1992: An American political dynasty bursts forth from the Arkansas wilderness while an Australian sporting dynasty stuns its opponents south of the Tweed and a new golden age in Aussie cinema rises on the backs of ballroom dancers and skinhead lunatics…
– Redcliffe’s community FM radio station starts its first broadcast on December 4
– Morgan’s Seafood open their gourmet restaurant adjacent to their extremely popular Fisn’n’Chippery
– George H. W. Bush becomes the first US President to address the Australian Parliament
– One and two cent coins are withdrawn from circulation
– After three years of trials, Daylight Saving is put to a referendum in Queensland, where it is voted down by nearly 55% of the population
– Queen Elizabeth II visits Australia for the 16th time. New Prime Minister Paul Keating sparks outrage in Britain by placing his hand on the back of the Queen, breaking Royal protocol. Keating is given the nickname “The Lizard of Oz” by one particularly enraged British tabloid
– The Cricket World Cup is held in Australian and New Zealand. Pakistan defeats England in the final by 22 runs
– The Brisbane Broncos win their first Premiership, after defeating the St George Dragons 28-8 and begin one of the greatest sporting dynasties of the modern era, winning another 4 Premierships over the next 8 years.
– The first annual Big Day Out festival is held at the Sydney Showgrounds. The event is headed by Nirvana and the Violent Femmes
– Four Los Angeles Police Officers are acquitted in the Rodney King police brutality trial. The city erupts into violence and rioting that lasts for several days and only subsides after the intervention of the National Guard. Over 50 people are killed, 2000 injured and approx. $1billion damage worth of damage is caused by the rioting
-Incumbent George Bush is defeated by Bill Clinton in the Presidential election after his first term in office. Two months after the loss, in one of his last
acts as President, Bush pardons six Reagan Administration officials implicated in the Iran Contra affair, all of whom he worked with as Reagan’s Vice President
– Sales for Compact Discs overtake those of audio cassette tapes for the first time
– Aladdin, Unforgiven, The Crying Game, Reservoir Dogs, Bad Lieutenant and Basic Instinct are released in a controversial year for international cinema while instant Australian classics Strictly Ballroom and Romper Stomper usher in an all too brief renaissance in Australian film that captures the hearts and minds of the Australian public
Births: Melissa Wu (3 May), Cate Campbell (20 May)
Deaths: Lang Hancock (27 March), Isaac Asimov (6 April), Peter Allen (18 June), Anthony Perkins (12 September)
