The following lists events that happened during1948 in Australia.

← 1947 1946 1945 1948 in Australia → 1949 1950 1951
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
See also:	1948 in Australian literature Other events of 1948 Timeline of Australian history

• Monarch –George VI
• Governor General –William McKell
• Prime Minister –Ben Chifley
• Chief Justice –Sir John Latham

• Premier of New South Wales –James McGirr
• Premier of Queensland –Ned Hanlon
• Premier of South Australia –Thomas Playford IV
• Premier of Tasmania –Edward Brooker (until 25 February), thenRobert Cosgrove
• Premier of Victoria –Thomas Hollway
• Premier of Western Australia –Ross McLarty

• Governor of New South Wales –Sir John Northcott
• Governor of Queensland –Sir John Lavarack
• Governor of South Australia –Sir Charles Norrie
• Governor of Tasmania –Sir Hugh Binney
• Governor of Victoria –Sir Winston Dugan
• Governor of Western Australia –Sir James Mitchell (from 5 October)

• 23 January –De Havilland Australia conducts the first flight of its 3 enginedDrover transport aircraft atBankstown Airport.
• 19 February – AnAvro Lincoln bomber crashes atRAAF Base Amberley inQueensland, killing 16Royal Australian Air Force personnel.
• 25 February –Robert Cosgrove is reinstated asPremier of Tasmania after being cleared of corruption charges on 22 February.
• 8 May –Margaret McIntyre becomes the first woman elected to theParliament of Tasmania. She is killed in a plane crash later in the year.
• 29 May – Afederal referendum is held, asking one question on Rents and Prices. It is not carried.
• 1 July – ThePharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is introduced.
• 21 August – Astate election is held inTasmania. The result is ahung parliament, butRobert Cosgrove andLabor retain power with the support of an independent, William Wedd.
• 2 September – TheDouglas DC-3Lutana crashes nearNundle, New South Wales, killing all 13 on board.
• 21 September –H.V. Evatt becomesPresident of the United Nations General Assembly.
• 29 November – The firstHolden car, the model 48-215, popularly known as the FX, rolls off the assembly line. The on-road cost was approximately £760.
• 1 December – The body of an unidentified man is found on a beach inAdelaide, becoming known as theSomerton Man.
• 16 December –HMASSydney is commissioned into theRoyal Australian Navy as its firstaircraft carrier.

• William Dobell wins theArchibald Prize with his portrait ofMargaret Olley^[1]

• One of the few Australian songs to top the Australian charts "Good-Night Mister Moon" by Allan Ryan and William Flynn^[2][3]

• 18 September – Minor premiersWestern Suburbs win the1948 NSWRFL season, claiming their first premiership since 1934 after defeatingBalmain 8–5.North Sydney finish in last place, claiming the wooden spoon.
• Morna takes line honours andWestward wins on handicap in theSydney to Hobart Yacht Race
• Rimfire wins theMelbourne Cup

• 5 January –Wally Foreman, football commentator (died 2006)
• 23 January –Glenn Wheatley, musician and talent manager (died 2022)
• 24 January –Brian Langton, NSW politician (died 2023)^[4]
• 25 January –Ros Kelly, politician
• 3 February –Les Twentyman, social campaigner (died 2024)^[5]
• 10 February –Mike Pratt, politician
• 16 February –Jeff Guess, poet
• 2 March –Jeff Kennett, Premier of Victoria (1992–1999)
• 13 March –Rick Amor, artist
• 19 March –Vince Lovegrove, singer, journalist and band manager (died 2012)
• 27 March –Rosemary Follett, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory (1989, 1991–1995)
• 31 March –Graham Cornes, Australian rules footballer
• 2 April –Jennifer Rowe, children's author
• 29 April –Leslie Howard, musician
• 15 May –Muriel Porter, Anglican laywoman
• 28 May –Michael Field, Premier of Tasmania (1989–1992)
• 11 June –Pat Wilson, singer and journalist
• 21 June –Lionel Rose, boxer (died 2011)
• 30 June –Galarrwuy Yunupingu, Aboriginal leader (died 2023)
• 15 July –Richard Franklin, film director (died 2007)
• 24 July –Joan London, writer
• 7 August –Greg Chappell, cricketer
• 18 August –Richard Tracey, Australian military and civil judge and barrister (died 2019)
• 19 August –Robert Hughes, actor
• 20 August –John Noble, actor
• 24 August -Richard Norden, soldier and police officer (died 1972)
• 12 September –Max Walker, cricketer and VFL footballer (died 2016)
• 18 September –Christopher Skase, fugitive businessman (died 2001)
• 22 September –Denis Burke, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory (1999–2001)
• 25 September –Vicki Viidikas, poet (died 1998)
• 26 September –Olivia Newton-John, entertainer (died 2022)
• 3 October –Rob Langer, cricketer
• 4 October –Bob Morris, racing driver
• 5 October –Jim Waley, journalist
• 8 October –Warren Truss, leader of the National Party
• 19 October –Meg Lees, Democrat senator for South Australia
• 30 October –Garry McDonald, actor
• 5 November –Malcolm Milne, Olympic skier
• 6 November –Geoff Prosser, politician
• 14 November –Ian Stanley, golfer (died 2018)
• 15 November –James Kemsley, cartoonist (died 2007)
• 22 November –Gary Dempsey, Australian rules footballer
• 1 December –John Quigley, WA politician
• 2 December –Patricia Hewitt, British Labour Party politician^[6]
• 5 December –Cheryl Kernot, politician
• 12 December –Kim Beazley, politician
• 15 December –Cassandra Harris, actor (died 1991)
• 29 December –Michael White, psychotherapist (died 2008)

• 12 February –Sir Isaac Isaacs, 9thGovernor-General of Australia and 3rdChief Justice of Australia (b.1855)
• 23 March –Lou Cunningham, New South Wales politician (b.1889)
• 24 March –Sydney Sampson, Victorian politician and newspaper proprietor (b.1863)
• 9 April –George Carpenter, 5thGeneral of The Salvation Army (b.1872)
• 15 April –Eric Fairweather Harrison, Victorian politician and soldier (b.1880)
• 20 May –Marie Pitt, poet and journalist (b.1869)
• 8 June –Thomas Crawford, Queensland politician (b.1865)
• 18 June –Edward Brooker, 31stPremier of Tasmania (born in theUnited Kingdom) (b.1891)
• 18 July –May Moss, welfare worker and suffragette (b.1869)
• 21 July –Francis Joseph Bayldon, master mariner and nautical instructor (born in theUnited Kingdom) (b.1872)
• 24 July –Stanley Goble, 2ndChief of the Air Staff (b.1891)
• 31 July –Nigel Barker, Olympic track and field athlete (b.1883)
• 28 August –Jack Lumsdaine, singer, songwriter and soldier (b.1895)
• 2 September –Margaret McIntyre, Tasmanian politician (b.1886)
• 9 September –Frank Foster, New South Wales politician (b.1872)
• 18 October
  • George Cann, New South Wales politician (born in theUnited Kingdom) (b.1871)
  • Philip Collier, 14thPremier of Western Australia (b.1873)
• 8 December –Matthew Charlton, 7thFederal Leader of the Opposition (b.1866)

• List of Australian films of the 1940s

• 1948 in Australia
• 1948 by country
• Years of the 20th century in Australia

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from February 2020
• Use Australian English from February 2012
• All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English