12.30pm (AEDT) – Professor Sharath Sriram will address the National Press Club on Science Meets Parliament

4.00pm (AEDT) – Tasmanian Liberal and Labor leaders election debate; live on Sky News Australia and streaming on Sky News website

Climate Integrity Summit – Canberra

Melbourne Flower Show (on until 24 march)

Nowruz New Year

International Day of Happiness

UN French Language Day

World Oral Health Day 

World Storytelling Day 

Birthdays for Aussie author David Malouf (1934), film director Spike Lee (1957), actor Holly Hunter (1958), Aussie model/actor Ruby Rose (1986)

Anniversary of:

• the founding of restaurant chain KFC (1930)
• the marriage of John Lennon and Yoko Ono (1969), and David and Angie Bowie (1970)
• Oz closing the international border amid the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
• the deaths of Malcolm Fraser (2015) and Kenny Rogers (2020)