1946 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1946 in Australia.

1946 in Australia
Monarch	George VI
Governor-General	Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Prime minister	Ben Chifley
Population	7,465,157
Elections	Federal, TAS

List of events

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1946
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Decades:

Incumbents

26 January – Foundation Day is renamed Australia Day.
18 February – The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Norman Gilroy, becomes Cardinal Gilroy, the first Australian born member of the College of Cardinals
10 March – An Australian National Airways DC-3 aircraft crashes near Hobart, killing 25 people.
1 May – At least 800 Aboriginal pastoral workers walk off the job in Northwest Western Australia, starting one of the longest industrial strikes in Australia.
6 June – The ABC makes the first national broadcast of a federal parliamentary debate.
19 July – Orange, New South Wales is proclaimed a city.
30 August – Lismore, New South Wales is proclaimed a city.
9 September – Trans Australia Airlines makes its first flight.
28 September – A federal election is held. The Australian Labor Party and Prime Minister Ben Chifley are returned to power. A three-question referendum is also held: the question on Social Services is carried; questions on Marketing and Industrial Employment are not.
23 November – A general election is held in Tasmania. The Labor Party led by Robert Cosgrove is returned to power with a reduced majority.
13 December – The United Nations grants Australia trusteeship of Territory of New Guinea and Territory of Papua.

7 August – Overseas Telecommunications Commission established by an Act of Parliament in August 1946. It inherited facilities and resources from Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Limited (AWA) and Cable & Wireless, and was charged with responsibility for all international telecommunications services into, through and out of Australia.

14 September – Balmain win the 1946 NSWRFL season, defeating St. George 13–12 in the grand final. South Sydney, after not winning a game all season, finish in last place, claiming the wooden spoon for the second year in a row.
Morna takes line honours and Christina wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
Russia wins the Melbourne Cup
New Zealand defeats Australia 2–0 in a Rugby union test

2 January – Joe Darling, cricketer (b. 1870)
12 February – Sir David Gordon, South Australian politician (b. 1865 - d. 1946)^[1]
20 March – Ethel Richardson, author (died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1870)
27 March – Sir Robert Best, Victorian politician and lawyer (b. 1856)
13 September – William Watt, 24th Premier of Victoria (b. 1871)

^ Rob Van Den Hoorn (1983). Bede Nairn; Geoff Serle (eds.). Gordon, Sir David John (1865–1946). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 9. Melbourne University Press. Retrieved 3 January 2022.

Years in Australia (1788–present)

18th century

19th century

20th century

21st century

v t e 1946 in Oceania
Sovereign states	Australia Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu
Associated states of New Zealand	Cook Islands Niue