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| 1969 in Australia | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
|---|---|
| Governor-General | Richard Casey, then Paul Hasluck |
| Prime Minister | John Gorton |
| Population | 12,008,635 |
| Elections | Federal, TAS, QLD |
See also: 1968 in Australia, other events of 1969, 1970 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.
Incumbents
- Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II
- Governor General – Lord Casey (until April 30), then Sir Paul Hasluck
- Prime Minister – John Gorton
State premiers
State governors
- Governor of New South Wales – Sir Roden Cutler
- Governor of Queensland – Sir Alan Mansfield
- Governor of South Australia – Major-General Sir James William Harrison
- Governor of Tasmania – Lieutenant General Sir Edric Bastyan
- Governor of Victoria – Major General Sir Rohan Delacombe
- Governor of Western Australia – Major General Sir Douglas Kendrew
Events
- February 7 – The Violet Town railway disaster: the passenger train Southern Aurora collides head-on with a freight train on the new Melbourne to Sydney train line. Nine people are killed.
- April 30 – Sir Paul Hasluck becomes Governor-General of Australia after the retirement of Lord Casey.
- May 10 – The 1969 Tasmanian election is held, resulting in a hung parliament with the ALP and Liberals winning 17 seats each. The deadlock is broken when Kevin Lyons of the Centre Party forms a coalition government with the Liberals and becomes Deputy Premier under Angus Bethune.
- May 12 – The Age newspaper in Melbourne begins the process of moving from Collins Street to Spencer Street. The move is completed on October 6.
- June 3 – Melbourne-Evans collision - The Royal Australian Navy aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne collides with the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Frank E. Evans in the South China Sea. Frank E. Evans is cut in half and sinks, killing 74 crew.
- June 19 – The Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission rules that equal pay for women doing the same work as men must be phased in by 1972.
- September 26 – The Poseidon bubble begins when the small mining company Poseidon NL discovers a large nickel deposit in Laverton, Western Australia.
- October 25 – A federal election is held. The incumbent Coalition government led by John Gorton defeats the Australian Labor Party led by Gough Whitlam.
- November 29 – The rebuilding of the Indian Pacific rail line between Sydney and Perth to standard gauge is completed.
- December 16 – Prime Minister John Gorton announces that a withdrawal of Australian Army troops from the Vietnam War would begin in 1970.
Science and technology
- July 20 – NASA switches the main transmission feed of the Apollo 11 moon landing to Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station in Canberra, then Parkes Observatory in New South Wales, which then broadcasts the mission to the world.
Arts and literature
- May 4 – An Australian production of the rock musical Hair opens in Sydney. Produced by Harry M. Miller, it features the debut of young American singer Marcia Hines.
- George Johnston's novel Clean Straw for Nothing wins the Miles Franklin Award
Film
- March 27 – Two Thousand Weeks (directed by Tim Burstall) is released. The film was one of the first features of the modern era in Australian cinema, although it was received poorly both critically and commercially.[1]
Television
- March 5 – The last episode of spy series Hunter is aired.
- March 11 – Police procedural drama series Division 4 makes its debut on the Nine Network.
- March 21 – Graham Kennedy wins the Gold Logie for In Melbourne Tonight.
Sport
- January 21 – Boxer Johnny Famechon becomes world featherweight champion, when he defeats Cuban Jose Legra in a bout at the Albert Hall in London.
- September 20 – The Balmain Tigers defeated South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NSWRL Rugby League Grand Final at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
- October 2 – Tennis player Rod Laver beats fellow Australian Tony Roche in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open, achieving his second Grand Slam (having also won the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon in that year).
- October 11 – John Farrington wins his first men's national marathon title, clocking 2:21:02.8 in Sydney.
- November 4 – Rain Lover wins the Melbourne Cup.
Births
- January 19 — Luc Longley, basketball player
- January 22 — Shelley Sandie, basketball player
- January 23 — Danielle Woodhouse, water polo player
- February 7 — Fiona Robinson, basketball and handball player
- March 3 — Tony Modra, Australian Rules football player
- March 17 — Alison Forman, football (soccer) midfielder
- April 1 — Andrew Vlahov, basketball player
- April 3 — Ben Mendelsohn, actor
- May 14 — Cate Blanchett, actress
- May 31 — Juliet Haslam, field hockey defender
- June 30 — Mark Garner, track and field sprinter
- July 30 — Simon Baker, actor
- August 15 — Bernard Fanning, singer
- September 6 — Michellie Jones, triathlete
- September 9 — Natasha Stott Despoja, politician
- September 13 — Shane Warne, cricketer
- September 19 — Kostya Tszyu, boxer
- November 20 — Laurie Daley, rugby league player
Deaths
- 14 May – Frederick Lane (b. 1888), swimmer
- 3 August – Alexander Mair (b. 1889), Premier of New South Wales (1939–1941)
- 25 August – Robert Cosgrove (b. 1894), Premier of Tasmania (1939–1947, 1948–1958)
- 17 November – Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey (b. 1890), Governor of South Australia (1939–1944)
- 21 November – Norman Lindsay (b. 1879), artist
- 27 November – May Gibbs, (b. 1877) children's author.
See also
References
- ^ 2000 Weeks (1969), Australian Screen.
Related links