1968 in Australia

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1968 in Australia
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor-General	Richard Casey
Prime Minister	Harold Holt, then John Gorton
Population	11,799,078
Elections	WA, NSW, SA

1 Incumbents
- 1.1 State premiers
- 1.2 State governors
2 Events
- 2.1 Non-specific dates
3 Science and technology
4 Arts and literature
5 Film
6 Television
7 Sport
- 7.1 Unknown dates
8 Births
9 Deaths
10 See also

[edit] Incumbents

Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II
Governor General – Lord Casey
Prime Minister – John Gorton (from January 10)

[edit] State premiers

Premier of New South Wales – Robert Askin
Premier of Queensland – Frank Nicklin until January 17, then Jack Pizzey until July 31, then Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan until April 17, then Steele Hall
Premier of Tasmania – Eric Reece
Premier of Victoria – Henry Bolte
Premier of Western Australia – David Brand

[edit] State governors

[edit] Events

January 4 – The search for the body of Prime Minister Harold Holt, who disappeared whilst swimming off Portsea, Victoria, is called off.
January 10 – John Gorton is sworn in as Prime Minister of Australia after the disappearance of Harold Holt.
January 28 – 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.
April 1 – American evangelist Billy Graham begins a tour of Australia.
April 17 – A state election is held in South Australia. Steele Hall (Liberal and Country League) defeats Don Dunstan (ALP), and becomes Premier of South Australia.
April 8 – Fluoridation of Sydney's water supply begins.
April 30 – Jim Cairns unsuccessfully challenges Gough Whitlam for leadership of the Australian Labor Party.
May 1 – Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh arrives in Australia for a ten day visit.
May 5 – Three Australian journalists are killed by the Viet Cong in Saigon.
May 21 – Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visits Australia.
June 14 – 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.
June 18 – The first stage of the Warringah Freeway opens in Sydney.
June 24 – British comedian Tony Hancock commits suicide in his Sydney hotel room.
July 2 – Fifty students are arrested during an anti-Vietnam War protest in Martin Place, Sydney.
July 4 – Forty five people are arrested during an anti-war protest outside the U.S. consulate in St Kilda Road, Melbourne.
July 31 – The Premier of Queensland, Jack Pizzey, dies in office. Joh Bjelke-Petersen is sworn in as his successor.
August 3 – The standard gauge rail line between Perth and Kalgoorlie is completed.
October 14 – The town of Meckering, Western Australia, is badly damaged by an earthquake.
October 28 – The Postmaster-General's Department decreases the number of mail deliveries per day from two to one.
October 31 – 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.
November 1 – The airline Ansett-ANA is renamed Ansett.
December 14 – 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.
December 31 – A MacRobertson Miller Viscount plane crashes south of Port Hedland, Western Australia, killing 26 people.

[edit] Non-specific dates

Australia's population is estimated to have reached 12 million in 1968.

[edit] Science and technology

[edit] Arts and literature

January 17 – The Seekers are named Australians of the Year for 1967.
January 19 – Judy Cassab wins her second Archibald Prize for her portrait of Margo Lewers.
July 1 – The Copyright Act 1968 replaces the existing 1911 copyright legislation.

[edit] Film

December 2 – At the Australian Film Institute Awards ceremony, Prime Minister John Gorton announces the creation of the Australian Film Development Corporation.

[edit] Television

May 25 – 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.

[edit] Sport

February 26 — Boxer Lionel Rose beats Japan's Fighting Harada in Tokyo to become world bantamweight champion.
May 25 — Derek Clayton wins his second men's national marathon title, clocking 2:14:47.8 in Hobart.
May 26 — Australia wins the 1968 Federation Cup in women's tennis, defeating the Netherlands (3–0).
June 10 — Australia wins the 1968 Rugby League World Cup when it beats France (20–2) in the final at the SCG.
September 21 — The South Sydney Rabbitohs defeated Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in the NSWRL Grand Final at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
September 28 — 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.
October 12–October 27 — 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).
October 15 — 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.
November 5 — Rain Lover wins the Melbourne Cup.
December 26 — Ondine II takes line honours in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Koomooloo is the handicap winner