1891 in Australia

Incumbents

Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales - Henry Parkes then George Dibbs
• Premier of South Australia - Thomas Playford II
• Premier of Queensland - Samuel Griffith
• Premier of Tasmania - Philip Fysh
• Premier of Western Australia - John Forrest
• Premier of Victoria - James Munro

  Governors

• Governor of New South Wales – Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey
• Governor of Queensland – Henry Wylie Norman
• Governor of South Australia – Algernon Keith-Falconer, 9th Earl of Kintore
• Governor of Tasmania – Robert Hamilton
• Governor of Victoria – John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow
• Governor of Western Australia – William C. F. Robinson

  Events

• 5 January - The 1891 Australian shearers' strike begins, which leads to the formation of the Australian Labor Party.
• 13 April - Howard Moffat founds newspaper Daily Commercial News, which runs for 108 years before merging with Lloyd's List Australia Weekly to form Lloyd's List DCN.
• 17 June - The Labor party first entered the New South Wales Legislative Assembly with 35 members elected.
• 9 October - The ceremonial mace is stolen from Victoria's Parliament House, Melbourne.

  Arts and literature

• Fire's on - Arthur Streeton

  Census

Sport

• Malvolio wins the Melbourne Cup

  Births

• 6 January - Ted McDonald, cricketer
• 9 April - Lesbia Harford, poet
• 30 April - Pat O'Hara Wood, tennis player
• 26 September - William McKell, Premier of NSW and Governor General of Australia
• 25 December - Clarrie Grimmett, cricketer

  Deaths

• 8 May - John Robertson, Premier of New South Wales
• 29 October - Edward Hargraves, gold prospector
• 7 December - Arthur Blyth, Premier of South Australia