1943 in Australia
The following lists events that happened during 1943 in Australia.Incumbents
- Monarch – George VI
- Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie
- Prime Minister – John Curtin
- Chief Justice – Sir John Latham
State Premiers
- Premier of New South Wales – William McKell
- Premier of Queensland – Frank Cooper
- Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV
- Premier of Tasmania – Robert Cosgrove
- Premier of Victoria – Albert Dunstan, then John Cain I, then Albert Dunstan
- Premier of Western Australia – John Willcock
State Governors
- Governor of New South Wales – John Loder, 2nd Baron Wakehurst
- Governor of Queensland – Sir Leslie Orme Wilson
- Governor of South Australia – Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey
- Governor of Tasmania – Sir Ernest Clark
- Governor of Victoria – Sir Winston Dugan
- Governor of Western Australia – none appointed
Events
- 3 March – A Soviet embassy is established in Canberra, and an Australian diplomat is posted to Moscow as ambassador.
- 14 May – The hospital ship AHS Centaur is torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off North Stradbroke Island in Queensland, killing 268 persons.
- 12 June – A general election is held in Victoria.
- 21 August – A federal election is held. The incumbent Australian Labor Party government led by John Curtin is returned to power.
- 23 September – Enid Lyons and Dorothy Tangney become the first women to win seats in the Parliament of Australia. Lyons represents the Tasmanian electorate of Darwin in the House of Representatives, and Tangney is a Senator for Western Australia.
Arts and literature
- William Dobell wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Joshua Smith
Film
- 4 March – Damien Parer wins Australia's first Academy Award for the film Kokoda Front Line.
Sport
- Dark Felt wins the Melbourne Cup
Births
- 5 January – Mary Gaudron, High Court judge
- 9 January – Robert Drewe, journalist and writer
- 29 January – Molly Meldrum, journalist, critic, and producer
- 8 February – Malcolm Donnelly, opera singer
- 1 March – Dyson Heydon, High Court judge
- 12 March – Philip Ruddock, politician
- 14 March – Aila Keto, environmentalist
- 19 March – Vern Schuppan, racing driver
- 22 March – Brian Austin, politician
- 6 April – Chris Gallus, politician
- 9 April – Brian James, rugby league player
- 11 April – Judith Adams, Liberal Senator for South Australia
- 13 April – Alan Jones, radio personality
- 26 April – David Combe, political lobbyist
- 29 April – John Tranter, poet
- 30 April – Paul Jennings, children's author
- 2 May – John Goss, racing driver
- 7 May – John Bannon, Premier of South Australia
- 7 May – Peter Carey, novelist
- 17 May – Johnny Warren, soccer player and coach
- 19 May – Bob Graham, NSW politician
- 1 June – Ian King, cricketer
- 4 June – John Burgess, TV & radio host
- 11 June - Ray Warren, rugby league commentator
- 19 June – Barry Hill, historian and writer
- 3 July – Judith Durham, singer
- 11 July – Richard Carleton, television journalist
- 25 July – Desmond Mueller, Vice Chief of the Defence Force
- 26 July – Robyn Woodhouse, high jumper
- 18 August – Jean Roberts, Olympic shot putter and discus thrower
- 16 September – Bob Debus, politician
- 16 September – Alan Ferguson, Liberal Senator for South Australia
- 26 September – Ian Chappell, cricketer
- 4 October – Owen Davidson, tennis player
- 6 October – Peter Dowding, Premier of Western Australia
- 9 October – Dianne Burge, Olympic sprinter
- 5 November – Percy Hobson, high jumper
- 6 November – Ian Turpie, TV host & singer
- 8 November – Peter Cook, politician
- 23 November – Tony Bonner, actor
- 25 November – Jan Andrew, Olympic swimmer
- 29 November – Janet Holmes à Court, businesswoman
- 19 December – Jimmy Mackay, soccer player
- 20 December – Roger Woodward, pianist
Deaths
- 3 January – Sir Walter James, Premier of Western Australia
- 14 February – Alice Henry, suffragist, journalist and trade unionist
- 7 March – Alma Moodie, violinist and educator
- 28 March – Keith Truscott, fighter pilot
- 29 March – William Ellis Newton, soldier and Victoria Cross recipient
- 25 April – Sir Arthur Cocks, NSW politician
- 19 May – Billy Sing, soldier
- 25 May – Albert Robinson,, politician
- 14 June – John McNeill, politician
- 28 June – Pietro Porcelli, sculptor
- 21 July – Edward Riley, politician
- 6 August – Tom Garrett, cricketer
- 24 August – Sir William Irvine, Premier of Victoria
- 1 September – Arthur Streeton, artist
- 23 September – John Bradfield, engineer
- 2 October – John Evans, Premier of Tasmania
- 14 October Jimmy Matthews, cricketer
- 15 October – Thomas Henry Dodds, soldier
- 23 October – Sir George Fairbairn, politician
- 6 November – William Lister Lister, artist
- 9 November – Reginald Spencer Browne, soldier
- 22 November – Thomas Ryan, Victorian and South Australian politician
- 23 November – Ernie Jones, cricketer and Australian rules footballer
- 27 November – Louis Esson, poet and playwright
- 10 December – Frederick Chapman, palaeontologist