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)