Dust storms resulting from synoptic-scale mid-latitude frontal systems affect inland, eastern Australia, predominantly through spring and summer but extend to the east coast only rarely when strong, frontal westerly winds crossing the continent are sustained over the coast. Here it is shown that extreme westerly wind dust events are anomalous to the more pervasive southerly winds that have shaped the sand dunes over inland eastern Australia. It is also shown that while antecedent dry conditions are very important, higher SON and DJF dust storm frequencies from 1957 to the mid-1970s occurred due to both anomalously strong, southerly winds existing on the western side of a cyclonic anomaly adjacent to the east Australian coast, which resulted from the state of the Pacific climate system, and an anticyclonic anomaly at the top of the Great Australian Bight. A change in BoM observing practice, after 1973, is unlikely to be the major cause of changes in total dust frequency from the mid-1970s. Rather, extreme rainfall years are more likely to have been a major contributing factor to the large decreases in dust occurrence from 1973 to 1976, in addition to the other La Niña periods of 2000/01 to 2010/11. Synoptic-scale frontal systems in the westerlies that result in the transport of dust remained low in frequency throughout the whole period from 1957 to 2011. However, those dust storms in the westerlies that do reach the east coast, although infrequent, tend to occur during El Niño-dominated years. On the other hand, they occur during both negative and positive phases of the southern annular mode (SAM). This ambiguity with the SAM phase is consistent with the fact that the mid-latitude westerlies and associated frontal systems are usually at their most equatorward position in Australian longitudes in late winter/spring regardless of the SAM phase. This suggests little change is likely in the frequency of westerly induced dust storms in late winter/spring over central/eastern Australia even though the seasonal westerly winds are expected to contract further poleward under increased global warming. However, a complicating factor is that the increasing likelihood of longer dry spells under climate change would imply reduced vegetation for longer periods over the dust-prone source region of Lake Eyre basin, which could worsen the impact of dust storm events. Furthermore, longer dry spells throughout the year would increase the risk of more frequent westerly dust storm events in other seasons when strong, westerly frontal systems can also occur.