The following lists events that happened during 1949 in Australia.
Incumbents
State Governors
Events
- 26 January â 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 â A Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar crashes near Coolangatta, Queensland, killing all 21 on board.
- 16 March â 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 â 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 â 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 â Construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme begins.
- 10 December â A federal election is held. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Ben Chifley is defeated by Robert Menzies' Liberal Party.
- 18 December â Prime Minister-elect Robert Menzies announces his cabinet, including Dame Enid Lyons as Australia's first female cabinet minister.
Science and technology
- November â Australia's first digital computer, CSIRAC, runs its first test programs.
Arts and literature
Sport
Births
- 11 January â Daryl Braithwaite, singer
- 14 January â Paul Chubb, actor (died 2002)
- 26 February â Simon Crean, trade union leader and politician (died 2023)
- 7 March â Rex Hunt, media personality
- 13 June â Red Symons, musician and TV personality
- 24 June
- Billy Moeller, professional feather/super feather/light/light welter/welterweight boxer
- Agenor Muniz, Brazilian-born Australian footballer
- Hector Thompson, professional light/light welter/welter/light middleweight boxer (died 2020)
- 28 June â Kevin McLeod, Australian rules footballer
- 30 June â John Kobelke, Western Australian politician (died 2019)
- 1 July â John Farnham, singer and entertainer
- 16 July â Robert Proctor, field hockey player
- 18 July â Dennis Lillee, cricketer
- 28 July â Peter Doyle, singer and guitarist (died 2001)
- 18 August â Byron Kennedy, film producer (died 1983)
- 23 August â Rick Springfield, singer
- 22 September â Jim McGinty, politician
- 26 September â Wendy Saddington, blues, soul and jazz singer (died 2013)
- 27 September â Graham Richardson, federal politician and media commentator (died 2025)
- 14 October â Fraser Anning, politician
- 6 November â Malcolm Poole, field hockey player
- 12 November â Deb Foskey, Australian Capital Territory politician (died 2020)
- 24 November â Shane Bourne, comedian and actor
- 5 December â Wendy Craik, scientist, public policy adviser and company director
Deaths
- 8 January â Mary Miller, singer (b. 1926)
- 3 February â Kate Dwyer, educator, suffragist and labour activist (b. 1861)
- 7 April â Richard Crouch, Victorian politician (b. 1868)
- 26 April â Norman Brookman, South Australian politician (b. 1884)
- 14 August â Henry Ernest Boote, editor, journalist, and poet (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1865)
- 15 August â Vida Goldstein, suffragette and social reformer (b. 1869)
- 16 August â John Lemmone, flautist, composer and manager (b. 1861)
- 27 August â Theodora Cowan, sculptor (b. 1868)
- 2 September â Jack Beasley, New South Wales politician (b. 1895)
- 9 September â Sir John Kirwan, Western Australian politician (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1869)
- 16 November â Margaret Battye, barrister and jurist (b. 1909)
- 21 November â Philip Lytton, actor and theatre entrepreneur (b. unknown)
- 18 December â Florence Anderson, trade union secretary (b. 1871)
- Unknown â Eric Muspratt, travel writer (b. 1899)
- Unknown â Alfred Wheeler, minister and composer (b. 1865)
See also
References