ARIA members may enter eligible acts as part of the normal entry process. The entries must meet the artist eligibility criteria and must have performed at ticketed events in at least three Australian States and/or Territories during the Eligibility Period. A Judging School will vote to determine the final 10 nominees, which will then form the nominee pool for public voting.[1]
In the following table, the winner is highlighted in a separate colour, and in boldface; the nominees are those that are not highlighted or in boldface.[2]
{{legend|#FAEB86|| Year | Winner(s) | Tour |
|---|
2012
{{small|(26th)}} |
| Gotye | Making Mirrors Album Tour |
| 360 | The Flying Tour |
| Cold Chisel | Light the Nitro Tour |
| Dirty Three | Dirty Three March 2012 Tour |
| Hilltop Hoods | Drinking From The Sun |
| Hoodoo Gurus | Dig It Up! the Hoodoo Gurus Invitational |
| Kate Miller-Heidke | Nightflight |
| The Bamboos | Medicine Man Tour |
| The Jezabels | Prisoner Album Launch |
| The Living End | The Ending Is Just the Beginning Repeating Tour |
2013
{{small|(27th)}} |
| Guy Sebastian | Get Along Tour |
| Matt Corby | Australian Tour |
| Karnivool | Asymmetry Tour |
| Flume | The Infinity Prism Tour |
| The Drones | I See Seaweed Tour |
| Birds of Tokyo | March Fires Tour |
| Tame Impala | Lonerism Tour |
| Keith Urban | The Story So Far Tour |
| Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | National Tour |
| Neil Finn & Paul Kelly | Australian Tour |
2014
{{small|(28th)}} |
| Keith Urban | Light the Fuse Tour |
| Boy & Bear | National Tour |
| Dan Sultan | Blackbird Album Tour |
| John Butler Trio | Flesh & Blood Tour |
| Melbourne Ska Orchestra | The Diplomat Tour |
| RÜFÜS | Worlds Within Worlds Tour |
| Tame Impala | Big Day Out 2014 |
| The Preatures | Two Tone Melody Tour |
| The Presets | The National Tour |
| Violent Soho | National Tour |
2015
{{small|(29th)}} |
| 5 Seconds of Summer | Rock Out with Your Socks Out Tour |
| Courtney Barnett | Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit Tour |
| Gang of Youths | Gang of Youths National Tour |
| Hermitude | Dark Night Sweet Light Tour |
| Hilltop Hoods | Cosby Sweater Australian Tour |
| Nick Cave | Nick Cave Australian Tour |
| Paul Kelly | The Merri Soul Sessions |
| Sheppard | The Bombs Away Tour |
| The Preatures | The Cruel Tour |
| Vance Joy | Dream Your Life Away Tour |
2016
{{small|(30th)}} |
| Hilltop Hoods | The Restrung Tour |
| Courtney Barnett | National Theatre Tour |
| Flume | St. Jerome's Laneway Festival 2016 |
| Gang of Youths | Gang of Youths National Tour |
| King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard | Nonagon Infinity Tour |
| RÜFÜS | Bloom Tour |
| Tame Impala | Australian Tour |
| The Living End | Shift Tour |
| Violent Soho | The WACO Tour |
| You Am I | Bargain Bin Bon Vivants Tour |
2017
{{small|(31st)}} |
| Illy | The Two Degrees Tour |
| Client Liaison | Diplomatic Immunity Tour |
| Flume | Australian Tour 2016 |
| Gang of Youths | Gang of Youths |
| Jessica Mauboy | All the Hits Live Tour |
| Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | Australia & New Zealand Tour 2017 |
| Tash Sultana | Tash Sultana Aus/NZ 2017 |
| King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard | Gizzfest |
| Peking Duk | Clowntown Tour |
| Violent Soho | Violent Soho with special guests The Bronx |
2018
{{small|(32nd)}} |
| 5 Seconds of Summer | Meet You There Tour |
| Amy Shark | Love Monster Tour |
| Client Liaison | Expo Liaison |
| Courtney Barnett | Tell Me How You Really Feel National Tour |
| Dean Lewis | 2017 National Tour |
| Gang of Youths | Gang of Youths 2017 National Tour |
| Paul Kelly | Life Is Fine Tour 2017 |
| Peking Duk | The Wasted Tour |
| Pnau | Pnau Changa Australian Tour |
| Tash Sultana | Homecoming Tour |
1. ^{{cite web|url=http://aria.com.au/pages/documents/ARIAAwards2016Eligibility-FINAL.pdf|title=ARIA 2018 - Categories & Definitions |publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)|accessdate=26 October 2018}}
2. ^{{cite web|url=https://www.ariaawards.com.au/history/award/Best-Australian-Live-Act|title=Winners By Award – Best Australian Live Act|accessdate=27 October 2018|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)}}