2 January - Nine Network's popular soap opera, The Young Doctors, makes it UK television debut, on the newly formed, Central Independent Television network, which began broadcasting to the Midlands the previous day. The franchise was previously held by ATV. Thirteen of the fourteen ITV companies eventually ran the series during the afternoon, the most common slot was Monday and Tuesday at 15:30-16:00, although some initially broadcast it early evening at 17:15-17:45 before moving the series to daytime.
1 March - British children's animated series Doctor Snuggles premieres on the ABC at 4:30pm airing for the most part throughout the whole year.
7 April - British children's animated series Danger Mouse makes its first screening on ABC in Sydney and some other states in Australia. It would later air in Victoria in 1983[citation needed].
10 June - Australian mini-series Sara Dane based on the bestselling 1954 novel by the late Irish Australian romance fiction novelist Catherine Gaskin debuts on Network Ten.[1]
28 June - The Nine Network introduces its new breakfast TV show, National News Today, This was used for a few weeks [citation needed] before it was later shortened the title to "Today".
1 July - The ABC celebrates its 50th anniversary starting with a special called From Carbon Mikes to Satellites followed by Quiros, a music drama written specifically for the occasion and broadcast across both ABC television and FM radio.
25 October - Seven's rural drama serial, A Country Practice, begins airing on seven regional ITV companies in the UK. Over the next 17 years, each of the fourteen ITV contractors would run the series at their own regional pace, and screened later episodes in a half-hour edited format.
13 December - The ABC premieres Faces of Change, an all new six episode program that studies women's changing roles in Australian society.
The Australian Children's Television Foundation (aka ACTF) a national non-profit children's media production and policy hub that helps develop children's television policy; distributes and pays for Australian children's television series; supports new children's media; and develops screen resources for the education sector is launched. The hub is also best known [citation needed] for making well known Australian television shows for children such as Round the Twist, Kaboodle and Worst Best Friends.
This is a list of programs which made their premiere on an Australian television network that had previously premiered on another Australian television network. The networks involved in the switch of allegiances are predominantly both free-to-air networks or both subscription television networks. Programs that have their free-to-air/subscription television premiere, after previously premiering on the opposite platform (free-to air to subscription/subscription to free-to air) are not included. In some cases, programs may still air on the original television network. This occurs predominantly with programs shared between subscription television networks.
The Martian Chronicles (6 January: Network Ten - Melbourne)
Jelenko (Network 0/28)
Ski Sunday (Nine Network)
The Smurfs (Seven Network)
Flappers (Network Ten)
Battle of the Planets
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