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This is a list of wars, armed conflicts and rebellions involving the Commonwealth of Australia (1901–present) and its predecessor colonies, the colonies of New South Wales (1788–1901), Van Diemen's Land (1825–1856), Tasmania (1856–1901), Victoria (1851–1901), Swan River (1829–1832), Western Australia (1832–1901), South Australia (1836–1901), and Queensland (1859–1901). Dates indicate the years in which Australia was involved in the war. Notable militarised interstate disputes are included. For a list of wars that have been fought on the Australian mainland and in Australian waters, see the list of conflicts in Australia.
Colonial Australia refers to the Commonwealth of Australia's predecessor colonies, the colonies of New South Wales (1788–1901), Van Diemen's Land (1825–1856), Tasmania (1856–1901), Victoria (1851–1901), Swan River (1829–1832), Western Australia (1832–1901), South Australia (1836–1901), Queensland (1859–1901) and there territories and islands.
Conflict | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Result for Australia and/or its Allies | Australian losses (Killed or missing) |
Notable battles | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Military | Civilians | |||||
Sydney Cove War[1]
(1790–1800) |
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|
Aboriginal Australians | Victory
|
26[1] | ||
Pemulwuy's War
(1790–1802) part of Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars and Australian frontier wars |
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Burraberongal Tribe (1795–1802) |
Indigenous clans: | Victory
|
0 | 2[2] | |
Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars
(1794–1816 ) part of Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars and Australian frontier wars |
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Burraberongal Tribe |
Indigenous clans:
Irish-convict sympathisers |
Victory
|
80–300 | unknown |
|
Black Wars[1][3][4]
(1799–1805) part of Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars and Australian frontier wars |
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Burraberongal Tribe (1799–1802) |
Indigenous clans:
Irish-convict sympathisers |
Victory
|
unknown | unknown | |
Tedbury's War
(1802–1810) part of Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars and Australian frontier wars |
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Indigenous clans: | Victory
|
unknown | 3+ | |
Hawkesbury Nepean War
(1814–1816) part of Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars and Australian frontier wars |
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Indigenous clans:
Irish-convict sympathisers |
Victory
|
unknown | 9+ | |
Bathurst War
(1824) part of Australian frontier wars |
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Wiradjuri nation | Victory
|
~20[10] | 0[10] | |
Black War
(1828–32) part of Australian frontier wars |
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Aboriginal Tasmanians | Victory
|
201[11] | 18[11] | |
The Port Phillip District Wars
(1830–1850) part of Australian frontier wars |
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|
Aboriginal Australians
Gunditjmara People
|
Victory
|
0 | 7–11 |
|
The Eumeralla Wars
(1834–1849 or 1860s) part of Australian frontier wars |
![]() British colonists |
Aboriginal Australians
Gunditjmara People |
Victory
|
~80 | ||
Wiradjuri Wars[1]
(1838–1841) part of Australian frontier wars |
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Wiradjuri people | Victory
|
Unknown | ||
The MacIntyre River War[12]
(1840–1849) part of Australian frontier wars |
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Bigambul people | Victory
|
Unknown | ||
Mandandanji Land War[1]
(1842–1852) part of Australian frontier wars |
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Mandandanji people | Victory
|
Unknown | ||
War of Southern Queensland (1843–1855)
part of Australian frontier wars |
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Aboriginal Australians
Taribelang Aboriginal tribe United Tribes
|
Victory
|
~174 – 800 |
| |
Port Augusta War[1] (1844–1845)
part of Australian frontier wars |
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Aboriginal Australians | Victory
|
|||
Flagstaff War
(1845–1846) Part of New Zealand Wars |
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|
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Inconclusive/Ceasefire |
| ||
Hutt Valley Campaign(1846)
Part of New Zealand Wars |
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|
![]() Ngāti Rangatahi Ngāti Hāuaterangi |
Victory | |||
Whanganui campaign(1847)
Part of New Zealand Wars |
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|
Ngāti Haua-te-rangi
Ngāti Patutokotoko Ngāti Ruaka |
Treaty
|
|||
Eureka Rebellion (1851–1854) | ![]() |
Anti-Gold Licence Association (Red Ribbon Rebellion)
|
Victory
|
2 | unknown | |
First Taranaki War
(1860–1861) Part of New Zealand Wars |
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Ceasefire
|
238 | 0 |
|
Waikato Wars
(1863–1864) Part of New Zealand Wars |
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Victory | |||
Second Taranaki War
(1863–1866) Part of New Zealand Wars |
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Inconclusive
|
|||
Tauranga Campaign(1864)
Part of the New Zealand Wars |
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|
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|
Victory |
| ||
East Cape War
(1865–1866) Part of New Zealand Wars |
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|
Hau-Hauist Māori
Whakatohea Māori Urewera Māori Ngai Tama Māori |
Victory
|
| ||
Titokowaru's War
(1868–1869) Part of New Zealand Wars |
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|
![]() Ngāruahine tribes |
Victory
|
|||
Te Kooti's War
(1868–1872) Part of New Zealand Wars |
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|
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Ringatū adherents Pai Mārire adherents |
Victory
|
|||
Kalkadoon Wars 1870–1890
part of Australian frontier wars |
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Kalkadoon people | Victory | 100(est.) | 5 |
|
Arnhem Wars(1880s–1890s)
part of Australian frontier wars |
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Yolŋu people Bininj people Maung people |
Victory | Unknown | ||
Mahdist War(1885) | ![]() |
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Victory
|
0 | 0 | |
Third Anglo-Burmese war(1886–1887) | ![]()
|
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Victory
|
0 | 0 | |
Jandamarra Guerrilla War
(1894–97) part of Australian frontier wars |
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Jandamarra Bunuba people |
Victory
|
2+ | unknown |
Conflict | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Result for Australia and/or its Allies | Australian losses (Killed or missing) |
Notable battles | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Military | Civilians | |||||
Second Boer War (1899–1902) Part of the Boer Wars during the Scramble for Africa |
List
|
Victory | 606[19] | None[19] | ||
Boxer Rebellion (1900–1901) |
List
|
Victory
|
6[20] | None[20] | ||
World War I (1914–1918) ![]() |
Victory
|
62,149[21] | None[21] | |||
Russian Civil War (1918–1920) |
Defeat
|
10[22] | Unknown | |||
Armenian–Azerbaijani War (1918–1920) Part of the Caucasus campaign of World War I, the Southern Front of the Russian Civil War and the Turkish–Armenian War |
|
Defeat
|
None | Unknown | ||
Egyptian Revolution of 1919 (1918–1919) |
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Victory
|
1+[24] | 31 | |
1927 Malaita Punitive Expedition (1927) |
|
Victory
|
None[26] | None[26] | ||
Emu War
(1932) |
• ![]() |
• Emus of Campion district | Defeat
• Australian Royal Artillery failure to pacify Emus of Campion |
None | 986[27] | |
World War II (1939–1945) ![]() |
Victory
|
39,366[28] | 735[28] |
| ||
Anglo-Iraqi War (1941) Part of the Second World War |
Allied powers:
Air and naval support: |
Axis powers :
Military support : |
Victory
|
None | None | |
Korean War (1950–1953) |
Ceasefire
|
340[36] | None[36] | |||
Malayan Emergency (1950–1960) |
Victory
|
39[37] | None[37] | |||
Borneo Confrontation (1963–1966) |
Victory
|
23[38] | None[38] | |||
Vietnam War (1965–1973) |
Defeat
|
521[39] | None[39] | |||
Gulf War (1990–1991) |
Victory
|
None[40] | None[40] | |||
Australian-led international intervention into the 1999 East Timorese crisis (1999–2000) |
Supported by:
|
Supported by: |
Victory
|
2 | None | |
Sierra Leone Civil War (2000–2003) | ![]()
ECOMOG Forces (1998–2000) Executive Outcomes (1995–1996) Supported by: |
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West Side Boys (1998–2000)
Supported by: |
Victory
|
None | None | |
Civil war in Afghanistan (1996–2001) (2001) Part of the Afghanistan conflict, the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, and the War on terror |
From September 2001:
|
Supported by: |
Military stalemate
Continued clashes until the US-led invasion of Afghanistan
|
None | None | |
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) |
|
|
Defeat
|
41[70] | None[70] | |
Iraq War (2003–2009) |
|
Victory
|
2[40] | None[40] | ||
Operation Anode (2003–2013) ![]() |
|
Victory
|
1 [73][74] | None[73] | ||
Iraqi civil war (2006–2008) (2006–2008) Part of the Iraq War |
Sunni factions:
Shi'ite factions:
|
Victory
|
None | None[40] | ||
Operation Astute (2006–2013) Part of 2006 East Timorese crisis ![]() |
Victory
|
3[76] | None[76] | |||
Operation Ocean Shield (2009–2016) |
* Somali pirates | Victory
|
None | None | ||
Iraqi Civil War (2013–2017) (2014–2017) Part of the Iraqi conflict, spillover of the Syrian civil war, international military intervention against the Islamic State and the War on terror |
|
|
Victory
|
1[78] | 0 | |
American-led intervention in Syrian civil war (2014–2017) Part of the Syrian civil war, international military intervention against the Islamic State and the War on terror |
Supported by:
|
Supported by: |
Inconclusive, conflict ongoing
|
None | None | |
War on ISIL (2014–present) Part of the Second Libyan Civil War, War in Iraq (2013–2017), Syrian civil war and spillover of the Syrian civil war, Sinai insurgency, Boko Haram insurgency, insurgency in the North Caucasus, War on terror, and Moro conflict |
|
Ongoing
|
None | None | ||
Marawi crisis (2017) Part of the Moro conflict and the Military intervention against ISIL |
![]() Supported by: |
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Victory
|
None | None | |
Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present) (2017–2021) Part of the Iraqi conflict (2003–present) |
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Supported by: ![]() Supported by: |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
Inconclusive, conflict ongoing
|
None | None | |
2019–2022 Persian Gulf crisis (2019–2020)
Part of the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict |
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Inconclusive/Other Result
|
None
|
None
|
The 'fertile and most beautiful fields' [...] and the river itself [...] provided the incentive and the means for an invasion of the Waikato. Auckland was swelling with new settlers; government ministers and land purchase officers were determined to acquire the fruitful acreage south of the city; the fact that it was controlled by a movement pledged not to sell land damned the Kingites in the eyes of most Europeans [...].
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