1901 in Australia
Encyclopedia
See also:
1900 in Australia
,
other events of 1901,
1902 in Australia
and the
Timeline of Australian history
.
1900 in Australia
1900 in Australia
See also: 1899 in Australia, other events in 1900, 1901 in Australia, Timeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch — Queen VictoriaNote: Australia was not yet federated as of 1900, therefore no prime minister existed....
,
other events of 1901,
1902 in Australia
1902 in Australia
See also:1901 in Australia,other events of 1902,1903 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King Edward VII*Governor-General – John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun*Prime Minister – Edmund Barton-State premiers:...
and the
Timeline of Australian history
Timeline of Australian history
This is a timeline of Australian history.-BC:*c. 68,000–40,000 BC: Aboriginal tribes are thought to have arrived in Australia.*c. 13,000 BC: Land bridges between mainland Australia and Tasmania are flooded. Tasmanian Aboriginal people become isolated for the next 12,000 – 13,000 years.*c...
.
Incumbents
- MonarchMonarchy in AustraliaThe 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...
— Queen Victoria (until 22 January), then Edward VIIEdward VII of the United KingdomEdward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910... - Governor GeneralGovernor-General of AustraliaThe 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...
— John Hope, 7th Earl of HopetounJohn Hope, 1st Marquess of LinlithgowJohn Adrian Louis Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC , also known as Viscount Aithrie before 1873 and as The 7th Earl of Hopetoun between 1873 and 1902, was a Scottish aristocrat, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his brief and controversial tenure as the... - Prime MinisterPrime Minister of AustraliaThe 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...
— Edmund BartonEdmund BartonSir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC , Australian politician and judge, was the first Prime Minister of Australia and a founding justice of the High Court of Australia....
Premiers
- Premier of New South WalesPremiers of New South WalesThe Premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature...
— William LyneWilliam LyneSir William John Lyne KCMG , Australian politician, was Premier of New South Wales and a member of the first federal ministry.-Early life:...
(until 28 March), then John SeeJohn SeeSir John See, KCMG was a member of the New South Wales Legislature from 26 November 1880 to 15 June 1901, and was then Premier of New South Wales from 1901 to 1904.... - Premier of South AustraliaPremiers of South AustraliaBefore the 1890s when there was no formal party system in South Australia, MPs tended to have historical liberal or conservative beliefs. The liberals dominated government from 1893 to 1905 with Labor support, with the conservatives mostly in opposition. Labor took government with the support of...
— Frederick HolderFrederick HolderSir Frederick William Holder KCMG was the 19th Premier of South Australia and a prominent member of the inaugural Australian Commonwealth Parliament, including the first Speaker of the House of Representatives.-Life:...
(until 15 May), then John JenkinsJohn Jenkins (Australian politician)John Greeley Jenkins was an American-Australian politician and Premier of South Australia.Jenkins was the fourth son of Evan Jenkins and Mary Davis of South Wales, was born in Pennsylvania. He was educated at the Wyoming Seminary, Pa., and after working on his father's farm, became in 1872 a... - Premier of QueenslandPremiers of QueenslandBefore the 1890s, there was no developed party system in Queensland. Political affiliation labels before that time indicate a general tendency only. Before the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, political parties were more akin to parliamentary factions, and were fluid, informal and...
— Robert PhilpRobert PhilpSir Robert Philp, KCMG was a Queensland businessman and politician who was Premier of Queensland from December 1899 to September 1903 and again from November 1907 to February 1908.-Early life:... - Premier of TasmaniaPremiers of TasmaniaThe Premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly will nominate its leader to be Premier. The nominated politician is then invited by the Governor of...
— Elliott LewisElliott LewisSir Neil Elliott Lewis, KCMG , Australian politician, was Premier of Tasmania on three occasions. He was also a member of the first Australian federal ministry, led by Edmund Barton.... - Premier of Western AustraliaPremier of Western AustraliaThe 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...
— Sir John ForrestJohn ForrestSir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
(until 15 February), George ThrossellGeorge ThrossellGeorge Lionel Throssell, CMG was the second Premier of Western Australia. He served for just three months, from 15 February 1901 until 27 May 1901 during a period of great instability in Western Australian politics....
(until 27 May), George LeakeGeorge LeakeGeorge Leake CMG QC was Premier of Western Australia from 27 May 1901 to 21 November 1901, and again from 23 December 1901 until his death on 24 June 1902.-Early life:...
(until 21 November), Alf MorgansAlf MorgansAlfred Edward Morgans was Premier of Western Australia for just 32 days, from 21 November to 23 December 1901.-Early life and career:...
(until 23 December), then George Leake - Premier of VictoriaPremiers of VictoriaThe Premier of Victoria is the leader of the government in the Australian state of Victoria. The Premier is appointed by the Governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Legislative Assembly....
— Sir George TurnerGeorge Turner (Australian politician)Sir George Turner, KCMG, PC , Australian politician, was the 18th Premier of Victoria and the first Treasurer of Australia in the federal Barton Ministry....
(until 12 February), then Alexander PeacockAlexander PeacockSir Alexander James Peacock, KCMG , Australian politician, was the 20th Premier of Victoria.Peacock was born of Scottish descent at Creswick, the first Victorian Premier born after the gold rush of the 1850s and the attainment of self-government in Victoria. He was distantly related to the family...
Governors
- Governor of New South Wales — William Lygon, 7th Earl BeauchampWilliam Lygon, 7th Earl BeauchampWilliam Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp KG, KCMG, PC , styled Viscount Elmley until 1891, was a British Liberal politician. He was Governor of New South Wales between 1899 and 1901, a member of the Liberal administrations of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and H. H...
(until 30 April) - Governor of Victoria — George ClarkeGeorge Clarke, 1st Baron Sydenham of CombeGeorge Sydenham Clarke, 1st Baron Sydenham of Combe GCSI, GCIE, GCMG, GBE was a British colonial administrator and British Army officer.-Background and education:Clarke was born in Lincolnshire...
(from 10 December) - Governor of Queensland — Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron LamingtonCharles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron LamingtonCharles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, GCMG, GCIE was a British politician and colonial administrator who was Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, and Governor of Bombay from 1903 to 1907....
(until 19 December) - Governor of South Australia — Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron TennysonHallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron TennysonHallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, GCMG, PC , the second Governor-General of Australia, was born at Chapel House, Twickenham, in Surrey, England. Named after his father's late friend Arthur Hallam, he was the elder son of Alfred Tennyson, the most popular and prominent poet of late Victorian...
- Governor of Western AustraliaGovernor of Western AustraliaThe 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;...
— Arthur LawleyArthur Lawley, 6th Baron WenlockArthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock, GCIE, KCMG was a British politician, soldier and administrator who served as the administrator of Matabeleland, Governor of Western Australia, Lieutenant-Governor of Transvaal and Governor of Madras.Lawley was born in 1860 to 2nd Baron Wenlock and his wife, Lady... - Governor of Tasmania — Arthur HavelockArthur HavelockSir Arthur Elibank Havelock, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE was a career British colonial governor, serving as Governor of Sierra Leone from 1880, of Natal, of Madras, of Ceylon from 1890 to 1895, and of Tasmania from 1901 to 1904....
(from 8 November)
Events
- 1 January — The Constitution of AustraliaConstitution of AustraliaThe Constitution of Australia is the supreme law under which the Australian Commonwealth Government operates. It consists of several documents. The most important is the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia...
comes into force, as the federation of AustraliaFederation of AustraliaThe Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
is complete. John Adrian Louis Hope, 7th Earl of HopetounJohn Hope, 1st Marquess of LinlithgowJohn Adrian Louis Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC , also known as Viscount Aithrie before 1873 and as The 7th Earl of Hopetoun between 1873 and 1902, was a Scottish aristocrat, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his brief and controversial tenure as the...
, is appointed as the first Governor-GeneralGovernor-General of AustraliaThe 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...
, and Edmund BartonEdmund BartonSir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC , Australian politician and judge, was the first Prime Minister of Australia and a founding justice of the High Court of Australia....
as the first Prime MinisterPrime Minister of AustraliaThe 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...
. - 1 March — Following federationFederation of AustraliaThe Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
naval and military forces of the States are transferred to Commonwealth control. - 29 March — The first federal election is held to elect the first members of the House of Representatives and the first members of the Senate.
- 31 March — A national censusCensus in AustraliaThe Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
is held, which indicates the population of Australia is 3,773,801 (excluding Indigenous AustraliansIndigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
). - 9 May — The Parliament of AustraliaParliament of AustraliaThe Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
is opened in the Royal Exhibition BuildingRoyal Exhibition BuildingThe Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage Site-listed building in Melbourne, Australia, completed in 1880. It is located at 9 Nicholson Street in the Carlton Gardens, flanked by Victoria, Nicholson, Carlton and Rathdowne Streets, at the north-eastern edge of the central business district...
, MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. - 22 May — The foundation stone for St John's Cathedral, BrisbaneSt John's Cathedral, BrisbaneSt John's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral of Brisbane and the metropolitan cathedral of the ecclesiastical province of Queensland, Australia...
is laid by the Duke of Cornwall and YorkGeorge V of the United KingdomGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
. the church celebrated 100 years of construction in 2006 and is only gothic-style stone building under construction anywhere in the world. - 3 September — The Flag of AustraliaFlag of AustraliaThe flag of Australia is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union Flag in the canton , and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter...
and Australian Red EnsignAustralian Red EnsignThe Australian Red Ensign resulted from the 1901 Commonwealth Government Federal Flag Design Competition which required two entries: a flag for official use and one for the mercantile marine...
are adopted by the Government of AustraliaGovernment of AustraliaThe 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...
as official flags, following a national design competition. - 21 December — Construction begins on the rabbit-proof fenceRabbit-proof fenceThe State Barrier Fence of Western Australia, formerly known as the No. 1 Rabbit-proof Fence, the State Vermin Fence and the Emu Fence, is a pest-exclusion fence constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits and other agricultural pests, from the east, out of Western Australian pastoral...
. - 23 December — The Immigration Restriction Act 1901Immigration Restriction Act 1901The Immigration Restriction Act 1901 was an Act of the Parliament of Australia which limited immigration to Australia and formed the basis of the White Australia policy. It also provided for illegal immigrants to be deported. It granted immigration officers a wide degree of discretion to prevent...
comes into force, instituting the White Australia PolicyWhite Australia policyThe White Australia policy comprises various historical policies that intentionally restricted "non-white" immigration to Australia. From origins at Federation in 1901, the polices were progressively dismantled between 1949-1973....
.
Sport
- 3 January — VictoriaVictorian BushrangersThe Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
wins the Sheffield ShieldPura CupThe Sheffield Shield is the domestic cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during...
. - 28 September — EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
beats CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
6.7 (43) to 2.4 (16) in the 1901 VFL grand final1901 VFL seasonResults and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1901.-Premiership season:In 1901, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume...
. - 5 November — Revenue wins the Melbourne CupMelbourne CupThe Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
.
Births
- 27 March — Kenneth SlessorKenneth SlessorKenneth Adolf Slessor OBE was an Australian poet and journalist. He was one of Australia's leading poets, notable particularly for the absorption of modernist influences into Australian poetry. The Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry is named after him.-Life:Slessor was born Kenneth Adolphe...
, poet (d. 1971) - 1 June — Tom GormanTom Gorman (rugby league)Tom Gorman was an Australian rugby league player. He was a Centre three-quarter for the Australian national team. He played in 10 Tests between 1924 and 1930 as captain on 7 occasions....
, rugby league footballer (d. 1978) - 16 September — Peter "Mick" Madsen, rugby league footballer (d. 1979)
- 25 September — Gordon CoventryGordon CoventryGordon "Nuts" Coventry was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League . With 1,299 goals over 18 seasons, Coventry remains one of the greatest full forwards the game has ever seen...
, Australian rules footballer for CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
(d. 1968)
Deaths
- 10 January — Sir James DicksonJames DicksonSir James Robert Dickson, KCMG was an Australian politician and businessman, the 13th Premier of Queensland and a member of the first federal ministry....
(b. 1832), Premier of Queensland and Federal Minister for Defence - 22 January — Queen Victoria, first monarch of the Commonwealth of Australia (died in England)
- 20 June — Alexander ForrestAlexander ForrestAlexander Forrest CMG, was an explorer and surveyor of Western Australia, as well as a politician.-Early life:Forrest was born at Picton, near Bunbury in Western Australia, the son of William and Margaret Forrest...
(b. 1849), explorer, surveyor and politician - 8 August — William Henry Groom (b. 1833), publican, newspaper proprietor and member of parliament
- 30 November — Edward John EyreEdward John EyreEdward John Eyre was an English land explorer of the Australian continent, colonial administrator, and a controversial Governor of Jamaica....
(b. 1815), explorer