1964 in Australia
| 1964 in Australia | |
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| Monarchy | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | The Viscount De L'Isle |
| Australian of the Year | Dawn Fraser |
| Elections | Senate, TAS, VIC |
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| Decades: |
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Incumbents
- Prime Minister – Robert Menzies
- Governor General – William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle
- Premier of New South Wales – Robert Heffron (til 30 April), then Jack Renshaw
- Premier of South Australia – Sir Thomas Playford
- Premier of Queensland – Frank Nicklin
- Premier of Tasmania – Eric Reece
- Premier of Western Australia – David Brand
- Premier of Victoria – Henry Bolte
Events
- 29 January – The Royal Australian Air Force takes delivery of its first two Mirage fighter jets
- 3 February – The first double-decker carriages begin trial runs on the Sydney rail network
- 4 February – Cyclone Dora strikes north west Queensland
- 10 February – Melbourne-Voyager collision: The aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and the destroyer HMAS Voyager collide, with the loss of 82 lives
- March – There is a split in the Communist Party of Australia and the Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) is formed
- April – The Menzies government refuses to ratify the International Labor Organisation convention on equal pay for women.
- April – The editors of Sydney satirical Oz magazine – Richard Neville, Richard Walsh and Martin Sharp – are charged with printing an obscene publication
- 8 April – The Jackson-Moonie-Brisbane oil pipeline opens
- 24 April – Melbourne woman Judy Hanrahan becomes the first female teller appointed by the Bank of NSW since WWII
- 27 April Sir Garfield Barwick resigns as Minister for External Affairs to take up his appointment as the new Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
- June – Macquarie University is founded.
- 12 - 30 June - The Beatles tour Australia and New Zealand.
- 6 July – Warrant Officer Class 2, Kevin Conway of the Australian Army Training Team died; he was Australia's first Vietnam War battle casualty.
- 15 July – The first edition of The Australian is published in Canberra. It is Australia's first national daily newspaper, published by Rupert Murdoch's News Limited.
- 17 July – Donald Campbell sets new land speed record of 429 miles per hour in his jet-propelled car "Bluebird" at Lake Eyre, South Australia
- August – The Tasman Bridge across the Derwent River opens in Hobart.
- 26 October – Notorious Perth serial killer Eric Edgar Cooke is executed at Fremantle Prison; he is the last person to be hanged in Western Australia
- 10 November – Prime Minister Robert Menzies announces the reintroduction of National Service
- 10 December – The Queensland government declares a state of emergency in an attempt to end the Mount Isa Mines dispute
- 16 December – Melbourne's La Trobe University is founded
- 31 December – Donald Campbell sets new water speed record of 276 miles per hour at Dumbleyung Lake, Western Australia
- The Beatles tour Australia
- Sir Percy Spender is appointed President of the International Court of Justice
- Swimmer Dawn Fraser is named Australian of the Year
Science and technology
- 2 October – Gladesville Bridge opened – the world's longest concrete arch at the time.
Arts and literature
- Donald Horne's The Lucky Country published.
- Kath Walker's We Are Going published.
- My Brother Jack by George Johnston is awarded the Miles Franklin Literary Award.
Television
- The launch of ATV-0 marks the birth of the third commercial television network, now known as Network Ten
- Singer Johnny Chester hosts a new ABC TV show called Teen Scene, which also features his backing group The Chessmen as the house band.
- 20 October – Police drama Homicide begins a 12-year run and sets the pace for Australian television drama.
- 11 November – The Mavis Bramston Show premieres on HSV 7 in Melbourne.
Sport
- 17 May Bernard "Midget" Farrelly wins the first World Surfboard Championship at Manly Beach
- 18 July – Robert Vagg wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:24:06.2 in Sydney.
- Polo Prince wins the Melbourne Cup
- South Australia wins the Sheffield Shield
- Freya wins the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
- Australia places 8th in the 1964 Olympic Games with 6 gold medals
- St. George Dragons win the Australian Rugby League Grand Final
- Melbourne Football Club wins the Victorian Football League Grand Final
Births
- 17 June - James Ellis, Goalkeeper, Gosnells City
- 16 January – Chris Dittmar, squash player
- 23 January - Nick Breyder, junior cross country runner
- 4 March – Karen Knowles, entertainer
- 7 April – Douglas Humphrey, philosopher/statesman
- 15 April – Lee Kernaghan, country singer/songwriter
- 19 April – Peter Jackson (died 1997), Australian rugby league footballer
- 30 April – Ian Healy, cricket player and commentator
- 28 May – Jeff Fenech, boxer and trainer
- 3 June – Matthew Ryan, equestrian
- 7 June – Gia Carides, actress
- 9 June – Jane Kennedy, actress and comedian
- 4 August – Andrew Bartlett, politician
- 10 August – Andy Caldecott, motorcycle racer (died 2006)
- 14 August – Jason Dunstall, Australian Rules football player
- 19 August – Dermott Brereton, Australian Rules football player
- 5 September – Frank Farina, soccer player and manager
- 11 September – Kathy Watt, cyclist
- 27 October – Mark Taylor, cricket player and commentator
- 29 October – Eddie McGuire, businessman and television presenter
- 29 October – Jackie Pereira, field hockey striker
- 9 November – Mark Dalton, basketball player
- 9 December – Larry Emdur, television presenter
- 16 December – Georgie Parker, actress
Deaths
- 23 January – Claude Hulbert, British actor (born 1900)
- 12 February – Arthur Upfield, author (born 1890)
- 18 April – Wilfred Mibus, Victorian politician (born 1900)
- 19 October – Nettie Palmer, author (born 1885)
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