1978 in Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following lists events that happened during 1978 in Australia.
| 1978 in Australia | |
|---|---|
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | Sir Zelman Cowen |
| Prime minister | Malcolm Fraser |
| Population | 14,192,234 |
| Australian of the Year | Alan Bond and Galarrwuy Yunupingu |
| Elections | NSW |
Incumbents
[edit ]
.jpg){kind=link}
- Monarch – Elizabeth II
- Governor-General – Sir Zelman Cowen
- Prime Minister – Malcolm Fraser
- Chief Justice – Sir Garfield Barwick
State and territory leaders
[edit ]- Premier of New South Wales – Neville Wran
- Opposition Leader – Peter Coleman (until 7 October), then John Mason
- Premier of Queensland – Joh Bjelke-Petersen
- Opposition Leader – Tom Burns (until 28 November), then Ed Casey
- Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan
- Premier of Tasmania – Doug Lowe
- Premier of Victoria – Rupert Hamer
- Premier of Western Australia – Sir Charles Court
- Opposition Leader – Colin Jamieson (until 21 February), then Ron Davies
- Majority Leader/Chief Minister of the Northern Territory – Paul Everingham
Governors and administrators
[edit ]- Governor of New South Wales – Sir Roden Cutler
- Governor of Queensland – Sir James Ramsay
- Governor of South Australia – Sir Keith Seaman
- Governor of Tasmania – Sir Stanley Burbury
- Governor of Victoria – Sir Henry Winneke
- Governor of Western Australia – Sir Wallace Kyle
- Administrator of Norfolk Island – Desmond O'Leary
- Administrator of the Northern Territory – John England (from 1 June)
Events
[edit ]January
[edit ]- 1 January –
- Another Vietnamese refugee boat arrives at night, from a camp off the Malaysian coast.[1]
- The Festival of Sydney begins.
- A jail warder, Victor Sullivan is struck on the head by a prisoner at Parramatta Jail.
- 2 January – Senator Neville Bonner attacks the Queensland Government over delays in its housing reconstruction programme for Mornington Island, which was ravaged by Cyclone Ted more than a year ago.[2]
- 3 January –
- Bela Csidei, a prominent Sydney businessman, is alleged in the Darwin Magistrates' Court to have been involved in growing marijuana in the Northern Territory.[3]
- Acting Health Minister Mr McLeay reiterates the Federal Government's election promise to keep the Medibank levy and ceiling at the same level for the next six months.
- Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen announces that he will ask churches throughout Queensland to hold a day of prayer for rain, suggesting a date of 15 January.[4]
- 4 January –
- The Australian dollar is devalued from 89.4 to 89.2 due to a drop in the US dollar to bring the effect devaluation since November 1976 to 15.3%.[5]
- Acting Prime Minister Doug Anthony announces that the Federal Government knew that Arab nations operated a blacklist for more than 20 years and that some Australian companies were on it, but that the Government had never been told officially that certain companies were being boycotted.[6]
- 5 January –
- Corrective Services Commissioner, W. McGeechan, talks 120 maximum security prisoners back into their cells after a 5-hour protest sit-in at Parramatta jail.[7]
- Aboriginal Senator Neville Bonner makes a complaint to the Queensland State Licensing Commission about the Mount Isa hotel which refused him service on Boxing Day.[8]
- Immigration and Ethnic Affairs Minister Michael MacKellar reverses a department decision thereby allowing a Uruguayan woman to join her widowed brother, Ruben Molina, in Sydney.[9]
- 18 January – New South Wales Premier Neville Wran meets with prison union officials about their demand that Bathurst Jail be reopened to relieve over crowding and staff shortages in other prisons.
February
[edit ]- 13 February – Terrorism arrives in Australia for the very first time with the Sydney Hilton bombing killing 3 people and injuring 11 others.[10]
March
[edit ]- 14 March – Stephen Matthews, aged 20, swept from the Natural Bridge off Albany, by a King Wave. Rescued by whale ship, the Cheynes II. First recorded survival of someone swept into the sea at The Gap and Natural Bridge.[11]
- 30 March – Commonwealth Police (Federal Police) begin arresting 180 Greek-Australians said to be involved in a conspiracy to defraud the Department of Social Security.[12]
April
[edit ]- 4 April – Cyclone Alby kills 5 people in Western Australia.[13]
May
[edit ]- 15 May –
- Australia's longest serving prime minister Robert Menzies dies.[14]
- Australia's first Timezone arcade opens in Perth.[citation needed ]
June
[edit ]- 24 June – The inaugural Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade, a gay rights march is held in Oxford Street, Sydney to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York.[15]
- 25 June – Trudie Adams disappears from the Surf Life Saving Club in Newport, New South Wales.[16]
July
[edit ]- 1 July – The Northern Territory attains self-government; Majority Leader Paul Everingham becomes the inaugural Chief Minister.[17]
August
[edit ]- 25 August – Michelle Pope and Stephen Lapthorne disappear. Still missing as of 3 August 2015[update] .[18]
October
[edit ]- 7 October – The ALP New South Wales state government of Neville Wran is re-elected with a massively increased majority, leading to his win being dubbed as a "Wranslide".[19]
- 8 October – Australia's Ken Warby sets the world water speed record to 510 km/h (317.60 mph) at Blowering Dam, New South Wales.[20]
- 21 October - Cessna pilot Frederick Valentich disappears while flying over Bass Strait.[21]
November
[edit ]- 21 November – Last day of commercial whaling in Australia.[citation needed ] No sperm whales caught that day by the chaser ships (Cheynes II, III and IV) operated by the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company at Albany, Western Australia.[citation needed ] The last whale caught by an Australian whaling company was the day before, 20 November.[citation needed ]
Arts and literature
[edit ]Main article: 1978 in Australian literature
- Brett Whiteley wins the Archibald Prize with Art, Life and the other thing .[22]
- Jessica Anderson's novel Tirra Lirra By the River wins the Miles Franklin Award.[23]
- Helen Garner becomes the first woman to win the National Book Council Award for her novel Monkey Grip , selected as Book of the Year.[24]
Film
[edit ]Sport
[edit ]- 7 March – Western Australia wins the 1977–78 Sheffield Shield season.[26]
- 6 May – Melbourne and St Kilda set a still-standing record VFL/AFL aggregate score of 52.33 (345).[citation needed ]
- 1 July – Footscray kick a record VFL score of 33.15 (213) beating the previous record by three points.[citation needed ] Kelvin Templeton and Ian Dunstan combine for 22 of the 33 goals.[citation needed ]
- 6 August – James Langford wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:19:29 in Caboolture.[27]
- 19 September – After a controversial NSWRFL finals series with two draws, Manly thrash Cronulla 16–0 to win their fourth premiership with Graham Eadie dominating.[28] Newtown finish in last position, claiming their third straight and final wooden spoon before their departure from the premiership five years later.
- 30 September – Hawthorn 18.13 (121) defeats North Melbourne 15.13 (103) for its fourth VFL premiership.[29]
- 7 November – Arwon wins the Melbourne Cup.[30]
- 30 December – Apollo claims line honours in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.[31]
Births
[edit ]- 4 January – Paul Licuria, Australian rules footballer
- 14 January – James Mathison, TV host
- 25 January – Jason Johnson, Australian rules footballer
- 1 February – Tim Harding, singer (Hi 5)
- 2 February – Annabel Ellwood, tennis player
- 7 February – Frank Drmic, basketball player
- 8 February – Mick de Brenni, politician
- 16 February – Lance Thompson, rugby league player (d. 2018)
- 1 March – Gavin Woods, water polo player
- 14 March – Karyne Di Marco, hammer thrower
- 18 March – Brooke Hanson, swimmer
- 4 April – Sam Moran, singer (The Wiggles)
- 16 April – Matthew Lloyd, footballer and coach
- 2 June – Luke Williamson, rugby league player
- 30 June – Ben Cousins, AFL Footballer
- 8 August – Kate Ritchie, actress, radio & television personality
- 16 August – Ben Galea, rugby player
- 11 September – Ben Lee, singer-songwriter, guitarist and actor
- 18 September – Melanie Gibbons, politician
- 20 September – Scott Minto, rugby league player
- 22 September – Harry Kewell, soccer player
- 20 October – Michael Johns, Australian singer (d. 2014)
- 25 October – Matt Shirvington, track and field athlete
- November – Allyson McConnell, convicted killer who drowned her two children in Alberta, Canada [32]
- 22 November – Steven King, plays with Geelong Football Club
- 2 December – Peter Moylan, baseball player
- Fiona McFarlane - author[33]
Deaths
[edit ]- 9 January – Eddie Gilbert, (born 1905), Queensland cricketer[34]
- 5 February – Frank McIver, (born 1904), soccer player and administrator[citation needed ]
- 14 May – Sir Robert Menzies, (born 1894), Prime Minister of Australia[14]
- 27 July – Bob Heffron, (born 1890), Premier of New South Wales[35]
- 18 September – Dame Alice Berry, (born 1900), social activist[36]
- 6 October – Johnny O'Keefe, (born 1935), rock and roll singer[37]
See also
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ "38 refugees in latest boat to reach Darwin". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 January 1978. p. 1. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Senator 'disgusted' at Aboriginal homes delay". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 January 1978. p. 2.
- ^ "Csidei named in drug case". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 January 1978. p. 1. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Rain prayers suggested". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 January 1978. p. 1. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Value of $ cut again". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 January 1978. p. 1. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Govt knew of Arab blacklist But it appears to have had little effect, says Anthony". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 January 1978. p. 3.
- ^ Allison, Colin (6 January 1978). "McGeechan talks angry prisoners back to cells". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 1. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Isa Hotel complaint". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 January 1978. p. 2. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ Lukas, Isabel (6 January 1978). "Immigration Dept refusal reversed by minister". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 2. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ Bowers, Peter; Brown, Malcolm (14 February 1978). "Fraser calls troops". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 1. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "The Natural Bridge". GlobeVista. 2008. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- ^ Grabosky, Peter. N. (1989). "Chapter 6: The great social security conspiracy case". Wayward Governance: Illegality and its Control in the Public Sector. Australian Institute of Criminology. pp. 93–112. ISBN 0 642 14605 5 . Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ "Five dead in storm: fires rage on". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 April 1978. p. 1. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ a b Bowers, Peter (16 May 1978). "Menzies dies at 83". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 1. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "First gay Mardi Gras". National Museum Australia. 2022. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Hunt for girl, 18, goes on". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 June 1978. p. 2. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ Mellor, Bill (2 July 1978). "Darwin wakes with a capital hangover". The Sun-Herald. p. 3. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ Findlay, Tracey (3 August 2015). "Police renew appeal for information on local couple missing 30 years". Hornsby Advocate . Daily Telegraph-NewsLocal. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ Owens, Warren (8 October 1978). "Wran back - and how!". The Sun-Herald. p. 1. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Robertson, David (9 October 1978). "The fastest man afloat: Warby breaks own record". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 1. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Murdoch, Lindsay (23 October 1978). "Pilot tells of UFO then vanishes". The Age. p. 1. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Harper, Catherine (16 December 1978). "Brett Whiteley takes an art hat trick". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 1. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Literary award to 'late starter'". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 May 1979. p. 3. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Sayers, Stuart (13 October 1978). "Expatriate grips the novel prize". The Age. p. 2. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ DuBose, Martha (16 November 1978). "Could it become a gift tradition?". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 8. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Sheffield Shield: final standing". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 March 1978. p. 42. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Veteran Langford turns clock back in marathon". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 August 1978. p. 31. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Clarkson, Alan (20 September 1978). "Finally it's Manly... grandly". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 28. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "100,000 at VFL final". The Sun-Herald. 1 October 1978. p. 2. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Bourke, Tony (8 November 1978). "Arwon turns up trumps for Nowra". The Age. p. 1. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Herbert, Adrian (31 December 1978). "Apollo first to Hobart - second line honour victory for skipper". The Sun-Herald. p. 2. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Boys found dead were at centre of custody fight
- ^ "Fiona McFarlane". www.swansea.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ^ "Famous Qld bowler dies". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 January 1978. p. 26. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "R J Heffron dies at 87". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 July 1978. p. 1. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Biography - Dame Alice Miriam Berry - Australian Dictionary of Biography". 5 March 2016. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ "Johnny O'Keefe, rock star, dies". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 October 1978. p. 1. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.