1973 in Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following lists events that happened during 1973 in Australia.
| 1973 in Australia | |
|---|---|
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | Sir Paul Hasluck |
| Prime minister | Gough Whitlam |
| Population | 13,303,664 |
| Australian of the Year | Patrick White |
| Elections | SA, VIC, NSW, Referendum |
| |||||
| Decades: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| See also: | |||||
State and territory leaders
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- Monarch – Elizabeth II
- Governor-General – Sir Paul Hasluck
- Prime Minister – Gough Whitlam
- Chief Justice – Sir Garfield Barwick
- Premier of New South Wales – Sir Robert Askin
- Opposition Leader – Pat Hills (until 17 November), then Neville Wran
- Premier of Queensland – Joh Bjelke-Petersen
- Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan
- Premier of Tasmania – Eric Reece
- Premier of Victoria – Rupert Hamer
- Premier of Western Australia – John Tonkin
Governors and administrators
- Governor of New South Wales – Sir Roden Cutler
- Governor of Queensland – Sir Colin Hannah
- Governor of South Australia – Sir Mark Oliphant
- Governor of Tasmania – Lieutenant General Sir Edric Bastyan (until 30 November), then Sir Stanley Burbury
- Governor of Victoria – Major General Sir Rohan Delacombe
- Governor of Western Australia – Major General Sir Douglas Kendrew
- Administrator of Norfolk Island – Edward Pickerd
- Administrator of the Northern Territory – Frederick Chaney (until 10 December), then Jock Nelson
- Administrator/High Commissioner of Papua New Guinea – Les Johnson
Events
- 10 February – Australia's first casino, the Wrest Point Hotel Casino, opens in Hobart[1]
- 28 February – The federal voting age is lowered from 21 to 18.[2] The state of New South Wales had already enacted such a change in 1970.
- 2 March – Wellington Street bus station in Perth is opened by Western Australia's premier John Tonkin[3]
- 8 March – Whiskey Au Go Go fire[4]
- 1 June – The first General Dynamics F-111 aircraft is delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force[5]
- 9 June – Disappearance of Jason Shannon[6][7]
- 19 July – Lois D'Arcy was the first independent civil marriage celebrant ever appointed – by Attorney-General Lionel Murphy.
- 25 August - Disappearance of Joanne Ratcliffe and Kirste Gordon[8]
- 9 October - The fifty-dollar note was introduced
- 20 October – Sydney Opera House officially opened by Elizabeth II[9]
- 1 December – Papua New Guinea is granted self-government prior to independence
- 31 December – AC/DC perform their first major gig in Sydney.
- Removal of the "White Australia Policy".
Arts and literature
- Patrick White is announced as Australian of the Year[10]
- 21 September – The Jackson Pollock painting Blue Poles is controversially purchased by the Whitlam government for US$2 million (A$1.3 million).[11]
- "No award" was made for the Miles Franklin Award[12]
Film
Television
- Certain Women (TV series) commences[14]
- The novel Seven Little Australians adapted for television (10 part series)[15]
- The New South Wales Rugby Football League negotiates its first television deal with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.[16]
Sport
- 8 September – Derek Clayton wins his fourth men's national marathon title, clocking 2:12:07.6 in Perth.
- 15 September – Manly-Warringah defeated Cronulla-Sutherland 10–7 in the 1973 NSWRFL season Grand Final, claiming their second straight premiership.[17] Penrith finish in last position, claiming the wooden spoon.
- Gala Supreme wins the Melbourne Cup[18]
- Western Australia wins the Sheffield Shield[19]
- Helsall takes line honours in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Ceil III is the handicap winner[20]
- Australia defeats South Africa 3–0 in the Federation Cup
