1950 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1950 in Australia.

Incumbents

 * Monarch – George VI
 * Governor-General – William McKell
 * Prime Minister – Robert Menzies
 * 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 – Robert Cosgrove
 * Premier of Victoria – Thomas Hollway (until 27 June), then John McDonald
 * 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 Dallas Brooks
 * Governor of Western Australia – Sir James Mitchell

Events

 * 25 January – The Tank Landing Ship HMAS Tarakan explodes at Garden Island in Sydney, killing 8 people.
 * 8 February – Petrol rationing ends, nearly ten years after it was introduced during World War II.
 * 6 May – A state election is held in Tasmania. The result is a hung parliament, but Robert Cosgrove's Labor Party remains in power with independent support.
 * 13 May – A state election is held in Victoria.
 * 23 June – The Parliament of Australia passes the Communist Party Dissolution Bill, effectively banning the operation of the Communist Party of Australia.
 * 26 June – Douglas DC-4 Amana crashes near Perth, Western Australia, killing 28. One passenger survived the crash.
 * 26 July – The government announces that Australia will send troops to fight in the Korean War. The first Australian forces land in Korea on 17 September.
 * 28 October – The Smith's Weekly newspaper, founded in 1919, is published for the last time.
 * New South Wales and Queensland receive extraordinary annual rainfall.

Arts and literature

 * 11 December – A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute is published.

Unknown dates

 * William Dargie wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Sir Leslie McConnan
 * The novel Power Without Glory by Frank Hardy is published.
 * The Ballet Corroboree, by John Antill, is first performed

Sport

 * General
 * Australia wins 34 gold medals at the 4th British Empire Games, held in Auckland, New Zealand


 * Cricket
 * New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield
 * Cycling
 * Sid Patterson wins the world amateur pursuit cycling title in Belgium
 * Football
 * Brisbane Rugby League premiership: Easts defeated Wests 14-10
 * New South Wales Rugby League premiership: South Sydney defeated Western Suburbs 21-15
 * South Australian National Football League premiership: won by Norwood
 * Victorian Football League premiership: Essendon defeated North Melbourne 92-54
 * Golf
 * Australian Open: won by Norman Von Nida
 * Australian PGA Championship: won by Norman Von Nida
 * Horse racing
 * Grey Boots wins the Caulfield Cup
 * Alister wins the Cox Plate
 * Comic Court wins the Melbourne Cup
 * Motor racing
 * The Australian Grand Prix was held at Nuriootpa and won by Doug Whiteford driving a Ford
 * Tennis
 * Australian Open men's singles: Frank Sedgman defeats Ken McGregor 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-1
 * Australian Open women's singles: Louise Brough defeats Doris Hart 6-4 3-6 6-4
 * Davis Cup: Australia defeats the United States 4–1 in the 1950 Davis Cup final
 * US Open: John Bromwich and Frank Sedgman win the Men's Doubles
 * Wimbledon: John Bromwich and Adrian Quist win the Men's Doubles
 * Yachting
 * Margaret Rintoul takes line honours and Nerida wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

Births

 * 1 January – Wayne Bennett, rugby league footballer and coach
 * 26 January – Barry Round, Australian rules footballer (died 2022)
 * 30 January – Jack Newton, golfer (died 2022)
 * 11 February – John Cobb, politician
 * 14 February – Phil Dent, tennis player
 * 16 February – Malcolm Blight, Australian Rules football player
 * 20 February – Garry Manuel, football (soccer) player
 * 1 March – Estelle Blackburn, journalist
 * 11 March – Sam Kekovich, Australian Rules football player
 * 18 March – Larry Perkins, ATCC/V8 Supercars racing driver
 * 20 March – Warren Snowdon, politician
 * 10 April – Mick Dodson, indigenous leader
 * 11 April – Jim Molan, politician and army officer (died 2023)
 * 13 April – Tommy Raudonikis, rugby league player and coach (died 2021)
 * 15 April – Peter Cochrane, historian
 * 21 April – Bruce Duperouzel, footballer and cricketer
 * 29 April – Phillip Noyce, film director
 * 11 May – Gary Foley, indigenous activist
 * 15 May – Jim Bacon, Premier of Tasmania (2001–2004, died 2004)
 * 26 May – Paul Omodei, WA politician
 * 29 May – Lesley Hunt, tennis player
 * 31 May – Warren Entsch, politician
 * 13 June – Belinda Bauer, actress
 * 13 July – Kevin McQuay, businessman (died 2005)
 * 15 July
 * Colin Barnett, WA politician
 * Alan Hurst, cricketer
 * Peter Reith, politician (died 2022)
 * 17 July – Nick Bolkus, politician
 * 21 July – Allan Maher, football (soccer) goalkeeper
 * 28 July – Jim Maxwell, cricket commentator
 * 8 August – Philip Salom, poet and novelist
 * 16 August – Jeff Thomson, cricketer
 * 19 August – Graeme Beard, cricketer
 * 6 September – Robyn Davidson, writer
 * 11 September – Bruce Doull, Australian Rules football player
 * 27 September – John Marsden, writer
 * 14 October – Kate Grenville, novelist
 * 30 October – Tim Sheens, rugby league footballer and coach
 * 2 November – Graeme Murphy, choreographer
 * 7 November – John Lang, rugby league footballer and coach
 * 25 November – Alexis Wright, writer
 * 1 December – Ross Hannaford, guitarist (Daddy Cool) (died 2016)
 * 10 December – Robert Cusack, swimmer
 * 12 December
 * Louis Nowra, writer and playwright
 * Judy Wajcman, sociologist
 * 18 December – Gillian Armstrong, film director
 * 22 December – Nick Enright, playwright, director (died 2003)

Deaths

 * 2 January
 * James Dooley, 21st Premier of New South Wales (born in Ireland) (b. 1877)
 * Beaumont Smith, film director and producer (b. 1885)
 * 20 January – Ray Duggan, speedway racer (b. 1913)
 * 25 January – Chummy Fleming, trade unionist (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1863)
 * 9 February – Ted Theodore, 20th Premier of Queensland (b. 1884)
 * 23 February – Henry Willis, New South Wales politician (b. 1860)
 * 19 March – Harry Wright, Australian rules footballer (Essendon) (b. 1870)
 * 14 April – Sir Albert Dunstan, 33rd Premier of Victoria (b. 1882)
 * 6 May – Lancelot De Mole, engineer and inventor (b. 1880)
 * 15 May – Jack Hickey, Olympic rugby union and league player (b. 1887)
 * 11 June – Ernest Henshaw, Western Australian politician (b. 1870)
 * 20 June – Claude Jennings, cricketer (b. 1884)
 * 14 July – Bill Howell, cricketer (b. 1869)
 * 31 July – George Wise, Victorian politician and solicitor (b. 1853)
 * 6 August – Edwin Corboy, Western Australian politician (b. 1896)
 * 8 August – Sir Fergus McMaster, businessman and aviation pioneer (b. 1879)
 * 3 September – Michael Durack, Western Australian politician and pastoralist (b. 1865)
 * 22 September – Edward Fowell Martin, public servant and soldier (b. 1875)
 * 24 September – Dame Mary Cook, 6th Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1863)
 * 6 November – Frank Brennan, Victorian politician (b. 1873)
 * 20 November – Erle Cox, journalist and science fiction author (b. 1873)
 * 2 December – James Fenton, Victorian politician (b. 1864)
 * 29 December – Albert Lane, New South Wales politician (b. 1873)