1931 in Australia

← 1930 1929 1928 1931 in Australia → 1932 1933 1934
Decades:	1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s
See also:	Other events of 1931 Federal election Timeline of Australian history

The following lists events that happened during 1931 in Australia.

Incumbents

• George V
• Governor-General – John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven (until 21 January), then Sir Isaac Isaacs
• Prime Minister – James Scullin
• Chief Justice – Isaac Isaacs (until 21 January) then Frank Gavan Duffy

State Premiers

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

State Governors

• Governor of New South Wales – Sir Philip Game
• 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 23 June)
• Governor of Western Australia – Sir William Campion (until 9 June)

Events

• 7 January – 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.
• 10 January – 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.
• 21 January – Isaac Isaacs becomes the first Australian-born Governor-General.
• 22 January – 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 1 February.
• 4 February –
  federal cabinet of James Scullin, after Scullin re-appoints Ted Theodore as Treasurer
  .
• 18 February – The Royal Australian Navy light cruiser HMAS Pioneer is scuttled off Sydney Heads.
• 4 March – Holden's Motor Body Builders is purchased by
  General Motors, and is renamed General Motors–Holden's Ltd
  .
• 10 March – The first
  Geelong, Victoria
  .
• 21 March – 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.
• 7 May –
  Nationalists
  and anti-Labor citizens' groups.
• 9 May – A
  John McPhee defeats the Australian Labor Party
  , and substantially increasing its majority.
• 15 August – The two ends of the Sydney Harbour Bridge are joined in the middle.
• 25 November – The Lang Labor group led by Jack Lang vote with the Opposition on a motion of no confidence against James Scullin's government, triggering an early election.
• 19 December – 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.

Arts and literature

• John Longstaff wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Sir John Sulman^[1]

Sport

• 9 May - Richmond set a record VFL score of 30.19 (199) against North Melbourne. This record stands until 1969. Doug Strang, with fourteen goals, and Jack Titus, with eight, combine for 22 goals - a total equalled by Templeton and Dunstan in 1978 but never beaten
• 12 September - South Sydney 12 defeat Eastern Suburbs 7 for their tenth NSWRL premiership
• 10 October - Geelong 9.14 (68) beats Richmond 6.12 (48) for its second premiership
• White Nose wins the Melbourne Cup
• Victoria wins the
  Sheffield Shield

Births

• 1 February – Roger Covell, musicologist (died 2019)
• 14 February – Esme Timbery, Bidjigal artist and shellworker (died 2023)
• 24 February – Barry Oakley, writer
• 25 February – Eric Edgar Cooke, serial killer (died 1964)
• 5 March –
  • George Ogilvie, film and theatre director (died 2020)
  • Barry Tuckwell, horn player and conductor (died 2020)
• 11 March – Rupert Murdoch, businessman
• 20 March – James Mollison, art gallery director (died 2020)
• 26 April –
  John Cain
  , Premier of Victoria (died 2019)
• 30 May – Diana Fisher, journalist and television presenter (died 2023)
• 2 June – Peter Cummins, actor
• 14 June – Ross Higgins, actor (died 2016)
• 21 June – Francis Macnab, christian minister (died 2023)
• 22 June – Ian Browne, track cyclist (died 2023)
• 27 June – Geoffrey Harcourt, academic economist (died 2021)
• 4 July – Bill Gleeson, Australian rules footballer (died 1998)
• 13 July – Arthur Hurst, Australian rules footballer (died 2014)
• 19 July – Alan Wrigley, writer and commentator
• 20 July – Phil Coles, canoeist and sports administrator (died 2023)
• 15 September – Brian Henderson, broadcaster (died 2021)
• 9 October – Stuart Devlin, artist and metalworker (died 2018)
• 14 October – Mary Hardy, actress and comedian (died 1985)
• 19 October – Dick Fenton-Smith, Australian rules footballer (died 2021)
• 21 November – Malcolm Williamson, composer (died 2003)

Deaths

• 17 February – Norman Cameron, Tasmanian politician (b. 1851
  )
• 23 February – Dame Nellie Melba, opera singer (b. 1861
  )
• 9 March – John Chanter, New South Wales politician (b. 1845
  )
• 22 August – Edward Dyson, poet and novelist (b. 1865
  )
• 14 September – Tom Roberts, artist (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1856
  )
• 8 October – Sir John Monash, general (b. 1865
  )
• 28 October – Paddy Glynn, South Australian politician (born in Ireland) (b. 1855
  )
• 20 December – James Stewart, Queensland politician (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1850
  )

• List of Australian films of the 1930s

References