1944 in Australia

← 1943 1942 1941 1944 in Australia → 1945 1946 1947
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
See also:	Other events of 1944 Timeline of Australian history

Incumbents

• Monarch – King George VI ^[1]
• Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie
• Prime Minister – John Curtin ^[2]

State Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – William McKell
• Premier of Queensland – Frank Cooper
• Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford
• Premier of Tasmania – Robert Cosgrove
• Premier of Victoria – Albert Dunstan
• Premier of Western Australia – John Willcock

State Governors

• Governor of New South Wales – John Loder, 2nd Baron Wakehurst
• Governor of Queensland – Sir Leslie Orme Wilson
• Governor of South Australia – Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey (until 26 April), then Sir Charles Norrie (from 19 December)
• Governor of Tasmania – Sir Ernest Clark
• Governor of Victoria – Sir Winston Dugan
• Governor of Western Australia – none appointed

Events

• 14 January – Meat rationing begins in Australia.^[3]
• 20 January – Seventeen people are killed at Brooklyn, New South Wales when a mail train and a bus collide at a level crossing. There is only one survivor, Gloria Iren Silvia.^[4]
• 15 February – Bushfires in the Western District, Gippsland and Yallourn regions of Victoria kill 51 people.
• 15 April – Fred Paterson is elected to the Parliament of Queensland, representing the seat of Bowen. He remains the only member of the Communist Party of Australia to ever be elected to an Australian Parliament.
• 30 June – Sydney waiter Antonio Agostini is sentenced to six years prison for the manslaughter of his wife, Linda Agostini, in what was known as the "Pyjama Girl" murder.^[5]
• 5 August – The Cowra breakout occurs, with 545 Japanese prisoners of war escaping from the camp.^[6]
• 19 August – A referendum is held, concerning Post-War Reconstruction and Democratic Rights. It proposes to grant the government power to legislate over 14 points of law for a five-year period. The referendum, asked in a single question, is not carried.^[7]
• 21 October – The heavy cruiser HMAS Australia, operating in the Philippines, is hit by a kamikaze aircraft, killing 20 and wounding 54, in what is believed to be the first attack of its kind.
• 25 November – Reg Saunders becomes the first Aboriginal commissioned officer in the Australian Army.
• 14 December – The Liberal Party of Australia is formed, replacing the United Australia Party.

Arts and literature

• Ern Malley poems first published, revealing a major Australian literary hoax.
• Joshua Smith wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Sol Rosevear

Film

• The film of the story of The Rats of Tobruk is released, directed by Charles Chauvel

Sport

• 29 July - North Melbourne (11.21.87) beat Richmond (14.2.86) in the only VFL/AFL match where the winning team scored three fewer goals
• 26 August - Newtown beat St. George 55-7 in the most one-sided NSWRFL/NSWRL/ARL/NRL final in history
• Sirius wins the Melbourne Cup

Births

• 14 January – Graham Marsh, golfer
• 18 January – Paul Keating, Prime Minister of Australia (1991–1996)
• 19 January – Paul Gibson, NSW politician
• 3 February – Trisha Noble, singer and actress
• 9 February – Derryn Hinch, media personality
• 10 February – Peter Allen, entertainer (died 1992)
• 17 February – Robert Dessaix, writer
• 18 March – Dick Smith, businessman
• 22 April – Damien Broderick, science fiction author
• 22 May – John Flanagan, author
• 23 May – John Newcombe, tennis player
• 26 May – Andrew Jones, politician
• 28 May – Paul D. Scully-Power, oceanographer and astronaut
• 6 June – Matt Carroll, film and television producer
• 6 June – Rene Rivkin, businessman (died 2005)
• 4 July – Ray Meagher, actor
• 23 July – Alex Buzo, playwright and author (died 2006)
• 31 July – James Strong, businessman, CEO of Qantas (died 2013)
• 17 August – Nicholas John Vine-Hall, genealogist
• 21 August – Peter Weir, film director
• 2 September – Ray Groom, Premier of Tasmania (1992–1996)
• 8 September – Terry Jenner, cricketer
• 5 September – Gareth Evans, politician
• 11 September – Alan Gilbert, academic and university Vice-Chancellor
• 13 September – Midget Farrelly, surfer
• 16 September – Peter Harvey, journalist and television presenter (died 2013)
• 19 September – Colin Dibley, tennis player
• 25 October - Ron Coote, rugby league footballer
• 21 November – Kay Patterson, Liberal Senator for Victoria
• 4 December – Lawrie Peckham, high jumper
• 20 December – Ray Martin, television presenter (60 Minutes – 1979–1985, A Current Affair – 1994–1998 & 2003–3005, Midday – 1985–1993)
• 27 December – Bob Brown, politician

Deaths

• 1 January – Charles Turner (born 1862), cricketer
• 3 January – Tom Brennan (born 1866), Victorian politician
• 15 January – Patrick Lynch (born 1867), Labor Senator for Western Australia
• 5 March – George John Bell (born 1872), politician
• 31 March – Maurice Blackburn (born 1880), politician
• 10 May – Digby Denham (born 1859), Premier of Queensland (1911–1915)
• 24 May – William Butcher (born 1858), WA politician
• 29 July – Walter Price (born 1886), cricketer
• 5 August – Ralph Jones (born 1900), soldier killed during the Cowra breakout
• 21 October – Emile Dechaineux (born 1902), naval officer, captain of HMAS Australia
• 12 November – Roy Agnew (born 1891), composer and pianist
• 18 November – James Blair, politician and judge
• 20 November – Charles Frederick Cox (born 1863), soldier

References