Australian Security Intelligence Organisation |

1948 - Sir Percy Sillitoe, Director General of MI5, tells Prime Minister Ben Chifley there is a security leak in Australia. This conversation begins the process of forming the organisation that would become ASIO
1972 - An armed assault occurs at the Yugoslav consulate in Perth; an extension of a long-running conflict between Croatian separatists and the Yugoslav government
1972 - A bomb explodes at the offices of the Yugoslav tourist agencies, Sydney; an extension of a long-running conflict between Croatian separatists and the Yugoslav government
1975 - Kep Enderby QC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1978 - Bomb explodes outside the Hilton Hotel, Sydney, ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Regional Meeting (CHOGRM), killing one person

1948 - In London the UK Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, briefs PM Ben Chifley on the Venona program, the source of information about the leaks of classified information in Australia
2014 - Australian government lists Islamic State as a proscribed terrorist organisation
1987 - The Australian Labor Party wins the Federal election; Bob Hawke remains Prime Minister of Australia
1985 - Two shots are fired at the Vietnamese Embassy in Canberra
1980 - Director-General of Security, Justice Sir Edward Woodward OBE, agrees to formation of ASIO Staff Association to represent staff interests

1948 - Prime Minister Ben Chifley and three Cabinet ministers agree to establish a new security organisation, but there is no announcement
2014 - Ahmad Numan Haider undertakes a terrorist attack, stabbing two police officers outside Endeavour Hills police station in Victoria. Haider is subsequently shot and killed.
2005 - Jemaah Islamiyah conducts bomb attacks in Bali, Indonesia, killing 26 people including 4 Australians
1972 - Five letter bombs are detected by postal staff, addressed to Israeli diplomats in Sydney and Canberra; the bombs are sent by the terrorist group Black September
1975 - Peter Barbour concludes his appointment as Director-General of Security
1977 - The Special Inter-Departmental Committee on Protection Against Violence (SIDC-PAV) is created
1982 - Funding of $2.4 million is allocated to ASIO for the acquisition of its first computer system
1982 - Commencement of Commonwealth Games, Brisbane
1980 - Iran-Iraq war commences

1949 - Prime Minister Ben Chifley and three Cabinet ministers formally decide to set up a new security service ‘along the lines of MI5’
1951 - Soviet diplomat Vladimir Petrov and his wife, Evdokia, arrive in Australia
1963 - Soviet intelligence officer Ivan Skripov is declared persona non grata as a result of his intelligence activities in Australia

1949 - Prime Minister Ben Chifley announces the formation of the new security service in Parliament, but does not name it
2015 - ASIO moves its headquarters to the Ben Chifley Building in the Canberra Parliamentary Triangle
1964 - The Communist Party of Australia (Marxist/Leninist Branch) commences operations
1965 - The Communist Party of Australia declares that anti-Vietnam war protests are its top priority
2009 - David Irvine AO commences his appointment as Director-General of Security
2009 - Paul O'Sullivan AO CNZM concludes his appointment as Director-General of Security
2005 - Australian government lists Al-Qa'ida in Iraq as a proscribed terrorist organisation
2002 - Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Coolum, Queensland
2002 - Parliamentary Joint Committee on ASIO, ASIS and DSD (PJCAAD) meets for the first time, replacing the Parliamentary Joint Committee on ASIO
1996 - The Liberal-National Coalition wins the Federal election; John Howard becomes Prime Minister of Australia

1949 - Prime Minister Ben Chifley issues a directive to Justice Geoffrey Reed, who becomes Director-General of Security and head of the new security service, which he is to form
1949 - Dr. H. V. Evatt KC, Commonwealth Attorney-General, assumes ministerial responsibility for ASIO
1973 - Attorney-General Lionel Murphy 'raids' ASIO's Canberra regional office, then ASIO Headquarters in Melbourne on 16 March
1976 - Frank Mahoney CB OBE concludes his interim appointment as Director-General of Security
1976 - Justice Sir Edward Woodward OBE commences his appointment as Director-General of Security
1996 - Daryl Williams QC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1995 - The Criminal Code Act 1995 receives royal assent. The Act contains numerous provisions relating to terrorism.

1949 - Prime Minister Ben Chifley approves first ASIO telephone interceptions
1950 - Justice Geoffrey Reed concludes his appointment as Director-General of Security
2016 - The Liberal-National Coalition wins the Federal election; Malcolm Turnbull remains Prime Minister of Australia
1962 - First Australian troops (Australian Army Training Team Vietnam) arrive in Vietnam
2014 - The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) declares a global caliphate
2014 - Australian government lists Boko Haram as a proscribed terrorist organisation
2013 - Australian government lists Jabhat al-Nusra as a proscribed terrorist organisation (including its alias Jabhat Fatah al-Sham on 31 October 2016)
1965 - Anti-Vietnam war 'teach-in' is held at Monash University
2013 - Kevin Rudd replaces Julia Gillard as Prime Minister of Australia
1973 - Last Australian troops withdraw from Vietnam
1977 - The reports of the Royal Commission on Intelligence and Security are released
1979 - First National Anti-Terrorist plan issued by the Special Inter-Departmental Committee on Protection Against Violence (SIDC-PAV)

1949 - Director-General of Security, Justice Geoffrey Reed, adopts the name Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) for the new security service
2009 - ASIO and law enforcement investigations result in four men being arrested and charged with terrorist offences over a plot to attack the Holsworthy army barracks in western Sydney. Two of the men were convicted and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment
2003 - Jemaah Islamiyah bombs the J W Marriott hotel in Jakarta, killing 12 people

1949 - The Liberal–Country Party Coalition wins the Federal election and Robert Menzies becomes Prime Minister
1955 - The Liberal–Country Party Coalition wins the Federal election; Robert Menzies remains Prime Minister
1961 - The Liberal–Country Party Coalition wins the Federal election; Robert Menzies remains Prime Minister
1968 - New ASIO Headquarters building on St Kilda Rd, Melbourne is occupied
1972 - Gough Whitlam QC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General; he served in this position while also the Prime Minister
1972 - A bomb explodes at a Serbian Orthodox church in Brisbane; an extension of a long-running conflict between Croatian separatists and the Yugoslav government
2007 - Robert McClelland appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1973 - The Office of the Director-General of Security is established in Canberra
1977 - The Liberal-Country Party coalition wins the Federal election; Malcolm Fraser remains Prime Minister

1949 - Sen. John Spicer KC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
2014 - Mohammad Hassan Manteghi (aka Man Haron Monis) undertakes a terrorist attack, taking numerous hostages in the Lindt Cafe, Martin Place, Sydney. Monis and two hostages are killed.
2010 - Prime Minister Julia Gillard announces the Independent Review of the Intelligence Community, to be undertaken by Robert Cornall AO and Dr Rufus Black
2004 - The National Security Information (Criminal and Civil Proceedings) Act 2004 receives royal assent. The Act gives courts a structure to follow where national security information is disclosed, or is to be disclosed, in federal criminal and civil proceedings
1967 - John McEwen is appointed Prime Minister
1967 - ASIO's first liaison officer to Washington is appointed
1972 - Sen. Lionel Murphy QC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1991 - Paul Keating replaces Bob Hawke as Prime Minister of Australia
1982 - Bombs explode at the Israeli Consulate-General and the Hakoah Club in Sydney
1980 - Turkish Consul-General in Sydney, Sarik Ariyak, and his bodyguard assassinated

1950 - The Liberal-Country coalition government of Robert Menzies presents its Communist Party Dissolution Bill to Parliament
1951 - The Liberal–Country Party Coalition wins the Federal election; Robert Menzies remains Prime Minister
1954 - After the defections of Vladimir and Evdokia Petrov, the Soviet Embassy in Canberra is closed
1965 - Prime Minister Robert Menzies announces an Australian Army Battalion will be sent to Vietnam
2004 - Australian Faheem Khalid Lodhi is charged with terrorism offences after ASIO and law enforcement investigation reveals he is involved in attack planning in Australia. He is convicted in August 2006 and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment
1972 - A bomb explodes at the residence of a pro-Yugoslav political figure in Melbourne; an extension of a long-running conflict between Croatian separatists and the Yugoslav government
1972 - A bomb explodes at the residence of a pro-Yugoslav political figure in Melbourne; an extension of a long-running conflict between Croatian separatists and the Yugoslav government
1993 - Michael Lavarch appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General

1950 - Colonel Charles Spry commences his appointment as Director-General of Security
2009 - Jemaah Islamiyah bombs the J W Marriot and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia, killing seven people including three Australians
2005 - Paul O'Sullivan AO CNZM commences his appointment as Director-General of Security

1950 - ASIO establishes its new headquarters in Melbourne
1958 - Sir Garfield Barwick QC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
2003 - French citizen Willie Brigitte is taken into immigration detention as part of an ASIO and law enforcement investigation into a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) facilitation network and possible attack planning in Australia. Brigitte is deported to France on 17 October 2003
2004 - The Liberal-National Coalition wins the Federal election; John Howard remains Prime Minister of Australia
2002 - Jemaah Islamiyah bombs the Sari nightclub in Bali, Indonesia, killing 202 people including 88 Australians
1996 - Dennis Richardson AO commences his appointment as Director-General of Security
1996 - David Sadleir AO concludes his appointment as Director-General of Security

1950 - The Communist Party Dissolution Act 1950 is passed by Parliament
1951 - ASIO moves into its new headquarters building at 8 Queens Road, Melbourne
1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis begins after the US discovers efforts to install Soviet ballistic missiles in Cuba
1980 - The Liberal-Country Party coalition wins the Federal election; Malcolm Fraser remains Prime Minister

1950 - ASIO purchases its new headquarters building at 8 Queens Road, Melbourne
1956 - Melbourne hosts the Games of the XVI Olympiad
1958 - The Liberal–Country Party Coalition wins the Federal election; Robert Menzies remains Prime Minister
2010 - Australian government lists Al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) as a proscribed terrorist organisation
1966 - The Liberal-Country Party coalition wins the Federal election; Harold Holt remains Prime Minister
2002 - Australian Jack Roche is charged with offences under the Crimes (Internationally Protected Persons) Act 1976 for his involvement in a Jemaah Islamiyah and Al-Qa'ida sponsored plot to attack the Israeli Embassy in Canberra. He is convicted in June 2004 and sentenced to 9 years imprisonment
2007 - The Australian Labor Party wins the Federal election and Kevin Rudd becomes Prime Minister of Australia
1975 - A letter bomb, addressed to Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen, explodes injuring two people
1975 - A letter bomb, addressed to the Governor-General, is discovered
1986 - Explosion at Turkish Consulate-General, Melbourne
1977 - Violent protests in front of Yugoslav Consulate-General, Sydney

1951 - The High Court declares the Communist Party Dissolution Act 1950 invalid
1964 - Billy Snedden appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1971 - William McMahon is appointed Prime Minister
1993 - The Australian Labor Party wins the Federal election; Paul Keating remains Prime Minister of Australia
1983 - Sen. Gareth Evans QC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1985 - The Australian Labor Party wins the Federal election and Bob Hawke becomes Prime Minister of Australia
1982 - Freedom of Information Act 1982 comes into force

1951 - A referendum to ban the Communist Party of Australia is defeated
1951 - A referendum to ban the Communist Party of Australia is defeated
2015 - Malcolm Turnbull replaces Tony Abbott as Prime Minister of Australia
Coordinated ASIO and police activities in Sydney target 25 premises associated with numerous people supporting Australians travelling to join terrorist organisations in the Syria-Iraq conflict zone
2014 - Duncan Lewis AO DSC CSC commences his appointment as Director-General of Security
2013 - Sen. George Brandis QC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1966 - Prime Minister Harold Holt approves the purchase of a new ASIO Headquarters building on St Kilda Road, Melbourne
1977 - Federal Cabinet established the Security Appeals Tribunal
1983 - Based on ASIO advice, police undertake raids on Ananda Marga homes in Melbourne and Sydney

1954 - Defection of Vladimir Petrov from the Soviet Embassy, Canberra
2011 - Al-Qa'ida leader Osama bin Laden killed in US special forces raid
2003 - Australian government lists Ansar al-Islam (formerly known as Ansar al-Sunna) as a proscribed terrorist organisation
1971 - A bomb explodes at a Serbian Orthodox church in Melbourne; an extension of a long-running conflict between Croatian separatists and the Yugoslav government
1993 - Duncan Kerr appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1982 - Argentina invades the Falkland Islands/Malvinas

2016 - Australian government lists Islamic State Sinai Province as a proscribed terrorist organisation
2016 - Australian government lists Islamic State in Libya (IS-Libya) as a proscribed terrorist organisation
2016 - Australian government lists Al-Qa'ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) as a proscribed terrorist organisation
2015 - Government launches new National Terrorism Threat Advisory System
2014 - Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) opens in the Ben Chifley Building, ASIO's Headquarters in Canberra
1963 - The Liberal-Country Party coalition wins the Federal election; Robert Menzies remains Prime Minister
2005 - Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) is established, replacing the Parliamentary Joint Committee on ASIO, ASIS and DSD (PJCAAD)
1969 - Bomb attack on the Yugoslav Embassy, Canberra; an extension of a long-running conflict between Croatian separatists and the Yugoslav government
1972 - The Australian Labor Party wins the Federal election and Gough Whitlam becomes Prime Minister of Australia
1973 - The Special Inter-Departmental Committee on Counter-Terrorism (SIDC-CT) meets for the first time
1989 - Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George H.W. Bush meet in Malta and declare the Cold War has ended
1986 - Raids on Armenian groups in Sydney and Melbourne in the wake of the 23 November bombing of the Turkish Consulate-General, Melbourne
1984 - The Australian Labor Party wins the Federal election; Bob Hawke remains Prime Minister of Australia
1977 - Explosion at Yugoslav Airlines (JAT) office, Melbourne

1954 - Defection of Evdokia Petrov in Darwin
2016 - Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull releases Australia's Cyber Security Strategy
1974 - The Australian Labor Party wins the Federal election; Gough Whitlam remains Prime Minister of Australia
1983 - Soviet intelligence officer Valeriy Ivanov is declared persona non-grata as a result of his intelligence activities in Australia

2016 - Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announces Independent Review of the Intelligence Community, to be undertaken by Michael L'Estrange AO and Stephen Merchant PSM
2014 - Australian government lists Al-Murabitun as a proscribed terrorist organisation
2005 - Coordinated ASIO and police activities in Sydney and Melbourne result in the arrest of 22 men accused of preparing terrorist acts in Australia (Operation PENDENNIS). 18 are subsequently convicted of terrorist offences and imprisoned for periods up to 25 years
2003 - Australian government lists Lashkar-e-Tayyiba as a proscribed terrorist organisation
2003 - Australian government lists Hamas' Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades as a proscribed terrorist organisation
2001 - The Liberal-National Coalition wins the Federal election; John Howard remains Prime Minister of Australia
1989 - Fall of the Berlin Wall
1983 - A bomb is discovered and defused at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) research establishment, Lucas Heights, Sydney

1954 - Prime Minister Robert Menzies establishes the Royal Commission on Espionage in the wake of the Petrov defections
1976 - Exercise SEA GULL, the first joint Commonwealth and State counter-terrorism exercise, is held in Australia
1977 - Ahead of the release of the Hope Royal Commission reports, Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser delivers landmark speech in Parliament on Australia's security and intelligence organisations
1992 - David Sadleir AO commences his appointment as Director-General of Security

1954 - The Liberal–Country Party Coalition wins the Federal election; Robert Menzies remains Prime Minister
1960 - The Telephonic Communications (Interception) Act 1960 receives the assent of the Governor-General. This Act places telephone interception on a statutory basis for the first time
2005 - Dennis Richardson AO concludes his appointment as Director-General of Security
1975 - A bomb explodes at the Sunny Adriatic Trade and Tourist Centre in Melbourne

1954 - Brigadier Charles Spry appointed as Director-General of Security for a second term
1969 - A bomb explodes at the Yugoslav Consulate in Sydney; an extension of a long-running conflict between Croatian separatists and the Yugoslav government
1972 - The Special Inter-Departmental Committee on Counter-Terrorism (SIDC-CT) is established on an ad-hoc basis
1972 - ASIO officers convene to discuss the use of electronic data processing (computers) in ASIO
1978 - The 'Yagoona Three' arrested in Sydney and charged with conspiracy to murder

1955 - The report of the Royal Commission on Espionage is released publicly
2014 - David Irvine AO concludes his appointment as Director-General of Security
2014 - Australia's general terrorism threat level is raised to HIGH for the first time, meaning a terrorist attack was assessed as likely. This was the first time the general threat level was publicly announced.
2004 - Jemaah Islamiyah bombs the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, killing 10 people
1972 - A bomb explodes in the Yugoslav General Trade and Tourist Agency, Sydney; an extension of a long-running conflict between Croatian separatists and the Yugoslav government
2001 - Al-Qa'ida conducts multiple terrorist attacks in the US, killing nearly 3,000 people
1977 - The Indian Military Attache to Australia, Colonel Iqbal Singh, is stabbed and abducted in Canberra
1981 - Harvey Barnett AO commences his appointment as Director-General of Security

2015 - Government appoints Greg Moriarty as first Commonwealth Counter Terrorism Coordinator
1983 - Royal Commission on Australia's Security and Intelligence Agencies (RCASIA) begins
1982 - Israel invades southern Lebanon
1978 - Federal Cabinet provides initial approval for planning to proceed for the relocation of ASIO Headquarters to Canberra

1956 - ASIO appoints its first liaison officer to London
1959 - The Soviet Embassy in Canberra reopens
2004 - Australian Belal Saadallah Khazaal is arrested and charged over his Internet distribution of a document providing advice to aspiring terrorists. He is convicted and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment
2004 - Australian Jack Roche is convicted of offences under the Crimes (Internationally Protected Persons) Act 1976 for his involvement in a Jemaah Islamiyah and Al-Qa'ida sponsored plot to attack the Israeli Embassy in Canberra. He is sentenced to 9 years imprisonment
2003 - Australian government lists Hizballah's External Security Organisation (ESO) as a proscribed terrorist organisation

2014 - Australia hosts G20 summit in Brisbane
2011 - Release of the Independent Review of the Intelligence Community, by Robert Cornall AO and Dr Rufus Black
1966 - A parcel bomb explodes in the Melbourne GPO
1969 - Tom Hughes QC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
2002 - Australian government lists Jamiat ul-Ansar (JuA) (formerly known as Harakat ul-Mujahideen) as a proscribed terrorist organisation
2002 - Australian government lists Al-Qa'ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) as a proscribed terrorist organisation
2002 - Australian government lists the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) as a proscribed terrorist organisation
1975 - Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismisses Gough Whitlam as Prime Minister and appoints Malcolm Fraser as caretaker Prime Minister
1975 - Sen. Ivor Greenwood appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1979 - Unclassified version of Protective Security Review report released publicly
1978 - Foreign Minister Andrew Peacock reports listening devices found in walls of the Australian Embassy, Moscow
1978 - Poisoned sweets are served to delegates at the Assyrian Congress in Sydney

1956 - Sen. Neil O'Sullivan appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
2010 - The Australian Labor Party wins the Federal election; Julia Gillard remains Prime Minister of Australia

1956 - The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1956 comes into effect. Prior to this, ASIO had operated under Prime Ministerial Charter.
1960 - The Crimes Act 1960 receives the assent of the Governor-General
2013 - Australian government lists Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as a proscribed terrorist organisation
2005 - Australian government lists the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as a proscribed terrorist organisation
1966 - Nigel Bowen QC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1967 - Prime Minister Harold Holt disappears while swimming in Victoria
2011 - Nicola Roxon appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1975 - The Liberal-Country Party coalition wins the Federal election and Malcolm Fraser becomes Prime Minister
1986 - ASIO Central Office in the Russell precinct, Canberra, commences operations
1984 - Lionel Bowen appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General

2010 - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd releases Australia's Counter-Terrorism White Paper
1978 - Prime Minister Fraser announces establishment of the Protective Security Review under Justice Hope

2009 - Australian government lists Al-Shabaab as a proscribed terrorist organisation
1974 - Justice Robert Hope is appointed to head the Royal Commission on Intelligence and Security (RCIS)

2007 - Australia hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Sydney
2000 - Sydney hosts the Games of the XXVII Olympiad
1976 - The Protective Security Coordination Centre (PSCC) is established by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser's cabinet

1966 - Robert Menzies retires as Prime Minister after 26 years; Harold Holt becomes Australia's Prime Minister
1970 - Brigadier Sir Charles Spry concludes his appointment as Director-General of Security, after nearly twenty years
1970 - Peter Barbour commences his appointment as Director-General of Security
1973 - A letter bomb sent to a Jewish businessman in Sydney is intercepted by the postal service

1966 - Attempted assassination of the leader of the Australian Labor Party, Arthur Calwell
1972 - Croatians from Australia conduct an abortive raid into Yugoslavia; an extension of a long-running conflict between Croatian separatists and the Yugoslav government
2010 - Julia Gillard replaces Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister of Australia

1967 - An anti-Vietnam war activist conference is held in Sydney
1972 - ASIO begins phasing out its involvement in Vietnam
1974 - The Pan Am airlines office in Sydney is fire bombed
1975 - Bob Ellicott QC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1979 - Soviet Union invades Afghanistan, sparking a ten-year war and insurgency

2004 - Release of Report of the Inquiry into Australia's Intelligence Agencies, by Philip Flood AO
1985 - Harvey Barnett AO concludes his appointment as Director-General of Security

1968 - John Gorton is appointed Prime Minister
1972 - A bomb explodes at a Serbian Orthodox church in Canberra; an extension of a long-running conflict between Croatian separatists and the Yugoslav government
1992 - John Moten concludes his appointment as Director-General of Security
1985 - Final classified report from the Royal Commission on Australia’s Security and Intelligence Agencies (RCASIA) distributed

2004 - Australian government lists Palestinian Islamic Jihad as a proscribed terrorist organisation

1968 - The Soviet Union invades Czechoslovakia, bringing to an end the 'Prague Spring'
1971 - Sen. Ivor Greenwood QC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1990 - The first Gulf War commences as Iraqi forces invade Kuwait
1988 - Parliamentary Joint Committee on ASIO (the ASIO Committee) is established
1988 - Parliamentary Joint Committee on ASIO (the ASIO Committee) is established
1988 - Iran-Iraq war ends after eight years
1985 - Alan Wrigley AO commences his appointment as Director-General of Security

2004 - Prime Minister John Howard announces Inquiry into Australia's Intelligence Agencies, to be undertaken by Philip Flood AO
1990 - Michael Duffy appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1985 - Cabinet approves the move of ASIO Headquarters to Canberra
1981 - ASIO appoints its first internal auditor

1969 - Czech diplomat Karel Franc defects; claims the Soviets have about 25 inactive agents in Australia who are in position should a crisis or war occur
2003 - Government announces the establishment of the National Threat Assessment Centre (NTAC) within ASIO
1972 - Two letter bombs are detected by postal staff, addressed to Israeli diplomats in Sydney; the bombs are sent by the terrorist group Black September
1975 - Frank Mahoney CB OBE commences his interim appointment as Director-General of Security
2001 - Intelligence Services Act 2001 receives royal assent. The Act governs the activities of the foreign intelligence community and establishes the Parliamentary Joint Committee on ASIO, ASIS and DSD (PJCAAD)
1998 - The Liberal-National Coalition wins the Federal election; John Howard remains Prime Minister of Australia
1988 - John Moten commences his appointment as Director-General of Security
1988 - Alan Wrigley AO concludes his appointment as Director-General of Security
1981 - Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Melbourne

1969 - The Liberal-Country Party coalition wins the Federal election; John Gorton remains Prime Minister
1970 - A bomb explodes at the Yugoslav Consulate in Melbourne; an extension of a long-running conflict between Croatian separatists and the Yugoslav government
2011 - Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting held in Perth
2002 - ASIO and law enforcement partners undertake a 5-day long coordinated operation to disrupt the activities of a Jemaah Islamiyah support network in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth
2002 - Australian government lists Jemaah Islamiyah as a proscribed terrorist organisation
2002 - Australian government lists Al-Qa'ida as a proscribed terrorist organisation
1979 - Telecommunications (Interception) Act 1979 given royal assent
1979 - Australian Security Intelligence Organization Act 1979 given royal assent

2003 - Australian government lists Lashkar-e Jhangvi as a proscribed terrorist organisation
2003 - Australian government lists Jaish-e-Mohammed as a proscribed terrorist organisation
2003 - Australian government lists Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan as a proscribed terrorist organisation
1973 - An arson attack occurs at the premises of a Croatian newspaper editor in Melbourne; an extension of a long-running conflict between Croatian separatists and the Yugoslav government
1987 - Soviet intelligence officer Valentin Matyushevskiy expelled from Australia

1971 - Nigel Bowen QC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
2003 - Second Gulf War commences
1990 - The Australian Labor Party wins the Federal election; Bob Hawke remains Prime Minister of Australia

1972 - A letter bomb is sent to a prominent member of the Sydney Jewish community; following on from other letter bombs sent to Israeli diplomats, the packages are believed to have been sent by the terrorist group Black September
1985 - Cabinet endorses appointment of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS)
1983 - Archives Act 1983 given royal assent
1979 - US Embassy staff seized in Tehran, Iran, sparking a 444 day hostage crisis
1979 - Cabinet nominates ASIO as sole agency responsible for producing national threat assessments on terrorism and politically motivated violence
1977 - First advertisements appear in newspapers for ASIO staff recruitment

2013 - The Liberal-National Coalition wins the Federal election and Tony Abbott becomes Prime Minister of Australia
2003 - Philip Ruddock appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1977 - Sen. Peter Durack QC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1981 - Justice Sir Edward Woodward OBE concludes his appointment as Director-General of Security
1980 - ASIO Technical Support Unit (TSU) established to support counter-terrorism activities

2013 - Mark Dreyfus QC appointed as Commonwealth Attorney-General
1976 - Exercise CAN TOP is held - marking the first multi-agency counter-terrorism exercise in Australia

1974 - In the wake of Papua New Guinea's independence from Australia, ASIO appoints a liaison officer to Papua New Guinea

1976 - ASIO produces its first classified Annual Report
1984 - Joint Commonwealth–State Bomb Task Force formed to investigate the murders and bombings connected with the Family Court in March and July 1984

1976 - Al Fatah activist, Hamid Meziani, is arrested and deported on 13 July 1976

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