Some significant changes were made for the third ARIA Awards. In addition to previous categories, Best Independent Release, Breakthrough Artist – Single and Breakthrough Artist – Album were added.[1][3] The ARIA Hall of Fame inducted two artists: Dame Nellie Melba and Ross Wilson.[1] An Outstanding Achievement Award was presented to INXS.[1] Music journalist, Anthony O'Grady cited ARIA spokesperson Peter Rix, who had felt that The Church's win Single of the Year with "Under the Milky Way" was a highlight.[3] Rix elaborated, "the industry was capable of judging music on its merit, not by who'd recorded it. The Church were no one's darlings but they had written a great song."[3]
Les Karski & Guy Gray – "Dark Age" – The Hippos and "Clarity of Mind" – Spy vs Spy
Engineer of the Year
Doug Brady – "Iron Lung" – Big Pig (remix), Hold Onto To Me – The Black Sorrows, Age of Reason – John Farnham, "River" – Dragon, Children of the Western World – Steve Grace, "Cars and Planes" – Machinations (remix), "Change My Sex" – Separate Tables, "When the Word Came Down" – Separate Tables, "Real Love" – The State, "So Lonely Now" – The State
Jim Bonnefond – ...ish – 1927 and Fingertips – The Cockroaches
Guy Gray – "Dark Age" – The Hippos, "Pick You Up" – Tony Llewellyn, "Dreamworld" – Midnight Oil, "Clarity of Mind" – Spy vs Spy
^"17th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 22 February 2004. Retrieved 6 December 2013. Note: User may be required to access archived information by selecting 'The History', then 'By Award', 'Producer of the Year' and 'Option Show Nominations'.