1948 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1948 in Australia.

1948 in Australia
Monarch	George VI
Governor-General	William McKell
Prime minister	Ben Chifley
Population	7,708,761
Elections	TAS

← 1947 1946 1945 1948 in Australia → 1949 1950 1951
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
See also:	Other events of 1948 Timeline of Australian history

Incumbents

Ben Chifley

• Monarch – George VI
• Governor General – William McKell
• Prime Minister – Ben Chifley
• Chief Justice – Sir John Latham

State Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – James McGirr
• Premier of Queensland – Ned Hanlon
• Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV
• Premier of Tasmania – Edward Brooker (until 25 February), then Robert Cosgrove
• Premier of Victoria – Thomas Hollway
• Premier of Western Australia – Ross McLarty

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
• Governor of Western Australia – Sir James Mitchell (from 5 October)

Events

Launch of the first Holden

• 23 January – De Havilland Australia conducts the first flight of its 3 engined Drover transport aircraft at Bankstown Airport.
• 19 February – An Avro Lincoln bomber crashes at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland, killing 16 Royal Australian Air Force personnel.
• 25 February – Robert Cosgrove is reinstated as Premier of Tasmania after being cleared of corruption charges on 22 February.
• 8 May – Margaret McIntyre becomes the first woman elected to the Parliament of Tasmania. She is killed in a plane crash later in the year.
• 29 May – A federal referendum is held, asking one question on Rents and Prices. It is not carried.
• 1 July – The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is introduced.
• 21 August – A state election is held in Tasmania. The result is a hung parliament, but Robert Cosgrove and Labor retain power with the support of an independent, William Wedd.
• 2 September – The Douglas DC-3 Lutana crashes near Nundle, New South Wales, killing all 13 on board.
• 21 September – H.V. Evatt becomes President of the United Nations General Assembly.
• 29 November – The first Holden car, the model 48-215, popularly known as the FX, rolls off the assembly line. The on-road cost was approximately £760.
• 1 December – The body of an unidentified man is found on a beach in Adelaide, becoming known as the Somerton Man.
• 16 December – HMAS Sydney is commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy as its first aircraft carrier.

Arts and literature

Main article: 1948 in Australian literature

• William Dobell wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Margaret Olley ^[1]

• One of the few Australian songs to top the Australian charts "Good-Night Mister Moon" by Allan Ryan and William Flynn ^{[2] [3]}

Sport

• 18 September – Minor premiers Western Suburbs win the 1948 NSWRFL season, claiming their first premiership since 1934 after defeating Balmain 8–5. North Sydney finish in last place, claiming the wooden spoon.
• Morna takes line honours and Westward wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
• Rimfire wins the Melbourne Cup

Births

• 5 January – Wally Foreman, football commentator (died 2006)
• 23 January – Glenn Wheatley, musician and talent manager (died 2022)
• 24 January – Brian Langton, NSW politician (died 2023) ^[4]
• 25 January – Ros Kelly, politician
• 3 February – Les Twentyman, social campaigner (died 2024) ^[5]
• 10 February – Mike Pratt, politician
• 16 February – Jeff Guess, poet
• 2 March – Jeff Kennett, Premier of Victoria (1992–1999)
• 13 March – Rick Amor, artist
• 19 March – Vince Lovegrove, singer, journalist and band manager (died 2012)
• 27 March – Rosemary Follett, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory (1989, 1991–1995)
• 31 March – Graham Cornes, Australian rules footballer
• 2 April – Jennifer Rowe, children's author
• 29 April – Leslie Howard, musician
• 15 May – Muriel Porter, Anglican laywoman
• 28 May – Michael Field, Premier of Tasmania (1989–1992)
• 11 June – Pat Wilson, singer and journalist
• 21 June – Lionel Rose, boxer (died 2011)
• 30 June – Galarrwuy Yunupingu, Aboriginal leader (died 2023)
• 15 July – Richard Franklin, film director (died 2007)
• 24 July – Joan London, writer
• 7 August – Greg Chappell, cricketer
• 18 August – Richard Tracey, Australian military and civil judge and barrister (died 2019)
• 19 August – Robert Hughes, actor
• 20 August – John Noble, actor
• 12 September – Max Walker, cricketer and VFL footballer (died 2016)
• 18 September – Christopher Skase, fugitive businessman (died 2001)
• 22 September – Denis Burke, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory (1999–2001)
• 25 September – Vicki Viidikas, poet (died 1998)
• 26 September – Olivia Newton-John, entertainer (died 2022)
• 3 October – Rob Langer, cricketer
• 4 October – Bob Morris, racing driver
• 5 October – Jim Waley, journalist
• 8 October – Warren Truss, leader of the National Party
• 19 October – Meg Lees, Democrat senator for South Australia
• 30 October – Garry McDonald, actor
• 5 November – Malcolm Milne, Olympic skier
• 6 November – Geoff Prosser, politician
• 14 November – Ian Stanley, golfer (died 2018)
• 15 November – James Kemsley, cartoonist (died 2007)
• 22 November – Gary Dempsey, Australian rules footballer
• 1 December – John Quigley, WA politician
• 2 December – Patricia Hewitt, British Labour Party politician ^[6]
• 5 December – Cheryl Kernot, politician
• 12 December – Kim Beazley, politician
• 15 December – Cassandra Harris, actor (died 1991)
• 29 December – Michael White, psychotherapist (died 2008)

Deaths

Sir Isaac Isaacs

Philip Collier

• 12 February – Sir Isaac Isaacs, 9th Governor-General of Australia and 3rd Chief Justice of Australia (b. 1855)
• 23 March – Lou Cunningham, New South Wales politician (b. 1889)
• 24 March – Sydney Sampson, Victorian politician and newspaper proprietor (b. 1863)
• 9 April – George Carpenter, 5th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1872)
• 15 April – Eric Fairweather Harrison, Victorian politician and soldier (b. 1880)
• 20 May – Marie Pitt, poet and journalist (b. 1869)
• 8 June – Thomas Crawford, Queensland politician (b. 1865)
• 18 June – Edward Brooker, 31st Premier of Tasmania (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1891)
• 18 July – May Moss, welfare worker and suffragette (b. 1869)
• 21 July – Francis Joseph Bayldon, master mariner and nautical instructor (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1872)
• 24 July – Stanley Goble, 2nd Chief of the Air Staff (b. 1891)
• 31 July – Nigel Barker, Olympic track and field athlete (b. 1883)
• 28 August – Jack Lumsdaine, singer, songwriter and soldier (b. 1895)
• 2 September – Margaret McIntyre, Tasmanian politician (b. 1886)
• 9 September – Frank Foster, New South Wales politician (b. 1872)
• 18 October
  • George Cann, New South Wales politician (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1871)
  • Philip Collier, 14th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1873)
• 8 December – Matthew Charlton, 7th Federal Leader of the Opposition (b. 1866)

See also

• List of Australian films of the 1940s

References

1. "Winner: Archibald Prize 1948 - William Dobell". artgallery.nsw.gov.au. Art Gallery of NSW. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
2. "Allan's7th Song Hit Folio". Allan's Song Hit Folio series. Vol. VII, no. 1. New South Wales, Australia. 1 January 1948. p. 6. Retrieved 18 November 2021– via National Library of Australia.
3. "THESE TWO ARE AUSTRALIA'S ACE SONG-WRITING TEAM". Smith's Weekly . Vol. XXXI, no. 42. New South Wales, Australia. 17 December 1949. p. 6. Retrieved 18 November 2021– via National Library of Australia.
4. "The Hon. Brian Joseph Langton Death Notice". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
5. ‘One of Melbourne’s big characters’: youth worker Les Twentyman dies aged 76
6. "Ms Patricia Hewitt (Hansard)". api.parliament.uk.