# 1949 in Australia

"none" is preferred when the title alone is adequate; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
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, actor (died 2002)
* 26 February – Simon Crean, trade union leader and politician (died 2023)
* 7 March – Rex Hunt, media personality
* 13 June – 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 – Kevin McLeod, Australian rules footballer
* 30 June – John Kobelke, Western Australian politician (died 2019)
* 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, film producer (died 1983)
* 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, Australian Capital Territory politician (died 2020)
* 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)