Premier of Queensland – Frank Nicklin (until 17 January), then Jack Pizzey (until 31 July), then Gordon Chalk (from 1 August until 8 August), then Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Administrator of Norfolk Island – Reginald Marsh (until June), then Robert Dalkin (from July)
Administrator of the Northern Territory – Roger Dean
Administrator of Papua and New Guinea – David Hay
Events[]
4 January – The search for the body of Prime Minister Harold Holt, who disappeared whilst swimming near Portsea, Victoria, is called off.
10 January – John Gorton is sworn in as Prime Minister of Australia after the disappearance of Harold Holt.
28 January – Members of English rock groups The Who and Small Faces are escorted by police from a plane at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, after the pilot diverts the flight citing the bands' behaviour.
1 April – American evangelistBilly Graham begins a tour of Australia.
8 April – Fluoridation of Sydney's water supply begins.
30 April – Jim Cairns unsuccessfully challenges Gough Whitlam for leadership of the Australian Labor Party.
1 May – The Duke of Edinburgh arrives in Australia for a ten-day visit.
5 May – Three Australian journalists are killed by the Viet Cong in Saigon.
21 May – Indian Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi visits Australia.
14 June – Journalist Simon Townsend, future host of Simon Townsend's Wonder World, is granted exemption from military service after lodging a fifth appeal against his imprisonment and court martial for conscientious objection.
18 June – The first stage of the Warringah Freeway opens in Sydney.
24 June – British comedian Tony Hancock commits suicide in his Sydney hotel room.
2 July – Fifty students are arrested during an anti-Vietnam War protest in Martin Place, Sydney.
4 July – Forty five people are arrested during an anti-war protest outside the U.S. consulate in St Kilda Road, Melbourne.
31 July – The Premier of Queensland, Jack Pizzey, dies in office.
1 August – Jack Pizzey's deputy, Gordon Chalk, is sworn in as his successor until the appointment of Joh Bjelke-Petersen as Premier a week later.
3 August – The standard gauge rail line between Perth and Kalgoorlie is completed.
20 August – The National Gallery of Victoria is opened in Melbourne.
14 October – The town of Meckering, Western Australia, is badly damaged by an earthquake.
31 October – Minister for the Army Phillip Lynch admits that Australian Army troops may have breached the Geneva Convention by using water torture during the interrogation of a female Viet Cong suspect.
1 November – The airline Ansett-ANA is renamed Ansett.
14 December – A referendum is held in Tasmania to allow the granting of Australia's first casino license to the Wrest Point Hotel. The referendum is passed.
31 December – MacRobertson Miller Airlines Flight 1750 crashes south of Port Hedland, Western Australia, killing all 26 people on board.
Non-specific dates[]
Australia's population is estimated to have reached 12 million in 1968.
Arts and literature[]
Main article: 1968 in Australian literature
17 January – The Seekers are named Australians of the Year for 1967.
19 January – William Pidgeon wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Lloyd Rees.[1]
1 July – The Copyright Act 1968 replaces the existing 1911 copyright legislation.
2 December – At the Australian Film Institute Awards ceremony, Prime Minister John Gorton announces the creation of the Australian Film Development Corporation.
Television[]
25 May – An episode of the ABC series Bellbird stops the nation when the character of Charlie Cousins (played by Robin Ramsay) dies in a fall from a silo.
Sport[]
26 February – Boxer Lionel Rose beats Japan's Fighting Harada in Tokyo to become world bantamweight champion.
25 May – Derek Clayton wins his second men's national marathon title, clocking 2:14:47.8 in Hobart.
26 May – Australia wins the 1968 Federation Cup in women's tennis, defeating the Netherlands (3–0).
10 June – Australia wins the 1968 Rugby League World Cup when it beats France (20–2) in the final at the SCG.
21 September – South Sydney defeated Manly-Warringah 13–9 in the NSWRL Grand Final at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Newtown finish in last position, claiming the wooden spoon.
28 September – The Carlton Blues narrowly beat Essendon Bombers by 3 points (56–53) in the grand final of the 1968 VFL season, winning their first flag in 21 years.
12 – 27 October – Australia participates in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, coming ninth in the medal tally with 5 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze medals (17 in total).
15 October – Ralph Doubell equals Peter Snell's world record (2:04.3) in the men's 800 metres, clocking 1:44.3 at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City.