The following lists events that happened during 1960 in Australia.

Incumbents

Monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power i ...

–

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

* Governor-General –

William Morrison, 1st Viscount Dunrossil William Shepherd Morrison, 1st Viscount Dunrossil, (10 August 1893 – 3 February 1961), was a British politician. He was a long-serving cabinet minister before serving as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1951 to 1959. He was then appoint ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

– Robert Menzies * Chief Justice – Sir Owen Dixon

State Premiers

Premier of New South Wales The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislatu ...

–

Robert Heffron Robert James Heffron (10 September 189027 July 1978), also known as Bob Heffron or R. J. Heffron, was a long-serving New South Wales politician, union organiser and Labor Party Premier of New South Wales from 1959 to 1964. Born in New Zealand ...

Premier of South Australia The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier is ...

–

Sir Thomas Playford Sir Thomas Playford (5 July 1896 – 16 June 1981) was an Australian politician from the state of South Australia. He served continuously as Premier of South Australia and leader of the Liberal and Country League (LCL) from 5 November 1938 to 10 ...

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...

–

Frank Nicklin Sir George Francis Reuben Nicklin, (6 August 1895 – 29 January 1978) was an Australian politician. He was the Premier of Queensland from 1957 to 1968, the first non- Labor Party premier since 1932.Premier of Tasmania The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of ...

–

Eric Reece Eric Elliott Reece, AC (6 July 190923 October 1999) was Premier of Tasmania on two occasions: from 26 August 1958 to 26 May 1969, and from 3 May 1972 to 31 March 1975. His 13 years as premier remains the second longest in Tasmania's history, On ...

Premier of Western Australia The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive bra ...

–

David Brand Sir David Brand KCMG (1 August 1912 – 15 April 1979) was an Australian politician. A member of the Liberal Party, he was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1945 to 1975, and also the 19th and longest-serving Prem ...

Premier of Victoria The premier of Victoria is the head of government in the Australian state of Victoria. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Victorian Legislative Assemb ...

–

Henry Bolte Sir Henry Edward Bolte GCMG (20 May 1908 – 4 January 1990) was an Australian politician who served as the 38th Premier of Victoria. To date he is the longest-serving Victorian premier, having been in office for over 17 consecutive years. ...

State Governors

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...

– Sir Henry Abel Smith * Governor of South Australia – Sir Robert George (until 7 March) *

Governor of Tasmania The governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The incumbent governor is Barbara Baker, who was appointed in June 2021. The official residence of the ...

–

Thomas Corbett, 2nd Baron Rowallan Thomas Godfrey Polson Corbett, 2nd Baron Rowallan, (19 December 1895 – 30 November 1977), had a distinguished military career in the British Army and was Governor of Tasmania from 1959 to 1963. The Boy Scouts Association appointed him as its ...

Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and th ...

– Sir Dallas Brooks *

Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutiona ...

– Sir Charles Gairdner

Events

* 14 January – The

Reserve Bank A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the currency and monetary policy of a country or monetary union, and oversees their commercial banking system. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central ba ...

and Commonwealth Bank are created. * 7 March –

Arthur Calwell Arthur Augustus Calwell (28 August 1896 – 8 July 1973) was an Australian politician who served as the leader of the Labor Party from 1960 to 1967. He led the party to three federal elections. Calwell grew up in Melbourne and attended St J ...

becomes leader of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms t ...

. * 23 May -

Tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...

that affects all of Australia, losing lives. * 10 June – A TAA Fokker Friendship, ''Abel Tasman'', crashes at

Mackay, Queensland } Mackay () is a city in the Mackay Region on the eastern or Coral Sea coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is described as being in either Central Queensland or North Queensla ...

, killing 29 persons. To date (2020), this remains the worst loss of life in a peacetime air crash in Australia. * 7 July – An eight-year-old schoolboy, Graeme Thorne, is kidnapped in Sydney, apparently to extort money from his parents who had recently won the Sydney Opera House lottery. * 19 July – First reported skyjacking/hijacking in the world

Trans Australia Airlines Flight 408 The Trans-Australian Airlines hijacking was Australia's first aircraft hijacking. It occurred on 19 July 1960 over Brisbane in a Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) Lockheed Electra. 43 passengers and six crew were on board Flight 408, the last Sydn ...

* 14 October – The

Warragamba Dam Warragamba Dam is a heritage-listed dam in the outer South Western Sydney suburb of Warragamba, Wollondilly Shire in New South Wales, Australia. It is a concrete gravity dam, which creates Lake Burragorang, the primary reservoir for water supp ...

is opened by the Premier of New South Wales.

Science and technology

Frank Macfarlane Burnet Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, (3 September 1899 – 31 August 1985), usually known as Macfarlane or Mac Burnet, was an Australian virologist known for his contributions to immunology. He won a Nobel Prize in 1960 for predicting acquired immune ...

is announced joint winner of the

Nobel Prize for Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, according ...

Arts and literature

is announced as the inaugural winner of the Australian of the Year * Judy Cassab wins the

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor ...

* ''

The Irishman ''The Irishman'' (subtitled onscreen as ''I Heard You Paint Houses'') is a 2019 American epic gangster film directed and produced by Martin Scorsese and written by Steven Zaillian, based on the 2004 nonfiction book ''I Heard You Paint Hou ...

'' by Elizabeth O'Conner wins the

Miles Franklin Literary Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–19 ...

Television

The introduction of television in 1956 saw that cinema audiences halved. Television led to an increase in home entertainment. It changed the patterns of leisure and exposed Australians more than ever before to other cultures. * 15 January – The 2nd Annual Logie Awards are held the Savoy Hotel in

Brighton, Victoria Brighton is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Bayside local government area. Brighton recorded a population of 23,252 at the 2021 census. ...

, although they are not televised.

Graham Kennedy Graham Cyril Kennedy AO (15 February 1934 – 25 May 2005) was an Australian entertainer, comedian and variety performer, as well as a personality and star of radio, theatre, television and film. He often performed in the style of vaudevilli ...

wins the "Star of the Year" (Gold Logie) award.

Film

Theatres and cinemas were popular venues for Australians. America was the biggest influence in film because of Hollywood. Britain also played a role in influencing Australian film making. Tevez is and was the best footballer player of all time and played a big role in the rise of football in Australia.

Music

Music was diverse during this time. People listened to classical and opera; jazz and blues; folk music and pop music. Australian musicians and singers also made it into world stages. Popular music was often connected with social protest movement and civil rights and campaigns. Peace, freedom, choice and difference were strong themes. Ballet was popularized in Australia but both ballet and opera continued to appeal to small minorities of the population. America had an enormous influence on Australian music, and American musicians tended to consistently top the 'pop' charts in Australia. A lot of people were listening to American music.

Sport

* 4 June – Ian Sinfield wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:25:13.9 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. * 3 September – St. George win the

1960 NSWRFL season 1960's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 53rd season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culmi ...

, claiming their fifth premiership in a row by defeating

Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...

31–6. * 1 November – ''Hi Jinx'' wins the

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melb ...

* New South Wales wins the

Sheffield Shield The Sheffield Shield (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Marsh Sheffield Shield) is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Sheffield Shi ...

* ''Kurrewa IV'' takes line honours and ''Siandra'' wins handicap honours in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race *

Neale Fraser Neale Andrew Fraser (born 3 October 1933) is a former number one amateur male tennis-player from Australia, born in Melbourne, Victoria, the son of a Victorian judge. Fraser is the last man to have completed the triple crown, i.e. having won ...

wins the men's singles at the

Wimbledon championships The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is pla ...

* Australia defeats Italy 4–1 in the Davis Cup final *

Jack Brabham Sir John Arthur Brabham (2 April 1926 – 19 May 2014) was an Australian racing driver who was Formula One World Champion in , , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name. Brabham was a R ...

wins the

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

Championship for the second time

Births

* 4 January –

Gavin Miller Gavin John Miller (born 4 January 1960) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1970's and '80s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he played the majority of his cl ...

, rugby league player * 6 January – Eric Grothe, Sr., rugby league player * 18 January –

Graham Jennings Graham Jennings (born 18 January 1960) is a former Australian association footballer, who played predominantly as a defender and was renowned for his speed, earning him the nickname ''flash''. After a distinguished club and international care ...

, footballer * 21 January –

Jennifer Keyte Jennifer Anne Keyte (born 21 January 1960) is an Australian journalist and news presenter. Keyte currently presents the Melbourne and Adelaide editions of ''10 News First''. She was previously a weekend news presenter on ''Seven News'' in Mel ...

, journalist * 22 January –

Michael Hutchence Michael Kelland John Hutchence (22 January 1960 – 22 November 1997) was an Australian musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Hutchence co-founded the rock band INXS, which sold over 75 million records worldwide and was inducted into th ...

, singer (died 1997) * 23 January –

Greg Ritchie Gregory Michael Ritchie (born 23 January 1960) is a former Australian international cricketer who played in 30 Tests matches and 44 One Day Internationals between 1982 and 1987. Ritchie played for Queensland between 1980 and 1992. He scored ...

, cricketer * 29 January – J.G. Thirlwell, singer-songwriter and producer * 30 January – Eddie Jones, rugby union player and coach * 4 March – Larry Sengstock, basketball player * 23 March – Colin Scott, rugby league player * 29 March –

Wayne Pearce Wayne John Pearce OAM (born 29 March 1960 in Balmain, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. An athletic for the Balmain Tigers, he was known as Junior. Pearce represented New South Wales in t ...

, rugby league footballer and coach * 19 April –

Roger Merrett Roger Merrett (born 19 April 1960) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in two Victorian Football League premiership sides with the Essendon Football Club in the mid-1980s before moving to the fledgling Brisbane Bears, later capt ...

, Australian rules footballer * 20 April –

Debbie Flintoff-King Debra ("Debbie") Lee Flintoff-King, (OAM) (born 20 April 1960) is a retired Australian athlete, and winner of the women's 400 m hurdles event at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Athletics career Flintoff-King was born in Melbourne, the daughter of ...

, athlete * 4 May – Andrew Denton, television presenter * 12 May – Lisa Martin, athlete * 21 May – Mark Ridgway, cricketer * 26 May –

Dean Lukin Dinko "Dean" Lukin, OAM (born 26 May 1960) is a retired weightlifter from Australia. Lukin won the gold medal in the Super Heavyweight category at the 1984 Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles. He carried the Australian flag during the closin ...

, weightlifter * 3 June –

Tracy Grimshaw Tracy Grimshaw (born 3 June 1960) is an Australian journalist and television presenter. She was the host of '' A Current Affair'' between 2006–2022, and was a co-host of ''Today'' between 1996–2005. Career Grimshaw's career began in 1981 w ...

, television presenter * 3 June –

Carl Rackemann Carl Gray Rackemann (born 3 June 1960) is a former Queensland and Australian cricketer. He was a fast bowler in 12 Test matches, 52 One Day Internationals and 167 first-class cricket matches in a career spanning 1979/80 to 1995/96. Intern ...

, cricketer * 14 June –

Peter Mitchell Peter or Pete Mitchell may refer to: Media *Pete Mitchell (broadcaster) (1958–2020), British broadcaster *Peter Mitchell (newsreader) (born 1960), Australian journalist *Peter Mitchell (photographer) (born 1943), British documentary photographer ...

, Australian newsreader * 16 June – Peter Sterling, rugby league commentator and former player * 30 June –

Murray Cook Murray James Cook, AM (born 30 June 1960) is an Australian musician, actor, and Disc jockey. Cook was one of the founding members of the children's band the Wiggles from 1991 to 2012. Cook provided guitar, vocals, and songwriting in the group ...

, musician * 8 July –

Mal Meninga Malcolm Norman Meninga (; born 8 July 1960) is an Australian professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of the Australian national team and a former professional rugby league footballer. Meninga is widely regarded as one of the fin ...

, rugby league footballer * 4 August –

Tim Winton Timothy John Winton (born 4 August 1960) is an Australian writer. He has written novels, children's books, non-fiction books, and short stories. In 1997, he was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia, and has won the Miles Fr ...

, writer * 13 August – Michael Richmond, ice speed skater * 14 August – Edi Krncevic, soccer player * 27 September – Ray Williams, politician * 28 September –

Gary Ayres Gary James Ayres (born 28 September 1960) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is currently the senior coach for the Montrose Football Club in the Eastern F ...

, Australian rules footballer * 3 October – Michael Parsons, basketball player and Australian rules footballer (died 2009) * 15 October –

Darryl Pearce Darryl "The Iceman" Pearce (born 15 October 1960) is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL) for the Adelaide 36ers from 1982 to 1991 before playing four seasons (1992–19 ...

, basketball player * 24 October –

Ian Baker-Finch Ian Michael Baker-Finch (born 24 October 1960) is an Australian professional golfer and sports commentator, who is best known for winning The Open Championship in 1991. Early years Baker-Finch was born in Nambour, Queensland, Australia. He gre ...

, golfer * 4 December –

Glynis Nunn Glynis or Glynnis is a female and rarely male given name of Welsh origin. It may refer to: *Glynis Barber (born 1955), South African actress *Glynis Breakwell, (born 1952), Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath *Glynnis Breytenbach, South Af ...

, athlete * 29 December –

David Boon David Clarence Boon (born 29 December 1960) is an Australian cricket match referee, former cricket commentator and international cricketer whose international playing career spanned the years 1984–1996. A right-handed batsman and a very oc ...

, cricketer

Deaths

* 12 January –

Nevil Shute Nevil Shute Norway (17 January 189912 January 1960) was an English novelist and aeronautical engineer who spent his later years in Australia. He used his full name in his engineering career and Nevil Shute as his pen name, in order to protect ...

(born 1899), writer * 14 February –

Herbert Hays Herbert Hays OBE (20 September 1869 – 16 February 1960) was an Australian politician. Hays was born near Forth in Tasmania, and was educated at Don State School before becoming a farmer. He was chairman of the Don Road Trust and senior ward ...

(born 1869), Tasmanian politician * 3 April – Thomas Marwick (born 1895), politician * 10 April –

Arthur Benjamin Arthur Leslie Benjamin (18 September 1893, in Sydney – 10 April 1960, in London) was an Australian composer, pianist, conductor and teacher. He is best known as the composer of '' Jamaican Rumba'' (1938) and of the '' Storm Clouds Cantata'' ...

(born 1893), composer * 25 June –

Ida Rentoul Outhwaite Ida Rentoul Outhwaite, also known as Ida Sherbourne Rentoul and Ida Sherbourne Outhwaite (9 June 1888 – 25 June 1960), was an Australian illustrator of children's books. Her work mostly depicted magical creatures, such as elves and fair ...

(born 1888), illustrator * 12 July –

Francis Xavier Gsell Francis Xavier Gsell, OBE (30 June 1872 – 12 July 1960) was a German-born Australian Roman Catholic bishop and missionary, known as the "Bishop with 150 wives". He was born at Benfeld, Alsace in 1872. He was ordained as a priest in the order ...

(born 1872),

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

bishop and missionary * 30 July –

Walter Lindrum Walter Albert Lindrum, OBE (29 August 1898 – 30 July 1960), often known as Wally Lindrum, was an Australian professional player of English billiards who held the World Professional Billiards Championship from 1933 until his retirement in 1950 ...

(born 1898), billiards player * 2 September –

Hector Hogan Hector "Hec" Denis Hogan (15 July 1931, Rockhampton2 September 1960, Brisbane) was an Australian athlete who competed mainly in the 100 yards and 100 metres sprint, where he was seven-times Australian 100 yards champion. He also competed in ...

(born 1931), athlete * 2 September –

Mick O'Halloran Michael Raphael O'Halloran (12 April 1893 – 22 September 1960) was an Australian politician, representing the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party. He served as Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of South Australi ...

(born 1893), politician * 6 October –

Caroline Grills Caroline Grills (née Mickelson; between 1888 and 1890 – 6 October 1960) was an Australian serial killer who poisoned her victims. She was predominantly a comfort killer, who murdered well-off members of her extended family to maintain a respe ...

(born 1890), serial killer * 16 October – Frank Timson (born 1909), politician * 20 October – Sir Charles Marr (born 1880), politician * 24 November – Arthur Seaforth Blackburn (born 1892), soldier and Victoria Cross recipient * 30 December –

Mac Abbott Macartney "Mac" Abbott (3 July 1877 – 30 December 1960) was an Australian politician. Born in Murrurundi, New South Wales, he was educated at King's School, Parramatta. He became a farmer and grazier in the Upper Hunter area of New South Wal ...

(born 1877), politician

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1960 in Australia Australia Years of the 20th century in Australia