1943 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1943 in Australia.

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

Incumbents[]

John Curtin

• Monarch – George VI
• Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie
• Prime Minister – John Curtin
• Chief Justice – Sir John Latham

State Premiers[]

• Premier of New South Wales – William McKell
• Premier of Queensland – Frank Cooper
• Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV
• Premier of Tasmania – Robert Cosgrove
• Premier of Victoria – Albert Dunstan (until 14 September), then John Cain I (until 18 September), then 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
• Governor of Tasmania – Sir Ernest Clark
• Governor of Victoria – Sir Winston Dugan
• Governor of Western Australia – none appointed

Events[]

• 3 March – A Soviet embassy is established in Canberra, and an Australian diplomat is posted to Moscow as ambassador.
• 14 May – The hospital ship AHS Centaur is torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off North Stradbroke Island in Queensland, killing 268 persons.
• 12 June – A general election is held in Victoria.
• 21 August – A federal election is held. The incumbent Australian Labor Party government led by John Curtin is returned to power.
• 23 September – Enid Lyons and Dorothy Tangney become the first women to win seats in the Parliament of Australia. Lyons represents the Tasmanian electorate of Darwin in the House of Representatives, and Tangney is a Senator for Western Australia.
• 27 December – 7 people are injured in Seaspray, Victoria after a wire on an RAAF plane fails to retract.

Arts and literature[]

• William Dobell wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Joshua Smith^[1]

Film[]

• 4 March – Damien Parer wins Australia's first Academy Award (Best Documentary Feature) for the film Kokoda Front Line.

Sport[]

• 4 September – Newtown win the 1943 NSWRFL season, defeating North Sydney 34–7 in the premiership final. Canterbury-Bankstown finish in last place on points difference, claiming the wooden spoon.
• Dark Felt wins the Melbourne Cup

Births[]

• 5 January – Mary Gaudron, High Court judge
• 9 January – Robert Drewe, journalist and writer
• 29 January – Molly Meldrum, journalist, critic, and producer
• 8 February – Malcolm Donnelly, opera singer
• 1 March – Dyson Heydon, High Court judge
• 12 March – Philip Ruddock, politician
• 14 March – Aila Keto, environmentalist
• 19 March – Vern Schuppan, racing driver
• 22 March – Brian Austin, politician
• 6 April – Chris Gallus, politician
• 9 April – Brian James, rugby league player (died 2020)
• 11 April – Judith Adams, Liberal Senator for South Australia (died 2012)
• 26 April – David Combe, political lobbyist (died 2019)
• 29 April – John Tranter, poet
• 30 April – Paul Jennings, children's author
• 2 May
  • Geoffrey Edelsten, medical entrepreneur (died 2021)
  • John Goss, racing driver
• 7 May – John Bannon, Premier of South Australia (1982–1992) (died 2015)
• 7 May – Peter Carey, novelist
• 17 May – Johnny Warren (died 2004), soccer player and coach
• 19 May – Bob Graham, NSW politician
• 1 June – Ian King, cricketer
• 4 June – John Burgess, TV & radio host (Wheel of Fortune & Burgo's Catch Phrase)
• 11 June - Ray Warren, rugby league commentator
• 19 June – Barry Hill, historian and writer
• 3 July – Judith Durham, singer (The Seekers)
• 11 July – Richard Carleton, television journalist (died 2006)
• 25 July – Desmond Mueller, Vice Chief of the Defence Force (2000–2002)
• 26 July – Robyn Woodhouse, high jumper
• 18 August – Jean Roberts, Olympic shot putter and discus thrower
• 16 September – Bob Debus, politician
• 16 September – Alan Ferguson, Liberal Senator for South Australia
• 26 September – Ian Chappell, cricketer
• 4 October – Owen Davidson, tennis player
• 6 October – Peter Dowding, Premier of Western Australia (1988–1990)
• 9 October – Dianne Burge, Olympic sprinter
• 5 November – Percy Hobson, high jumper
• 6 November – Ian Turpie (died 2012), TV host & singer (The New Price Is Right)
• 8 November – Peter Cook (died 2005), politician
• 23 November – Tony Bonner, actor
• 25 November – Jan Andrew, Olympic swimmer
• 29 November – Janet Holmes à Court, businesswoman
• 19 December – Jimmy Mackay, soccer player (died 1998)
• 20 December – Roger Woodward, pianist

Deaths[]

• 3 January – Sir Walter James (born 1863), Premier of Western Australia (1902–1904)
• 8 January – Richard Hillary (born 1919), pilot and author
• 14 February – Alice Henry (born 1857), suffragist, journalist and trade unionist
• 7 March – Alma Moodie, violinist and educator (born 1898)
• 28 March – Keith Truscott (born 1916), fighter pilot
• 29 March – William Ellis Newton (born 1919), soldier and Victoria Cross recipient (died in New Guinea)
• 25 April – Sir Arthur Cocks (born 1862), NSW politician
• 19 May – Billy Sing (born 1886), soldier
• 25 May – Albert Robinson, (born 1877), politician
• 14 June – John McNeill (born 1868), politician
• 28 June – Pietro Porcelli (born 1872), sculptor
• 21 July – Edward Riley (born 1859), politician
• 6 August – Tom Garrett (born 1858), cricketer
• 24 August – Sir William Irvine (born 1858), Premier of Victoria (1902–1904)
• 1 September – Arthur Streeton (born 1867), artist
• 23 September – John Bradfield (born 1867), engineer
• 2 October – John Evans (born 1855), Premier of Tasmania (1904–1909)
• 14 October Jimmy Matthews (born 1884), cricketer
• 15 October – Thomas Henry Dodds (born 1873), soldier
• 23 October – Sir George Fairbairn (born 1855), politician
• 6 November – William Lister Lister (born 1859), artist
• 9 November – Reginald Spencer Browne (born 1856), soldier
• 22 November – Thomas Ryan (born 1870), Victorian and South Australian politician
• 23 November – Ernie Jones (born 1869), cricketer and Australian rules footballer
• 27 November – Louis Esson (born 1878), poet and playwright
• 10 December – Frederick Chapman (born 1864), palaeontologist

See also[]

• List of Australian films of the 1940s

References[]