1948 in Australia

Incumbents

• Monarch – George VI
• Governor General – William McKell
• Prime Minister – Ben Chifley
• Chief Justice – Sir John Latham

  State Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – James McGirr
• Premier of Queensland – Ned Hanlon
• Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV
• Premier of Tasmania – Edward Brooker, then Robert Cosgrove
• Premier of Victoria – Thomas Hollway
• Premier of Western Australia – Ross McLarty

  State Governors

• Governor of New South Wales – Sir John Northcott
• Governor of Queensland – Sir John Lavarack
• Governor of South Australia – Sir Charles Norrie
• Governor of Tasmania – Sir Hugh Binney
• Governor of Victoria – Sir Winston Dugan
• Governor of Western Australia – Sir James Mitchell

  Events

• 23 January – De Havilland Australia conducts the first flight of its 3 engined Drover transport aircraft at Bankstown Airport.
• 19 February – An Avro Lincoln bomber crashes at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland, killing 16 Royal Australian Air Force personnel.
• 25 February – Robert Cosgrove is reinstated as Premier of Tasmania after being cleared of corruption charges on 22 February.
• 8 May – Margaret McIntyre becomes the first woman elected to the Parliament of Tasmania. She is killed in a plane crash later in the year.
• 29 May – A federal referendum is held, asking one question on Rents and Prices. It is not carried.
• 1 July – The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is introduced.
• 21 August – A state election is held in Tasmania. The result is a hung parliament, but Robert Cosgrove and Labor retain power with the support of an independent, William Wedd.
• 2 September – The Douglas DC-3 Lutana crashes near Nundle, New South Wales, killing all 13 on board.
• 21 September – H.V. Evatt becomes President of the United Nations General Assembly.
• 29 November – The first Holden car, the model 48-215, popularly known as the FX, rolls off the assembly line. The on-road cost was approximately £760.
• 1 December – The body of an unidentified man is found on a beach in Adelaide in the Tamam Shud case.
• 16 December – HMAS Sydney is commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy as its first aircraft carrier.

  Arts and literature

• William Dobell wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Margaret Olley

  Sport

• Morna takes line honours and Westward wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
• Rimfire wins the Melbourne Cup

  Births

• 5 January – Wally Foreman, football commentator
• 23 January – Glenn Wheatley, musician and manager
• 25 January – Ros Kelly, politician
• 10 February – Mike Pratt, politician
• 2 March – Jeff Kennett, Premier of Victoria
• 13 March – Rick Amor, artist
• 19 March – Vince Lovegrove, singer, journalist and band manager
• 27 March – Rosemary Follett, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
• 31 March – Graham Cornes, Australian rules footballer
• 2 April – Jennifer Rowe, children's author
• 29 April – Leslie Howard, musician
• 15 May – Muriel Porter, Anglican laywoman
• 28 May – Michael Field, Premier of Tasmania
• 11 June – Pat Wilson, singer and journalist
• 21 June – Lionel Rose, boxer
• 30 June – Galarrwuy Yunupingu, Aboriginal leader
• 15 July – Richard Franklin, film director
• 24 July – Joan London, writer
• 7 August – Greg Chappell, cricketer
• 18 August – Richard Tracey, Australian military and civil judge and barrister
• 19 August – Robert Hughes, actor
• 20 August – John Noble, actor
• 12 September – Max Walker, cricketer and VFL footballer
• 18 September – Christopher Skase, fugitive businessman
• 22 September – Denis Burke, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
• 25 September – Vicki Viidikas, poet
• 26 September – Olivia Newton-John, entertainer
• 3 October – Rob Langer, cricketer
• 4 October – Bob Morris, racing driver
• 8 October – Warren Truss, leader of the National Party
• 19 October – Meg Lees, Democrat senator for South Australia
• 30 October – Garry McDonald, actor
• 5 November – Malcolm Milne, Olympic skier
• 6 November – Geoff Prosser, politician
• 14 November – Ian Stanley, golfer
• 15 November – James Kemsley, cartoonist
• 22 November – Gary Dempsey, Australian rules footballer
• 1 December – John Quigley, WA politician
• 2 December – Patricia Hewitt, British Labour Party politician
• 5 December – Cheryl Kernot, politician
• 12 December – Kim Beazley, politician
• 15 December – Cassandra Harris, actor
• 29 December – Michael White, psychotherapist

  Deaths

• 12 February – Sir Isaac Isaacs, Governor-General of Australia
• 23 March – Lou Cunningham, politician
• 24 March – Sydney Sampson, politician
• 9 April – George Carpenter, General of the Salvation Army
• 15 April – Eric Harrison, soldier and politician
• 20 May – Marie Pitt, poet
• 8 June – Thomas Crawford, politician
• 18 June – Edward Brooker, Premier of Tasmania
• 18 July – May Moss, women's rights activist
• 21 July – Francis Joseph Bayldon, master mariner
• 24 July – Stanley Goble, Chief of the Air Staff
• 31 July – Nigel Barker, track and field athlete
• 28 August – Jack Lumsdaine composer, baritone, soldier
• 2 September – Margaret McIntyre, politician
• 9 September – Francis Foster, politician
• 18 October – George Cann, politician
• 18 October – Philip Collier, Premier of Western Australia
• 8 December – Matthew Charlton, politician