1949 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1949 in Australia.

Incumbents

* Monarch – George VI
* Governor-General – William McKell
* Prime Minister – Ben Chifley (until 19 December), then Robert Menzies
* Chief Justice – Sir John Latham

State Governors

* Governor of New South Wales – Sir John Northcott
* Governor of Queensland – Sir John Lavarack
* Governor of South Australia – Sir Charles Norrie
* Governor of Tasmania – Sir Hugh Binney
* Governor of Victoria – Sir Winston Dugan (until 20 February), then Sir Dallas Brooks (from 18 October)
* Governor of Western Australia – Sir James Mitchell

Events

*26 January – The Nationality and Citizenship Act is passed. Rather than being identified as subjects of Britain, the Act established Australian citizenship for people who met eligibility requirements.
*2 March - A cyclone crosses the Central Queensland coast impacting Gladstone and Rockhampton.
*10 March – A Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar crashes near Coolangatta, Queensland, killing all 21 on board.
*16 March – Australia's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) is established, by order of the Directive for the Establishment and Maintenance of a Security Service.
*16 March – Indigenous Australians who are eligible to vote in state elections in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania are also given the right to vote in federal elections.
*27 June – A seven-week coal strike begins, involving 23,000 miners and broken by the sending in of troops.
*2 July - A MacRobertson Miller Aviation DC-3 aircraft crashes on take-off from Perth Airport, killing all 18 on board.
*17 October – Construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme begins.
*10 December – A federal election is held. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Ben Chifley is defeated by Robert Menzies' Liberal Party.
*18 December – Prime Minister-elect Robert Menzies announces his cabinet, including Dame Enid Lyons as Australia's first female cabinet minister.

Science and technology

* November – Australia's first digital computer, CSIRAC, runs its first test programs.

Arts and literature

* 21 January – William Dobell wins the Archibald Prize and the Wynne Prize.

Sport

* Athletics
** 17 September - Robert Prentice wins his first men's national marathon title, clocking 2:43:46 in Perth
* Cricket
** New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield
* Football
** Bledisloe Cup: won by the Wallabies
** Brisbane Rugby League premiership: Souths defeated Easts 22-8
** New South Wales Rugby League premiership: Western Suburbs defeated Balmain 8-5
** South Australian National Football League premiership: won by North Adelaide
** Victorian Football League premiership: Essendon defeated Carlton 125-52
* Golf
** Australian Open: won by Eric Cremin
** Australian PGA Championship: won by Kel Nagle
* Horse Racing
** ''Persist'' wins the AJC Oaks
** ''Lincoln'' wins the Caulfield Cup
** ''Delta'' wins the Cox Plate
** ''Foxzami'' wins the Melbourne Cup
* Motor Racing
** The Australian Grand Prix was held at Leyburn, and was won by John Crouch driving a Delahaye
* Tennis
** Australian Open men's singles: Frank Sedgman defeats John Bromwich 6-3 6-2 6-2
** Australian Open women's singles: Doris Hart defeats Nancye Wynne Bolton 6-3 6-4
** Davis Cup: Australia is defeated by the United States 1–4 in the 1949 Davis Cup final
** US Open: John Bromwich and Bill Sidwell win the Men's Doubles
* Yachting
** ''Waltzing Matilda'' takes line honours and ''Trade Winds'' wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

Births

* 11 January – Daryl Braithwaite, singer
* 14 January – Paul Chubb (died 2002), actor
* 26 February – Simon Crean, trade union leader and politician
* 7 March – Rex Hunt, media personality
* 13 June – Red Symons, musician and TV personality
* 30 June – John Kobelke (died 2019), Western Australian politician
* 1 July – John Farnham, singer and entertainer
* 16 July – Robert Proctor, field hockey player
* 18 July – Dennis Lillee, cricketer
* 28 July – Peter Doyle, singer and guitarist (died 2001)
* 18 August – Byron Kennedy (died 1983), film producer
* 23 August – Rick Springfield, singer
* 22 September – Jim McGinty, politician
* 14 October – Fraser Anning, politician
* 6 November – Malcolm Poole, field hockey player
* 12 November – Deb Foskey (died 2020), Australian Capital Territory politician
* 24 November – Shane Bourne, comedian and actor
* 5 December – Wendy Craik, scientist, public policy adviser and company director

Deaths

* 8 January – Mary Miller, singer (b. 1926)
* 3 February – Kate Dwyer, educator, suffragist and labour activist (b. 1861)
* 7 April – Richard Crouch, Victorian politician (b. 1868)
* 26 April – Norman Brookman, South Australian politician (b. 1884)
* 14 August – Henry Ernest Boote, editor, journalist, and poet (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1865)
* 15 August – Vida Goldstein, suffragette and social reformer (b. 1869)
* 16 August – John Lemmone, flautist, composer and manager (b. 1861)
* 27 August – Theodora Cowan, sculptor (b. 1868)
* 2 September – Jack Beasley, New South Wales politician (b. 1895)
* 9 September – Sir John Kirwan, Western Australian politician (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1869)
* 16 November – Margaret Battye, barrister and jurist (b. 1909)
* 21 November – Philip Lytton, actor and theatre entrepreneur (b. unknown)
* 18 December – Florence Anderson, trade union secretary (b. 1871)
* Unknown – Eric Muspratt, travel writer (b. 1899)
* Unknown – Alfred Wheeler, minister and composer (b. 1865)

See also

* List of Australian films of the 1940s

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1949 in Australia

Australia
Years of the 20th century in Australia