1971 in Australia

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See also: 1970 in Australia, other events of 1971, 1972 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.

Incumbents

• Monarch – Elizabeth II
• Prime Minister – John Gorton (til 10 March), then William McMahon
• Governor General – Paul Hasluck

State premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – Robert Askin
• Premier of South Australia – Don Dunstan
• Premier of Queensland – Joh Bjelke-Petersen
• Premier of Tasmania – Angus Bethune
• Premier of Western Australia – David Brand (til 3 April), then John Tonkin
• Premier of Victoria – Henry Bolte

Events

• Neville Bonner becomes first Indigenous Australian to sit as a member in the Parliament of Australia
• Evonne Goolagong is named Australian of the Year
• 24 December – Cyclone Althea hits Townsville and surrounding islands, killing 3
• State Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen declares a state of emergency in Queensland in response to escalating protest to the 1971 Springbok tour
• Australia and New Zealand Announce Pull Out Of Troops from Vietnam

Arts and literature

• David Williamson writes The Removalists
• David Ireland's novel The Unknown Industrial Prisoner wins th3 Miles Franklin Award

Film

• Walkabout

Television

• 28 July – Pick-A-Box, hosted by Bob and Dolly Dyer, airs for the final time. It had first been broadcast as a radio program in 1948.

Sport

• 18 September – South Sydney Rabbitohs defeated St George Dragons in the NSWRL Grand Final at the Sydney Cricket Ground; thus winning four premierships in five years.
• 25 September – Derek Clayton wins his third men's national marathon title, clocking 2:11:08.8 in Hobart.

• Silver Knight wins the Melbourne Cup
• South Australia wins the Sheffield Shield
• Kialoa takes line honours in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Pathfinder takes handicap honours
• 1971 Springbok tour

Births

• 17 January – Peter Winter, track and field decathlete
• 26 January – Lee Naylor, track and field athlete
• 14 February – Lisa-Marie Vizaniari, discus thrower
• 19 February – Lisa McCune, actress
• 26 March – Rennae Stubbs, tennis player
• 2 April – Todd Woodbridge, tennis player
• 20 April – Grant Smith, field hockey player
• 4 May – Miles Stewart, triathlete
• 3 July - Julian Assange, activist
• 2 September – Gregory Corbitt, field hockey striker
• 18 September – Kate Starre, field hockey midfielder
• 1 October – Andrew O'Keefe, highest-rating television personality
• 20 October – Dannii Minogue, singer
• 29 October – Matthew Hayden, cricket player
• 14 November – Adam Gilchrist, cricket player
• 19 November – Michelle Andrews, field hockey midfielder
• 6 December – Brendan Garard, field hockey player

Deaths

• 27 May – Chips Rafferty (b. 1909), actor
• 30 July – Kenneth Slessor (b. 1901), poet
• 16 October – Robin Boyd (b. 1919), architect

See also

• 1971
• 1970's