The mid 80s also saw the arrival of dance music and the synthesiser, for example Rockmelons and Pseudo Echo who topped the Australian charts for 7 weeks with 'Funky Town'.
There was a sudden burst of interest in female singer/songwriters in the late 80s, with Kate Ceberano, Wendy Matthews and Jenny Morris (actually a New Zealander) being popular. In 1987, Kylie Minogue hit the pop charts with a bang, "Locomotion" becoming the biggest selling Australian single of the decade and #2 in the UK, #3 in the US.
Split Enz split up and Neil Finn formed Crowded House. In 1987 "Don't Dream It's Over" peaked at #2 in the US.
Alternative music was well represented during the 1980s, with the formation of such bands as bands such as, The Birthday Party, the Hoodoo Gurus, The Cruel Sea and TISM.
It has been said that Madonna and Michael Jackson, American singers who were both quite popular in Australia during this time, are major influences for Australian music from the 1980s onwards: in terms of the topics of the songs (nearly every song recorded since 1990 are related to love), the video clips, and the actual styles of music.