This is the first in a series of annual reports on firearm-related deaths in Australia and in each of Australia's States and territories. These reports will be based primarily on analyses of data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics External Causes of Death. This report includes statistics on firearms deaths as a whole, as well as statistics on suicides, homicides, fatal accidents, deaths resulting from legal intervention, and also deaths whose cause could not be determined. In Australia in 1998 there were 328 firearm-related deaths; 71.6 percent were suicides, and 17.4 percent were homicides. Males aged 65 and over had the highest firearms mortality rate. The Northern Territory, Tasmania, South Australia, and Queensland had above average firearm-related death rates, and the Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia had the lowest rates. Suicides were more likely to be committed with a "hunting rifle," and homicides were more likely to be committed with a handgun. Overall, in 1998 there was a 25-percent decrease in firearm-related deaths in Australia compared to 1997. 7 tables, 8 figures, and 12 references