1946 in Australia
The following lists events that happened during 1946 in Australia.
1946 in Australia | |
---|---|
Monarch | George VI |
Governor-General | Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester |
Prime minister | Ben Chifley |
Population | 7,465,157 |
Elections | Federal, TAS |
| |||||
Decades: |
| ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
See also: |
|
Incumbents
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Benchifley.jpg/140px-Benchifley.jpg)
- Monarch – George VI
- Governor-General – Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
- Prime Minister – Ben Chifley
- Chief Justice – Sir John Latham
State Premiers
- Premier of New South Wales – William McKell
- Premier of Queensland – Frank Cooper (until 7 March), then Ned Hanlon
- Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV
- Premier of Tasmania – Robert Cosgrove
- Premier of Victoria – John Cain
- Premier of Western Australia – Frank Wise
State Governors
- Governor of New South Wales – Sir John Northcott (from 1 August)
- Governor of Queensland – Sir Leslie Orme Wilson (until 23 April), then Sir John Lavarack (from 1 October)
- Governor of South Australia – Sir Charles Norrie
- Governor of Tasmania – Sir Hugh Binney
- Governor of Victoria – Sir Winston Dugan
- Governor of Western Australia – none appointed
Events
- 26 January – Foundation Day is renamed Australia Day.
- 18 February – The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Norman Gilroy, becomes Cardinal Gilroy, the first Australian born member of the College of Cardinals
- 10 March – An Australian National Airways DC-3 aircraft crashes near Hobart, killing 25 people.
- 1 May – At least 800 Aboriginal pastoral workers walk off the job in Northwest Western Australia, starting one of the longest industrial strikes in Australia.
- 6 June – The ABC makes the first national broadcast of a federal parliamentary debate.
- 19 July – Orange, New South Wales is proclaimed a city.
- 30 August – Lismore, New South Wales is proclaimed a city.
- 9 September – Trans Australia Airlines makes its first flight.
- 28 September – A federal election is held. The Australian Labor Party and Prime Minister Ben Chifley are returned to power. A three-question referendum is also held: the question on Social Services is carried; questions on Marketing and Industrial Employment are not.
- 23 November – A general election is held in Tasmania. The Labor Party led by Robert Cosgrove is returned to power with a reduced majority.
- 13 December – The United Nations grants Australia trusteeship of Territory of New Guinea and Territory of Papua.
Science and technology
- 7 August – Overseas Telecommunications Commission established by an Act of Parliament in August 1946. It inherited facilities and resources from Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Limited (AWA) and Cable & Wireless, and was charged with responsibility for all international telecommunications services into, through and out of Australia.
Arts and literature
- William Dargie wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of L. C. Robson
Film
- The Overlanders is released, starring Chips Rafferty
Politics
- establishment of the Western Australian Women’s Parliament
Sport
- 14 September – Balmain win the 1946 NSWRFL season, defeating St. George 13–12 in the grand final. South Sydney, after not winning a game all season, finish in last place, claiming the wooden spoon for the second year in a row.
- Morna takes line honours and Christina wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
- Russia wins the Melbourne Cup
- New Zealand defeats Australia 2–0 in a Rugby union test
Births
- 29 January – Ian Meldrum, music personality
- 8 February – Bob Collins, politician (died 2007)
- 24 February – Bob Pearce, politician
- 3 March – Tim Fischer, politician (died 2019)
- 4 April – Colin Coates, ice speed skater
- 10 April – Anne Boyd, composer
- 17 April – Kerry O'Brien, middle-distance runner
- 23 May – David Graham, golfer
- 3 June – Tristan Rogers, Australian-American actor
- 9 July – Bon Scott, singer (died 1980)
- 1 August – Fiona Stanley, epidemiologist
- 15 August – Victor Salvemini, Paralympic athlete (died 2020)
- 1 September – Barry Gibb, musician-songwriter (Bee Gees)
- 16 September – Mike Reynolds, Qld Parliament Speaker
- 18 October – Penelope Wensley, Governor of Queensland (2008–2014)
- 28 October – John Hewson, politician
- 30 October – Doug Parkinson, singer (died 2021)
- 2 November – Alan Jones, racing driver
- 20 December – John Bertrand, yachtsman
Deaths
- 2 January – Joe Darling, cricketer (b. 1870)
- 12 February – Sir David Gordon, South Australian politician (b. 1865 - d. 1946)[1]
- 20 March – Ethel Richardson, author (died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1870)
- 27 March – Sir Robert Best, Victorian politician and lawyer (b. 1856)
- 13 September – William Watt, 24th Premier of Victoria (b. 1871)
See also
References
- ^ Rob Van Den Hoorn (1983). Bede Nairn; Geoff Serle (eds.). Gordon, Sir David John (1865–1946). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 9. Melbourne University Press. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- v
- t
- e
- 1801
- 1802
- 1803
- 1804
- 1805
- 1806
- 1807
- 1808
- 1809
- 1810
- 1811
- 1812
- 1813
- 1814
- 1815
- 1816
- 1817
- 1818
- 1819
- 1820
- 1821
- 1822
- 1823
- 1824
- 1825
- 1826
- 1827
- 1828
- 1829
- 1830
- 1831
- 1832
- 1833
- 1834
- 1835
- 1836
- 1837
- 1838
- 1839
- 1840
- 1841
- 1842
- 1843
- 1844
- 1845
- 1846
- 1847
- 1848
- 1849
- 1850
- 1851
- 1852
- 1853
- 1854
- 1855
- 1856
- 1857
- 1858
- 1859
- 1860
- 1861
- 1862
- 1863
- 1864
- 1865
- 1866
- 1867
- 1868
- 1869
- 1870
- 1871
- 1872
- 1873
- 1874
- 1875
- 1876
- 1877
- 1878
- 1879
- 1880
- 1881
- 1882
- 1883
- 1884
- 1885
- 1886
- 1887
- 1888
- 1889
- 1890
- 1891
- 1892
- 1893
- 1894
- 1895
- 1896
- 1897
- 1898
- 1899
- 1900
- 1901
- 1902
- 1903
- 1904
- 1905
- 1906
- 1907
- 1908
- 1909
- 1910
- 1911
- 1912
- 1913
- 1914
- 1915
- 1916
- 1917
- 1918
- 1919
- 1920
- 1921
- 1922
- 1923
- 1924
- 1925
- 1926
- 1927
- 1928
- 1929
- 1930
- 1931
- 1932
- 1933
- 1934
- 1935
- 1936
- 1937
- 1938
- 1939
- 1940
- 1941
- 1942
- 1943
- 1944
- 1945
- 1946
- 1947
- 1948
- 1949
- 1950
- 1951
- 1952
- 1953
- 1954
- 1955
- 1956
- 1957
- 1958
- 1959
- 1960
- 1961
- 1962
- 1963
- 1964
- 1965
- 1966
- 1967
- 1968
- 1969
- 1970
- 1971
- 1972
- 1973
- 1974
- 1975
- 1976
- 1977
- 1978
- 1979
- 1980
- 1981
- 1982
- 1983
- 1984
- 1985
- 1986
- 1987
- 1988
- 1989
- 1990
- 1991
- 1992
- 1993
- 1994
- 1995
- 1996
- 1997
- 1998
- 1999
- 2000