1949 in Australia

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, 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)
See also
List of Australian films of the 1940s
References
Australia
Years of the 20th century in Australia