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Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie |
Monarch – King George VI
Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie
Prime Minister – John Curtin
Premier of New South Wales – William McKell
Premier of Queensland – Frank Cooper
Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford
Premier of Tasmania – Robert Cosgrove
Premier of Victoria – Albert Dunstan
Premier of Western Australia – John Willcock
Governor of New South Wales – John Loder, 2nd Baron Wakehurst
Governor of Queensland – Sir Leslie Orme Wilson
Governor of South Australia – Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey (until 26 April), then Sir Charles Norrie (from 19 December)
Governor of Tasmania – Sir Ernest Clark
Governor of Victoria – Sir Winston Dugan
Governor of Western Australia – none appointed
14 January – Meat rationing begins in Australia.
20 January – Seventeen people are killed at Brooklyn, New South Wales when a mail train and a bus collide at a level crossing. There is only one survivor, Gloria Iren Silvia.
15 February – Bushfires in the Western District, Gippsland and Yallourn regions of Victoria kill 51 people.
15 April – Fred Paterson is elected to the Parliament of Queensland, representing the seat of Bowen. He remains the only member of the Communist Party of Australia to ever be elected to an Australian Parliament.
30 June – Sydney waiter Antonio Agostini is sentenced to six years prison for the manslaughter of his wife, Linda Agostini, in what was known as the "Pyjama Girl" murder.
5 August – The Cowra breakout occurs, with 545 Japanese prisoners of war escaping from the camp.
19 August – A referendum is held, concerning Post-War Reconstruction and Democratic Rights. It proposes to grant the government power to legislate over 14 points of law for a five-year period. The referendum, asked in a single question, is not carried.
21 October – The heavy cruiser HMAS Australia, operating in the Philippines, is hit by a kamikaze aircraft, killing 20 and wounding 54, in what is believed to be the first attack of its kind.
25 November – Reg Saunders becomes the first Aboriginal commissioned officer in the Australian Army.
14 December – The Liberal Party of Australia is formed, replacing the United Australia Party.
Arts and literature
Ern Malley poems first published, revealing a major Australian literary hoax.
Joshua Smith wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Sol Rosevear
The film of the story of The Rats of Tobruk is released, directed by Charles Chauvel
29 July - North Melbourne (11.21.87) beat Richmond (14.2.86) in the only VFL/AFL match where the winning team scored three fewer goals
26 August - Newtown beat St. George 55-7 in the most one-sided NSWRFL/NSWRL/ARL/NRL final in history
Sirius wins the Melbourne Cup
14 January – Graham Marsh, golfer
18 January – Paul Keating, Prime Minister of Australia (1991–1996)
19 January – Paul Gibson, NSW politician
3 February – Trisha Noble, singer and actress
9 February – Derryn Hinch, media personality
10 February – Peter Allen, entertainer (died 1992)
17 February – Robert Dessaix, writer
18 March – Dick Smith, businessman
22 April – Damien Broderick, science fiction author
22 May – John Flanagan, author
23 May – John Newcombe, tennis player
26 May – Andrew Jones, politician
28 May – Paul D. Scully-Power, oceanographer and astronaut
6 June – Matt Carroll, film and television producer
6 June – Rene Rivkin, businessman (died 2005)
4 July – Ray Meagher, actor
23 July – Alex Buzo, playwright and author (died 2006)
31 July – James Strong, businessman, CEO of Qantas (died 2013)
17 August – Nicholas John Vine-Hall, genealogist
21 August – Peter Weir, film director
2 September – Ray Groom, Premier of Tasmania (1992–1996)
8 September – Terry Jenner, cricketer
5 September – Gareth Evans, politician
11 September – Alan Gilbert, academic and university Vice-Chancellor
13 September – Midget Farrelly, surfer
16 September – Peter Harvey, journalist and television presenter (died 2013)
19 September – Colin Dibley, tennis player
25 October - Ron Coote, rugby league footballer
21 November – Kay Patterson, Liberal Senator for Victoria
4 December – Lawrie Peckham, high jumper
20 December – Ray Martin, television presenter (60 Minutes – 1979–1985, A Current Affair – 1994–1998 & 2003–3005, Midday – 1985–1993)
27 December – Bob Brown, politician
1 January – Charles Turner (born 1862), cricketer
3 January – Tom Brennan (born 1866), Victorian politician
15 January – Patrick Lynch (born 1867), Labor Senator for Western Australia
5 March – George John Bell (born 1872), politician
31 March – Maurice Blackburn (born 1880), politician
10 May – Digby Denham (born 1859), Premier of Queensland (1911–1915)
24 May – William Butcher (born 1858), WA politician
29 July – Walter Price (born 1886), cricketer
5 August – Ralph Jones (born 1900), soldier killed during the Cowra breakout
21 October – Emile Dechaineux (born 1902), naval officer, captain of HMAS Australia
12 November – Roy Agnew (born 1891), composer and pianist
18 November – James Blair, politician and judge
20 November – Charles Frederick Cox (born 1863), soldier
1944 in Australia Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA
