1931 in Australia.html



See also: 1930 in Australia, other events of 1931, 1932 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.

Incumbents

• Monarch – King George V
• Governor-General – John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven (until January 21), then Sir Isaac Isaacs
• Prime Minister – James Scullin

State Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – Jack Lang
• Premier of Queensland – Arthur Edward Moore
• Premier of South Australia – Lionel Hill
• Premier of Tasmania – John McPhee
• Premier of Victoria – Edmond Hogan
• Premier of Western Australia – James Mitchell

State Governors

• Governor of New South Wales – Sir Philip Game
• Governor of Queensland – Sir John Goodwin
• Governor of South Australia – Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven
• Governor of Tasmania – none appointed
• Governor of Victoria – Arthur Somers-Cocks, 6th Baron Somers (until June 23)
• Governor of Western Australia – Sir William Campion (until June 9)

Events

• January 7 – Guy Menzies flies the first solo non-stop trans-Tasman flight (from Australia to New Zealand) in 11 hours and 45 minutes, crash-landing on New Zealand's west coast.
• January 10 – The Beef Riot takes place in Adelaide. Seventeen people are injured when unemployed men clash with police while protesting the decision to remove beef from the dole ration.
• January 21 – Isaac Isaacs becomes the first Australian-born Governor-General.
• January 22 – The Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration announces a 10% reduction in the basic wage, in addition to reductions made in accordance with the fall in the cost of living index, effective from February 1.
• February 4 – Joseph Lyons resigns from the federal cabinet of James Scullin, after Scullin re-appoints Ted Theodore as Treasurer.
• February 18 – The Royal Australian Navy light cruiser HMAS Pioneer is scuttled off Sydney Heads.
• March 4 – Holden's Motor Body Builders is purchased by General Motors, and is renamed General Motors–Holden's Ltd.
• March 10 – The first Apex Club is formed in Geelong, Victoria.
• March 21 – The Australian National Airways aircraft Southern Cloud, carrying 8 persons, disappears on a flight between Sydney and Melbourne. The wreckage is not located until 1958.
• May 7 – Joseph Lyons forms the United Australia Party, through the amalgamation of ALP defectors, Nationalists and anti-Labor citizens' groups.
• May 9 – A general election is held in Tasmania, which implements compulsory voting clauses of the Electoral Act for the first time. The Nationalist Party led by John McPhee defeats the Australian Labor Party, and substantially increasing its majority.
• August 15 – The two ends of the Sydney Harbour Bridge are joined in the middle.
• November 25 – The Lang Labor group led by Jack Lang votes with the Opposition on a motion of no confidence against James Scullin's government, triggering an early election.
• December 19 – A federal election is held. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by James Scullin is defeated by former Labor MP Joseph Lyons and the United Australia Party.

Science & Technology

Arts and literature

• John Longstaff wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Sir John Sulman

Film

Sport

• White Nose wins the Melbourne Cup
• Victoria wins the Sheffield Shield

Births

• March 11 - Rupert Murdoch, businessman
• April 26 - John Cain, Premier of Victoria
• November 21 - Malcolm Williamson (d.2003), composer

Deaths

• February 23 - Nellie Melba (b.1861), opera singer
• September 14 - Tom Roberts (b.1856, artist

See also

• 1931
• 1930s