Incumbents

• Monarch
  Monarchy in Australia
  The Monarchy of Australia is a form of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of Australia. The monarchy is a constitutional one modelled on the Westminster style of parliamentary government, incorporating features unique to the Constitution of Australia.The present monarch is...
  
   – King George VI
  George VI of the United Kingdom
  George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
  
  
• Governor-General
  Governor-General of Australia
  The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
  
   – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie
  Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie
  Brigadier General Alexander Gore Arkwright Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie VC, GCMG, CB, DSO & Bar, PC was a British soldier and colonial governor and the tenth Governor-General of Australia. Serving for 9 years and 7 days, he is the longest serving Governor-General in Australia's history...
  
  
• Prime Minister
  Prime Minister of Australia
  The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
  
   – John Curtin
  John Curtin
  John Joseph Curtin , Australian politician, served as the 14th Prime Minister of Australia. Labor under Curtin formed a minority government in 1941 after the crossbench consisting of two independent MPs crossed the floor in the House of Representatives, bringing down the Coalition minority...
  
  

State Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – William McKell
  William McKell
  Sir William John McKell GCMG , Australian politician, was Premier of New South Wales from 1941 to 1947, and was the 12th Governor-General of Australia. He was also the oldest Governor General of Australia, at 93 when he died....
  
  
• Premier of Queensland – William Forgan Smith
  William Forgan Smith
  William Forgan Smith , generally known as Forgan Smith, was Premier of the Australian state of Queensland from 1932 to 1942. He came to dominate politics in the state during the 1930s, and his populism, firm leadership, defence of states' rights and interest in state development make him something...
  
   (until 16 September), then Frank Cooper
• Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford
  Thomas Playford IV
  Sir Thomas Playford, GCMG was a South Australian politician. He served continuously as Premier of South Australia from 5 November 1938 to 10 March 1965, the longest term of any elected government leader in the history of Australia. His tenure as premier was marked by a period of population and...
  
  
• Premier of Tasmania – Robert Cosgrove
  Robert Cosgrove
  Sir Robert Cosgrove KCMG was an Australian politician, trade unionist, and twice Premier of Tasmania from 18 December 1939 to 18 December 1947 and 25 February 1948 to 26 August 1958....
  
  
• Premier of Victoria – Albert Dunstan
  Albert Dunstan
  Sir Albert Arthur Dunstan, KCMG was an Australian politician. A member of the Country Party , Dunstan was the 33rd Premier of Victoria. His term as Premier was the second-longest in the state's history, behind Sir Henry Bolte...
  
  
• Premier of Western Australia
  Premier of Western Australia
  The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
  
   – John Willcock
  John Willcock
  John Collings Willcock was the 15th Premier of Western Australia.-Early life:John Willcock was born at Frogmoor , New South Wales on 9 August 1879. The son of miner Joseph Willcock, he was educated at Sydney High School before emigrating to Western Australia in 1897...
  
  

State Governors

• Governor of New South Wales – John Loder, 2nd Baron Wakehurst
• Governor of Queensland – Sir Leslie Orme Wilson
  Leslie Orme Wilson
  Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, DSO, PC was a British soldier, Conservative politician and Governor of Queensland.-Personal life:...
  
  
• Governor of South Australia – Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey
  Malcolm Barclay-Harvey
  Sir Charles Malcolm Barclay-Harvey, KCMG was a British politician and Governor of South Australia from 12 August 1939 until 26 April 1944....
  
  
• Governor of Tasmania – Sir Ernest Clark
  Ernest Clark (governor)
  Sir Ernest Clark, GCMG, KCB, CBE was a British civil servant, who was Governor of Tasmania from 1933 to 1945.-Early life and education:...
  
  
• Governor of Victoria – Sir Winston Dugan
  Winston Dugan, 1st Baron Dugan of Victoria
  Major-General Winston Joseph Dugan, 1st Baron Dugan of Victoria GCMG, CB, DSO, KStJ , known as Sir Winston Dugan between 1934 and 1949, was a British administrator and a career British Army officer...
  
  
• Governor of Western Australia
  Governor of Western Australia
  The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
  
   – none appointed

Events

• 15 February – Singapore
  Singapore
  Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
  
   falls to the Japanese, with approximately 15,000 Australian troops taken prisoner.
• 19 February – Darwin
  Darwin, Northern Territory
  Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
  
   is bombed by Japanese forces for the first time. At least 243 persons are killed.
• 1 March – The cruiser HMAS Perth
  HMAS Perth (D29)
  HMAS Perth was a Modified Leander class light cruiser operated by the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. She was constructed for the Royal Navy , and commissioned as HMS Amphion in 1936...
  
   is torpedoed by Japanese destroyers in the Battle of Sunda Strait
  Battle of Sunda Strait
  The Battle of Sunda Strait was a naval battle which occurred during World War II. On the night of 28 February – 1 March 1942, the Australian light cruiser and the American heavy cruiser faced a major Imperial Japanese Navy task force. After a fierce battle of several hours duration, both Allied...
  
  , sinking with the loss of 350 crew and three civilians.
• 3 March – 88 Allied civilians and military personnel were killed and 22 aircraft were lost when Japanese Zero fighters
  A6M Zero
  The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a long-range fighter aircraft operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was designated as the , and also designated as the Mitsubishi A6M Rei-sen and Mitsubishi Navy 12-shi Carrier Fighter. The A6M was usually referred to by the...
  
   strafed Broome
  Attack on Broome
  The town of Broome, Western Australia was attacked by Japanese fighter planes on 3 March 1942, during World War II. At least 88 people were killed....
  
  .
• 20 March – At Terowie, South Australia
  Terowie, South Australia
  Terowie is a small town in the mid-north of South Australia located north of Adelaide. It is located in the Regional Council of Goyder. Terowie retains a number of authentic and well preserved 1880s buildings, and has been declared a "historic town". It also remains a town of interest to those...
  
  , American General Douglas MacArthur
  Douglas MacArthur
  General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
  
   makes his famous speech which included the words "I came out of Bataan and I shall return."
• 4 May – The Battle of the Coral Sea
  Battle of the Coral Sea
  The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
  
   begins.
• 19 May – The prototype CAC Boomerang
  CAC Boomerang
  The CAC Boomerang was a World War II fighter aircraft designed and manufactured in Australia between 1942 and 1945. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation produced Boomerangs under the production contract numbers CA-12, CA-13, CA-14 and CA-19, with aircraft supplied under each subsequent contract...
  
  , an Australian designed and built fighter aircraft, takes to the air for the first time.
• 22 May – American soldier Eddie Leonski
  Eddie Leonski
  Edward Joseph Leonski was an American spree killer who committed his crimes in Australia. Leonski is known as the "Brownout Strangler", given Melbourne's wartime status of keeping low lighting .-Early life:Born in New York, Leonski grew up in an abusive, alcoholic family, and one of his brothers...
  
   is arrested and charged for the "Brownout Murders" of three women.
• 31 May – During an attack on Sydney Harbour
  Attack on Sydney Harbour
  In late May and early June 1942, during World War II, submarines belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy made a series of attacks on the cities of Sydney and Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia...
  
  , a Japanese midget submarine
  Midget submarine
  A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
  
   sinks the converted Sydney ferry, HMAS Kuttabul
  HMAS Kuttabul (ship)
  HMAS Kuttabul was a Royal Australian Navy depot ship, and former Sydney harbour ferry. During the Japanese midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour on 31 May 1942, Kuttabul was torpedoed and sunk, with 21 Commonwealth naval personnel aboard....
  
  , killing 21.
• 7 June – The Income Tax (War-time Arrangements) Act 1942 is enacted, transferring the power to levy personal income tax
  Income tax
  An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
  
   from the states to the federal government
  Government of Australia
  The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
  
  .
• 8 June – Japanese midget submarine
  Midget submarine
  A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
  
  s shell Sydney
  Sydney
  Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
  
   and Newcastle
  Newcastle, New South Wales
  The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
  
  .
• 6 July – Elements of the Australian 9th Division
  Australian 9th Division
  The 9th Division was a division of the Australian Army that served during World War II. It was the fourth division of the Second Australian Imperial Force and was formed in the United Kingdom in late 1940 from infantry brigades and support units which had been previously raised in Australia and...
  
   arrive in El Alamein
  El Alamein
  El Alamein is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. As of 2007, it has a local population of 7,397 inhabitants.- Climate :...
  
  . The Division subsequently takes part in the First
  First Battle of El Alamein
  The First Battle of El Alamein was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought between Axis forces of the Panzer Army Africa commanded by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, and Allied forces The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert...
  
   and Second Battle of El Alamein
  Second Battle of El Alamein
  The Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The battle took place over 20 days from 23 October – 11 November 1942. The First Battle of El Alamein had stalled the Axis advance. Thereafter, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery...
  
  .
• 30 October – Construction begins on the Burma Railway, begun by 15,000 Australian prisoners-of-war captured by the Japanese after the fall of Singapore
  Singapore
  Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
  
  .
• 26 November – A violent brawl breaks out in Brisbane
  Brisbane
  Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
  
   between United States
  United States
  The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
  
   military personnel and Australian servicemen and civilians, in what becomes known as the "Battle of Brisbane
  Battle of Brisbane
  The "Battle of Brisbane" was violence between United States military personnel on one side and Australian servicemen and civilians on the other, in Brisbane, Australia on 26–27 November 1942, during World War II. Australia and the US were Allies at the time...
  
  ". One Australian soldier is shot dead.
• 1 December – HMAS Armidale
  HMAS Armidale (J240)
  HMAS Armidale , named for the city of Armidale, New South Wales, was one of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy ....
  
  , a corvette of the Royal Australian Navy
  Royal Australian Navy
  The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
  
  , is sunk with the loss of 100 men.

Arts and literature

• The Pea-Pickers
  The Pea-Pickers
  The Pea-Pickers is a novel by the Australian writer, Eve Langley, first published in 1942. It is a first person, semi-autobiographical narrative about two sisters who travel in the 1920s to Gippsland, and other rural areas, to work as agricultural labourers. It shared the 1940 S. H...
  
   by Eve Langley
  Eve Langley
  Eve Langley , born Ethel Jane Langley, was an Australian novelist and poet. Her novels belong to a tradition of Australian women's writing that explores the conflict between being an artist and being a woman.-Life:...
  
   is first published
• William Dargie
  William Dargie
  Sir William Alexander Dargie CBE was an Australian painter, known especially for his portrait paintings. He holds the record for the most Archibald Prize wins; eight. He was an official Australian War Artist during World War II.- Biography :William Dargie was born in Footscray, Victoria, the first...
  
   wins the Archibald Prize
  Archibald Prize
  The Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor of The Bulletin who died in 1919...
  
   with his portrait of James Heather Gordon
  James Heather Gordon
  James Hannah "Jim" Gordon VC was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
  
   VC
  Victoria Cross
  The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
  
  

Births

• 17 January – Ita Buttrose
  Ita Buttrose
  Ita Clare Buttrose, AO, OBE is an Australian journalist and businesswoman. She was the founding editor of Cleo, a high-circulation magazine aimed at women aged 20 to 40 that was ground-breakingly frank about sexuality , and later as the editor of the more sedate Australian Women's Weekly...
  
  , journalist
• 19 February – David Williamson
  David Williamson
  David Keith Williamson AO is one of Australia's best-known playwrights. He has also written screenplays and teleplays.-Biography:...
  
  , playwright
• 24 February – Colin Bond
  Colin Bond
  Colin John Bond is a retired Australian racing driver. Bond reached the highest levels in Australian motorsport in 1969 when he was recruited by Harry Firth to the newly formed Holden Dealer Team...
  
  , racing driver
• 13 March – George Negus
  George Negus
  George Edward Negus is an Australian author, journalist, and television presenter. He previously presented 6:30 with George Negus on Network Ten, until it was axed by the Network on 19 October 2011.-Education:...
  
  , journalist
• 13 May – Richard Butler
  Richard Butler (diplomat)
  Richard William Butler AC has served as an Australian diplomat, a United Nations weapons inspector and the Governor of Tasmania.-Life and career:...
  
  , diplomat and Governor of Tasmania (2003–2004)
• 15 May – Doug Lowe
  Doug Lowe (Australian politician)
  Douglas Ackley "Doug" Lowe AM was the 35th Premier of Tasmania, from 1 December 1977 to 11 November 1981. His time as Premier coincided with controversy over a proposal to build a dam on Tasmania's Gordon River, which would have flooded parts of the Franklin River...
  
  , Premier of Tasmania (1977–1981)
• 16 May – Margaret Court, tennis player
• 21 May – John Konrads
  John Konrads
  John Konrads is an retired Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1950s and 1960s, who won the 1500 m freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. In his career, he set 26 individual world records, and after his swimming career ended, was the Australasian director of L'Oréal, as well as campaigning...
  
  , swimmer
• 2 June – Mike Ahern
  Michael Ahern (Australian politician)
  Michael John Ahern AO is a former Queensland National Party politician who was Premier of Queensland from December 1987 to September 1989. After a long career in the government of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Ahern became his successor amidst the controversy caused by the Fitzgerald Inquiry into...
  
  , Premier of Queensland (1987–1989)
• 18 June – Nick Tate
  Nick Tate
  Nicholas John "Nick" Tate is an Australian actor best known for his role as Eagle pilot Alan Carter in both seasons of the 1970s science fiction television series Space: 1999, as well as for playing the role of Gordon Hamilton's errant brother James in the 1980's soap opera "Sons and...
  
  , actor
• 30 June – Gerry Hand
  Gerry Hand
  Gerard Leslie Hand is a former Australian politician, who was a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the seat of Melbourne...
  
  , politician
• 2 July – John Farrington
  John Farrington
  John Allan Farrington is a former long-distance runner from Australia, who represented his native country in the men's marathon at the 1968 Summer Olympics. There he finished in 43rd position, clocking 2:50:16.8. He came fifth in the same event at the 1974 Commonwealth Games...
  
  , long-distance runner
• 7 July – Carmen Duncan
  Carmen Duncan
  Carmen Joan Duncan is an Australian actress.-Biography:Carmen Duncan is known to Australian audiences as a character actress in films and on television...
  
  , actress
• 12 July – Billy Smith, rugby league footballer
• 23 July – Sallyanne Atkinson
  Sallyanne Atkinson
  Sallyanne Atkinson AO is an Australian politician, former Lord Mayor of Brisbane and former chair of ABC Learning, a bankrupted Australian childcare operator.She is Special Representative for the Queensland Government in South-East Asia....
  
  , Lord Mayor of Brisbane
• 25 July – Bruce Woodley
  Bruce Woodley
  Bruce William Woodley , is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. He was a founding member of the successful pop-folk group The Seekers, and co-composer of the anthemic song "I Am Australian"...
  
  , musician
• 28 July – John Sattler
  John Sattler
  John William Sattler is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1960s and '70s. He was a rugged Prop forward who led his club, South Sydney to four premiership victories between 1967 and 1971 and who played four tests for Australia – three as the national captain...
  
  , rugby league footballer
• 19 October – Bronwyn Bishop
  Bronwyn Bishop
  Bronwyn Kathleen Bishop , an Australian politician, is a Member of the Australian House of Representatives for the Liberal Party representing the Division of Mackellar, New South Wales since 1994...
  
  , politician
• 17 November – Derek Clayton
  Derek Clayton
  Derek Clayton is a former Australian long-distance runner, born in Cumbria, England and raised in Northern Ireland. He set a marathon world best in the Fukuoka Marathon, Japan on 3 December 1967 in 2:09:36.4, in what is considered a classic race, the first marathon race ever run in less than two...
  
  , long-distance runner
• 23 December – Quentin Bryce
  Quentin Bryce
  Quentin Bryce, AC, CVO is the 25th and current Governor-General of Australia and former Governor of Queensland....
  
  , Governor of Queensland (2003–2008), Governor-General of Australia (2008-Incumbent)

Deaths

• 22 February – Frank Leslie Thomson Wilmot
  Frank Leslie Thomson Wilmot
  Frank Leslie Thomson Wilmot , who published his work under the pseudonym Furnley Maurice, was a noted Australian poet, best known for To God: From the Warring Nations .-Early life:...
  
  , Australian poet (b. 1881).
• 27 April – Julian Ashton
  Julian Ashton
  Julian Rossi Ashton was an Australian artist and teacher, known for his support of the Heidelberg School and for his influential art school in Sydney....
  
   (b. 1851), painter
• 3 September – Mungo MacCallum
  Mungo William MacCallum
  Sir Mungo William MacCallum KCMG was Chancellor of the University of Sydney from 1934 to 1936, and a noted literary critic....
  
  – (b. 1854), scholar