1951 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1951 in Australia.

Incumbents

 * Monarch – George VI
 * Governor-General – (Sir) 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 – 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 (until 8 May), then Sir Ronald Cross, 1st Baronet (from 22 August)
 * Governor of Victoria – Sir Dallas Brooks
 * Governor of Western Australia – Sir James Mitchell (until 1 July), then Sir Charles Gairdner (from 6 November)

Events

 * 1 January – The 50th anniversary of Australian federation is celebrated.
 * 19 February – Jean Lee becomes the last woman to be hanged in Australia, when she, Robert Clayton and Norman Andrews are executed in Melbourne for the murder of a 73-year-old man.
 * 1 March – The Bank of Australasia merges with the Union Bank of Australia to form the ANZ Bank.
 * 9 March – The High Court of Australia rules in the case Australian Communist Party v Commonwealth that the Communist Party Dissolution Bill 1950, passed by the parliament to ban the Communist Party of Australia, was unconstitutional.
 * 19 March – The Governor-General, William McKell, issues a double dissolution of parliament for the second time in its history, citing the Senate's referral of the Commonwealth Bank Bill as a "failure to pass" the bill.
 * 12 April – Conscription begins as the first call-up notice is issued under the National Service Act (1951), requiring Australian 18-year-old males to undergo compulsory military training.
 * 28 April – A federal election is held. The Liberal government of Robert Menzies retains power.
 * 8 June – The first lessons of the School of the Air are broadcast from the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Adelaide.
 * 13 June – Labor leader and former Prime Minister Ben Chifley suddenly dies of a heart attack.
 * 20 June – Herbert Vere Evatt succeeds Ben Chifley as leader of the Labor Party.
 * 16 August – The Australian Financial Review is first published.
 * 1 September – The Anzus Treaty, between Australia, New Zealand and the United States, is signed.
 * 9 September – Australia signs the Treaty of San Francisco, formalising peace with Japan.
 * 22 September – A federal referendum is held, proposing to alter the Australian Constitution to allow the banning of the Communist Party. The referendum was not carried.
 * 4 October – Francis McEncroe sells the first Chiko Rolls at the Wagga Wagga agricultural show.
 * 15 October – A De Havilland Dove aircraft crashes near Kalgoorlie killing all 7 on board.
 * 13 November – William McKell is gazetted a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, becoming the only Governor-General of Australia to be knighted during their term.

Arts and literature

 * Ivor Hele wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Laurie Thomas
 * Justin O'Brien wins the inaugural Blake Prize for Religious Art with his work The Virgin Enthroned

Sport

 * Athletics
 * 5 March – Gordon Stanley wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:59:44.6 in Hobart.
 * Cricket
 * Victoria wins the Sheffield Shield
 * Australia defeats England 4–1 in The Ashes
 * Football
 * The 1951 French rugby league tour of Australia and New Zealand is conducted
 * Bledisloe Cup: won by the All Blacks
 * Brisbane Rugby League premiership: Souths defeated Easts 20-10
 * New South Wales Rugby League premiership: South Sydney defeated Manly-Warringah 42-14
 * South Australian National Football League premiership: won by Port Adelaide
 * Victorian Football League premiership: Geelong defeated Essendon 81-70
 * Golf
 * Australian Open: won by Peter Thomson
 * Australian PGA Championship: won by Norman Von Nida
 * Horse racing
 * Basha Felika wins the Caulfield Cup
 * Bronton wins the Cox Plate
 * Delta wins the Melbourne Cup
 * Motor racing
 * The Australian Grand Prix was held at Narrogin and won by Warwick Pratley driving a George Reed Special
 * Tennis
 * Australian Open men's singles: Dick Savitt defeats Ken McGregor 6-3 2–6 6-3 6-1
 * Australian Open women's singles: Nancye Wynne Bolton defeats Thelma Coyne Long 6-1 7-5
 * Davis Cup: Australia defeats the United States 3–2 in the 1951 Davis Cup final
 * US Open: Frank Sedgman wins the Men's Singles
 * Wimbledon: Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman win the Men's Doubles
 * Yachting
 * Margaret Rintoul takes line honours and Struen Marie wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

Births

 * 19 January – Charles Blunt, politician
 * 20 January – Clyde Sefton, road cyclist
 * 22 January – Steve J. Spears, actor, singer, and playwright (died 2007)
 * 26 February – Wayne Goss, Premier of Queensland (died 2014)
 * 29 April – Jon Stanhope, Chief Minister of the ACT
 * 29 May – Don Baird, pole vaulter
 * 4 July – John Alexander, tennis player and politician
 * 6 July – Geoffrey Rush, actor
 * 31 July – Evonne Goolagong Cawley, tennis player
 * 5 August – John Jarratt, actor
 * 6 August – Daryl Somers, television personality
 * 30 August –
 * Danny Clark, track cyclist and road bicycle racer
 * Brad Hazzard, politician
 * 9 September – Alexander Downer, politician
 * 27 September – Geoff Gallop, Premier of Western Australia
 * 9 October – Rod Galt, Australian rules footballer (died 2019)
 * 14 November – Shelley Hancock, politician
 * 1 December – Doug Mulray, radio personality (died 2023)
 * 18 December – Andy Thomas, astronaut
 * 22 December – Jan Stephenson, professional golfer

Deaths

 * 29 January – Frank Tarrant, cricketer (b. 1880)
 * 18 April – Daisy Bates, journalist and anthropologist (born in Ireland) (b. 1859)
 * 27 May – Sir Thomas Blamey, field marshal (b. 1884)
 * 11 June – William Higgs, Queensland politician (b. 1862)
 * 13 June – Ben Chifley, 16th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1885)
 * 17 June - Vin Coutie, footballer (b. 1881)
 * 3 July – Sydney Jephcott, poet (b. 1864)
 * 4 October – Bartlett Adamson, journalist, poet, author and political activist (b. 1884)
 * 10 December – Ernest Edwin Mitchell, composer (b. 1865)