1973 in Australia

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

List of events

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1972
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1973
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1974
1975
1976

Decades:

1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s

Incumbents

Monarch – Elizabeth II
Governor-General – Sir Paul Hasluck
Prime Minister – Gough Whitlam
- Deputy Prime Minister – Lance Barnard
- Opposition Leader – Billy Snedden
Chief Justice – Sir Garfield Barwick

State and territory leaders

Premier of New South Wales – Sir Robert Askin
- Opposition Leader – Pat Hills (until 17 November), then Neville Wran
Premier of Queensland – Joh Bjelke-Petersen
- Opposition Leader – Jack Houston
Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan
- Opposition Leader – Bruce Eastick
Premier of Tasmania – Eric Reece
- Opposition Leader – Max Bingham
Premier of Victoria – Rupert Hamer
- Opposition Leader – Clyde Holding
Premier of Western Australia – John Tonkin
- Opposition Leader – Sir Charles Court

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]
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

Alvin Purple^[13]

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

Births

8 January – Jason Stevens, rugby league player and sportscaster
17 January – Chris Bowen, politician
22 January – Abi Tucker, actor and singer
31 January – Portia de Rossi, actress
4 February – James Hird, Australian footballer and coach
5 February – Luke Ricketson, rugby league player^[21]
15 February – Sarah Wynter, actress
16 February – Catherine Freeman, athlete
20 February – Kimberley Davies, actor
28 February – Rodger Corser, Actor
26 March – Matt Burke, rugby union footballer
13 April – Tammy Cole, field hockey defender
19 April – George Gregan, rugby union player
26 April – Stephanie Graf, middle distance athlete
29 May – Malcolm Allen, swimmer
12 June – Darryl White, Australian rules footballer
21 June – Alyson Annan, field hockey player
24 June – Matt Drummond, film director, screenwriter and visual effects supervisor
27 July – Gorden Tallis, rugby league footballer
2 August – Susie O'Neill, swimmer
14 August – Kieren Perkins, swimmer
20 August – Scott Goodman, swimmer
22 August – Mark Hickman, field hockey goalkeeper
2 September – Matthew Dunn, swimmer
5 September – Jennifer Whittle, basketball player
18 September – Louise Sauvage, wheelchair athlete
22 September – Craig McRae, footballer
8 October – Toby Haenen, swimmer
14 October – Steven Bradbury, speed skater
18 October – Stephen Allan, golfer
23 October – David Beard, volleyball player
31 October – Andrew Constance, politician
1 November – Peta Murphy, politician (d. 2023)
6 November – Greg Warren, politician
20 November
- Sav Rocca, American football player and Australian rules footballer
- Matthew Smith, field hockey player
4 December – Steve Menzies, rugby league footballer
24 December – Kerry Nettle, politician
28 December – Alex Dimitriades, actor
(Date Unknown) – Ann Shoebridge, milliner

Deaths

18 January – Beatrice Bligh, gardener (b. 1916)^[22]
5 April – John Coleman (born 1928), Australian rules footballer^[23]
21 April – Arthur Fadden (born 1894), former Prime Minister^[24]
8 July – Arthur Calwell (born 1896), politician^[25]

References

^ "First casino opens doors for public". The Canberra Times. 12 February 1973. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ "Bill to give vote at age 18". The Canberra Times. 1 March 1973. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ Acott, Kent (4 January 2014). "End of line for city bus station". The West Australian. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
^ "Petrol bomb fire kills 15 in Brisbane nightclub". The Canberra Times. 9 March 1973. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ "The controversial F111 touches down at last". The Canberra Times. 1 June 1973. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ "Man dies after abducting his son - now baby missing". The Age. 11 June 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
^ Schipp, Debbie (21 August 2016). "Cold case: Four decades on, what happened to baby Jason?". news.com.au. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
^ "Fears held for safety of missing SA girls". The Canberra Times. 27 August 1973. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ Rees, Jacqueline (22 October 1973). "Opera House opening was spectacular". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ "Award to Patrick White". The Canberra Times. 15 January 1974. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ "Australia buys $1.3m painting". The Canberra Times. 24 September 1973. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ "No award". The Canberra Times. 27 March 1974. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ MacDonald, Dougal (19 December 1973). "Pacy but shallow". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ "Family conflicts in "Certain Women"". Australian Women's Weekly. 3 October 1973. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ Newton, Gloria (8 August 1973). "A man of two cultures". Australian Women's Weekly. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ "Live RL on TV". The Canberra Times. 12 April 1973. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ "Premierships decided". The Canberra Times. 17 September 1973. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ Hourigan, John (7 November 1973). "Fate has a hand in Gala Supreme's game win". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ "WA's shield". Papua New Guinea Post-Courier. 7 March 1973. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ "Sydney-Hobart race to Ceil III". The Canberra Times. 31 December 1973. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ "Like father like son". Sydney Morning Herald. 23 July 2003. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
^ Rutledge, Martha (1993). "Rosemary Beatrice (Bea) Bligh (1916–1973)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 13. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
^ "John Coleman dead". The Canberra Times. 7 April 1973. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^ Margaret Bridson Cribb (1996). John Ritchie (ed.). Fadden, Sir Arthur William (1894–1973). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 14. Melbourne University Press. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
^ "Arthur Calwell: Australian first, politician second". The Canberra Times. 9 July 1973. Retrieved 3 October 2022.

Years in Australia (1788–present)

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Timeline of Australian history

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