1949 in Australia
The following lists events that happened during 1949 in Australia.
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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 (died 2002), actor
 - 26 February – Simon Crean, trade union leader and politician
 - 7 March – Rex Hunt, media personality
 - 13 June – Red Symons, musician and TV personality
 - 30 June – John Kobelke (died 2019), Western Australian politician
 - 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 (died 1983), film producer
 - 23 August – Rick Springfield, singer
 - 22 September – Jim McGinty, politician
 - 6 November – Malcolm Poole, field hockey player
 - 12 November – Deb Foskey (died 2020), Australian Capital Territory politician
 - 24 November – Shane Bourne, comedian and actor
 - 5 December – Wendy Craik, scientist, public policy adviser and company director[1]
 
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)
 
References
    
- "Craik, Wendy". Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
 
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