1979 in Australia
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| 1979 in Australia | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
|---|---|
| Governor-General | Zelman Cowen |
| Prime Minister | Malcolm Fraser |
| Population | 14,359,255 |
| Elections | SA, TAS, VIC |
See also: 1978 in Australia, other events of 1979, 1980 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.
Contents |
[edit] Incumbents
- Queen of Australia - HM Queen Elizabeth II
- Prime Minister - Malcolm Fraser
- Governor General - Zelman Cowen
- Premier of New South Wales - Neville Wran
- Premier of South Australia - Don Dunstan, Des Cocoran
- Premier of Queensland - Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen
- Premier of Tasmania - Harry Holgate
- Premier of Western Australia - Charles Court
- Premier of Victoria - Rupert Hamer
- Chief Minister of the Northern Territory - Paul Everingham
[edit] Events
- Neville Bonner is announced as Australian of the Year
- June 9 - A fire at Luna Park Sydney kills 7. The park is forced to close.
- July 11 - The American space station Skylab crashes in Western Australia
- July 20 - inaugural meeting of the National Farmers' Federation
- October 19 - The Australian Federal Police is established
[edit] Arts and Literature
- Wes Walters wins the Archibald Prize for his portrait of Philip Adams
[edit] Film
- My Brilliant Career, directed by Gillian Armstrong, is released
[edit] Television
- February 11 - The Australian 60 Minutes begins on the Nine Network
- February 27 - Prisoner makes its debut on the 0-10 Network.
[edit] Sport
- March 25 – Australia is represented by nine long-distance runners (all men), including Robert de Castella, at the seventh IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Limerick, Ireland. Steve Austin is Australia's best finisher, claiming the 29th spot (38:36.0) in the race over 12 kilometres.
- August 12 – Robert de Castella wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:13:23 in Perth.
- November 6 – Hyperno wins the Melbourne Cup
- Victoria wins the Sheffield Shield
- Bumblebee IV takes line honours in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Screw Loose is the handicap winner
- England defeats Australia 5-1 in The Ashes
- Australia wins the Admiral's Cup
- Jack Newton wins the Australian Open golf championship
- The National Basketball League is founded
[edit] Births
- January 2 – Robert Newbery, diver
- March 4 – Geoff Huegill, swimmer
- March 12 – Jamie Dwyer, field hockey forward
- April 4 – Heath Ledger, actor (d. 2008)
- April 9 – Graeme Brown, cyclist
- April 18 – Zain Wright, field hockey midfielder
- July 7 – Loudy Tourky, diver
- August 23 – Lance Whitnall, Australian Rules footballer
- September 12 – Aaron Hopkins, field hockey defender
- October 20 – Tim Neesham, water polo player
- December 21 – Stephen Lambert, field hockey goalkeeper
[edit] Deaths
- January 7 – Ivan Stedman (83), swimmer (b. 1895)
- April 15 – David Brand, Premier of Western Australia (b. 1912)
- June 6 – Ion Idriess, author (b. 1889)
