Optus Outage, Cricket World Cup & Tillies Stars Top Google’s Year In Search

The Optus outage was the most-searched news event on Google in Australia, the search giant has revealed.

That Optus should top the list is ironic in a sense, considering that its customers were unable to access any information about the event on the day. It subsequently led to a Senate inquiry, the departure of the telco’s CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin and another huge blow for the company’s brand. In 2023, “Yes” certainly turned to “No” for Optus.

Find out more: Qantas, Optus, Andrew O’Keefe! It’s 2023’s Most Momentous F#ck Ups!

Close behind the Optus outage, Australians were searching about the War in Israel and Gaza, the Voice to Parliament referendum results, online misogynist Andrew Tate and “Earthquake Melbourne”.

When it came to movies, Australians bucked the global trend and searched for Oppenheimer more than Barbie, which came second. Everything Everywhere All at Once came third with John Wick 4 and Avatar: The Way of Water fifth.

Matildas stars Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler were the first and second most-searched Australians, respectively, with Michael Clarke coming third. Reece Walsh and Dan Andrews came fourth and fifth.

However, despite our collective enthralment with Kerr and Fowler, the Cricket World Cup and the Ashes were the most-searched sporting events. The Women’s World Cup came third. The boxing bout between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury was fourth and the BBL came fifth.

Australians also mourned for Matthew Perry, Jock Zonfrillo and Sinéad O’Connor in 2023, along with Tina Turner and Cal Wilson.

“During a year of immense change, our searches show we were curious to understand national events, wanting to know ‘where to vote?’ and the outcome of the Voice referendum. And across the globe, we asked ‘why is Israel and Hamas at war?’ and ‘why is the Gaza Strip so important?.’ We searched below the surface as the submarine story unfolded, followed the Chandrayaan-3 out of space, and looked up the meanings of SNAFU, ennui and guano,” wrote Camilla Ibrahim, search trends communications manager at Google Australia in a blog post.

Here’s the full list of what we searched for:

News events

1. Optus outage
2. War in Israel and Gaza
3. Referendum results
4. Andrew Tate
5. Earthquake Melbourne
6. Submarine
7. Turkey earthquake
8. Chandrayaan-3
9. Russell Brand
10. NSW Election results

Aussies

1. Sam Kerr
2. Mary Fowler
3. Michael Clarke
4. Reece Walsh
5. Dan Andrews
6. Bianca Censori
7. Tim Tszyu
8. Kathleen Folbigg
9. Ellie Carpenter
10. Lidia Thorpe

Sport

1. Cricket World Cup
2. Ashes
3. Women’s World Cup
4. Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury
5. BBL
6. Champions League
7. UFC 294
8. FA Cup
9. LIV Golf
10. United Cup

Recipe(s)

1. Coronation quiche recipe
2. Grimace shake recipe
3. Coronation chicken recipe
4. CWA Anzac biscuit recipe
5. Chicken Honolulu recipe
6. Lamb stew recipe
7. Pornstar Martini recipes
8. Marry me chicken recipe
9. Chicken and leek pie recipe
10. Modak recipe

Entertainment

1. Oppenheimer
2. Barbie movie
3. Taylor Swift tickets
4. Connections
5. Hogwarts Legacy
6. The Last of Us
7. Everything Everywhere All at Once
8. Quordle
9. John Wick 4
10. Avatar

Loss

1. Matthew Perry
2. Jock Zonfrillo
3. Sinead O’Connor
4. Tina Turner
5. Cal Wilson
6. Ken Block
7. Lisa Marie
8. Barry Humphries
9. Johnny Ruffo
10. Angus Cloud

‘How to…?’

1. How to watch Women’s World Cup
2. How to lock Facebook profile
3. How to vote referendum
4. How to solve a Rubik’s Cube
5. How to get rid of my AI on Snapchat
6. How to get Snapchat AI
7. How to vote early
8. How to watch Rugby World Cup
9. How to get Taylor Swift tickets
10. How to watch The Ashes in Australia

DIY/’How to make…?’

1. How to make a paper popper
2. How to make rosemary water for hair
3. How to make kinetic sand
4. How to make slime without activator
5. DIY Valentines gift for him
6. DIY Easter basket
7. DIY ice bath
8. How to make a vision board
9. How to make an invoice
10. How to make a kite

‘Why is…?’

1. Why is Israel and Hamas at war
2. Why is Optus down
3. Why is Twitter called X
4. Why is Book Depository closing
5. Why is Gwyneth Paltrow in court
6. Why is my phone on SOS
7. Why is the Gaza Strip important
8. Why is Camilla being crowned Queen
9. Why is Sam Kerr not playing today
10. Why is Oppenheimer rated R

Meanings

1. SNAFU meaning
2. Ennui meaning
3. Guano meaning
4. Hamas meaning
5. Ardour meaning
6. Implosion meaning
7. Craven meaning
8. Credo meaning
9. Pique meaning
10. Locus meaning