1975 in Australia
Encyclopedia
Incumbents
- Queen of Australia – Elizabeth II
- 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...
– Sir John Kerr - 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...
– Gough WhitlamGough WhitlamEdward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
(until 11 November), then Malcolm FraserMalcolm FraserJohn Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role... - 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...
– Sir Robert AskinRobert AskinSir Robert William Askin GCMG, was an Australian politician and the 32nd Premier of New South Wales from 1965 to 1975, the first representing the Liberal Party of Australia. He was born in 1907 as Robin William Askin, but always disliked his first name and changed it by deed poll in 1971...
(until 3 January), then Tom LewisTom Lewis (Australian politician)Thomas Lancelot Lewis AO is a former New South Wales politician, Premier of New South Wales and Minister of the Crown in the cabinets of Sir Robert Askin and Sir Eric Willis. He was made the Premier of New South Wales following Askin's retirement from politics and held it until he was replaced by... - 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...
– Don DunstanDon DunstanDonald Allan "Don" Dunstan, AC, QC was a South Australian politician. He entered politics as the Member for Norwood in 1953, became state Labor leader in 1967, and was Premier of South Australia between June 1967 and April 1968, and again between June 1970 and February 1979.The son of a business... - 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...
– Sir Joh Bjelke-PetersenJoh Bjelke-PetersenSir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state... - 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...
– Eric ReeceEric ReeceEric Elliott Reece, AC was Premier of Tasmania on two occasions: from 26 August 1958 to 26 May 1969, and from 3 May 1972 to 31 March 1975.-Biography:...
(until 31 March), then Bill NeilsonBill NeilsonWilliam Arthur "Bill" Neilson AC was Premier of Tasmania from 1975 to 1977.Born in Hobart, Tasmania, and educated at Ogilvie High School, Neilson became a postman. He married Jill Benjamin, daughter of Phyllis Benjamin, in Melbourne in 1948... - 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...
– Charles CourtCharles CourtSir Charles Walter Michael Court, was a Western Australian politician, 21st Premier of Western Australia and member for the seat of Nedlands for the Liberal Party for nearly 30 years.-Early life:... - 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....
– Rupert HamerRupert HamerSir Rupert James Hamer, AC, KCMG, ED , generally known until he was knighted in 1982 as Dick Hamer, Australian Liberal Party politician, was the 39th Premier of Victoria, serving from 1972 to 1981.-Early years:...
Events
- 5 January – Tasman Bridge disasterTasman Bridge disasterThe Tasman Bridge disaster occurred on the evening of 5 January 1975, in Hobart, the capital city of Australia's island state of Tasmania, when a bulk ore carrier travelling up the Derwent River collided with several pylons of the Tasman Bridge, causing a large section of the bridge deck to...
: The Tasman BridgeTasman BridgeThe Tasman Bridge is a five-lane bridge crossing the Derwent River, near the CBD of Hobart, Tasmania. The bridge has a total length of 1,395 metres . It provides the main traffic route from the CBD to the eastern shore - particularly Hobart International Airport and Bellerive Oval...
in HobartHobartHobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
is struck by the ore carrier MV Lake IllawarraMV Lake IllawarraThe MV Lake Illawarra was a Handysize bulk carrier of 7,274 tons in the service of the Australian National Line shipping company. This ship is known for causing the Tasman Bridge disaster when it collided with pylon 19 of Hobart's giant high concrete arch style Tasman Bridge on the evening of...
. The bridge partially collapses onto the vessel, which sinks. Seven crew and five motorists are killed - 19 January – 2JJ, the predecessor of youth radio Triple JTriple Jtriple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
, commences broadcasting in Sydney. - 21 March – Malcolm Fraser replaces Billy SneddenBilly SneddenSir Billy Mackie Snedden, KCMG, QC was an Australian politician representing the Liberal Party. He was Leader of the Opposition at the 1974 federal election, failing to defeat the Labor incumbent Gough Whitlam.-Early life:...
as leader of the Liberal Party of AustraliaLiberal Party of AustraliaThe Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
. - 25 April – The Australian Embassy in South VietnamSouth VietnamSouth Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
is closed and staff evacuated prior to the Fall of SaigonFall of SaigonThe Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front on April 30, 1975...
. - 1 July – MedibankMedicare (Australia)Medicare is Australia's publicly funded universal health care system, operated by the government authority Medicare Australia. Medicare is intended to provide affordable treatment by doctors and in public hospitals for all resident citizens and permanent residents except for those on Norfolk Island...
is introduced, Australia PostAustralia PostAustralia Post is the trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation .-History:...
and TelecomTelstraTelstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
are formed from the Postmaster-General's DepartmentPostmaster-General's DepartmentThe Postmaster-General's Department was created at Federation in 1901 to control all postal services within Australia. Its minister was the Postmaster-General. In mid-1975 it was disaggregated into the Australian Telecommunications Commission and the Australian Postal Commission...
(PMG). - 16 September – Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
gains its independence from Australia. - 20 September – Thirteen miners are killed in an underground coal mine explosion at the Kianga Mine at Moura, QueenslandMoura, QueenslandMoura is a small town servicing the surrounding coal mining and rural activities. The town was first established in 1936 as a farming centre near the existing Moura Station.The town of Moura is located in Central Queensland, Australia...
. - 16 October – The Balibo FiveBalibo FiveThe Balibo Five was a group of journalists for Australian television networks based in the town of Balibo in East Timor where they were killed on 16 October 1975 during Indonesian incursions prior to the invasion....
are killed by Indonesian troops in Portuguese TimorPortuguese TimorPortuguese Timor was the name of East Timor when it was under Portuguese control. During this period, Portugal shared the island of Timor with the Netherlands East Indies, and later with Indonesia....
. - 11 November – 1975 Australian constitutional crisis: The Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, dismisses the government of Gough Whitlam. Malcolm Fraser is installed as caretaker Prime Minister.
- 25 December – Fifteen persons are killed in an arson attack at the Savoy Hotel in Kings Cross, New South WalesKings Cross, New South WalesKings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
. - Scientist John CornforthJohn CornforthSir John Warcup 'Kappa' Cornforth, AC, CBE, FRS , is an Australian scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1975 for his work on the stereochemistry of enzyme-catalyzed reactions....
is announced as Australian of the YearAustralian of the YearSince 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
.
Arts and literature
- Kevin ConnorKevin Connor (artist)Kevin Connor , Australian artist who won the Archibald Prize twice; in 1975 for The Hon Sir Frank Kitto, KBE, and in 1977 for Robert Klippel. He won the Sulman Prize in 1991/92 with Najaf June 1991 and again in 1997 with The Man with itchy fingers and other figures Gare du Nord .He won a Harkness...
wins the Archibald PrizeArchibald PrizeThe 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 The Hon Sir Frank Kitto, KBEFrank KittoSir Frank Walters Kitto, AC, KBE, QC , Australian judge, was a Justice of the High Court of Australia.Kitto was born in Melbourne in 1903, but his family moved to Sydney, when his father James Kitto became the Deputy Director of Posts and Telegraphs in New South Wales. There he was educated at... - Xavier HerbertXavier HerbertXavier Herbert was an Australian writer best known for his Miles Franklin Award-winning novel Poor Fellow My Country . He is considered one of the elder statesmen of Australian literature...
's novel Poor Fellow My CountryPoor Fellow My CountryPoor Fellow My Country is a Miles Franklin Award winning novel by Australian author Xavier Herbert. It is the longest Australian book ever written. Primarily, it is the story of Jeremy Delacy and his illegitimate grandson Prindy in the years leading up to World War II...
wins the Miles Franklin AwardMiles Franklin AwardThe Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize for the best Australian ‘published novel or play portraying Australian life in any of its phases’. The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin , who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career ...
Film
- Picnic at Hanging RockPicnic at Hanging Rock (film)Picnic at Hanging Rock is a 1975 Australian feature film directed by Peter Weir and starring Anne-Louise Lambert, Helen Morse, Rachel Roberts and Vivean Gray. The film is adapted from the novel of the same name, by author Joan Lindsay....
, directed by Peter WeirPeter WeirPeter Lindsay Weir, AM is an Australian film director. After playing a leading role in the Australian New Wave cinema with his films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave and Gallipoli, Weir directed a diverse group of American and international films—many of them major box office...
, is released
Television
- 1 March – "C-Day." Full-time colour broadcasting is launched.
- April – Graham Kennedy said the crow call "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck!Fuck"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
" during a live ad on The Graham Kennedy ShowThe Graham Kennedy ShowThe Graham Kennedy Show was an Australian talk show that debuted on 19 September 1972, on the Nine Network.On 23 December 1969, host Graham Kennedy has quit as host of In Melbourne Tonight, exhausted, and rested for two years. In spite of his fame and fortune, he later described that period as...
. The studio operators complied, and the show immediately pulled the plug and went to a black screen saying the network had "technical difficulties". In Sydney, the show went to a commercial break and Kennedy never came back, with Bert NewtonBert NewtonAlbert Watson "Bert" Newton, AM, MBE is an Australian television personality, known for hosting television series such as In Melbourne Tonight, Good Morning Australia and 20 to 1. Newton has also hosted the Logie Awards on numerous occasions through his career.-Early life:Newton was born in...
remaining during the air time. The same happened in Adelaide, with the exception that it was succeeded by Don LaneDon LaneDon Lane , born Morton Donald Isaacson, was an American-born talk show host and singer. Don Lane is best known for hosting The Don Lane Show, which was aired on The Nine Network in Australia from 1975 to 1983....
starting the host his variety show with Newton. Kennedy was immediately fired and banned for life from GTV-9GTV-9GTV is a commercial television station in Melbourne, Australia owned by the Nine Network. The station is currently based at a new high-tech, purpose-built studios at 717 Bourke Street, Docklands.-History:...
.
Sport
- 16 March – Australia is represented by twelve long-distance runners (eight men, four women) at the third IAAF World Cross Country Championships1975 IAAF World Cross Country ChampionshipsThe 3rd IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held on March 16, 1975 in Rabat, Morocco.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- External links :*...
in Rabat, Morocco. Bill Scott is Australia's best finisher, claiming the 22nd spot (36:28.0) in the race over 12 kilometres. - 9 August – John FarringtonJohn FarringtonJohn 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...
wins his fourth men's national marathon title, clocking 2:17:20 in Point Cook. - Rugby League Premiership winner Eastern Suburbs 38 def St George 0
- Think BigThink Big (horse)Think Big was a Thoroughbred racehorse who raced in Australia, winning the Melbourne Cup in both 1974 and 1975. Bred by the estate of the late L. A...
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...
Jockey Harry White. - Western Australia 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...
- Kialoa takes line honours in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht RaceSydney to Hobart Yacht RaceThe Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, Australia on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart. The race distance is approximately...
. Rampage is the handicap winner - Czechoslovakia defeats Australia 3-0 in the Federation Cup
Births
- 19 January – Natalie CookNatalie CookNatalie Louise Cook OAM is an Australian professional beach volleyball player and Olympic gold medallist.-Early life:...
, beach volleyball player - 4 February – Natalie ImbrugliaNatalie ImbrugliaNatalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
, singer
- 19 April – Jason GillespieJason GillespieJason Neil Gillespie is an Australian cricketer who formerly represented Australia at international level, in both Tests and One Day Internationals, and South Australia, Yorkshire and Glamorgan at first-class level. His primary role is as a right-arm fast-medium bowler, but he is also a competent...
, cricketer - 21 May – Anthony MundineAnthony MundineAnthony Mundine is an Australian professional boxer and former rugby league footballer.He is the current interim WBA Light Middleweight Champion boxer, former two-time WBA Super Middleweight Champion, former IBO Middleweight Champion and New South Wales State of Origin representative footballer....
, rugby league footballer and boxer - 27 May – Michael HusseyMichael HusseyMichael Edward Killeen Hussey is an Australian cricketer, a left-handed specialist batsman. Hussey is also widely known by his nickname Mr Cricket. Hussey was a relative latecomer to both the one-day international and Test Australian teams, debuting at 28 and 30 years of age in the respective...
, cricketer - 9 June – Andrew SymondsAndrew SymondsAndrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling....
, cricketer - 23 June – Jane JamiesonJane JamiesonJane Jamieson is a track and field athlete from Australia.Jamieson has competed in the heptathlon in the Olympic Games, World Championships and Commonwealth Games finishing with Top 10 results at each level including a Gold Medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.Since the 2000 Olympic...
, track and field athlete - 2 July – Daniel KowalskiDaniel KowalskiDaniel Steven Kowalski is a former Australian middle- and long-distance swimmer specialising in freestyle events. He competed in the Olympic Games in 200 m, 400 m and 1,500 m individual freestyle events and in the 4x200 m freestyle relay...
, swimmer - 17 July – Loretta HarropLoretta HarropLoretta Harrop is an Australian triathlete.As a teenager she attended Cavendish Road State High School along with her siblings and as of 2007 has a house named after her. Harrop house which will go by the colour red.Harrop competed at the first Olympic triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics...
, triathlete - 7 August – David Matthew Hicks, prisoner at Guantánamo Bay, convicted of "providing material support for terrorism"
- 12 August – Taryn WoodsTaryn WoodsTaryn Woods is an Australian water polo player from the gold medal squad of the 2000 Summer Olympics.Woods attended Fort Street High School. She is the daughter of David Woods and the sister of water polo international Gavin Woods.-External links:*...
, water polo player - 21 August – Simon KatichSimon KatichSimon Matthew Katich is an Australian cricketer. He is the captain of the New South Wales Blues, and also captained, up until the end of the 2007 season, Derbyshire County Cricket Club...
, cricketer - 25 August – Petria ThomasPetria ThomasPetria Ann Thomas OAM is an Australian swimmer and Olympic gold medallist and a winner of 15 national titles. She was born in Lismore, New South Wales and grew up in the nearby town of Mullumbimby....
, swimmer - 1 September – Natalie BassingthwaighteNatalie BassingthwaighteNatalie Bassingthwaighte is an Australian actress, singer-songwriter and television personality. She began her career as an actress on the television series All Saints. She then starred in the American television movie Counterstrike...
, singer and actress - 18 September – Don HanyDon HanyDon Hany is an Australian award-winning actor. He is best known for his role in the series White Collar Blue, the film Lucky Miles and in the mini-series East West 101.-Biography:...
, actor - 25 September – Scott WestcottScott WestcottScott Westcott is an Australian runner and school teacher. Born near Parkes, New South Wales, Westcott was an avid runner as a teenager, winning the 5000m state championships. Studying teaching in Armidale, Westcott took a job as a science teacher at Maitland Christian School in 1998...
, long-distance runner - 28 September – Stuart ClarkStuart ClarkStuart Rupert Clark is an Australian International cricketer who plays domestic cricket for the New South Wales Blues. He plays as a right-arm fast-medium bowler...
, cricketer - 9 October – Mark VidukaMark VidukaMark Anthony Viduka is a former Australian soccer player who played as a centre forward. He captained the Australian national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany to the last 16.-Melbourne Croatia:...
, football (soccer) player - 31 October – Carla BoydCarla BoydCarla Maree Boyd is an Australian former professional basketball player in the WNBA as a forward for the Detroit Shock...
, basketball player - 31 October – Jagan HamesJagan HamesJagan Hames is a retired decathlete from Australia, who won the gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia setting a personal best . He started his career as a high jumper and has an official PB of 2.30m in this event.-Achievements:-References:* *...
, track and field athlete
Deaths
- 27 September – Jack LangJack Lang (Australian politician)John Thomas Lang , usually referred to as J.T. Lang during his career, and familiarly known as "Jack" and nicknamed "The Big Fella" was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales for two terms...
(b. 1876), Premier of New South Wales - 5 November – Annette KellermanAnnette KellermanAnnette Marie Sarah Kellerman was an Australian professional swimmer, vaudeville and film star, and writer...
(b. 1887), swimmer and film star