1913 in Australia

1913 in Australia
Monarch	George V
Governor-General	Thomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman
Prime Minister	Andrew Fisher, then Joseph Cook
Population	4,820,172
Elections	Federal, New South Wales, Tasmania

See also: 1912 in Australia, other events of 1913, 1914 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.

Incumbents

• Monarch – King George V
• Governor-General – The Right Hon. Thomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman
• Prime Minister – Andrew Fisher (until 24 June), then Joseph Cook

State premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – James McGowen (until 29 June), then William Holman
• Premier of Queensland – Digby Denham
• Premier of South Australia – Archibald Peake
• Premier of Tasmania – Albert Solomon
• Premier of Victoria – William Watt (until 9 December), then George Elmslie
• Premier of Western Australia – John Scaddan

State governors

• Governor of New South Wales – Frederic Thesiger, 3rd Baron Chelmsford (until 11 March), then Sir Gerald Strickland (from 14 March)
• Governor of Queensland – Sir William MacGregor
• Governor of South Australia – Admiral Sir Day Bosanquet
• Governor of Tasmania – Major General Sir Harry Barron (until 10 March), then Sir William Ellison-Macartney (from 4 June)
• Governor of Victoria – Sir John Fuller
• Governor of Western Australia – Sir Gerald Strickland (until 4 March), then Major General Sir Harry Barron (from 17 March)

Events

• 2 January – Australian philately proper begins in early 1913 with the Kangaroo and Map series of stamps, featuring a kangaroo standing on a map of Australia, and inscribed "AUSTRALIA POSTAGE".
• 12 March – Canberra is named by Lady Denman
• 1 May – The first national banknotes were introduced in denominations of 10 shillings, and 1, 5, and 10 pounds.
• 31 May – Australian referendum, 1913 contained six questions: Trade and Commerce, Corporations, Industrial Matters, Trusts, Monopolies, Railway Disputes. None of these were carried.
• 21 June – HMAS Australia, commissioned at Portsmouth and sailed to Australia to become the Australian flagship.

• Royal Commission appointed to inquire into certain charges against Mr. Henry Chinn; Chinn was supervising engineer for the transcontinental railway in Western Australia.
• Royal Commission on Northern Territory railways and ports
• Royal Commission on powellised timber
• Golden Fleece Company established by HC Sleigh; acquired by Caltex in 1981
• The Workers' Educational Association founded; it is Australia's largest non-government adult community education organisation.
• From 1859 until 1913, a squadron of the Royal Navy was maintained in Australian waters.
• Norfolk Island Act 1913 meant that Norfolk Island became an Australia Territory under the authority of the Australian Commonwealth.

Science and technology

• Amalgamation took place between Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Co. Ltd and the Australian Wireless Company forming Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Limited.
• The first totalisator, an entirely mechanical system invented by the Australian George Julius of Julius Poole & Gibson Pty Ltd, was installed at Ellerslie Racecourse in New Zealand.

Film

• Moondyne
• Australia Calls, Raymond Longford's last film for Cozens Spencer was released.
• Frank Hurley's actuality film, The Home of the Blizzard, about the Douglas Mawson expedition to Antarctica, was released.

Sport

• The 1913 NSWRFL Premiership is won by Eastern Suburbs
• Posinatus wins the Melbourne Cup
• South Australia wins the 1912–13 Sheffield Shield
• The Australian cricket team toured USA and Canada in June to August, playing five matches, four in Philadelphia and one in Toronto.

Births

• 24 January – Ray Stehr (died 1983), rugby league footballer
• 20 February – Mary Durack, author and historian (died 1994)
• 6 March – Ken Kennedy, ice speed skater (died 1985)
• 4 April – Dave Brown (died 1974), rugby league footballer
• 2 October – Roma Mitchell, Australia's first female QC, and first female judge; judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia and subsequently Governor of South Australia.
• 30 December – Elyne Mitchell, Australian author (died 2002)