# 1951 in Australia

"none" is preferred when the title alone is adequate; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
The following lists events that happened during 1951 in Australia.

## Incumbents

* Monarch – George VI
* Governor-General – (Sir) William McKell
* Prime Minister – Robert Menzies
* Chief Justice – Sir John Latham

### State Premiers

* Premier of New South Wales – James McGirr
* Premier of Queensland – Ned Hanlon
* Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV
* Premier of Tasmania – Robert Cosgrove
* Premier of Victoria – John McDonald
* Premier of Western Australia – Ross McLarty

### 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 (until 8 May), then Sir Ronald Cross, 1st Baronet (from 22 August)
* Governor of Victoria – Sir Dallas Brooks
* Governor of Western Australia – Sir James Mitchell (until 1 July), then Sir Charles Gairdner (from 6 November)

## Events

* 1 January – The 50th anniversary of Australian federation is celebrated.
* 19 February – Jean Lee becomes the last woman to be hanged in Australia, when she, Robert Clayton and Norman Andrews are executed in Melbourne for the murder of a 73-year-old man.
* 1 March – The Bank of Australasia merges with the Union Bank of Australia to form the ANZ Bank.
* 9 March – The High Court of Australia rules in the case Australian Communist Party v Commonwealth that the Communist Party Dissolution Bill 1950, passed by the parliament to ban the Communist Party of Australia, was unconstitutional.
* 19 March – The Governor-General, William McKell, issues a double dissolution of parliament for the second time in its history, citing the Senate's referral of the Commonwealth Bank Bill as a "failure to pass" the bill.
* 12 April – Conscription begins as the first call-up notice is issued under the National Service Act (1951), requiring Australian 18-year-old males to undergo compulsory military training.
* 28 April – A federal election is held. The Liberal government of Robert Menzies retains power.
* 8 June – The first lessons of the School of the Air are broadcast from the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Adelaide.
* 13 June – Labor leader and former Prime Minister Ben Chifley suddenly dies of a heart attack.
* 20 June – Herbert Vere Evatt succeeds Ben Chifley as leader of the Labor Party.
* 16 August – The Australian Financial Review is first published.
* 1 September – The Anzus Treaty, between Australia, New Zealand and the United States, is signed.
* 9 September – Australia signs the Treaty of San Francisco, formalising peace with Japan.
* 22 September – A federal referendum is held, proposing to alter the Australian Constitution to allow the banning of the Communist Party. The referendum was not carried.
* 4 October – Francis McEncroe sells the first Chiko Rolls at the Wagga Wagga agricultural show.
* 15 October – A De Havilland Dove aircraft crashes near Kalgoorlie killing all 7 on board.
* 13 November – William McKell is gazetted a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, becoming the only Governor-General of Australia to be knighted during their term.

## Arts and literature

* Ivor Hele wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Laurie Thomas
* Justin O'Brien wins the inaugural Blake Prize for Religious Art with his work The Virgin Enthroned

## Sport

* Athletics
** 5 March – Gordon Stanley wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:59:44.6 in Hobart.
* Cricket
** Victoria wins the Sheffield Shield
** Australia defeats England 4–1 in The Ashes
* Football
** The 1951 French rugby league tour of Australia and New Zealand is conducted
** Bledisloe Cup: won by the All Blacks
** Brisbane Rugby League premiership: Souths defeated Easts 20-10
** New South Wales Rugby League premiership: South Sydney defeated Manly-Warringah 42-14
** South Australian National Football League premiership: won by Port Adelaide
** Victorian Football League premiership: Geelong defeated Essendon 81-70
* Golf
** Australian Open: won by Peter Thomson
** Australian PGA Championship: won by Norman Von Nida
* Horse racing
** Basha Felika wins the Caulfield Cup
** Bronton wins the Cox Plate
** Delta wins the Melbourne Cup
* Motor racing
** The Australian Grand Prix was held at Narrogin and won by Warwick Pratley driving a George Reed Special
* Tennis
** Australian Open men's singles: Dick Savitt defeats Ken McGregor 6-3 2–6 6-3 6-1
** Australian Open women's singles: Nancye Wynne Bolton defeats Thelma Coyne Long 6-1 7-5
** Davis Cup: Australia defeats the United States 3–2 in the 1951 Davis Cup final
** US Open: Frank Sedgman wins the Men's Singles
** Wimbledon: Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman win the Men's Doubles
* Yachting
** Margaret Rintoul takes line honours and Struen Marie wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

## Births

* 19 January – Charles Blunt, politician
* 20 January – Clyde Sefton, road cyclist
* 22 January – Steve J. Spears, actor, singer, and playwright (died 2007)
* 26 February – Wayne Goss, Premier of Queensland (died 2014)
* 29 April – Jon Stanhope, Chief Minister of the ACT
* 29 May – Don Baird, pole vaulter
* 4 July – John Alexander, tennis player and politician
* 6 July – Geoffrey Rush, actor
* 31 July – Evonne Goolagong Cawley, tennis player
* 5 August – John Jarratt, actor
* 6 August – Daryl Somers, television personality
* 30 August –
** Danny Clark, track cyclist and road bicycle racer
** Brad Hazzard, politician
* 9 September – Alexander Downer, politician
* 27 September – Geoff Gallop, Premier of Western Australia
* 9 October – Rod Galt, Australian rules footballer (died 2019)
* 14 November – Shelley Hancock, politician
* 1 December – Doug Mulray, radio personality (died 2023)
* 18 December – Andy Thomas, astronaut
* 22 December – Jan Stephenson, professional golfer

## Deaths

* 29 January – Frank Tarrant, cricketer (b. 1880)
* 18 April – Daisy Bates, journalist and anthropologist (born in Ireland) (b. 1859)
* 27 May – Sir Thomas Blamey, field marshal (b. 1884)
* 11 June – William Higgs, Queensland politician (b. 1862)
* 13 June – Ben Chifley, 16th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1885)
* 17 June - Vin Coutie, footballer (b. 1881)
* 3 July – Sydney Jephcott, poet (b. 1864)
* 4 October – Bartlett Adamson, journalist, poet, author and political activist (b. 1884)
* 10 December – Ernest Edwin Mitchell, composer (b. 1865)