1940 in Australia
See also: 1939 in Australia, other events of 1940, 1941 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.
Incumbents
State Governors
Events
Science and technology
Arts and literature
Film
Sport
Births
- 5 January – Athol Guy, musician
- 19 January – Paul Calvert, Liberal Senator for Tasmania
- 17 February – Marilyn Jones, ballet dancer
- 22 February – Neil Brown, politician
- 27 February – Bill Hunter, actor
- 1 March – Robin Gray, Premier of Tasmania (1982–1989)
- 8 March – Don Barker, actor
- 19 March – Andrew Taylor, poet
- 20 March – Paul Neville, politician
- 12 April – Jack Hibberd, playwright
- 16 April – Marion Halligan, writer
- 26 April – Ian Geoghegan, race car driver (d. 2003)
- 15 June – Ken Fletcher, tennis player (d. 2006)
- 23 June – Diana Trask, country music singer
- 25 June – Judy Amoore, athlete
- 29 June – Ken Done, artist
- 3 August – Judith Troeth, Liberal Senator for Victoria
- 16 August – Bruce Beresford, film director
- 18 August – Jan Owen, poet
- 31 August – Jack Thompson, actor
- 9 September – Hugh Morgan, businessman
- 13 September – Kerry Stokes, chairman of the Seven Network
- 15 September – Allan Andrews, NSW politician
- 21 September – John Pochee, jazz musician
- 3 October – Diana Warnock, radio broadcaster and politician
- 4 October – Ian Kiernan, environmentalist, 1994 Australian of the Year
- 5 October – Bob Cowper, cricketer
- 15 October – Peter C. Doherty, medical researcher, Nobel Prize recipient
- 19 October – Ian Causley, politician
- 21 October – Peter Arnison, Governor of Queensland (1997-2003)
- 1 November – John Bell, actor and theatre director
- 4 November – John Sanderson, Governor of Western Australia (2000–2005)
- 12 November – John Dowd, NSW politician
- 7 December – Robin Miller, aviator and nurse (d. 1975)
Deaths
- 3 February – John Henry Michell, mathematician
- 8 March – Michael Kelly (b. 1850), Catholic Archbishop of Sydney (1911–1940)
- 16 April – Herbert James Carter (b. 1858), entomologist
- 22 June – Monty Noble (b. 1873), cricketer
- 23 June – Hugh Denis Macrossan (b. 1881), Queensland politician and judge
- 6 July – Michael O'Connor (b. 1865), WA politician
- 22 July – Sir George Fuller (b. 1861), Premier of New South Wales (1921)
- 30 July – Arthur Merric Boyd (b. 1862), painter
- 30 July – Archibald Watson (b. 1849), surgeon and professor of anatomy
- 13 August – Geoffrey Street (b. 1894), politician
- 13 August – Henry Gullett (b. 1878), politician
- 13 August – James Fairbairn (b. 1897), politician
- 13 August – Sir Brudenell White (b. 1876), Chief of the General Staff
- 9 September – Percy Abbott (b. 1869), politician
- 11 September – Issy Smith (b. 1890), soldier and Victoria Cross recipient
- 22 September – Robert Blackwood
- 2 October – Albert Green, politician
- 14 October – Helen de Guerry Simpson (b. 1897), novelist
- 25 October – Thomas Waddell (b. 1854), Premier of New South Wales (1904)
- 31 October – Frank Anstey (b. 1865), politician
- 2 November – Colin Rankin (b. 1869), soldier, politician, cane farmer and company director
- 3 November – James Fowler, politician
- 23 November – Stanley Argyle (b. 1867), Premier of Victoria (1932–1935)