

Australia Portal • New Zealand Portal

March

• March 2: Peter Snow, discovered "Tapanui flu"

Upcoming

Ongoing

• Si Yi Chen (Bali Nine)
• Tach Duc Thanh Nguyen (Bali Nine)
• Matthew Norman (Bali Nine)

Recent

• New Zealand police [...] trial
• 2006 Commonwealth Games
• New Zealand census

• none

31 March 2006 (Friday)

• Assistant New Zealand police commissioner Clinton Rickards and two former police officers are found not guilty of the alleged [...] and [...] abuse of Louise Nicholas in Rotorua in the 1980s. (NZ Herald).

28 March 2006 (Tuesday)

• Acclaimed Australian artist Pro Hart dies at age 77 follow a battle with motor neurone disease. (ABC)
• New Zealand farmers angered by a new law requiring all dogs registered after 1 July 2006 to be microchipped demand farm dogs be exempt, drawing a parallel to the Dog Tax War of 1898. (NZ Herald)

27 March 2006 (Monday)

• The Howard Government's controversial "WorkChoices" comes into effect amid community opposition. (Wikinews)
• British Prime Minister Tony Blair addresses a special joint sitting of the Parliament of Australia, becoming the first British Prime Minister to do so. (Wikinews)

26 March 2006 (Sunday)

• The 2006 Commonwealth Games officially end in Melbourne following a spectacular closing ceremony. (Wikinews)
• British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrives in Australia on the first leg of his tour of Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia.

25 March 2006 (Saturday)

• Restaurant Brands, the New Zealand franchise holder for KFC, Pizza Hut and Starbucks, has agreed to phase out youth rates. BP in New Zealand agreed to scrap youth rates earlier. (Radio NZ)

24 March 2006 (Friday)

• Indonesia recalls its Ambassador from Australia in protest against an Australian Government decision to grant temporary protection visas to 42 West Papuan asylum seekers. (Wikinews)

20 March 2006 (Monday)

• David Parker resigns as New Zealand Attorney-General after publicity about an incorrect declaration he filed with the Companies Office. The following day he resigned from Cabinet. (Radio NZ) (NZ Herald)
• Tropical Cyclone Larry makes landfall near Innisfail, Queensland, Australia, with wind gusts of 290km/h (180 mph) recorded, which would make it a Category 5 storm on the Australian scale for severity of cyclones. (AAP).

March 17 2006 (Friday)

• A report on Auckland traffic congestion suggests charges of $3-$6 for a vehicle to enter the Auckland isthmus, or a $10 surcharge on all parking in the CBD. (NZ Herald)
• The New Zealand Department of Conservation starts an emergency evacuation of Raoul Island after one of the island's volcanos erupted. One person is missing. (NZ Herald)

March 15 2006 (Wednesday)

• The opening ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games is hailed a "huge success" by the Victorian Government. (ABC)

March 6 2006 (Monday)

• Fairfax purchases the New Zealand online auction site Trade Me for NZ$700 million. (Scoop)
• The New Zealand Department of Child, Youth and Family Services is to merge with the Ministry of Social Development. (Radio NZ)