1950 in Australia

Incumbents

• Monarch – George VI
• Governor-General – William McKell
• Prime Minister – Robert Menzies
• 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 – Robert Cosgrove
• Premier of Victoria – Thomas Hollway, then John McDonald
• 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 Dallas Brooks
• Governor of Western Australia – Sir James Mitchell

  Events

• 25 January – The Tank Landing Ship HMAS Tarakan explodes at Garden Island in Sydney, killing 8 people.
• 8 February – Petrol rationing ends, nearly ten years after it was introduced during World War II.
• 6 May – A state election is held in Tasmania. The result is a hung parliament, but Robert Cosgrove's Labor Party remains in power with independent support.
• 13 May – A state election is held in Victoria.
• 23 June – The Parliament of Australia passes the Communist Party Dissolution Bill, effectively banning the operation of the Communist Party of Australia.
• 26 June – Douglas DC-4 Amana crashes near Perth, Western Australia, killing 28. One passenger survived the crash.
• 26 July – The government announces that Australia will send troops to fight in the Korean War. The first Australian forces land in Korea on 17 September.
• 28 October – The Smith's Weekly newspaper, founded in 1919, is published for the last time.
• New South Wales and Queensland receive extraordinary annual rainfall.

  Arts and literature

• 11 December – A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute is published.

  Unknown dates

• William Dargie wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Sir Leslie McConnan
• The novel Power Without Glory by Frank Hardy is published.
• The Ballet Corroboree, by John Antill, is first performed

  Sport

• General
• * Australia wins 34 gold medals at the 4th British Empire Games, held in Auckland, New Zealand
• Cricket
• * New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield
• Cycling
• * Sid Patterson wins the world amateur pursuit cycling title in Belgium
• Football
• * Brisbane Rugby League premiership: Easts defeated Wests 14-10
• * New South Wales Rugby League premiership: South Sydney defeated Western Suburbs 21-15
• * South Australian National Football League premiership: won by Norwood
• * Victorian Football League premiership: Essendon defeated North Melbourne 92-54
• Golf
• * Australian Open: won by Norman Von Nida
• * Australian PGA Championship: won by Norman Von Nida
• Horse Racing
• * Grey Boots wins the Caulfield Cup
• * Alister wins the Cox Plate
• * Comic Court wins the Melbourne Cup
• Motor Racing
• * The Australian Grand Prix was held at Nuriootpa and won by Doug Whiteford driving a Ford
• Tennis
• * Australian Open men's singles: Frank Sedgman defeats Ken McGregor 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-1
• * Australian Open women's singles: Louise Brough defeats Doris Hart 6-4 3-6 6-4
• * Davis Cup: Australia defeats the United States 4–1 in the 1950 Davis Cup final
• * US Open: John Bromwich and Frank Sedgman win the Men's Doubles
• * Wimbledon: John Bromwich and Adrian Quist win the Men's Doubles
• Yachting
• * Margaret Rintoul takes line honours and Nerida wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

  Births

• 1 January – Wayne Bennett, rugby league footballer and coach
• 11 February – John Cobb, politician
• 14 February – Phil Dent, tennis player
• 16 February – Malcolm Blight, Australian Rules football player
• 20 February – Gary Manuel, football player
• 1 March – Estelle Blackburn, journalist
• 11 March – Sam Kekovich, Australian Rules football player
• 18 March – Larry Perkins, ATCC/V8 Supercars racing driver
• 30 March – Warren Snowdon, politician
• 10 April – Mick Dodson, indigenous leader
• 15 April – Peter Cochrane, historian
• 21 April – Bruce Duperouzel, footballer and cricketer
• 29 April – Phillip Noyce, film director
• 11 May – Gary Foley, indigenous activist
• 15 May – Jim Bacon, Premier of Tasmania
• 26 May – Paul Omodei, WA politician
• 29 May – Lesley Hunt, tennis player
• 31 May – Warren Entsch, politician
• 13 June - Belinda Bauer, actress
• 13 July - Kevin McQuay, businessman
• 15 July – Colin Barnett, WA politician
• 15 July – Alan Hurst, cricketer
• 15 July – Peter Reith, politician
• 17 July – Nick Bolkus, politician
• 21 July – Allan Maher, football goalkeeper
• 8 August – Philip Salom, poet and novelist
• 16 August – Jeff Thomson, cricketer
• 6 September – Robyn Davidson, writer
• 11 September – Bruce Doull, Australian Rules football player
• 27 September – John Marsden, writer
• 14 October – Kate Grenville, novelist
• 30 October - Tim Sheens, rugby league footballer and coach
• 2 November – Graeme Murphy, choreographer
• 7 November – John Lang, rugby league footballer and coach
• 25 November – Alexis Wright, writer
• 1 December – Ross Hannaford, guitarist
• 10 December – Robert Cusack, swimmer
• 12 December
• *Louis Nowra, writer and playwright
• *Judy Wajcman, sociologist
• 18 December – Gillian Armstrong, film director
• 22 December – Nick Enright, playwright, director

  Deaths

• 2 January – James Dooley, Premier of New South Wales
• 2 January – Beaumont Smith, film director and producer
• 20 January – Ray Duggan, speedway motorcycle racer
• 25 January – Chummy Fleming, trade unionist
• 23 February – Henry Willis, politician
• 28 February – Ted Theodore, Premier of Queensland
• 19 March – Harry Wright, Australian rules footballer
• 14 April – Sir Albert Dunstan, Premier of Victoria
• 6 May – Lancelot De Mole, engineer and inventor
• 15 May – Jack Hickey, dual-code rugby international
• 11 June – Ernest Henshaw, WA politician
• 20 June – Claude Jennings, cricketer
• 14 July – Bill Howell, cricketer
• 31 July – George Wise, politician and solicitor
• 6 August – Edwin Corboy, politician
• 8 August – Fergus McMaster, co-founder of Qantas
• 3 September – Michael Durack, pastoralist and WA pioneer
• 22 September – Edward Fowell Martin, soldier
• 24 September – Dame Mary Turner Cook, wife of Prime Minister Sir Joseph Cook
• 6 November – Frank Brennan, politician
• 20 November – Erle Cox, journalist and science fiction author
• 16 December – James Fenton, politician
• 29 December – Albert Lane, politician