1953 in Australia

Incumbents

• Monarch – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – William McKell, then Sir William Slim
• Prime Minister – Robert Menzies
• Chief Justice – Sir Owen Dixon

  State Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – Joseph Cahill
• Premier of Queensland – Vince Gair
• Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV
• Premier of Tasmania – Robert Cosgrove
• Premier of Victoria – John Cain I
• Premier of Western Australia – Ross McLarty, then Albert Hawke

  State Governors

• Governor of New South Wales – Sir John Northcott
• Governor of Queensland – Sir John Lavarack
• Governor of South Australia – Sir Robert George
• Governor of Tasmania – Sir Ronald Cross, 1st Baronet
• Governor of Victoria – Sir Dallas Brooks
• Governor of Western Australia – Sir Charles Gairdner

  Events

• 20 March – The Television Act is passed by parliament, setting regulations for the broadcast of television in Australia, although television transmission did not commence until 1956.
• 2 June – The Queen of Australia Elizabeth II's coronation takes place at Westminster Abbey
• 29 October – British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines Douglas DC-6, registration VH-BPE, en route from Sydney, crashes on approach to San Francisco, killing 19 people.
• 4 December – Oil is discovered in the Exmouth Gulf off the coast of Western Australia.

  Science and technology

Arts and literature

• John Brack paints and The New House in Oakleigh, Victoria
• Ivor Hele wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Sir Henry Simpson Newland
• Michael Kmit loses the Blake Prize for Religious Art with his work The Evangelist John Mark

  Sport

• Athletics
• * 26 September – Roland Guy wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:24:48 in Sydney.
• Cricket
• * South Australia wins the Sheffield Shield
• Football
• * 23 May: Fitzroy go within ten minutes of a team score of 0.0, which would have been a VFL first, against Footscray in appalling conditions. Allan Ruthven kicks a late goal to save them from this ignominy.
• * 1 August: Collingwood end Geelong's record 26-game unbeaten streak, which still stand, when they win 10.15 to 7.13.
• * South Australian National Football League premiership: won by West Torrens
• * Victorian Football League premiership: Collingwood defeated Geelong 77–65
• Rugby
• * Brisbane Rugby League premiership: Souths defeated Easts 21–4
• * New South Wales Rugby League premiership: South Sydney defeated St. George 31–12
• Golf
• * Australian Open: won by Norman Von Nida
• * Australian PGA Championship: won by Ossie Pickworth
• Horse Racing
• * My Hero wins the Caulfield Cup
• * Hydrogen wins the Cox Plate
• * Wodalla wins the Melbourne Cup
• Motor Racing
• * The Australian Grand Prix was held at Albert Park and won by Doug Whiteford driving a Talbot-Lago
• Tennis
• * Australian Open men's singles: Ken Rosewall defeats Mervyn Rose 6–0 6–3 6–4
• * Australian Open women's singles: Maureen Connolly defeats Julie Sampson Haywood 6–3 6–2
• * Davis Cup: Australia defeats the United States 3–2 in the 1953 Davis Cup final
• * Wimbledon: Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall win the Men's Doubles
• Yachting
• * Solveig IV takes line honours and Ripple wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

  Births

• 16 January – Vic Aanensen, Australian Rules football player
• 4 February – Pam Allan, politician
• 5 February – Rod Jones, Australian novelist
• 14 February – Greg Browning, field hockey player
• 4 March – Ray Price, rugby league footballer
• 7 March – Peter Webb, politician
• 15 March – Randall Goff, water polo player
• 17 March – Margaret Jackson, businesswoman
• 16 April – Peter Garrett, singer and politician
• 21 April
• * John Brumby, politician
• * Ron Hoenig, politician and barrister
• 30 April – Craig Baumann, politician
• 2 May – Chris Anderson – rugby league footballer and coach
• 8 May
• * Linda Dessau, 29th Governor of Victoria
• * Tony Doyle, politician
• 20 May – Robert Doyle, politician
• 16 June – Sandra Nori, politician
• 24 June – Michael Tuck, Australian Rules football player
• 1 July
• * David Gulpilil, actor
• * Allan Shearan, politician
• 13 July – Andrew Tink, politician
• 21 July – Jeff Fatt, musician
• 23 July – Geoff Corrigan, politician
• 17 August – Noni Hazelhurst, actress
• 26 August – General David Hurley, AC, DSC, Chief of the Defence Force
• 11 September – Renée Geyer, singer
• 27 September – Greg Ham, musician
• 25 November – Graham Eadie, rugby league footballer
• 12 December – Martin Ferguson, politician

  Deaths

• 28 January – James Scullin, Prime Minister of Australia
• 12 February – Hal Colebatch, Premier of Western Australia
• 18 February – Denis Lutge, rugby footballer
• 2 May – Trevor Oldham, Deputy Premier of Victoria
• 22 May – Louis Lavater, composer
• 2 December – Reginald Baker, athlete, sports promoter and film actor

• Stephen Moreno composer