The following lists events that happened during 1951 in Australia .
Incumbents
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Womboota Uniting Church, built in 1951 Five Latvian girls in the bush near Brisbane, 1951 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 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.[1]
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
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.[2]
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
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Athletics
Cricket
Football
Golf
Horse racing
Motor racing
Tennis
Yachting
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 –
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
29 January – Frank Tarrant , cricketer (b. 1880 )[3] 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 )[4] 10 December – Ernest Edwin Mitchell , composer (b. 1865 )[5] See also
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References
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